About this vendor
Plan the Perfect Party
Based out of Santa Cruz, CA, Danzante Events is an event planning and design company focusing on weddings, corporate events, and other milestone celebrations. They offer packages from entry-level event management to more customizable full-service.
Rebecca Zavaleta is Here For You
Danzante Events is owned and run by Rebecca, who admits her love for event planning began at a young age when she would organize parties for everyone in her neighborhood. She considers it a great privilege to work alongside couples on this momentous occasion and with her incredible team of staff. They work primarily within the cities of Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, and Carmel. Danzante Events has experience with destination event services as well and has worked in locations including Glasgow in Scotland, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Big Sur, Bodega Bay, and Nevada City. Get in touch with Rebecca right now and choose your dream location.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
- Budgeting
- Day-Of Coordination
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- Honeymoon Planning
- RSVP Tracking
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Engagement Party
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Bridal Luncheon
- Bridal Shower
Awards and Affiliations
3-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2025.2024.2023.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.027 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
It was an absolutely amazing experience with Rebecca as our wedding planner! From start to finish, she was professional, organized, and incredibly attentive to every detail. We boo...
ked her full service planning and I’m so glad we did. She took the time to truly understand our vision and brought it to life in ways we couldn't have imagined. No request was too big or small, and she always had a solution for any challenge that arose. Her calm demeanor and expertise kept us at ease throughout the entire process. On the big day, everything went flawlessly—thanks to Rebecca's meticulous planning and seamless coordination. We couldn't have asked for a better partner to help us create the wedding of our dreams. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a top-tier planner who goes above and beyond!
Rebecca and Jennifer were exceptional to work with. We did the base level wedding management package, and we got so much value from it. They both have great communication skills an...
d are both highly experienced and professional to work with. Highly recommend.
My wife and I met Rebecca in a completely serendipitous fashion, while touring one of our venue options. After chatting briefly and exchanging info, we knew pretty immediately that...
she was a genuinely easygoing planner who had tons of experience to offer, particularly for the Santa Cruz area.
Rebecca took our small pile of ideas and turned it into a real wedding vision after just our first meeting. She was chock full of seasoned advice for us, a couple that was excited but very out of our league.
The planning process was very organized, Rebecca is a master of the tools of her trade like google sheets and Canva. She kept us up to date on what we should be locking in next, from vendors to dresses to rehearsal dinner reservations.
All of Rebecca's vendor recommendations were amazing and professional: she keeps a tight network of folks she's worked with before and they all have nothing but good things to say about her as well.
She knew how to strike the perfect balance of maintaining our original vision but also offer suggestions the whole way through, to spark our imagination.
Once the big day was imminent, she stayed in very close communication with us, inventorying and checking everything to make sure that it was all set and we wouldn’t have to worry about any of it during the event.
At rehearsal, she laid down the law with our rowdy wedding party and got us through everything in a clear and efficient manner.
During the wedding itself, Rebecca moved fluidly all throughout the venue and adapted to the small issues that sometimes happen on wedding days with no issue. Our family and guests didn’t need to worry about any of the set up logistics, her and her crew were quick and agile placing and putting away all our decorations.
All in all, Rebecca is a great planner and a great person. She is everything you want in a planner, our day would not have been nearly as perfect without her excellent help. Thank you Rebecca.
We hired Danzante Events as our day of coordinators for our wedding at Waterfall Lodge, and they made magic happen all around us for the most important day of our lives! Despite b...
eing "day of," they did their best to provide us with planning tools and advice ahead of the event so that we could benefit from their familiarity with the venue and local connections, and they were also so supportive of all of our ambitious DIY plans. But Kelsa, Mandy, and Julie really took the wheel when the day came and made sure we could float through the event with no stress or worry. We handed them homemade decor and flowers and trusted them to create the vision we had talked about, and they nailed it! They made clean up and pack out easy for us when logistics were the last things on our mind as the evening came to a close. I'll admit that I was skeptical about needing a coordinator when we first started the planning process, and at first I was worried that it would feel like too many cooks in the kitchen. If you're a type A couple, it does take a little extra work to keep your tools coordinated with the coordinator's tools so everyone is on the same page! But, it all pays off when the day comes -- There's no way we could have created as seamless an experience for our guests, and definitely not for ourselves, without the Danzante team moving mountains in the background. Worth every minute and every penny! :)
Are you looking for someone who has the skillset and expertise to pull off your dream wedding? Who’ll happily answer all your questions? Make decisions for you when you are being i...
ndecisive & struggling to commit? That’ll take the time to listen to all your nuptial dreams & wishes and make it into reality? All while trying to convince you to stay within your budget?
Well look no further, you’ve found her! Hiring Rebecca was the best choice I made in regards to my wedding!
Every step of the way, Rebecca was ready to do whatever was needed in order to make sure that our wedding day was perfect—from consistently following up with a not-very-responsive local farm that we insisted we wanted our wedding cake from to chasing the management of our favorite restaurant for their cocktail recipe for our signature drinks, and much more!
She designed & executed a beautiful wedding for us(at a venue she was working with for the first time!) and I’m still amazed at how she made our vision come to life! She is extremely organized, has a huge heart and will do everything in her power to ensure your special day goes perfectly. I was amazed when my wedding week came and I was perfectly at ease—because I knew Rebecca was going to pull it all together, I could spend my time focusing on my fiancé & family, my final errands, and practicing my first dance with my soon-to-be husband.
Before I hired Rebecca I was convinced that I could handle doing the majority of the planning for our wedding, but at the end of the day hiring a full service wedding planner & designer as great as Rebecca was worth every penny (and then some) to make the process as enjoyable & stress-free as possible.
A few more things I am super appreciative for:
- After we had settled on a vendor & order for our rentals, Rebecca managed to find another rental vendor who had more affordable lounge furniture & additional decor that really took our wedding to the next level from a design perspective. We ended up getting more for less money!
- Went above and beyond in making sure that our wedding cake turned out the way I wanted when our vendor was not able to do the final touches onsite.
- Recommended great vendors who were trusted and contributed make our wedding weekend perfect. At the same time—she did not at all push us towards her recommended vendors
- Always asked if there was anything she could help us with and even got involved when some last minute family drama came up during our wedding weekend.
- When I wasn’t happy with the initial floral vendors we met with and was planning on settling on the best choice from a budget perspective instead of continuing looking—she insisted that we should keep on looking until I found a vendor I loved (at the end of the day, I am SO happy about this—our florals were amazing and we received so many compliments on them).
- When our plan for chargers fell through, she drove over the hill and into SF to pick up chargers from a different vendor who had the exact ones we needed to match the overall wedding asthetic.
I’m sure there are things that I have missed adding to this list—but do you really need any more convincing? You won’t be able to find anyone more dedicated or experienced than Rebecca—so if you’re debating if she’s the right choice, I hope this helps you make your decision!
If you hire Danzante Events as your planner/designer/coordinator you won’t be disappointed, and just like myself, it will be the best vendor choice that you make!
From the start we hit it off with Rebecca. She was friendly, interested in our story, and really thoughtful in her approach to making our day just the way we wanted it. We thought ...
we had a good idea of what we wanted, and she did a wonderful job of helping us take that vision and make it a reality. She was always available when we needed her, and clear in her communication. We booked her as a day-of-planner, and were impressed at how much her team went out of their way for us in advance. She didn't just take over on the day of, but helped walk us through the location, helped consult us (and guide us when needed) in the logistics of the event, and took over all communication to vendors a week in advance. Three days before our wedding the weather report changed, and suddenly there was rain, Rebecca was immediately available to hop on a call and help us redesign the layout in order to hold the ceremony indoors. We truly felt taken care of with Danzante events. Our day would not have been anywhere near as perfect as it was without Rebecca and her team.
The best decision we made when planning our wedding, hands down, was to work with Rebecca and her team at Danzante Events. Without her, our wedding day wouldn’t have been the magic...
al and whimsical day it was. She set us up with the tools we needed to make our day unforgettable, including an incredible list of vendors that she consistently works with. Everyone she helped us get in touch with was fantastic, and we were able to find the perfect match for the vibes we wanted while staying within our budget.
Leading up to our wedding, she was invaluable as we curated the design and atmosphere for our wedding. She took the time to get to know us and, through that, was able to help us put into words the aesthetic we wanted for our day. This made our conversations with our vendors easy and ensured we received precisely what we wanted for our special day.
In the final week before our wedding, the forecast turned to rain. With Rebecca’s help, we were able to quickly pivot and turn an outdoor wedding into a partially outdoor and tented event without breaking our budget. I can’t imagine having to accomplish this alone without her expertise and guidance.
And on our wedding day, it rained all day, never stopping. But the rain couldn’t compete with Rebecca. She and her team handled it all for us so that we could enjoy our time with our friends, family, and especially each other.
We cannot recommend Danzante Events enough. Rebeccas is personable and professional, and we are delighted to have worked with her for our wedding. She goes above and beyond five-star service, and we are so grateful to her and the amazing day she made for us.
Wow - cannot say enough about Rebecca and her team at Danzante Events! We planned our wedding on a tight timeline, and Rebecca was able to seamlessly navigate the entire process, w...
e did not make it easy :)
The weeks leading up she ensured we were on-track with key milestones, the week of she provided key support throughout our wedding festivities and the day-of her and her team made sure everything was flawless!
Her expertise of the industry and area vendors allowed us to find vendors that suited our wedding dreams and were incredible in making our day come to life.
Let me just start off by saying Jennifer was nothing short of amazing! She went above and beyond to make sure our day was everything and more! She work tirelessly through every sin...
gle detail including the vendors the wedding itself! She was so patient kind and understanding. She is truly genuine and knowledgeable. If you’re looking for a great person to assist with your wedding she would be the person.
It was an absolute JOY working with Jennifer! She was so kind and helpful. I honestly could not have done it without her. She was decisive, creative, and helped me with every littl...
e detail. She answered all the late night messages, and helped make all the last minute ideas come to life. My wedding was an absolute dream and everything I wanted it to be. She took my inspiration pictures/ideas and she executed them perfectly. There’s not one thing I didn’t absolutely love. I cannot recommend her and Danzante Events enough.
We can’t even begin to describe how glad we are that we found Danzante. From the very beginning of the planning up through the clean up at the end of the night, Rebecca and Jennife...
r and the whole Danzante team nailed every aspect of the planning and execution.
We think of ourselves as very organized people who are good at planning and DIY projects, but Rebecca anticipated needs we would never have thought of and provided extremely valuable structure to the planning process.
Rebecca has connections with so many fabulous vendors in the area, that she was immediately able to recommend just the right people. At the same time, she was supportive and enthusiastic when we chose several vendors she had not worked with previously.
On multiple occasions, Danzante eliminated problems with solutions we could not have foreseen. They kept a close watch on the budget, and suggested ways we could be efficient without compromising on quality. Additionally, Danzante surprised us by supplying several items that we otherwise would have had to rent or buy (e.g. candle holders, drink tubs, lawn games.) Their expertise saved us more than we spent on their services.
We had a number of children attending, but had no ideas of how to make a wedding kid-friendly. Rebecca told us exactly what to do, and she nailed it! We had so many parents come up to us afterwards and say it was the most kid-friendly wedding they had ever been to.
On our wedding day, everything was taken care of. The team continually checked in with us to see if there was anything we needed, and allowed us to enjoy a stress-free perfect day.
But perhaps most importantly, Rebecca and her team are there to support your vision. No matter what direction we went in, Rebecca was wholeheartedly enthusiastic and supportive. She will be honest with you if there is a plan that needs adjustment in order to be successful, but she and her team have a can-do attitude and will do everything possible to execute your vision.
Jennifer M. with Danzante Events was God sent.
I decided that I could plan and orchestrate and create my own wedding with a full time job and having a senior in high school that w...
as graduating a month before the wedding. Listen to me, if your life is somewhat stressful, do NOT do that. If you know what vendors you want and have a budget...please just tell a planner what you want and how much you are willing to spend or at least let people help! I FINALLY reached out to her approximately 2 1/2 months before the wedding. I didn't have hair, makeup, or a baker for the cake. I'm sure there were a ton of other things that I didn't have that Jennifer M. made sure I did. I was having a hard time tying everything together to make sure it had a natural flow. There were conversations that I needed to continue with vendors that I had gotten behind on because I was overwhelmed. Jennifer M. was amazing!! She ran ideas by me, quickly helped to tie everything together. She helped us find the most amazing baker for the wedding. She put the stencil on our mirror. She helped me narrow so many things down! She took over those conversations with vendors so that I could focus on life at the moment.
The day before the wedding, our venue had no power, no water, and no restrooms. Jennifer handled everything and kept us updated. The way she handled it, I went from being nervous to being completely at ease. She talked us through what the venue had planned for us and alleviated that worry.
On the day of the wedding, Jennifer M. showed up early to get things prepared. She walked back and forth between my husband and I making sure that everything was going well. She made sure that people weren't coming into the bridal suite without my permission because she knew how important it was for me not to be stressed. She made sure that after the ceremony that my husband and I had food and had a few moments to ourselves. She did all of this without any complaint and without making it seem like I was bothering her. Two and a half months is not ideal and not enough time for any wedding planner. Jennifer M. made magic happen and a dream come true for us. I would recommend her and Danzante Events every time.
I was the DJ for a wedding and Jennifer was the wedding planner. She always answered my questions and kept the night on time and on track. (which is important when your guest are h...
aving fun and not watching the clock)
I appreciate how kind and caring she was to answer all my questions during the wedding.
She didn’t get mad if I made a mistake or if we had a slight change of plans - she rolled with it!
Book Dazante - you won’t regret it!
Choosing Jennifer with Danzante Events was one of the BEST decisions I made for my wedding day! You will not find anyone more passionate about their clients! She worked tirelessly ...
to make sure everything was exactly how I wanted it, and my wedding ended up more beautiful than I could have imagined because of her attention to detail!
I loved her, my family loved her, and everyone in the bridal party said she was amazing. Seriously cannot recommend her and Danzante Events enough!
Rebecca was an absolute saint who went above and beyond to pull off all the beautiful, personal details we wanted in our wedding in our budget. She personally went around to Chines...
e bakeries and sourced the absolute best egg tarts I've ever tasted for our wedding. Rebecca really listens to you and is a really talented problem solver who rolls up her sleeves and always finds a way. She is also great at guiding and weighing in when needed. I had trouble deciding what I wanted for the wedding, and Rebecca did an incredible job helping me find inspiration and figure out a vision together. At one point I was ready to go ahead with one photographer that I was not fully in love with but thought was fine, and Rebecca talked me out of it and found an incredible photographer I was very grateful for. She worked tirelessly throughout the wedding day to make sure everything was perfect. If you want a friend in your planning process who you can trust as a sounding board, listens to you, and can be creative and flexible to personalize your wedding, choose Rebecca and Danzante Events!
If you need wedding coordination for your big day, look no further! The expertise and experience of not only Rebecca but her full team were greatly appreciated as we got through th...
e planning and selecting vendors. They listened to our needs and wants and kindly directed us on making decisions that made the day perfect! A giant shout out to Jennifer who kept me (the bride) sane during the wedding day and oversaw the set up which was beautiful and went beyond expectations! Extremely recommend them if you want well-organized, experienced, and kind wedding planners/coordinators.
The Danzante team was an absolute dream to work with! Jennifer helped me directly with my wedding and I could not have asked for a more organized, thoughtful, attentive to detail, ...
and just all around wonderful person to plan my wedding. It was everything I could have hoped for and more, it would not have happened if it weren't for the Danzante team!
This is a very late review as I had my wedding October 2021 BUT that's a fault of my own than anything else. I rally wanted to leave a review for Danzante because they were absolut...
ely phenomenal and gave me the most magical wedding of my dreams.
First, we live in Canada and the wedding venue is in California. So we had to plan abroad. Danzante is very responsive and responsible. They helped us keep the planning going at a reasonable pace and made sure everything was booked the way we wanted. We were able to send some large items ahead of time to her office so we didn't have to worry about taking things across the boarder. One time a vendor messed up on our order and Danzante was on it RIGHT AWAY to correct the mistakes and Rebecca called us to make triple, quadruple check that the mistakes were corrected.
Second, it was the pandemic so we couldn't see any of the venues/meet vendors before the wedding. We didn't see the venue AT ALL before booking. This mean we had to trust Danzante FULLY to plan our wedding. Without their knowledge of local vendors, venue (Rebecca went out to look at our venue for floor planning etc.), weather needs, etc., we couldn't have planned this magical wedding. Everything Danzante recommended to us was fantastic and AS IT WAS TOLD TO US (i.e. no surprises). If anything, every vendor and our wedding EXCEEDED our expectations.
Lastly, on the day of the wedding, everything ran SO SMOOTH. As a bride, you have vendors coming to you asking about details on the day when you're already stressed out making sure everyone is getting there on time, all the bridesmaids are ready, and that you look beautiful! So having Danzante who you can direct all the vendors to and who takes care of all the smallest details was amazing. It is also a MUST to have a trusting relationship with your wedding coordinator to delegate all those tasks. Danzante was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and I was able to enjoy the most incredible day of my life.
I also spoke with two other wedding coordinators and for me Danzante just had the right feel of being focused on us and our wedding, making us feel at ease for a stressful day, and making sure everything was exactly the way we wanted it to be and more! Here are some photos of things Danzante put together even last minute for us.
So all in all, THANK YOU DANZANTE SO SO MUCH! Us and our guests had the most magical wedding and I'm still to this day, so appreciative of everything you guys have done for us. We still hear about how amazing our wedding was from our guests.
10/10! Look no further if you need a planner/coordinator for your wedding!!
Rebecca and her team were absolutely incredible to work with at every stage of our wedding planning. Th...
ey made the process fun, manageable, and created a wedding day that far exceeded anything we could have dreamed of. Rebecca is reliable and steady, communicating with us quickly and effectively throughout the planning process. On top of that, she is creative and totally fun to work with. She listens to your vision and helps amplify it in the most amazing ways!
Seriously, working with Danzante was the best wedding-planning-related decision we made. We will appreciate Rebecca and her team forever!
Jenny was an absolute necessity in planning our dinner event. She was flexible with several date changes, communicating with vendors accordingly, and staying in close contact with ...
me as we approached deadlines. Jenny's eye for detail did not go unnoticed - she picked out beautiful pieces from the table and chairs, to the glasses and candlesticks. Most importantly, Jenny took the stress of planning from me and my team and made sure the event process was smooth from start to finish. We highly recommend Jenny!
My husband and I got married over Memorial Day weekend in Carmel. Rebecca and her team went above and beyond to give us a wonderful event! Rebecca's work style is easy-going and ke...
pt our encounters lightly/friendly, but she is also very thorough and was well-prepared for all of our meetings. She's passionate about her work and always striving to provide the best service possible to her clients. We had some communication breakdown with our wedding venue in the days leading up to the wedding, and Rebecca and her team really stepped up for us. They kept us calm and put in extra time and attention to make sure everything ran smoothly for our wedding day. Would highly recommend!
We had a great experience working with Rebecca and her team. She was more than willing to go above and beyond for us and for our special day. She was quick to reply to emails and w...
illing to answer all of our questions, big and small. Her decoration and table arrangement suggestions turned out perfect! She did a great job making sure the wedding went smoothly. Highly recommend.
Rebecca and her team were a pleasure to work with in planning our wedding! She was professional and responsive, and had tons of great tips for the big day. She went above and beyon...
d to make sure our wedding was spectacular. We don't know what we would've done without her!
Becca orgainized our son's wedding with thoughful, playful, loving phazzaz. We sang, we danced, we shared memories and made new memories to talk about for the rest of our lives.
S...
he, and her staff, led us through the day, and anticipated our needs before we even thought about them. Her calm and ready support helped our families join together and simply enjoy the day.
Thanks Rebecca for the delight-filled foundation to the rest of our children's life adventures!
Huzzah!!
Rebecca & everyone at Danzante Events were spectacular! We were so grateful to find an explicitly LGBTQ+ inclusive vendor in the area & we could not have been happier with our deci...
sion! They made sure our day went smoothly & looked as beautiful as we had dreamed! HIGHLY recommend!! ✨❤️🌲💕👰🏻👰🏼
Rebecca is AMAZING! We booked Rebecca as a Day of Coordinator but she was so much more than that for the months before the wedding and especially during the month of. We wanted to ...
do a most of the planning ourself so there were many DIY components to our day. Our venue also had us bring in all our vendors and wasn't the easiest to get to in the Santa Cruz mountains. To top that off, it was during a "rare spring storm" (aka thunderstorms all weekend) for what we planned initially as an entirely outdoor wedding. Needless to say, the week before was incredibly stressful. Rebecca helped us so much with finding tents, implementing a rain plan, working with the venue to make the plan work, and helping me through my freak outs. Rebecca and her team worked to miraculously bring the day together including putting together all our DIY elements, setting up a ceremony space that was very intimate and personalized, a receptions space in a tent that allowed our guests to befriend one another with ease, and awesome dance party after. Because of the weather, all that I had originally envisioned had to change but Rebecca and her team helped pull it all together. It ended up being an incredibly beautiful and magical day. Our guests had such a wonderful time and we had so much fun! I can't thank Rebecca enough for the work she put in to really make our day something to remember.
Our coordinator Rebecca Z. helped our wedding run so smoothly, we were actually relaxed leading up to the wedding. I honestly did not think that was possible, but thanks to Rebecca...
we felt completely taken care of. I cannot imagine what it would have been like without her. On the wedding day, she and her fabulous assistant kept us calm and cool, rounding up family for pictures and making sure we were all drinking enough water and getting enough to eat, instantly handling problems as they arose, just basically being our heroes for the day!
Just a few standout moments -
Before the wedding:
Rebecca helped us keep track of all our vendors and the contracts and helped us calculate tips for everyone ahead of time and made up a schedule with absolutely everything on it including every delivery window. She made a site map of the venue and shared it with the vendors so setup went smoothly. She helped us focus on the important decisions, and had excellent suggestions for all of them, most of which we used. She was just completely on top of everything.
Day of:
Rebecca and her assistant helped set up the entire ceremony area. They laid out all our DIY welcome items beautifully and made it look better than we imagined. We arrived and things were just being handled, no need to worry about anything. Things went wonky and were taken care of so quickly I didn't even hear about it until after the event!
Our caterer was not comfortable serving outside food or drink, which was a pity because we were hoping to share our favorite brownies (from Meteora Bakery) and some iced tea. We were willing to let it go, but Rebecca and her assistant said they would take care of it for us, and they set it up beautifully. I don't even know when they had time to do it!
When the wedding was over, we had nothing to worry about either. I was completely exhausted, but Rebecca had worked with us to prepare a list of exactly who would be taking what home with them, and made sure everything followed the plan, so that when it was time to leave the cars were packed and we could just head out. We left knowing that the vendors all knew exactly what they needed to do to clean up and leave the venue in good condition. No checking to make sure every table and chair was put away, or the compost was taken from the kitchen, or the gifts were secure, or the floors were clear. Just out the door (and then collapsing a bit later).
We love Danzante Events! Thank you for everything!
Contact
Bay St, Santa Cruz, CA | Santa Cruz Ca, Ben Lomond, Big Sur
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