Bear Flag Farm

As a photographer who shoots high-​end weddings and gets to visit beautiful properties on a regular basis, I can say without a doubt that Bear Flag Farm is a very special place.
The grounds are stunning, and immaculately kept. It’s obvious that much love and attention to detail goes into this farm on a regular basis. This is not a run-​of-​the-​mill wedding venue, but instead someones beloved home, an oasis, and its specialness is evident from the moment you drive in on the tree lined road. You are hit by the calming smell of the lavender fields, and quickly find yourself amidst a lush orchard and perfectly manicured lawns.
Tina and her staff run a tight, and professional ship. As a vendor, and someone who’s seen the inner workings on the property I can attest to their ability to put on a fabulous party. The staff treats not only the guests, but also the incoming vendors with the utmost respect, and assures that everyone on property (including those who are working) are comfortable and have everything they need to make the day a success. This is Tina’s home, and she wants only the best for the couple’s who are lucky enough to have their weddings here. It’s a pleasure to work with Tina and her crew!

Oh Bear Flag Farm, what can I say? I adore you, inside and out. My husband and I, and honestly, our entire family, had an incredible experience with Tina, her staff, and her home. It honestly never felt like we were planning a stressful event — nope, we were planning a really fun party, honoring the two of us, and with Tina, we did not have to stress or worry about a thing. We entrusted her and her staff with everything. Her impeccable taste, incredible attention to detail, unique ideas, and perfection in everything that she does, shined through on our wedding day, as it did for every other couple who has been married here. It was perfect from beginning to end. From the incredible welcome drinks, to the unbelievable food, to the gorgeous design, to the handmade photo backdrop she surprised us with (fresh sunflowers!!), to the gifts for guests (bear flag olive oil), to all of the talented vendors she brought to us (DJ, photographer, ferris wheel, caterer, florist, etc.), we were floored at our very own wedding. And on top of it all? Her and her husband will be lifelong friends of ours. Can we get married again?

One star because my daughter and her husband got the wedding they wanted… and the bathroom was great… until it broke.
From the beginning:
Tina and her assistant were rude and spoke down to my friends and I (mother of the bride I was). I was given my corsage at 9:45 at night, they seem to have just forgotten me. I was not told where to sit, what to say, when to stand or sit with my daughter during the ceremony, nothing. As controlling as Tina is, this seems out of character.
When arriving and wanting to see my daughter, my son (her brother) was with me. He was told he was not her brother, asked if he was lying because she had not given his name. According to her, she had. What? He was questioned twice, so insulting.
A «cold» drink was served when we arrived, no ice at all. it was 98 degrees. Limo drivers not told where to park, offered no cold drink.
Halfway through the women’s taj mahal of porta potties broke and we all had to use the mens. The stairs were steep and dangerous, not a good combination. A handicapped bathroom was requested, but not provided.
My friends were unaware of where the smoking area was, and there was no sign. Tina was rude to them when telling them they were not in a smoking area. My friend was courteous and asked where to go, he was told to move, that Tina owned the place and move on. Nothing short of rudeness.
Bar was closed during dinner, why? Some people did not want to drink wine and wanted a cocktail. I was told it would be open during dinner. Ran out of coffee, people did not get cake.
If you think this looks like the website, think again. It did not, it was a grass field with tables for dinner, something akin to my yard.
I am amazed at Tina and her assistant’s attitude. These were the rudest people I have seen in a long time.
Requested by e mail they send my son’s tie back, no response of course.
Susan Alonso

During our search for a wedding venue, I kept coming across Bear Flag Farm. This venue embodied everything I had dreamed of for my wedding day. My husband and I are from San Diego and most of our guest were from Southern California. We wanted somewhat of a destination wedding at an outdoor, winery, farm, rustic, intimate venue. Bear Flag Farm was EXACTLY what we wanted. We visited the farm on a stormy day in February… and even in the rain, Bear Flag Farm took my breath away.
If I wasn’t already in love with Bear Flag Farm (which I was), what really sealed the deal for us was the owner and event coordinator, Tina Reikes. She makes perfection look easy. From the day we made the decision to have our wedding at BFF, Tina was in constant contact with us. She listened to all of our wishes and turned them into reality. Tina manages the number of weddings they do in a year so she can dedicate her time and give you the attention needed for your big day. Tina only works with the «best of the best» when it comes to vendors, and her taste is impeccable. From the beginning she was on top of everything, making sure the things that have potential to book quickly (band, hair and makeup, transportation) were reserved for our date. She even helped us out with booking our rehearsal dinner! This was such a huge help for me, being from out of town. I knew we were in good hands, so I left a lot of the design and layout ideas up to Tina and her team. When I showed up to BFF on the day of the wedding, I was absolutely blown away. All of my hopes and dreams for that day had been exceeded… everything was perfect. Thanks to Tina and her team, I was able to fully enjoy my wedding and not have to attend to any of the little things.
Words will never be able to fully describe how magical our wedding day at Bear Flag Farm was. Infinite thank you’s to Tina Reikes for creating our special day. Tina and Bear Flag Farm will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

I cannot say enough amazing things about our experience at Bear Flag Farm. Our wedding was beyond my expectations and everyone I know has been raving that it was «the most beautiful wedding» that they have ever attended. We live in New York City and initially looked at Napa for our wedding venue — I dragged my then fiancé to at least 20 venues! But as soon as we laid eyes on the farm, we knew it was a special place. It is unique and charming and beautiful. One of the BEST parts of our experience was having the farm’s owner and event coordinator, Tina Reikes, plan our event. We were in constant contact with her and she was incredibly responsive to the things we wanted, didn’t want and didn’t know if we wanted or not! She has relationships with the best vendors in the area and impeccable taste. Being across the country, there were a lot of things that i couldn’t personally handle and she was on top of EVERYTHING! She is professional, courteous and reliable and kept her cool whenever I started to unravel! The day was carried out seamlessly and I feel incredibly lucky that we found Tina and Bear Flag Farm for our wedding.
You will not be disappointed if you choose this venue — it was as stress-​free and absolutely magical as a wedding could possibly be.

I’m not sure I can say anything that has not already been said, but a Bear Flag Farm wedding is simply the best! Tina offers you plenty of options to make your day unique, but not so many you become totally overwhelmed. We selected her set-​price package which made planning and budgeting very simple. All of her vendors were professional and although there were a few minor hiccups along the way, everything was perfect on the day of the wedding.
There are several features that make this venue incredibly unique. First, the property itself is simply gorgeous and nothing like it exists in our area. There is a functional farm, winery, fruit grove (the orangerie), lavendar field, and olive grove. All of these spaces give you endless opportunities for your event and photos. Second, working with Tina is unlike any other planner. She knows her property and how to produce a wedding. She knows her vendors and they work hard for her. She is also able to make just about anything you want happen because it is all her property. Her taste is impeccable. I am very particular and had very high expectations for my wedding, needless to say Tina totally exceeded my expecations! She took my ideas to places I had not even imagined. She also allows you to be as involved as you want to be in picking the details.
If you choose a BFF wedding you will not regret it. Your wedding will be the most beautiful wedding anyone has been to and the planning process will be about as stress-​free as possible.

I signed up for the Bear Flag Farms Farm Club after having visited BFF earlier this year. We’ve received a couple shipments so far, each containing handmade goodies produced by the farm owners. Initially being on a budget, I wasn’t sure if this was something that we’d be able to sustain being members of, but now that we’ve gotten a couple shipments, it’s clear that it’s something we’ll NEVER unsubscribe from. The goodies that come in the box quickly get devoured by my husband and I, and supporting a small local farm makes us feel all fuzzy inside.
I’ve really wanted to join a produce CSA but our lifestyles don’t lend well to having CSA deliveries, as we travel a lot. The Farm Club is the perfect compromise — the goodies that come last a while (Olive oils, soaps, lotions, jams, honey, wine (!!!), etc), so it’s a great way for us to support local farmers while not letting anything go to waste. We can’t wait for our future shipments, and are signing our parents up come Christmastime… these are the kinds of gifts that we know they’ll actually appreciate. It’s nice to TRULY know where your ingredients come from, and I’m thrilled to support BFF and the farm club!

This is a review of Bear Flag Farm’s FARM CLUB. We have been members since it’s inception a few years ago. Once every 4 months or so we anticipate the arrival of our farm box. We get so excited to find out what goodies await us. It arrives beautifully packaged and includes the farm’s signature wine, «Tillage» Syrah and their amazing olive oil. (My sister’s father-​in-​law used to be a big-​time restaurant owner in SF and says it’s the best olive oil he’s ever tasted.) My last shipment had assorted jams, lavender soap, honey, and mandarin olive oil — just to name a few. And best of all, the ingredients are either grown on the farm or are sourced locally. In this day and age, how nice is it to know exactly where your food is coming from? The owners, Tina and Kevin, put so much care into what they harvest. I have had the pleasure of visiting the farm, which by the way is a perk of being a Farm Club member, and the lavender fields are just divine! It is truly a magical experience. I would highly recommend joining the Farm Club!

Bear Flag is a beautiful event location and working with it’s owner, Tina Reikes is a major plus.
In my 10 year wedding planning career in the Bay Area, I had the pleasure of working on the farm 3 times. Each time, my clients were ecstatic about the results and, frankly, many of the kudos are due to Tina who worked magic behind the scenes. Because she knows her property so well, it’s easy to find solutions to any and all challenges that may arise in the planning process or on the day of.
By all accounts, each wedding reception was unique and pitch perfect and she made it easy for me to focus on my clients’ fairtytale experience.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion so I wont disregard the review from Lindsay but this review is from our own experience last year for our fairytale wedding at Bear Flag Farm.
I can go on and on forever on how magical and unforgettable Tina Reikes made our wedding but I dont think I could fit it all! To this day we still have friends and family reminiscing the day and how perfect it all was. I came across Bear Flag Farm in one of my endless searches for venues but no matter where and what they had to offer none of them I went to see or researched caught my interest until… I finally came across BFF website and I was smitten at that moment, no other venue would do. After weeks of talking with my dad I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to afford to have our wedding there but Tina had her bag of surprises, «The Package», which made it possible for us to have our wedding there and more. She worked with me week after week putting together and making our ideas a reality.
I couldn’t have asked for anything more not only with our wedding but just in general we felt like we had made a lifelong new friend who in any way possible made the stressful planning all the way to the day feel like I would do it all over again! (how many brides can say that!!!)
I do have to admit we weren’t the easiest wedding party in the world and we threw more than fire hoops at Tina; unexpected visitors, guest confrontations, my every now and then panic attacks, the list goes on ;) but through it all she handled it with professionalism, poise and compassion.
Like I mentioned everyones entitled to their own opinion but from first hand experience without Tina and Kevin Reikes and their beautiful farm that she puts so much time and dedication into, we definitely would not be entitled to our bragging rights of the most perfect wedding ever, we have 130 witnesses to back that up!
XOXO
Danielle and Kevin Takao
Married at Bear Flag Farm Sept 09′

I absolutely adore Bear Flag Farm!
I was fortunate enough to photograph at BFF last year. The mastermind behind the gorgeous site and this particular wedding, owner/​coordinator Tina Reikes, is an amazing woman to collaborate with. Tina has such a strong, precise, & creative vision for all of her events, yet she worked with my clients so beautifully to make sure all of their needs were met and their dreams became a reality.
The incredible grounds of the farm itself show the immense dedication and inspiration that Tina has in every aspect of her life. A dedication that transpires to each and every client, as well as, to every event that she hosts at BFF.
I am fortunate to be photographing again at Bear Flag next weekend. And I am blown away by what Tina has in store for the celebration. Truly, you couldn’t ask for a more picturesque site to have your wedding and a more giving and enthusiastic partner in Tina to execute everything you want… and then some!

This rating is strictly based on my limited correspondence with the Events Coordinator, Tina. Just like the review that is filtered out on this business (please scroll down and read it!) I really really wanted to like this place. I fell in love with location and ambiance/​It was seriously what I was dreaming of. I mean, lavender fields, a working ranch, and the gorgeous landscape? Who could resists. But alas, I now can.
Just like the previous Unilocaler, Tina was very quick to respond to me regarding their venue. I thought — hey, this is nice! But it stopped there.
She listed two options (this is cut and paste from her email):
#1 — for our custom wedding client with design and all elements planned from the ground up ~, our standard fee for exclusive use of the farm is $ 8500. there is an additional fee for design, planning & coordination of the event starts at $ 3500 (subject to complexity of event & guest count). this is the typical scenario for a custom wedding with all other expenses (catering, photography, rental equipment, florals, etc.) above & beyond.
#2 — we also offer an all inclusive package for a group your size of up to 100 guests pricing starts at $ 39,000. (additional guest count priced on per person basis.) This package is designed to deliver all of the necessary ingredients for an unforgettable celebration. You simply choose the color palette that suits your wedding day
I responded immediately to Tina telling her my interest in option one and, among other things, I asked if she could please send me a break down of costs (i.e. cost of various rentals, catering, etc). Here was her response:
«i just happen to be here wrapping up for the day. so — i’ll make this brief…
we do work with specific vendors. although — i would have no objection to your sister making your cake. how lucky for you that she’s a baker!
no cake fee. no corkage on wine you bring for your event.
we handle all logistics for all events — catering, rentals, lighting, music (live or dj), etc. etc. all planning & coordination is handled in-​house, by myself and my staff. it’s one of the keys to our excellent reputation and success. i don’t send out my vendor list until i’m actually working with a client.»
No where in there does she lists cost, except for the lack of a cake cutting fee or corkage fee. One would think, if all rentals are handed through them — it should be easy to locate that information? Right?! NOT.
So I responded again — this time though, I never received a response back. Hmm, maybe she’s out of the office and forgot to set a notification? So I sent TWO MORE follow up emails, weeks apart, with zero response.
I really wanted to like this place and I tried to give Tina the benefit of the doubt. But when someone asks you four times for cost breakdown and you don’t give them a list or even a ballpark, the only thing left to infer is that their option #2 (39,000 for all inclusive ceremony/​reception of 100 people) is a total rip off and they don’t want anyone to find that out.
They will not be receiving my business. End of story.
— — –
Filtered Review (not my own, but same experience):
I read really high reviews of this Bear Flag Farms on Here Comes the Guide which is possibly biased since I haven’t read any negative reviews through this site. I contacted Tina who was very responsive and e-​mailed immediately. The Farm offers a special package deal which includes various services for the reduced price of $ 36,000! A LOT of money which includes hair/​make up, refreshing drinks when guests arrive, passed hors d’œuvre with cocktails, and then 3 course dinner for about 130 people. So it does not include alcohol during dinner, cake, photographer.
So when I received info on the special package, I asked her what the costs would be if I purchased them individually as opposed to the package, and Tina said she doesn’t price it out like that because it’s a package. She stated that the package is a savings so I think asking for what the savings are is a legitimate question. I then gave her my budget and then never heard from her again. At least have the courtesy to tell me you don’t think it’s possible or perhaps give me an idea of what you could do for the specified budget.