Meet our ace crew
Riri Patel
Founder and creative director
Riri Patel founded tanaRi events in 2010. Her work has been featured in and awarded by Maharani Weddings, Wedding Wire Couple’s Choice Award, South Asian Bride, The Knot, and Harper’s Bazaar. For Riri, the most memorable, chic weddings are the results of delicately infusing the local cultures into the day’s events. After having planned so many unique events at incredible locales, she has developed her own captivating, bold style. Riri’s passion for local cultures has led her to travel around the globe. She goes from hiking in the Western Himalayas to going on safaris in Africa and studying culinary arts in Italy.
Her love of exploring the nature and cultures around her has led her to setting up a non-profit that connects the wider world with the goods of rural artisans and farmers. This travel experience and understanding of local cultures brings a delightful uniqueness and authenticity to the weddings she manages.
Riri’s Vibe
“Make magic by reinventing what's possible”
Jillian Comis
Lead Wedding Planner and Day-of-Coordinator
As a Cape Cod native, Jillian has a passion for a seaside setting but equally finds joy in planning intimate celebrations around New York City. With over ten years of experience in wedding planning and corporate event production, Jillian delivers impeccably planned celebrations with hyper-focused attention on the smallest detail.
She is a natural creative who is brilliant at handling unplanned day-of surprises with ease. Her flawless execution of several weddings and events has been featured in Maharani Weddings and WellWed Hamptons. When at home in Carroll Gardens, she can be found curling up with a good book and glass of red and enjoying time with her husband Anthony.
Jillian Vibe
“Be in love with your life, every minute of it”
Tulika Sodera
Event Designer and Producer
Originally from India, Tulika moved to New York after falling in love with her husband Loki. As a consequence, she understands more than most the importance of romance. Along with this perspective, she brings her decade-long experience in the global advertising industry to wedding planning. This has given her extraordinary skills in organization, production, and storytelling. She also managed numerous productions and events within the Bollywood industry. Her expertise in film production is truly unparalleled in the wedding industry. She uses this artistic expertise and thorough knowledge of current wedding trends to craft her clients’ unique stories into elegant, immersive, sophisticated celebrations. Her work has won OBIE Awards, Gold Effies, and Grand Effies, as well as been published in and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Adweek.
Tulika Vibe
“Every story is a love story”
Merelise Davis
Event Planner and Coordinator
Merelise has over a decade of experience in organization and management. Due to her experience in venue inspection, she knows the elements a venue needs to host a great event. Her studies in cosmetology and esthetics have given her the skill to create events with a unique, cohesive aesthetics. She immediately notices when the smallest of details goes array and fixes it, so her clients’ celebrations always remain beautiful. When she is not helping others, you can find her enjoying a cup of coffee or walking along the beach with her daughter and husband Erik.
Merelise Vibe