The Essence Of The Rugged Big Sur Coast

Dana Carnazzo came from a lifetime of travel and food to found Grapes of Wrath Catering in 1994.  That same year, she, her husband and two small children moved in to the house they had built of cement and recycled Styrofoam (!) on a lovely mesa in Big Sur. She grew the business for 18 years; starting as the chef and becoming the president of a 1.5 million dollar catering and special event company.  From weddings for twenty guests to racing events for thousands she was able to keep the simple, fresh ideals of her beginnings.  In 2000 she became a certified Wedding and Special Events Planner and in 2014, sold her catering company to concentrate on event planning.

So now, it's back to the love of  joyous, meaningful weddings, produced in calm. in the heart of the rugged Big Sur coast... home.

    I will always provide a free one hour consultation so that I can better hear your vision and you can get a feeling of whether or not I am the planner for you.  My goal is for you to have a beautiful Big Sur wedding weekend, so I will always be happy to guide you to the best person for you.

I'll provide:

1. Guidance and complete information on all vendors on our list including

room blocks in Big Sur and Carmel

2. You will pay your vendors directly and there is no mark up

3. Initial consult to better understand you and your vision...in depth info

regarding vendors and their styles

4. Two walk-throughs and complete site layout

5. With your information, I will order all of your rentals.. straightforward

(tableware, linens, etc) or if you would like; a little more luxe with

custom glassware, tipis, etc. l’ll connect you to the right person

6.  Detailed timeline for each vendor and important person  two weeks prior to your event.

7. Ceremony design with attendance at your rehearsal 

8. Our attendance at your event from the first vendor arrival to the last

vendor departure   

9. Placement of your special items which will be packed up for you at the

end of the night

10. About 30 hours of my time total, plus one assistant at your wedding

11. Calm 

I began my catering company in 1994 and, in 2002, became a certified wedding planner.  My goal is to connect you with a stellar team to create a magical Big Sur day for you...and to alleviate worry leading up to the wedding and create a feeling of calm happiness on your wedding day.

$2,000          2-20  guests

$3,500          25-100 guests

(plus on-site staff on the day of)

$4,000           101-200 guests

(plus on-site staff on the day of)

1. Guidance and complete information on all vendors on our list including room blocks in Big Sur and Carmel

You will pay your vendors directly and there is no mark up

2. Walk through and site layout

3. Ceremony design with attendance at your rehearsal 

4. Our attendance at your event from the first vendor arrival to the last vendor departure   

4. Placement of your special items which will be packed up for you at the end of the night

5. Calm

· We’ll talk vision and budgets…music and bar..room blocks and shuttles...all of it!

· We will send you a list of vendors with all of their information; how they work, their style and some basic price points.

. You can contact any vendor that you please; there is no mark up on our end.

· Once you have decided that you would like us to coordinate your wedding, there is a $1,000.00 non-refundable deposit required to hold your date and a contract to sign. 

· Thirty days before your event, we will want to have all the main details worked out:

1. Menu, timing, vendor information, insurance, rentals, etc.  

2. The planned balance of your event is due in full at this time and is non-refundable. 

3. Proof of event insurance that covers all aspects of your event including our staff. You can purchase this very reasonably at www.eventhelper.com

Two weeks in advance, we require: 

1. Your final guest count (which can go up but not back down) 

2. seating chart 

3. all vendor information 

4. all information regarding special touches that you may be providing. (and who will be handling that)

5. the name of the person that will be removing all of your special things and where they will go

6. Your point person on the day of (mom, best friend...)

· Within 14 days following your event we will have wrapped up any credits or payments pending