Four Winds Co-Founders Kirsten Juntunen and Jonathan Cooley realized the need for a full-service destination wedding planning service after working through the difficulties of planning their own beach wedding in Jamaica. Once the two discovered the challenges that exist while trying to plan a wedding in a far away place, they decided to combine their dynamic skills to better streamline the destination wedding experience for couples and their guests.
Kirsten started building her floral business at an early age. As the child of two avid artist/gardeners, Kirsten learned how to care for flowers and was encouraged to create artistic arrangements. Instead of setting up weekend lemonade stands in front of her childhood home, she had buckets filled will petite bunches of fresh blooms that she sold on her country road. Kirsten's parents were also teachers, and had a passion for traveling. They were fortunate enough to have the summer months free, so when they were not tending to their garden they were off exploring places like Europe, Peru, Mexico, and the Hawaiian Islands. In more recent years, Kirsten has taken her passionate artistic eye and technical expertise and used them to establish Four Winds Weddings & Events. After completing her degree at Western Washington University, where her focus was event planning, she has enhanced her business by incorporating a Costa Rican branch that provides both wedding design and coordination. She and her husband Jon have now crafted a business that offers their clients their dream wedding designed in some of the most romantic, idyllic spots out there, while living out their dreams of working in an industry that they love full time.
Growing up with an Argentinian mother, Jonathan has always had an appreciation for the emphasis that Latin families place on community and culture. This upbringing has led him to seek out new avenues to connect with his community. When he was 18, Jonathan traveled to Argentina and Chile where he spent 75 days backpacking throughout remote stretches of Patagonia. Upon his return, he spent a year working with the Washington Conservation Corps where he helped to replant native trees and plants in Coho Salmon habitat throughout the state. He has also been involved with customer service for over 10 years which includes his work as manager of Mambo Italiano Cafe, a popular Italian restaurant in Bellingham, Washington. The time that he spent in the restaurant industry helped him hone his customer service skills and helped shape his leadership techniques. He earned a degree in marketing from Western Washington University and he helps to provide the strong organizational structure to the business.
