Talk about the dreamiest of destination elopements....

Haley and Mason live in Georgia and envisioned a redwoods elopements in California with just a few family members present.

The rain began in the morning and lifted just in time for this magical event! Our vendor team hiked with the couple into the magnificent forest in the Santa Cruz mountains and found the perfect spot for the ceremony. We'll always remember the unique poems shared by this couple during the vows!

Haley asked for magnolia to represent her home state in the bouquet, and wanted some anemones plus wild lushness and greenery to match the feel of the day. 

The couple ended their event with a honeymoon in California while their families ventured on their own. We love that this couple made the day exactly what they wanted, included those who were the most important, and took time to enjoy exploring the California Coast. Elopement perfection!

How refreshing to see a cool, winter wedding on the blog in the middle of our hot summer!

Angela and Marco experienced the epitome of a winter wonderland wedding. From her custom-designed dress with furry hand muff and jacket, to the deep, rich, red velvet tones at the reception, the bride and her guests experienced a bit of holiday elegance in December.

The couple's dream was to be married inside the iconic St. Teresa of Avila Church in Marin. Rain began, and then stopped just in time for the couple to take some stunning photos outside, before heading to Sonoma for their reception.

Experiencing a reception at Fairmont Sonoma is truly a treat -- from the delicious food to the amazing staff, every detail is planned out to perfection! Our team designed a lounge area indoors (due to the weather) to include velvet couches and linens, and a dinner-dancing space with letter-pressed custom menus with calligraphy guest names, an exquisite Christmas-present style cake (bride's #1 request!), rich florals that included hints of pine wreaths, jeweled metal and lit birch trees, and a head table with a special fireplace mantle. 

Upon request from the groom's family, a talented belly dancer came in to perform before dinner, and some of the guests ended up dancing with her around the beautiful cake! Her sword performance brought gasps from the guests. After an incredible meal, the guests danced inside while it rained, keeping the cozy, warm, celebration going until everyone was ready to head to their rooms at the resort. On their way out, guests grabbed chocolate covered almond gifts, representing well wishes from the bride's side of the family.

We are so happy for Angela and Marco and their sweet, wondreful families! We can't wait for the next winter wedding in Sonoma.

Photography | Megan Clouse
​Planning, Design, Coordination, & Signage | Tan Weddings & Events
Venue, Catering, Cake & Accommodations | Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
DJ & Lighting | SJs Disc Jockey 
Reception Florals | The Pollen Mill
Ceremony Venue & Officiant | St. Teresa of Avila Church
Videography | Phillip Alan Films 
Beauty | Halo Day Spa
Rentals |Theoni Collection 
Draping, Lighting & Dance Floor | Standard Party Rentals 
Mantel | Frances Lane 
Trees | Big 4 Party Rentals
Linens | La Tavola Fine Linen
Paperie | Valley Press Co.
Custom Dress & Ceremony Florals | Cindy Stewart
Transportation | Limo SF VIP
Belly Dancer | Nicole Maria Dance

Couples often ask us for advice on where to go for engagement photos. A true gem in Yolo County is the Cache Creek Lavender Farm in Rumsey.

Full bloom is usually the last week of May through the middle of July, with the prime weeks being the first two in June before the harvest. 

The lavender farm has different varietals growing on site, and includes a cute greenhouse, a seasonal creek, a couple of grapevines, and drying lavender hanging from the trees!

​This quiet, idyllic venue is also available for elopements, rehearsal dinners, and small weddings up to 80 people. Contact us if you are interested in engagement photos or to plan your event!

Emily and Mikey are what we call "soulmates" in every sense of the word. We knew Emily from her work with Real Weddings Magazine, and when we met Mikey, we could see how beautifully the two just clicked. Planning their wedding was absolute honor, and we loved their parents so much, too!

One of our most favorite and unique details was the couple's guest sign-in book. Instead of a traditional book with blank pages, the couple selected a botanical book that they loved that was filled with stunning drawings of plants and flowers. Guests signed in the open spaces and margins. The couple realized that a guest book can easily be something stored away after the wedding, and they instead chose to have it be something that they could keep in their living room. Brilliant!

Vibrant florals with fabulously textured table runners and print napkins made the tablescape a feast for the eyes, even before the food was served. Delicious food, followed by some of the sweetest toasts followed their loving ceremony by the famous Chinese Pistach tree at The Maples. Scroll down to see photos of this incredible event, and the list of stellar vendors who came together to make magic on Emily and Mikey's wedding day

Photography | Valley Images Photography
Planning, Coordination & Design | Tan Weddings & Events
HMUA | Happily Beautiful Makeup Artistry & Skin Studio
Cake | Marisa Benson
Dessert | Frank Vilt's Cakes
Catering | Beth Sogaard Catering
Videography | Phillip Alan Films
DJ & Lighting | DeBorba Events
Florals | Strelitzia Flower Company
Officiant | Omar Gonzalez
Rentals | Standard Party Rentals, Stevenz Company
Linens | La Tavola Fine Linen
Venue & Bar | The Maples Woodland
Photo Booth | Giggle & Riot Funbooths
Transportation | MGM Transportation
Dress | Wtoo by Watters at A|E Bridal

We all yearn for the most fundamental need of human beings - to love and be loved. We can claim it as a right of every one of us on earth. Sadly, some of us have chosen to violate that right - through actions that strip away an individual's self-worth, self-esteem, and self-identity.

In this staggeringly challenging time, we all hope to bring peace to our global communities where human rights violations are rampant, to speak out against tragedies as a result of the historical and ongoing legacy of racial injustice and gender-based violence in the United States, to dismantle broken systems and rebuild a more enlightened society, to make a difference. Making a difference means each of us can be a point of light, a beacon for change. Some do it on a personal level - from conversations with your children during dinner to rising up as a charismatic voice for the people. Others may choose to use their businesses as a forum to effect change. Giant, billion dollar corporations such as Amazon can do it on a massive scale, where their message can be heard by a multitude of people.

Can a small, minority-owned business such as ours make an impact? Absolutely! 

When we got married 26 years ago, we felt blessed for the warmth and openness we received from our families - it was about love, no matter our different faiths or color of our skin. Since then, as owners of Tan Weddings & Events, we have been committed to serving “all faiths, all cultures, and all partnerships” - our humble way of making an impact.   Through our service as officiants and planners of weddings, we are proponents of unity, equality, and diversity. We are in a position to bring people of all color and cultures together in a joyful experience to celebrate and uphold the most fundamental of human needs - to love and be loved.

To love and be loved. It is so simple, so Zen, so poetic even. For a wedding business, it seems crystal clear to us, and we believe if all 7.6 billion people on earth followed this Golden Rule, all our problems would be solved, truly.  Unfortunately, we all have alienated ourselves from each other with layers of broken systems, biases, prejudices, racial injustice, mistrust, delusions of superiority, hate. With all that to cut throught, a mantra of "love and be loved" seems awfully empty and idealistic. We want to challenge you to believe we can cut through those layers and heal.​

Change takes time, learning and growing takes time. We are continually, day to day, reflecting inward and assessing our thoughts, words, and deeds, striving to become better people. If we all acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do, and that we have to do it with the core values of peace and unity, we can begin to heal. 

Our Pledge to Unity is our humble way as a wedding business to be a beacon for change. We will continue to model equality and unity in our professional setting as well as foster these values in our personal lives. We will continue to revise our pledge and to implement a plan of action that is thoughtful. We hope for a world that fully, wholly, and joyfully celebrates our differences and sameness. Love and be loved - it’s our right.

In our ongoing commitment to uphold unity, equality, diversity, and peace, we pledge the following:

• To Engage in Learning | We listen to our clients and concerned citizens, engage in thoughtful dialog,  and share educational and developmental platforms for staff, clients, vendors, and community, so we may support one another in raising our awareness and understading about equality, racial justice, and inclusivity. 
• To Cultivate a Safe Sanctuary | We cultivate a company culture that embraces people of all color, faiths, gender, partnerships, experiences, and capacities, where we foster a kind and caring environment that is safe, judgement-free, and protected, holding ourselves responsible for honoring all as unique individuals. 
• To Advocate for Diversity | We embody our core principles of diversity and inclusion by actively collaborating with BIPOC-owned small businesses, embracing a clientele of all faiths, all cultures, and all partnerships, empowering our Inclusion Specialist to expand our knowledge, and allocating resources for promoting diversity.  
• To Be Accountable | We are vigilant in analyzing our processes, examining our content, imagery, words, and actions to be aligned with our core principles. We are taking accountability for our business and calling ourselves out if we are not following our own commitment to be a beacon for change. 

Rick and Jennifer Tan
co-owners, Tan Weddings & Events
​Photo Credit | Jodee Debes Photography

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Elopements are dreamy, magical, romantic, and stress-free! During this pandemic time, Tan Weddings & Events is excited to offer officiating, harp, and all-inclusive packages for couple to elope in a variety of locations throughout California.

Stephanie & Tim's goal was to be married on 6/6/20 in Napa. When they realized that they would need to move their date to 2021, they decided to elope on 6/6/20 to keep their original anniversary date.

Surrounded by pristine redwoods and a peaceful creek, the couple shared vows and enjoyed spending time with their amazing photographer. They loved the whole experience and plan to come back to visit more of the beautiful arboretum.

We can't wait for their wedding day in 2021, and we are so grateful to have been a part of their special elopement on their original date.

Like many couple right now, Rachel and Jason had one type of wedding in mind, and then due to circumstances, needed to change their date and scope of the event. We loved working with this couple over time to craft the perfect wedding day to meet their needs.

The couple knew that Fairmont Sonoma was the perfect location for them. Hailing from Los Angeles, Rachel and Jason wanted a true get-away -- a wedding and honeymoon all in one! Fairmont offered beautiful accommodations, delicious food options, a pretty ceremony spot, and spa services, all on the same site.

In the end, the couple elected to do a romantic elopement with harp music, followed by dinner at the restaurant on site, Sante. They stayed a few days at Fairmont and spent time exploring the coast on their way home. A custom watercolor announcement was created by Rick on our team to commemorate the day.

Hosting an event at a private estate in a "real barn" can present some interesting challenges! Maddy and Danny envisioned their elegant ranch wedding at their friend's gorgeous property in Arbuckle, and the families immediately began planning how to bring electricity, water and other important details to life on site.

Tan Weddings & Events came in to assist with the overal design flow o the space, selection of rentals, and hiring of vendors. The bride's mother is one of our good friends and wedding vendors (rentals!), and she ensured that every last detail was designed to perfection.

The wedding party got ready at the bride's farm nearby, spending time together and taking photos before arriving to the venue. Maddy and Danny's ceremony featured a vintage truck, and an exquisite floral arch beneath a majestic oak tree. 

Customized draping and lighting made the reception space come to life, along with velvet napkins, taper candles and lush florals. The couple and their guests danced the night away after indulging in the most amazing cake and dessert display. 

We are excited for this couple who is currently expecting baby #2!