Venue issue already! : (

Myles+Tami

I noticed when reading over our venue contract that it stated that the winery permit does not allow beer and alchol on site. The website stipulates that we can bring alcohol as long as we have a certified bartender.. so I assumed it was just confusing wording. Also, we've visited twice and talked to them about alcohol and even about having a bartender etc. FI suggested I send an email just to make sure and I finally heard back today.

We can still cancel up to 6 months before the wedding and receive all of our deposit back.. but I'm just really really bummed. FI really wanted to serve beer.. I really wanted to have a signature drink, (which maybe I still could if it was a sangria).. but STILL : ( Anyway, here's the email:

Tami: In about two weeks we will have our state & federal winery permits
complete. When that occurs they will require us to sell our own wines and
not allow alcohol or beer on site. Of course, we can provide champagne wine
for celebration, but the state is very strict about beer & alcohol. That
will be a new thing for us so we will be changing our web site when the
permits are complete. We sure wish they would change their rules, but at
this time that's what we will be required to do to keep our winery permit. I
hope this will not be a problem for you.

This was THE venue. I've had my heart set on this place since we drove up the driveway the very. first. time.

llc2011

That really stinks!  I'm sorry.

danac2010

That stinks!  Luckily you know about it before the 6 month mark so maybe you can find another winery that you love just as much or maybe even another venue that will let you bring in any alcohol.  What winery is it if you don't mind sharing?

lesalyric

A friend of mine got married at Lone Oak Winery in Burleson and had the same restrictions. I threw my FI a birthday party at the Rahr Brewery in Fort Worth and we could not bring in wine or liquor, we were limited to the beer they provided.

In both situations, the alcohol provided was actually considered "free" because the venues were unable to sell directly to the public. The rental fee we paid actually paid for the drinks, but on the invoice it was strictly a venue rental fee. 

This may be a common thread with most wineries and breweries. Hopefully one of the other winery girls will chime in and let you know if there is another winery without these restrictions.

rcpm44

I'm getting married at La Buena Vida Vineyard and they have similar restrictions. We have to serve their wine, but we can bring in our own beer. They can not sell the beer but we are allowed to bring it in. Because of their permits there is no hard liquor allowed but we are ok with that. Ask if you can bring your own beer in, it sounds like your vineyard and my vineyard have similar permits.

Tiffany618

I'm sorry! 

When did you sign with them?   I really feel like they should have mentioned this when you met with them to begin with.

courtneyandzeke

im sorry that stinks!

i think if you like the venue so much and its what your set on then i would go ahead with it there. the downside is you cant have alcohol but you can have champagne so maybe you can spice that up it some strawberries or oranges or something to make it more interesting:)

tam427

That's odd. We originally were going to book Times Ten Cellars... we were required to use their wine (at a minimum amount) but we could bring in our own beer & alcohol and they would serve it. As long as you're in TX I don't think the info she's giving you is correct. I would check the state laws before cancelling!

tam427

If your venue sells mixed drinks or is a private club then it is illegal, otherwise there is no STATE law that does not allow you to BYOB. This must either be a county/city law or the venue's own rule.

From the TABC website:

"There are no statewide bring-your-own-beverage (BYOB) laws in Texas. (Check with your city or county for relevant local ordinances.)There is a state law that says it's illegal to bring alcoholic beverages onto the premises of the holder of a mixed beverage permit or private club permit. Otherwise, nothing in state law prohibits a guest from bringing their own alcoholic beverages onto the premises of a bar or restaurant or other establishment that is licensed to sell wine or beer, or into an establishment that is not licensed to sell alcoholic beverages."

Here is the link:
http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/faq/general.asp#byob

Good luck!!

bsn1752

OOOhhhh... Nice! Yes, I would quote the TABC law, but definitely check with the city/county.  They could lose events over that rule!

tam427

I guess it's possible there's a different winery law, but none that I've encountered in my venue research. I agree it's definitely a dealbreaker for a venue not to allow beer  on premises.

Myles+Tami

Thanks for the help girls, I'll definitely have to do a little more research.

The winery is Eden Hill Farm and Vineyards. We signed with them about a week ago. Our first tour with them was back in Feb when we went over all of the major details. I'm guessing she probably didn't know back then all everything that was going to change when they started selling their own wine. At the time they were only allowed to "gift" it since they didn't have a winery permit. She did mention that eventually they hoped to sell their own wine.
 
We stopped by a week ago for a very brief visit just to sign the contract and see how the vines looked around this time of year, so I'm guessing she just thought we had already discussed everything already? I really don't think it was intentional.. they really are very sweet people.

If we do decide to stick with them, we'll definitely have to do a tasting and find out prices! I'm glad a lot of you were able to bring in your own beer! I'm hoping they will let us do that at least!!!