Where We Begin
The moments closest to home.
Before the big day, there are the ones in between. This is where we start, and where we love to be.
Birthdays
From a child's first to a milestone year, styled and set up so you can just enjoy it.
Explore birthdaysCelebration Setups
Hotel rooms and venues transformed for a surprise, a proposal, or a night to remember.
Explore setupsIn-Home Parties
Your own space, styled and staged into a gathering you will not want to end.
Explore in-homeSelected Work
Let the room speak first.
A look at the celebrations we design, organized by the moments they hold.
What We Do
One studio, every celebration.
Full planning, design, and onsite production, held to one standard whether the room holds twelve or two hundred.
Personal Celebrations
Birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, and intimate gatherings, styled to the last detail.
Traditional Celebrations
Chinese, Korean, and other cultural milestones, run correctly and in your language.
Styling & Setup
Room design, tablescapes, and onsite coordination that turn a space into an experience.
Weddings
Full wedding design and production, built on the craft of every celebration before it.
Why Only Once
Hospitality, at the level of a memory.
Karina spent years running the front of luxury hotels. That is the standard behind every Only Once event.
Run like a studio
A hospitality operations background and a full team behind every event mean the timeline, the vendors, and the recovery are handled before you notice.
Bilingual and bicultural
Fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and at home in Chinese and Korean traditions. The rites handled properly, for the couple and the family.
Every detail intentional
Every color, flower, light, and place setting exists for a reason. Nothing is there by default.
Truly yours
The event is a reflection of you, never a template. Your only once, every time.
The Studio Behind Only Once
Hospitality is not a job to Karina. It is how she thinks.
Only Once was founded by Eric Lee and is led day to day by Karina, our lead planner, with a team of stylists, coordinators, and trusted vendors behind every event. She brings more than ten years in luxury hospitality and events, managing VIP guests, leading teams, and handling the thousand details a guest never sees. That is the standard the studio brings to your celebration.
She plans fluently in Mandarin and Cantonese, and she is at home in the customs of Chinese and Korean celebrations, from the tea ceremony to pyebaek and dol. Every event is treated like a guest she is personally responsible for.
Full professional references available on request.
The Process
Simple from the first hello.
Step 01
Inquire
Tell us about your celebration. We reply within one business day.
Step 02
Consultation
We listen for the feeling you want, the guests, the budget, the culture of the day.
Step 03
Proposal
A tailored design and plan, with clear scope and pricing. No surprises.
Step 04
Event day
We produce and run it onsite, so you are a guest at your own celebration.
References & Reviews
People who have worked with her.
Karina has an incredible eye for detail. She took our vision and elevated it into something far beyond what we imagined. Every vendor was coordinated perfectly, everything stayed on schedule, and our guests couldn't stop talking about the experience.
Emily Chen · Luxury Real Estate Advisor
I've worked with many event planners over the years, and Karina stands out because she listens first. She understands the purpose behind an event and builds every detail around it. Professional, organized, and always one step ahead.
Daniel Kim · Technology Executive
As someone who works behind the scenes, I can immediately tell when an event is well managed. Karina keeps vendors aligned, communicates clearly, and creates beautiful spaces that photograph effortlessly.
Sophia Nguyen · Wedding Photographer
Karina is one of the most organized professionals I've worked with. She anticipates problems before they happen and always arrives with thoughtful solutions. It made the entire planning process enjoyable.
Grace Huang · Healthcare Executive
She introduced ideas we would have never considered ourselves, and every single one made the event stronger. Our guests are still talking about the experience months later.
Christopher Martinez · Private Event Client
Every recommendation Karina made ended up improving our event. Her creativity never felt excessive. Instead, it aligned perfectly with our vision and elevated the entire experience.
Kevin Choi · Financial Advisor
A selection of words from clients and collaborators. Full professional references available on request.
Investment
Priced to your celebration, not a menu.
Every event is different, so a single fixed price would only ever be a guess. Your guest count, your vision, and what you choose to bring in all shape the number. A simple styled setup and a full celebration with custom florals, decor, and extras like a dessert table or an ax throwing lane are not the same event, and should not carry the same price. So we start with a conversation. Tell us the celebration you have in mind, your guest count, and what matters most, we shape a plan around it, and you receive one clear proposal with everything itemized. No hidden costs, no pressure, and you know exactly what you are paying for before you say yes.
i
Designed around you
Built to your guest count, vision, and priorities.
ii
One clear proposal
Everything itemized, so nothing is a surprise.
iii
No hidden costs
What we quote is what you pay.
iv
One point of contact
Your lead planner, from first hello to final farewell.