The Haven at Tomales

for the ceremony and reception. Our guests were in awe with the beauty of the venue, it was truly special. But what made our experience with the Haven unforgettable was how amazing and supportive Mandy was throughout the entire process. From the beginning she was patient and responsive, addressing all our questions and offering valuable advice. We wanted to create a hybrid Indian & American wedding and she helped us achieve our exact vision. On the wedding day, we faced unexpectedly windy weather, but Mandy handled it like a pro. She made last-minute decisions to adapt to the weather, ensuring everything went smoothly. If you're looking for a gorgeous venue with a fantastic manager, The Haven is an excellent choice!

earlier this year in May. From the very first phone call, to our visit and tour of the location, to the hammering out of logistics and coordination with other vendors, to the actual wedding day, Mandy was absolutely amazing. She offered different options for ceremony sites and suggested things that would work best for our specific situation. And when there was an issue with a previously agreed upon vendor situation, Mandy proactively made up for the issue by hiring a new vendor and comping the services for us. Working with her was honestly the least stressful and most delightful part of our wedding planning this year! As for the location of The Haven, I first saw the listing when researching sites for an intimate wedding/elopement and the pictures immediately called out to me. And after seeing it person, my husband and I were charmed by the best of California coastland (the green rolling hills, the eucalyptus trees, the seasalt wind, the cows and sheep grazing, etc.). Our original intention was to get married in an outdoor ceremony with cocktail hour in their covered outdoor area where they have cornhole and other convenient structures for drinking cocktails and enjoying the view of the farmland. The day of, however, it sadly rained a little, and we had to move into their historic barn. However, the barn is also BEAUTIFUL and in the end I was glad to have it there! All in all, the wedding day was BEAUTIFUL and perfect, even despite the rainy weather. I can't imagine how gorgeous it is on a sunny day! Would highly recommend getting married here! The only thing I'd mention just FYI, is that because they are on a fully functional ranch, florists are limited to approved vendors who know what kind of species of plants they cannot bring on the property, in order to avoid any invasive species. Wasn't a problem for us as we used a florist Mandy had on her list and our flowers were gorgeous. <3

en visiting the venue the first time. The place is truly breathtaking and provides the most amazing setting for a wedding. More importantly, Mandy is one of the most professional yet romantic people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. She really cares about the couple celebrating their special day the way they want it and puts forth the effort to do so. Whenever a question came up she was quick to respond, always providing clear direction, and did such a good job working with our Planner. Our wedding was truly perfect and I would highly, highly, highly, recommend the Haven to anyone looking for a venue to host their wedding.

fog was heavy on the morning of our wedding (chilly but beautiful) and then the skies opened up to perfectly sunny for the afternoon. A deer even strolled by as we said our vows! We looked at a lot of venues in Napa/Sonoma/Marin and The Haven by far stands out as the most beautiful setting and the most friendly team to work with. If you're considering getting married here, DO IT!

different aspects of your big day. Our ceremony site was more stunning than I could have ever imagined and we loved using the beautiful renovated barn for our reception. Everyone at The Haven was so helpful, kind, and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this venue to any bride looking for an incredible nature-inspired wedding!

g planner seamlessly, helping to make sure our vision for the wedding became a reality. Mandy is an incredibly kind person and it was quite clear how much she wants to help every couple put together a great event and ensure every guest has a fantastic experience on the day of. If you’re deciding between the Haven and another venue, take it from one bride to another that working with Mandy’s team should be a clear tie breaker.

bout the Haven, so I’m writing the review I wish I’d had before booking there. The Knot limits review length, but you can see our full review on Yelp (https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-haven-at-tomales-tomales). First, the venue itself is absolutely wonderful. We did our wedding ceremony in the Forest Clearing and the celebration in the barn. The Forest Clearing is just magical. We were looking for beautiful trees for our ceremony, and it doesn’t get better than the Haven’s eucalyptus grove. It hardly needs any decoration, it’s incredible as is! The barn itself is also gorgeous. It’s spacious, pleasant, and well-equipped for weddings with great spaces for the bride and groom parties. Our guests loved the venue, and so did we. All of the pictures from the wedding were just beautiful. The Haven at Tomales is a high quality venue through and through - the venue and its recommended vendors are not cheap, but you get what you pay for! The Haven is much more of a blank slate when it comes to wedding design than other venues. They include farm tables and round dinner tables as part of the contract, but you need to rent almost everything else yourself - all the table decoration, any decorative lighting, the linens, the silverware, any furniture for the cocktail area or quiet rooms, the bar, a portable oven for any food preparation, and any heating for the barn. This means you get to really customize the wedding and make it your own! In our opinion, the barn was pretty beautiful and well-lit enough on its own, so we just added some minor uplighting. Part of the beauty of the Haven is due to its remote location, but that location does mean that it’s good to be thoughtful about transportation to the venue for your guests. The Haven has limited parking available for guests and vendors, so you’ll need to arrange special transportation to get guests there. The Haven has high standards for itself and the weddings held there. They have a very helpful, very specific list of required vendors for catering, transportation, off-ground decor, and bartending, as well as recommended vendors for other categories like rentals and florists. The vendors they list are excellent! Make sure to book your vendors early - this year, almost all of the caterers on their list were booked for our date. The Haven rejected a caterer our wedding planner had recommended to us, but fortunately they had another caterer in a trial period with them for another wedding, and they graciously allowed us to hire that caterer, who turned out to be fantastic. Additionally, the Haven is a great place for a classy wedding, but not a wild wedding. They have a number of sensible rules around alcohol, which we had no problem accommodating. Finally, Mandy in particular was lovely to work with. We were grateful that she let us move our wedding back a year when covid struck without charging us. They even let us hold a 6-person live-streamed wedding ceremony at the Forest Clearing to get legally married for free! Mandy was a great guide around the venue during our tours there, a responsive planning partner as we approached the wedding, and super helpful throughout the rehearsal and wedding itself. We recommend the Haven for anyone who wants to hold a beautiful, intimate, high-end wedding in a bucolic setting!

absolutely recommend The Haven to anyone looking to get married or have an event in Sonoma County, you will not be disappointed.

with and were great partners in helping to plan our dream wedding. It was everything I dreamed of and more, pure magic.

y and into what felt like another world. Serene, stunning and perfectly sized for the event we had envisioned there. With my fiancé growing up in Petaluma and myself growing up in Marin County this venue also was the perfect melding of our worlds, just into Marin County but found on Petaluma Tomales road. Jody and Mandy were joys to work with and were always available for a quick call or speedy to respond to an email. We appreciated their willingness to work with us in bringing our unique vision for our special day, to life. We were so fortunate to find this venue and these wonderful people!

xtremely helpful throughout the planning process (even helping us sort out a mix up with our rental company) and helped make sure the wedding day went smoothly. The property is stunning from the views over the canyon, eucalyptus grove, and the cleanest barn we've ever seen. The space is well-thought out and the flow from outdoor ceremony to happy hour to the reception inside was seamless. We definitely would recommend having a wedding at The Haven!

bly beautiful with its gorgeous outside settings and the most beautiful barn we've ever worked in, but because the staff that runs the venue is fantastic. Mandy is a top notched professional and not only is available to answer questions via email/phone for weeks and months before the big day but ON the big day checks in with us throughout the event to make sure we're happy and we have everything we need. And we're not even the bride! :) Their team even went so far as to ask us our opinion on their catering area and what could be improved on their end to make it better for caterers. They listened and followed through on our suggestions! Whenever we see we're catering at The Haven, we all relax because we know it'll be a collaborative and successful event together.

ent, look no further. The first time we visited, we knew it was the perfect place to host our wedding. We wanted a venue with outdoor ceremony options and a barn to host the reception. The Haven has many different outdoor ceremony spots (and indoor options too in case of rain) and the barn has been beautifully restored. It's perfect for a reception or any large party for that matter! Best part, the property owners couldn't be nicer. They were extremely helpful throughout the entire planning process and so patient answering all of our questions. And wow did we have a lot of questions! They're true environmental stewards too. They care deeply about their land, their animals and preserving all of the natural beauty. If you're lucky enough to visit in the Fall, look for the baby cows and lambs running around! The Haven will forever have a special place in our hearts. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!

ew it was perfect. Mandy and Jody were very easy to deal with, it's not just a venue to them it's a home and place they care deeply about so they want everyone to have a great experience.

are endless and be sure to leave time in your day to take those sunset photos! You will NOT regret it!!

cheme. Yet, to me, it seems like the venue is truly the trademark element of a wedding. It is truly the third element of character for your wedding after the bride and groom. The venue setting sets the tone for what guests expect, determines the elements of décor which will (or won’t work) and the overall mood for guests. We were so very fortunate to have our summer wedding reception at The Haven. Looking back, nothing could have been more perfect. The golden hills were stunning in our sunset pictures, the first look was set in the middle of a pasture with a romantic forest behind us and the barn itself was beautiful. The venue was large enough to accommodate our large guest numbers (250) and we took advantage of the separate lounges for buffet setup, picture displays and “selfie” station. Our guests were blown away by the landscape and felt like they had been transported into far away land. We worked with Pure Luxury transportation service (in Petaluma) to coordinate bus trips for our guests from their hotels in Rohnert Park. That could not have been smoother – it was a little over a twenty minute bus trip through rural coastal scenery and guests were dropped off right at the entrance. For our local guests who did not need bus transportation, there was plenty of parking with easy handicap access for my grandparents. We had our wedding ceremony in a local church, and just had the reception at the barn, but I imagine a ceremony would be gorgeous there as well. There is a large courtyard area in front of the barn overlooking the pond which is perfect for cocktail hour or a covered patio. Like I said, everything was exactly as I hoped it would turn out. The venue was perfect, the landscape and scenery set a gorgeous tone for the wedding, the rental items arrival, parking and itinerary for the day was executed perfectly without any issues. Pictures from the evening were to die for! We took advantage of the later ending time and everyone enjoyed themselves – so many comments on how wonderful of a setting we chose for our reception. I highly recommend this venue to any couples looking for a gorgeous, historic and spacious venue!