Vows in the Vineyard

With those two words, you can finally relax knowing that all those months of planning are over. The flowers you chose, the colors selected for the dresses, and the vows you wrote (and rewrote) are behind you. Now you can undo your tie or shed those 4-inch heels and let lose — after all, you’re in the heart of wine country and there is cabernet sauvignon awaiting your pleasure.

Getting hitched at a winery is gaining in popularity throughout the Northwest. Many wineries offer a quiet retreat for couples to share a special day with friends and family. What’s more, an increasing number have become “destination wineries” for weddings, complete with creature comforts such as a spa for working out those nuptial-day tension, overnight lodging with smelly soaps, ponds stocked with koi and, of course a cellar full of wines. The Walla Walla wineries that welcome weddings include Basel Cellars Estate Winery, Castillo de Feliciana Vineyard and Winery, Waterbrook Winery, Three Rivers Winery, and Patit Creek Cellars. However, there are a number of other Walla Walla wineries that might consider accommodating your special day — Dunham Cellars, Walla Walla Vintners and College Cellars come to mind.

A word to the wise is in order if you wish to exchange vows in wine country: Once you have established your criteria (i.e., budget and size), nail down the winery setting as soon as possible — a year prior to the big day is key for booking popular wineries! To reduce your risk of things going wrong, I offer this three-step process that guarantees success.

1. Choose the location — Wineries can accommodate wedding parties of varying sizes, from just two (can you say “elope”?) to several hundred well-wishers. It really depends on you, the couple. This is your day, and you get to choose what fits your personality, not to mention budget. For couples who are getting married the second time around or renewing their marriage vows, a big wedding may not be in the cards. When it comes to weddings, size matters. If you want a wedding that has a guest list approaching 250, most wineries can’t accommodate that an event of that size — they lack the parking facilities, the lawn space for chairs, or they have postage-stamp-size dance floors that are just too small for Uncle Willy’s sprinkler dance steps. If you are looking at a destination winery, consider the number of out-of-town guests and whether or not the winery and nearby inns/resorts can accommodate them all.

Once you have selected potential wineries for your wedding, plan on visiting each one and speaking to its wedding/event coordinator. These folks have a wealth of information and can readily answer your questions concerning costs and availability for your ceremony. Imagine what the winery may look (or feel) like months away, during the morning or evening; think in terms of the chances of rain, sunlight for photography (best in the morning or early evening), and wind. You may decide to bag the idea of a “unity” candle for an outdoor event, being at the mercy of the wind. There’s nothing like a candle that refuses to light or stay lit for a couple just starting out — an inauspicious beginning!

2. Know thy wedding planner — Many wineries have a person on staff responsible for planning weddings, or they can refer you to a preferred wedding planner if you need one. My advice — embrace their service. Bring your planner a latte and befriend that person. The fact is these people have tons of experience and know the pitfalls associated with putting on a wedding. They can suggest caterers, photographers, florists, transportation services, wedding officiants, and more. You don’t have to use them, but through their experience, they have identified the most reliable and best-qualified companies in the area for these one-time services.

Once you have met with a wedding planner, plan to reconnect several months in advance of the wedding to go through the myriad details associated with the event. By this time, you might have a special request that you didn’t address the first time. For example, if you want champagne at each table for a toast, but the winery doesn’t make sparkling wine, how do you handle that? Is the winery copasetic with the two of you exchanging vows while stomping grapes in a tub at harvest? This is your special day and it should reflect your personalities, but be sure you and the winery are on the same page. As the big day approaches, it is a good idea to visit the winery during the time of day you have reserved for your wedding. Note the light and wind conditions. Review the other “little things” that you didn’t think about earlier, such as:

• Does the bride’s dressing room have full-length mirrors? • Will the musicians be located where they can be heard? • Does the area where the wedding will take place have wheelchair access? • Will non-wedding guests wander into the event à la Wedding Crashers? • What happens in the event of bad weather? Is the interior space large enough? Will you need to rent a tent as a backup?

3. Day of the big event: Arrive early and expect the unexpected — I understand that you think you have thought through all contingencies. But according to Murphy’s Law, “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong,” so be prepared for the unexpected. On the big day, emotions will be running rampant — acknowledge that. So if the caterer fails to deliver the ginger-peanut sauce for the fire-grilled spiced chicken skewers, don’t freak out. Life will go on, and your guests will not mind. In fact, they may not even notice. Plan to arrive early. Now is the time to review and, if necessary, change the setup. If Aunt Bertha forgot the special guest book, you can call your best friend and ask her to stop by the mall and pick one up. If the power cord isn’t long enough to reach the AV equipment, there’s time to dash to ACE Hardware for a new one. No worries! Just relax and recognize that these things will happen and may actually add to your special day. Friends of mine related that on their special day, the winery’s linens were mixed up with those of a nearby hotel, and instead of regular tablecloths, they received form-fitting sheets for queen-size beds. After the bride’s mother had a conniption, the groom and his friends draped the outdoor tables with the sheets, and after a few glasses of wine, the whole wedding party had a good laugh!

Now, one more piece of advice and it’s perhaps the most important tip I can give: Have fun!