Winery Weddings?

Re: Winery Weddings?

• demarcosjd

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  We just had our wedding at The Renault Winery. We loved it! Val was so great to work with and made the planning process go so smooth. The food was amazing and we are still getting compliments from guests raving about the food and the whole place in general. The staff really went above and beyond to make sure our day was a success. If you go a few posts down I provided a link to all of my professional pictures from the day if you want to check them out. GL and let me know if you have any specific questions.

  Bio

  Report0 Reply
• uppereastgirl member

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  We looked into having our wedding at a winery on Long Island, but after doing some research we nixed it.  Many wineries are kind of complicated for weddings.  First, many times you can only have wine there, and only the winery's wine at that.  If your friends and family are not into wine, or *are* into wine enough to be disappointed with the NJ offerings (that usually aren't great), they may be very disappointed with the drink selection.  There were also lots of other complications with rentals, and tents, outside catering, ampliied music, etc.
  
  These things aren't the case at every winery and some are set up more like traditional wedding venues, butit  was definitely enough of a recurring theme for us to nix the idea.

  

  Report0 Reply
• ffbride_0813

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  I looked into it too.  Ditto to what uppereastgirl said on all the added complications.  I went to a wedding at Valenzano Winery in Shamong, NJ.  Its a beautiful winery.  The wedding I went to was rather badly done so I can talk really about the abilities of the winery to hold a wedding.  They pretty much only got it catered and that was all the effort.  No DJ or centerpieces or anything else that usually makes a traditional wedding.  The grounds were beautiful.  You have to go into a small building to get the wine and a lot of people didnt now it was there so that was kind of bad about the layout of the place. 
  
  Another winery which I love to go to that offers weddings was the Warwick Valley winery in NY.  The only problem I had was you had to rent a tent and bring in everything except the food.  The price was around $100 per person for food only.  That didnt fit in my budget with the rentals and alcohol added. 

  

  Report0 Reply
• ffbride_0813

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  On and there is Sand Castle winery too.  It may be in New Egypt, NJ.  Check them out as well.

  

  Report0 Reply
• gymchick05

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  Ive been to the Four Sisters Winery not for a wedding but to eat and do a wine tasting, just check- I know they do weddings, but there is very limited indoor room and what they do have is not airconditioned. Outside is very pretty, but I dont know what time of year you are looking at. Also, very small parking lot, so i dont know what they do for weddings- they must have somewhere to park though cause I know they mentioned that they do them

  Report0 Reply
• heather8301 member

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  Cream Ridge Winery is nice and their wine is excellent!!
  
  Try the chocolate wine!!
  

  Report0 Reply
• charlenepanzitta member

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  Thats a pretty unfair criticism of Valenzano Winery's ability to hold a wedding.  If you talked to the winery you would know that the winery simply rents their site out .  They put right on their website that they are not party planners or caterers.  They give a list of reccomended caterers but they also let brides bring in their own caterers.  You cant hold the facility responsible for the poor decisions of the bride and groom when they choose and event coordinater and caterer who are unprepared and unqualified to host an outdoor event. 
  
  Valenzano Winery is probably THE MOST BEAUTIFUL outdoor wedding setting in New Jersey.  They advertise a beautiful setting and thats what they come through with.  If another vendor poorly executes a wedding it is not the fault of their breathtaking farm and garden area.
  
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• ffbride_0813

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  I don't think i gave an unfair review.  I said the wedding was done badly and that there was no DJ or centerpieces which I think most brides know is something that the bride brings into the space.  This bride brought nothing in besides a caterer and some paper plates.   I said the grounds were beautiful.  Maybe I confused you in my review but I didn't want to put down the winery.  I think its a great winery.  I think the wedding I went to there had little effort put into it.  That was the bride and grooms fault.  It was a crappy wedding.  As a rental space its beautiful.  The only criticism I did have was the separate building to go to to get drinks.  Most people didn't even know it was open.  That was the only criticism I had. 

  

  Report0 Reply
• uppereastgirl member

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://northjersey.weddings.com/main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_winery-weddings?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6cacd73d-a7b1-4873-970e-3d433dea0279Post:4204bd2f-679c-4724-b9a7-d9623c6a478e">Re: Winery Weddings?</a>:
  [QUOTE]Thats a pretty unfair criticism of Valenzano Winery's ability to hold a wedding.  If you talked to the winery you would know that the winery simply rents their site out .  They put right on their website that they are not party planners or caterers.  They give a list of reccomended caterers but they also let brides bring in their own caterers.  You cant hold the facility responsible for the poor decisions of the bride and groom when they choose and event coordinater and caterer who are unprepared and unqualified to host an outdoor event.  Valenzano Winery is probably THE MOST BEAUTIFUL outdoor wedding setting in New Jersey.  They advertise a beautiful setting and thats what they come through with.  If another vendor poorly executes a wedding it is not the fault of their breathtaking farm and garden area.
  Posted by charlenepanzitta[/QUOTE]
  
  Wow, even wineries troll the Knot waiting for negative comments to come up?  Did you read the part of the terms of use where vendors aren't allowed to post?

  

  Report0 Reply
• ffbride_0813

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  uppereast, I was thinking the same thing. I dont even think I was negative about the winery.  I said it was beautiful.  Maybe I should have said breathtaking and the most beautiful outdoor wedding setting in creation.  Then I wouldnt have offended Charlene and her winery. 

  

  Report0 Reply
• Julephenia member

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  Good god, they're everywhere today. SQUSH! :P

  Report0 Reply
• lynzandgreg

  

  June 2010 edited December 2011

  I just recently went to a wedding at Alba Vineyard it was gorgeous! I am not a big vineyard wedding kinda gal, but it was beautiful. They have a wedding rock where you get married and then plenty of room for a huge tent reception. The only thing I have to say I really didn't like was the portable bathrooms. They got dirty really fast. Other than that the food was DELICIOUS!

  *Future Mrs.W*

  Report0 Reply
• fleurdeliswedding817 member

  

  April 2013

  I am a bride that met with Summit Catering at Valenzano Winery and even though we didn't choose it I can give some feedback. (Our winery wedding will be in the finger lakes)  They provide a list of caterers and some of them probably shouldn't do weddings

  and others are reviewed extremely well--do your homework!

  
  

  The Summit catering did a wonderful presentation to should the winery.   The woman I met was enthusiatic and had an ipad with tons of pictures of weddings they have done at the winery.  They all looked amazing...if you don't have the money to decorate and fully utilize the beautiful venue, then I agree that was a poor choice or the bride and groom (all though for a Jersey wedding they were on par pricewise with other catering choices) I believe they have remodeled since this orginal post.  My only complaint about the venue would be that the outside ceremony seems a little to near to the road.  

  Report0 Reply