Before they were husband and wife, Rick and Jennifer of Tan Weddings & Events were two college students at UC Davis, pursuing their own studies and interests. Shared family values and music brought them together. Love and friendship grew, and the promise to marry was made. Rick and Jennifer knew that their celebration had to transcend faith, and culture. On their wedding day, with musicians to play Rick and Jennifer’s original songs, friends and family in attendance, and an officiant to bring it all together in a sweet and meaningful ceremony, they became Rick and Jennifer Tan! Having recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, and blessed with four children, the couple is forever grateful for a wedding day that reflected who they are. They gift forward to their couples the joy of crafting a personalized event, orchestrated with a dedicated team and amazing vendors and venues.
What inspired you to enter the wedding industry?
The inspiration may be our own wedding back in 1994! Neither following trends nor traditions per se, we followed what was meaningful and sensible to us. We had a brunch wedding, we wrote our own secular ceremony, we had musician friends perform a song that we composed together, and we DIY'd our own cake topper! Perhaps we wanted other couples to experience the same sense of meaningful personalization to their events.
Why did you start Tan Weddings & Events?
We were called Reverend Tan when our business focused primarily on officiating (we are both ordained ministers) and music (Jenn plays flute and Rick plays harp and piano). We realized our wealth of knowledge amassed over the years in seeing so many venues and events would give us the confidence to expand our services to include design and planning. Our clients benefit from our expertise and knowledge with the multiple facets of a wedding. It makes us understanding of other vendors’ needs, and makes us more cognizant of the ceremony, not just the party afterwards.
If you could change one thing about the weddings and special events industry, what would it be?
In terms of the issuance of a marriage license, it would be cool to have one official application that's accepted all over the world!
How does using Aisle Planner help you deliver the client experience you want to?
AP improves our efficiency and communication. Wedding planning requires juggling several moving pieces, often in conjunction with the client. AP gives us one place where those moving pieces can be tracked and updated in real time—timelines, scope, checklists, guest lists, layouts, etc.
What's your favorite Aisle Planner feature?
Our favorite AP feature is being able to create a comprehensive presentation of the design board, palette, and notes that can be sent to clients, vendors, and styled shoot teams. We love it because it puts everyone on the same page.
If you weren't the CEO + Principal Planner of Tan Weddings & Events, what would you be doing instead, or what would your life be like?
We’re also both educators! We teach homeschoolers, do workshops, and run a summer camp for kids. TWE is our full time job, so if we weren’t planning, we’d be running workshops and a summer camp for wedding creatives!
What are three things you never show up without on event day?
A sense of calm, problem-solving skills, and our TWE Go Box—an arsenal of event fixes—including pins, glue, lighters, First Aid, a tool set, and much, much more! Why? All three allow us to execute the production successfully.
What’s your personal philosophy on becoming a great wedding and event planner?
Love what you do and do what you love.
What’s your trademark in the client or event experience?
From the feedback we get from clients and vendors, we maintain a professional and personable nature throughout the planning and production process. In other words, people like working with us!
Is there anything you're particularly excited about working on this year?
We’re always evolving and this year, we're honing in on the venues we truly believe are offering us the kind of experience we want for our clients and our team.
Just for fun
If you owned a restaurant, what food would it serve?
Rick: Asian Fusion
Jennifer: Vegetarian Fare
What skill would you like to master?
Rick: Making a paella.
Jennifer: Mastering Jedi mind tricks.
Non-work related hobbies?
We enjoy catching up on Netflix/Amazon shows while enjoying wine/champagne and a reciprocal foot massage!
On my days off you can find me…
As CEO’s, there are no days off, but when we can, we’ll capture a date night together, and invariably, conversation goes back to our kids and yes, work!
If you catch me out and about I’m always wearing…
A smile on our face and a chance to tell you about how much we love weddings!
Want to see more from Jennifer and Rick? Check out their website tanweddingsandevents.com!
Hero photo courtesy XSiGHT
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