Destination Wedding - Napa Area

tutui

I will be getting married in March of 2013 and we are really excited to have a small, intimate wedding with no more than 30 people somewhere in the Napa Area - we are from Florida so this will be destination for all guests.  I really want to pick a venue who has not only room to host the entire ceremony and reception outdoors, but also a venue who has the capacity to accomodate at least 12 guestrooms as well.  I love the Harvest Inn, but I fear it may be a bit expensive when all is said and done.  Does anyone have suggestions?  Also, would you do dancing with a group this size?  We are debating it, but not sure just yet.  And with regard to the weather, I heard that March is tricky because it may rain and the venyards won't be budding yet either. Any thoughts on that?  Lastly, any good caterer recommendations that won't break the bank?  We are really trying to keep this under $15,000 if possible.  

AmJam04

$15,000 total budget? Or $15,000 catering budget?

One issue that my FI and I found is that all of the places we loved were ridiculously expensive (around $5000 venue fee plus $15,000 minimum food/bev fee), so my experience with cheaper options is quite limited.

Perhaps you could consider holding your reception at a restaurant? Yountville is notorious for AMAZING food and it's in a very hip, boutique-y sort of neighborhood - which your guests will likely enjoy. I honestly don't think you should do dancing unless your crowd is really into that sort of thing. Perhaps instead you could have a guitarist or pianist play background music so people can dance if they want to but it's not some expected activity.

March IS generally unpredictable in this area in terms of weather. You'll definitely need to have a backup plan in case it rains. The vines will be budding that time of year - some varietals may be farther along than others. BUT, the hills will be GORGEOUS and green, so it'll still be fantastic scenery.

I don't have much to offer in terms of catering since my venue provides it (hooray, one less thing for me to worry about!) but when you find a venue you like, they will probably have a preferred catering company list that you can go through and research.