Meet April Arnold | Wedding & Event Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with April Arnold and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi April, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
There are two things I say to my team on a regular basis: work hard and be nice. I think those two tenants really serve as the backbone of my business and have been a huge factor in being able to grow from a single owner/operator to having a team and expanding the business and brand in other directions.

Those two tenants manifest in multiple ways. To my business, working hard isn’t just working a lot. Working hard is all about putting in the time to prepare, expressing dedication to clients, and also reaching out for support when the situations arise. And being nice isn’t really that simple either. Being nice includes actively listening to our clients and fellow vendors, understanding their concerns, and working hard to find adequate solutions, It also means dealing with tough situations head-on and offering compassion, as well as solutions.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I hope there are a few details that set Kosi Events apart from other planning businesses. First and foremost for us is the experience of the guests (and the couple if it’s a wedding). While the aesthetics and overall design always feed into that, we work hard to create events that *feel* a certain way. We want people to feel like things are organized but not rushed, beautiful but not fussy, and we always want guests to feel like an event is intimate and special, regardless of the guest count being high or low.

The next most important way we try to distinguish ourselves is by maintaining a high level of professionalism through all of our interactions. The wedding industry specifically sometimes has a reputation of being unprofessional, with some vendors treating their business more as a hobby than a business. We pride ourselves in quick response times, clear communication, healthy client and vendor boundaries, all while working in a very personal and often-times emotional industry. It’s the balance we try to strike that I think makes us unique.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you are visiting Grand Junction, you definitely need at least a week because of how uniquely we’re situated! If I had a friend visiting, I’d definitely spend the first day or two in Palisade, CO, taking a carriage wine tour with JR’s Carriage and visiting some of my all-time favorite local wineries, like Restoration Vineyards, TWP Winery, and many others. After we spent time wine tasting and probably hiking on the National Monument, we’d start the day-trips to all of the incredible places less than 2.5 hours from Grand Junction. We would have to hit Moab, UT, Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Ouray and Telluride.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It might sound cliche, but I think it’s most appropriate to shoutout my husband, Robbie Arnold. He encouraged me to start my business over 6 years ago, and has stood by my side as I’ve had to ride the highs and lows (hello 2020) of entrepreneurship. He’s offered advice when asked and constant support. During busy event seasons he’s cooked more than his fair-share of meals, and has offered the kind of stability and enthusiasm that is 100% necessary when pushing the first few years of a new business.

Website: www.kosievents.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kosievents/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kosieventsllc

Image Credits
1. Jessica Cooke Photography 2. Christy Dawn Photography 3. The Foxes 4. The Foxes 5. Amanda Matilda Photography 6. Emily Battles Photography 7. Kimberly Crist Photography 8. Kimberly Crist Photography