We chose to elope in Mendocino in October and it was the best decision we could have made! Vanna took care of absolutely everything. We live about 8 hours away and all the arrangements were made with a few phone calls and e-mails. The entire experience could not have been more stress free or easy going. The ceremony was perfect and Vanna did a beautiful job incorporating our kids into the ceremony and making it feel like a true joining of two families, not just two people. The cake, flowers, and photography were amazing and the Agate Cove Inn was beyond lovely; all the elements were pulled together so well. Marianella at M Salon was also recommended by Vanna and did a fantastic job on my hair and makeup. Anyone who chooses to get married in Mendocino, or renew their vows, would do well to have Vanna at the helm of their ceremony.
Matthew & Julia
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“Vanna truly helps to transform your dreams into reality! She is such an amazing woman and I feel so honored to have had her marry my husband and I! From the moment my husband and I started wedding planning, we weren’t sure what to do but we knew that we wanted an intimate wedding in a beautiful outdoor setting. Through some internet research we found Vanna and gave her a call. Once we spoke to her, we knew it was the best choice to get married by Vanna in Mendocino!
Vanna is kind, caring, compassionate, reassuring (because I literally planned everything via internet, phone calls and e-mailing photos …and that can be a bit concerning!). You can absolutely hear and feel passion and love for what she does just by talking with her. During the planning process, she is very responsive, always making sure that all small details are taken care of. She is clear in her communications and you feel all her love and sweetness in every correspondence with her!
Vanna coordinates everything! From the cake, to the flowers and provides suggestions for dining, lodging and hair/makeup, etc. She has her preferred vendors, and let me tell you, they truly will transform your vision into reality just as Vanna told me! We used Lucille Lawrence for our beautiful photography, LR Farms for the gorgeous flowers and Mendocakes for our delicious and beautiful cake. Amazing, glamorous hair and makeup was provided by Marianella Brey. We had a once in a lifetime, delicious, amazing dinner at MacCallum House also. We stayed at and were married at the Agate Cove Inn – A beautiful, lovely, quaint bed and breakfast. Each person (vendor – although they don’t feel like a vendor at all because of the first class, one-on-one treatment I received) was so kind, responsive, so sweet and helpful. Once my group arrived in Mendocino and met each person, I felt like I already knew them and everything was so stress-free!
I wish I could re-live this weekend over and over. Vanna is a blessing! I couldn’t ask for a more amazing intimate destination wedding weekend. If I could give Vanna 1 million stars, I would. That’s how amazing everything was. Thank you so much Vanna! We love you!”
Paul & Alison
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“Vanna, Thank you so much for all your wonderful work! You made our dreams come true. Our wedding day was absolutely Perfect. There isn’t one thing we would ask to be different. The location, flowers, hair, makeup and your wonderful Vows made our day so special. We wanted a small, intimate wedding that was different than 99.9% of the weddings out there. You provided us with just that. Thank you for being patient with us and giving us the details we needed for our perfect day!! You do such a Wonderful job. We were so lucky to have found you. When we renew our vows, you will be our first call! Peace & Love”
Colleen & Alex
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“We used one of the elopement packages provided by Vanna with Elope Mendocino. The best decision we have ever made! We were married on September 23, 2015 at Cypress Grove. Vanna was wonderful to work with and was constantly in contact with us through email and phone calls. We live 4 hours away in the Sacramento area. The vendors she provides are fantastic. Our cake was absolutely beautiful, our vows were custom and fit us perfectly as a couple. The photographer was amazing and provided outstanding photographs. If any couple is thinking of eloping in Mendocino you will not be disappointed! Vanna is great at her job and will provide you with a wedding that you will always treasure!”
Jenn & Seth
The first thing we would like to say is that our Mendocino wedding exceeded our expectations. We planned the whole thing over the phone and through emails and it turned out perfect. The vendors Vanna used for the cake and the flowers both did an outstanding job. The flowers were beautiful and exactly what Stephanie and I wanted. The cake was done from a photograph taken off the internet and it turned out exactly as we wanted, and, was delicious as well. The photographer was helpful and professional and had some great suggestions for different shots. I can’t stress enough how happy we were with everything. Vanna and her team did an outstanding job. It is really hard to find people who give what they promise, and we feel she and her team went above and beyond. Well worth the cost. Thank you Vanna so much for taking care of everything and allowing us to have a stress free ceremony. We would absolutely recommend anyone thinking about marrying at the coast contact Elope Mendocino and Vanna for their ceremony.
Stephanie & Mike
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“Vanna is incredible. She has such a lovely spirit. I can’t imagine having anyone else help with our special day. Everything was perfect. She was beyond helpful, supportive and loving from the very beginning and throughout the entire process. Her elopement package was exactly what we needed and it took so much planning and pressure off of us. The vendors that she uses for cake, flowers and photos were amazing. The cake was one of the best I have tasted, my bouquet was sooooo dreamy and the photographer was super outgoing and fun. Thank you Vanna!!! Xoxo”
Megan G
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Omar Zaragoza Photography
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“Chris and I live in Dallas, TX and were looking for a simple stress free elopement package in California when we came across Elope Mendocino. We had never been to Mendocino, or anywhere close to that area before our wedding day. Vanna was helpful and quickly responded to all of our emails, which eased any worry we had about planning a wedding 2,000 miles from home.
At first, Chris and I were planning on coming to Mendocino alone, but literally a week from our wedding day our parents surprised us and said they were able to come! I was really excited, but I was also nervous to tell Vanna about the additional guests because it was such late notice. She responded to me within the hour and said she had already made the changes to accommodate our parents and to relax and savor every moment of our trip because it will all be perfect. She was right.
Vanna listened to what Chris and I envisioned for our wedding and did all the work to make it happen. I did not have to stress about ANYTHING! She recommended a wonderful photographer and sent me photos of his work leading up to our trip. Our florist was an absolute artist, and the flower arrangements she made for us were stunning. She spoke with different wedding cake makers so we could have the cake we wanted and made sure it stayed in our budget. The bed and breakfast she recommended was perfect. I walked down the steps of our room, through a beautiful garden and was married between two huge cypress tress that overlooked the ocean. The vows she wrote for Chris and I were beautiful and tailored specifically to us. We are so grateful Vanna helped make our day perfect!”
Danielle & Chris
“Thank you Vanna for your careful and mindful development and execution of our ceremony. Ever since Andre and I touched base with you we felt taken care of. I very much appreciated your help with all the details – my bouquet by Rosa was absolutely stunning and Marianella created a hair style that fit my personality perfectly. Throughout this process it has been a pleasure working with you – the ceremony was just beautiful. Thank you for your guidance throughout this journey!”
Andrea & Andre
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“My wife and I chose to do a simple and affordable elopement in Mendocino and couldn’t have been more pleased with Vanna. While we chose her because we wanted a cost conscience ceremony, Vanna helped us coordinate our special day, which felt priceless.
She assisted in the creation of our vows, was the officiant, and suggested two excellent local restaurants for dining. Her flower, cake and photography vendors were kind, attentive, and professional. The first thing I said to my bride about the ceremony was – ‘I feel like we just got a $10,000 ceremony for a 1/10 of the price.’ There was nothing “cheap” about it – rather it was all professional and worth much more.
The bouquet was stunning and custom, the cake was delicious and tailored to our request, and the photographer stayed late to get a shot of the sunset with us- she was just as giddy as my bride and I.
If you are looking for an elopement that is simple yet exceptional, affordable yet majestic, and modest yet delightful, then Vanna is your go to professional.”
Shane B
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“We had such a wonderful time. Thank you so much for all your help. I couldn’t have put on that dress without you! I could tell from our correspondence months ago that your kindness and flexibility would bring the characteristics to our ceremony that we were looking for. We appreciated how easy-going and comfortable the ceremony felt. You demonstrated a true commitment to making it the perfect ceremony that it was! Thank you!”
A & S
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“Thank you so much for all that you did. The experience exceeded all of my expectations. Everything came together beautifully; the hotel and staff were phenomenal, the flowers breathtaking and the cake delicious. You performed a beautiful ceremony and we will cherish the vows you wrote for us. Thank you for bringing all the pieces together and being a part of our wedding. We will remember and treasure that weekend for the rest of our lives.”
Lan & Adam
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“We just wanted to tell you how much it meant to us having you as our officiant on our wedding day. You made our special day absolutely magical and we couldn’t have been more thrilled with the way everything turned out. Thanks to you and Fotomendo for going all the extra miles to give us our dream wedding. We love you and wish you all the best!”
Heather & Charlie
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“Cory and I just wanted to send a thank you note to all of you for making our wedding day so so special.
The flowers were absolutely beautiful, the cake was delicious and stunning, our dinner at Trillium was incredible, and our stay at Agate Cove Inn was perfect. Chelsi, you were so wonderful to work with and made us feel so comfortable (also – thanks for the sushi recs! We went to off the hook and it was DELISH!!)
Vanna, thank you so much for everything you did to give us such a perfect and magical day we will never forget. We will forever be grateful!
I hope you all are recovering from the storm and didn’t have any damage to your homes and your power came back on relatively quickly.
Thank you all again. We absolutely loved our time in beautiful Mendocino and are already dreaming of when we can come back.”
Amelia & Cory