HELP - winery wedding?!
 

Planning a small (6-10) destination wedding in a CA winery near SF. Cannot find any place that handles such a small guest list. Does anyone know of a good place for smaller weddings?
Many thanks!

Hmm. If you don't get a response here, try google...

I like your idea. Cool. Let us know what you decide. Are you wanting something just with nice grounds or are you also going to eat there as well?

I did try google and the wineries I have found thru that method either specify a minimum number of people (30) or they don't specify at all. I have contacted the ones that don't specify come to find out they only handle larger weddings.

Was hoping to find someone that had firsthand knowledge on this site.

We would like to have both the ceremony and reception there.

When we toured Storybook Mountain, our host pointed out the small redwood grove where they hold weddings. No idea what their size requirements might be, but it might be worth contacting them:

http://www.storybookwines.com/

Lovely grounds and great Zins.

Hello iluvwine, I don't personally know but if you do not get any answers here I would suggest that you contact the various Chamber of Commerces as they are often a wealth of information.

Best wishes to you two along with good wishes you will have a long life together filled with good health, love and many joys.

Not all wineries are allowed to have weddings. The regulations are very specific as to who can have them and how many people can attend. With such a small number of attendees, you may be able to ask a winery to allow you to have it on the grounds as you will be "low-impact" - perhaps under the radar by not really calling it a wedding.
However, here are some suggestions to investigate:
- Hans Fahden Winery wwww.hansfahden.com near Calistoga
- Healdsburg Country Gardens (not a winery, but overlooks vineyards)
- Chateau Montelena in Calistoga www.montelena.com (a lovely small island in the middle of their lake via walking bridge)
- Westerbeke Ranch (not a winery, but a beautiful conference grounds in wine country - Sonoma) www.westranch.com
- Auberge du Soleil - St. Helena
- Meadowood - St. Helena

There are also a number of private properties or small family-owned wineries that allow weddings; some of these must be booked through a wedding planner (check the internet for wedding planners in Napa, Sonoma, or Santa Rosa) - This type of small destination wedding is often called an elopement in the industry.

One thing we did with one of our children's weddings was start with the caterer who recommended some wedding sites they worked with. I highly recommend Wine Valley Catering www.winevalleycatering.com or Elaine Bell Catering.

Oh, I have another idea: Contact CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Greystone in St. Helena. That would be a beautiful place for a wedding . http://www.ciachef.edu/california/events/

iluvwine - I had the same problem as you. In the end, the costs were so prohibitive at a winery given our guest size that we changed our plans. Instead, we were married at Aurberge du Soleil overlooking the valley. We had an evening wedding that started at 6:00 p.m. (September). It was (and still is) beautiful out on the overlook where they hold the wedding ceremonies. I did all of this long-distance. They had a list of recommended florists, wedding cake bakers and we even arranged the minister through their referrals. One thing some people may be uncomfortable with is that people dining in the restaurant can look down and watch your ceremony. I didn't mind and it turned into a special memory when one of the restaurant guests, who was a composer, said he thought it was so beautiful he came down asked if he could play a song (we had a pianist there) he had composed! To this day, my friends tell me that it was one of the most romantic weddings they had ever been to. I highly recommend Auberge due Soleil.

Ferrari-Carrano

Gundlach Bundschi is a lovely site in Sonoma, perfect for a smaller group. It's family owned and very expert with smaller events.

http://www.gunbun.com/index.cfm?meth...0-a9130007c86a

You could employ a wedding planner in the area to help you.

Here's a list of venues:

http://www.napavalley.com/eventplann...s_chapels.html

More general info about weddings:

http://www.napachamber.com/dir_weddings.html

you may want to also try this website

http://www.theknot.com/

"Instead, we were married at Aurberge du Soleil overlooking the valley."

Aurberge is a spectacular place for a wedding.

It is indeed, with prices to match.