Ohh the winery.
We looked at venues for a long time. I was set on a springy, floral feel with off-beat details; my husband skewed a little more traditional. We looked at rooftops, gardens, ballrooms, high priced, low priced, all over. We toure...d the winery, looked at each other as soon as we walked out, and both said in unison – “I love it.” They were hands down the loveliest people we met touring venues; everyone was warm and welcoming and excited to work with us. We went back with family for drinks after we booked the venue and when we mentioned we were showing it to our parents since we were getting married there, the night staff immediately hopped up, offered us another tour, brought us wine, and gushed over how wonderful the place was, despite not even being event staff!
The food was impeccable – they do group tastings quarterly where everyone getting married there for that quarter tastes the whole menu (and drinks the whole wine list). At our tasting we thought the food was fine, had some favorites – at the wedding, however, it was like they’d magically upped their game, and the food was absolutely incredible. All of our guests were gushing over how great the food was, including some pretty tough critics, and how it was more like having a gourmet dinner out rather than “wedding food.” The mix of family style veggies/sides and French style served meats made for a nontraditional but still luxurious feeling experience. The “flow” of the space is also wonderful for weddings – the different spaces for ceremony/cocktails/dinner/dancing/schmoozing and the two bars had a seamless flow, allowed for noisier/quieter spaces, and worked very well for a wide variety of guests.
The winery was also wonderful at taking care of us in little ways we wouldn’t have known were important ahead of time. They have a separate space for the wedding party to be for a few hours before the ceremony, supplied with ample charcuterie, cheese, fruits and drinks for the bridal/groom’s party to relax and take care of themselves before the wedding proper. They also make sure the bride and groom eat, which is shockingly difficult. They give the bride/groom a quiet moment alone in one of the private areas after the ceremony, before the cocktail hour, blocked from guests, and bring you a platter with two of each passed hors d’oeuvre. The “month of” coordinator they provide is also invaluable – ours was Emily, who was lovely. She coordinated with all of our vendors, had us fill in a spreadsheet with her for everything from seating to phone numbers to timing of musical cues, and dealt with literally everything regarding the vendors prior to the wedding – if anyone had questions prior to loading/setting up the space, we wouldn’t know, because Emily handled it all. They also had multiple great recommendations for all of the peripherals – lighting, cake, favors, music, afterparty spaces – which were invaluable.
In terms of cons, the only one I can think of is that if you’re big selfie takers, the space gets fairly dim at night, so it’s not the best for phone pictures. Our photographers had no problems with it, however. It was a lovely, really special space, a fantastic experience, and we would recommend it to all!