We hear it often from couples: "We should have hired you first before we booked the venue!" Why do they make this comment? Here are top five reasons, and why you should hire Tan Weddings & Events BEFORE you book the venue.

"We Just Spent Most of Our Budget on the Venue."
It is not the venue's responsibility or priority to manage your wedding day budget!  When you book them, be aware that your venue budget should only be about 15% of your entire budget, and about 36% if they include catering and bar services, according to our budget calculator. if you hire us before the venue, we will have a discussion regarding your wedding investment range and cap to assist you with budget allocation. Unless you have infinite resources, it could pinch when you start factoring in all the other costs involved, such as all your other vendors!

"It was Really Difficult Comparing Venues Based on their Websites."
When you hire us first, we perform a Venue Research on your behalf. Tan Weddings & Events has compiled a comprehensive list of venues in the northern California area - Napa, Sonoma, St. Helena, to Carmel. When you give us your wish list for the event - like, "for 120 people", "indoor and outdoor spaces", "iconic wine country", or "places to visit", we then curate a short list for you to visit, comparing amenities, meeting your priorities, allowing you to make an informed choice for the optimum setting for your celebration.

"We Did Not Know the Venue Had No Place-settings and Linens."
Napkins for your event seem like such a small detail, but it is greatly magnified if you did not know that the venue does not come with linens, forks and knives, plates, glassware, tables, chairs for dinner and ceremony. Multiplied by the number of guests, that is a HUGE cost you probably did not budget for and will absolutely will need to rent. Another advantage to our Venue Research - we will let you know which venues have these available onsite or will need to be rented.

"We Thought the Venue was Private But There Are People Everywhere."
You book the venue - it checked all the boxes, it has a great view of the vineyard, and it was so affordable. Then, you discover it does not come with any place-settings AND it is open to the public up to 5PM, when you will be having your ceremony!! As planners, again, we can help you with the Venue Research, and if your priority is privacy, then we know which venues will serve you best. And if the venue truly is open to the public, then on wedding day, we know how to manage the flow and the timeline to maximize the enjoyment of your guests, without bumping into guest wine tasting at your venue.

"We Did Not Know About All the Vendor Restrictions."
Frankly, most couples will not have this on their radar until later in the planning when they are hit with extra fees because the venue may have short windows for delivery and pickup - adding cost; or parking is limited and shuttles are required - adding cost; or there is not sufficient electrical outlets and bathrooms so generators and portable restrooms need to be rented - adding cost!

Avoid these pitfalls: hire us first, then we'll find the perfect venue together.

Love is sweet, vibrant, colorful. Love is timeless and infinite. Love is bringing two families to become one. Love is an elopement at Stanly Ranch! For this couple a -he with his two boys and she with her two girls, an elopement at Stanly Ranch in Napa, California, was the perfect way to celebrate a second chance at love. Why not do it right with Tan Weddings & Events coordinating this intimate and exquisite gathering!

With the right vendor team providing just the right touch of elegance and magic, a setting amidst vineyards and modern amenities, and the couple's sweet energy and personalities, this private ceremony was the perfect way to celebrate love.

One of our weddings in 2024 was Donna and Stephen's reception at Catelli's restaurant in Geyserville, CA. The couple had their ceremony at the San Francisco Courthouse, then enjoyed a fabulous party with their friends and families.

Headed by award-winning and TV personality Chef Domenica Catelli, the restaurant has been in her family for almost 90 years! The couple was drawn to the venue's quaint vibe and delicious food, and its enclosed courtyard featuring a black and white marble floor and olive trees that lined the circular space.

Tan Weddings & Events partnered with the team at Catelli's to create an elegant and fun celebration of great food, music, and ambience. 

Short answer? Yesterday!

The 2025 wedding season is just around the corner, and if you want your pick of the coveted late summer to early fall months, book your venue and your planner. While it is not uncommon for planners like Tan Weddings & Events to have 1 - 1.5 year planning timeframes, many fall in the range of one year to eight months. So the time is now if you want a wedding in August through October months.

Let's look at the benefits of an eight month planning timeframe. First, you may be able to book the venue of your choice, and if you are open to a weekday alternative, the options expand a bit more. Second, hiring the planner as one of your first vendors is smart as they will help you with one of the first tasks: securing your other vendors. At eight months, you can chat with available  top notch vendors, even securing a photographer who would be open to doing an engagement shoot with you!

Third, you'll want to secure rentals for your event - everything from lounge sets to place-settings and everything in between, which at about seven to six months, allows you to secure the inventory and delivery times to suit your event. Fourth, you'll have time to decide on the design of your invitation suite and how it all fits into the overall aesthetic of your wedding. Your paperie vendor will want final proofs by six months, and working to get them mailed by four to five months. 

And a fifth benefit to hiring your planner early, you'll have a partner to manage many elements of your wedding so you can focus on other important things like getting a dress or work, school, and each other!

Reach out now and we can start the wedding planning for your 2025 celebration!

Photography | Nicole Sepulveda Photography
Planning, Officiant & Musician | Tan Weddings & Events
Venue & Wine | Beringer Vineyards
Cupcakes | Palette Cakes
Florals | Bloom & Vine
Hair | Margarita Bridal Hair
Makeup | Ernesto Robeldo
Suit | R Douglas
Dress | Carole Kenney Design

In 1899, George La Tour, a polyglot transplant from France, acquired a parcel of agricultural land in Napa Valley to host his passion for wine-making. When his wife Fernande saw the expanse of land and low hills, she exclaimed, "Quel beau lieu!" (What a beautiful place!) So sprouted Beaulieu Garden.

Designed by landscape architect Thomas Dolliver Church, the grounds offer impeccable English garden-style plantings of roses and boxwoods, cypress and yew trees, all connected by gravel and paver pathways, leading to fountains and cherubim statues. Tan Weddings & Events enjoy hosting intimate gatherings and elopements at the Sunken Garden. Partnering with the onsite events team led by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering & Events, TWE creates magical moments in this truly exquisite and private setting.

Getting ready in the morning of wedding day is not as easy as setting the alarm, downing a cup of chai, then getting into your wedding dress. Here are some helpful insights from Tan Weddings & Events to help smooth the transition from sleepy head to newlywed.

With your fabulous planner, you will have discussed these with them and the venue prior to the wedding morning, so there should be no surprises.

The Getting Ready Space is Your Happy Place
This is where you have arranged to gather for hair and makeup and for getting dressed. Make sure the space can accommodate the number of people expected to use it - you'll actually spend quite a large percentage of your day in this space (about 5 hours, or 35% of a 14-hour event day), so it should be comfortable and inviting. It should have adequate lighting and ventilation. 

The mood should be calm and meditative; it's your happy place. So think about who you want to share that space with. As much as you love your 2 year old nephew, do you want your sister-in-law changing his diaper next to your maid of honor getting their eyeliner penciled in? (We've seen it!) Please don't share your getting ready moment with anyone that will - dare we say it? - put a stink on your morning! 

We can't stress it enough - with whom and how many people you are sharing your space with can make or break how your day will unfold.

Breakfast is the Most Important Meal
of the (Wedding) Day
Don't discount the need to feed! Emotions and adrenaline are already at an amped up level, so your body is burning more fuel than you realize. If you skip breakfast, and even lunch, then by the afternoon, you will not be at your optimum health to enjoy the rest of the day. Don't wait till you sit down for dinner to finally eat - that will be too little too late! And water, precious water. Hydrate early, frequently. As they say in Napa - "water first, wine later".

If you are getting ready at a venue with catering - a resort or hotel - then it is easy to arrange ahead for a platter of brunch items and beverages to be brought to you and your wedding party. If you are at an Airbnb or a venue without onsite food, then order ahead and have it delivered.

As they say at Tan Weddings & Events - "Nourish first, nuptials later".

No More Wardrobe Malfunctions
Before you even hop on that train, plane, our automobile to your destination wedding, make a checklist of garments, accessories, and footwear so you don't leave your essentials behind. Put wedding day attire in one specific bag, labeled, inventoried, ready for a party.

Traveling to the venue with your attire, even if in a suit bag, will inevitably become wrinkled. Arriving at least a day or two to the venue will afford you some time to let the garments air out. Hang them up in the bathroom (a steamy shower may do the trick), arrange for a steamer/iron from the venue, or hire a professional to give your dress or suit that special treatment to make you look your best on wedding day.

If you are donning a neck tie or bow tie, please do not wait until wedding day to go on YouTube to learn - figure it out beforehand, practice it! Nothing says novice more than a poorly tied tie, a sloppy pocket square, or the worst we've seen: not snipping off the threads that bind the vents on your suit!! Free your vents - those threads are from the tailor/manufacturer for packaging purposes - they are not part of your suit's design!!

What is a Flatlay Anyway?
​It's a relatively new buzzword among wedding photographers that describe an arrangement of objects such as the rings, cuff links, shoes, invitation suite, and the movie tickets to your first date together, along with some florals that together create a time capsule photo.

If a flatlay is what you want recorded in your photo album, prepare these items, set them aside, put them in a box or a tray, and delegate a trusted friend or your planner to give to the photographer. 

Do not make it an afterthought if this is important to you because you do not want to be scrambling for random things or regretting not to pack the locket your grandma gave you for this precicous photo.

If your preference is an intimate wedding celebration, then consider these important tips from Tan Weddings & Events in scaling down, while elevating the experience.

A Romantic Setting and Scale
Here at our styled shoot at beautiful Arista Winery in Healdsburg, CA, a manicured swath of lawn cut against the vineyard and hills beyond provided a setting that was proportionately scaled for a smaller gathering. The addition of an arbor structure further brings a cozy, more intimate feel.

Touches of Elegance
Elements of chic and elegant do not have to be grand scaled. When scaling down, attentiveness to the details is key. For instance, we placed a modern chandelier from Bright Event Rentals to anchor the arbor with a very sophisticated touch. No need for lots of lights, just a well chosed detail.

Textural and Sensuous
Curated florals from Bloom & Vine, and carefully grouped place-settings and patterened linens from Bright Event Rentals, these all hold their own in the overall design, contributing to the experience of touch, sight, and comfort.

Your ceremony deserves thoughtful consideration as it is more than just the words spoken and shared on wedding day, it represents your commitment of a lifelong love. It is aso at the core of the wedding celebration; why your families and friends were brought together in the first place. Here are some helpful tips in making your ceremony meaningful.

Choose the Officiant Who Matches your Needs
A couple should consider an officiant that meets their beliefs and values. The officiant should be able to work with the couple's often busy work/life schedule, able to communicate via emails effectively and Zoom chat as needed. The officiant sets the tone of your ceremony, so make sure they reflect your personality and the occassion. And finally, the officiant should have the right demeanor on wedding day - calm, compassionate, authoritative, professional yet personable.

Create a Ceremony Script that Resonates with You
Whether you begin with ceremony templates or start from scratch, the ceremony words should be authentic to who you are as a couple. Work with your officiant to personalize it and refine it. The ceremony script should reflect your love as a couple, it should say the words that will carry you into married life. Don't worry about what your guests expect to hear, they will appreciate and support you when they know the words are meaningful to you.

Personalize your Script
There are ways that even a ceremony template can become uniquely yours. You might share your love story with your officiant who may incorporate it into the ceremony. You can read your personal written vows - quite a cherished moment when friends and family hear your voices and the heart-felt promises you make to one another. You can include unity rituals that are drawn from your faith or culture, such as the veil and cord rituals of the Filipino culture.

Hire a Professional Officiant or Consult with One
A professional officiant, such as any member of the officiating team of Tan Weddings & Event, will meet all your needs above, but you might decide to have your family member or friend officiate for you. In that case, consult with TWE's principal officiant Reverend Rick Tan who will provide your friend or family member with helpful tips to officiating like a pro!

Sharing a meal together is at the heart of many gatherings, and weddings offer a delightful and delectable experience for your guests. Whether you decide a buffet, family-style, or plated,  matching table decor with the meal service type will take your dinner from bland to grand!

Got some hearty eaters who like to have a few entree choices? A buffet style service would be an excellent format. With the tablescape, you have a lot of freedom, where the dinner plate can be a part of the place-setting, and ample room on the tables for florals, candles, and other decor.

This format gives an informal, laid-back vibe to a celebration, without giving up an elevated aesthetic. Since platters of sides and entrees will be brought out by your caterer to the tables for guests to share, make sure there are landing areas such as stands, and that flower and other decor do not overwhelm the space, allowing for guests to pass platters amongst themselves unhindered.

This is the most formal of these three meal service types, where guests will have selected their entree choice prior to the wedding day. With this type, the place-setting will not have a dinner plate on the table as the catering team will be plating the entrees on the dinner plates. Design-wise, the combination of the charger, napkin, and menu will tak center stage.