Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

If so, how did it go? Was it affordable or very expensive? Where did you and your out of towners stay? Would you recommend it?

Thank you in advance!!

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

Bump...hoping to get some ideas.

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

My wedding was at Raphael. It's a little different from some other wineries because they have a ballroom and catering on site - you have to have a tent at some others.

It was very affordable, but we got married in February and only booked 5 months in advance (ie, if they hadn't booked our date by then, they probably weren't going to, so they were willing to work with us on price)

Most of our guests were from the UK (my husband is English), so we had them all stay at one hotel in Port Jefferson - I figured it would be good for them to stay in a town where there was lots to do within walking distance - and we provided a coach bus as transportation.

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

We are getting married at vineyard Caterer's which is a catering hall on a vineyard and this place was the most reasonable of all the vineyards out east. It going to run us just over $100 a person. And there is no site fee.

Raphael vineyards was more expensive closer to $150-200 a person and there is a huge site fee depending on the time of the year. It is beautiful but the place is also smaller

There are a bunch of others where you need to rent tents and unfortunately I can't help you out with the cost on those as I don't know.

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

We are all staying at the Best Western (they have a honeymoon suite) which is the only hotel with enough rooms to hold us all. There is a new hotel (Holiday Inn Suites I think) in Oct but our wedding is before that so that doesn't work for us. There is also East Wind if you want something more upscale (this was too expensive for us)

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

Thanks, thats very helpful

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

I went to a wedding at Martha Clara. IMO I just thought it was ok. But that might just have been bc of the Bride and Groom's selections. The grounds were beautiful and the tent was set up very nicely.

For the CH they only had a few passed hors d'ouevres, shrimp and someone shucking oysters. The dinner was a buffet with very few options. Considering it was all the way out on LI, and all of the hotels required a 2 night minimun stay, it was an expensive wedding for us, and were not blown away by it al all. But like I said, I think it had more to do with their selections than Martha Clara.

JMO - i also wasn't crazy about wearing heels in grass either!!

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

Check out
www.northforkweddings.com.

They list the vineyards that do weddings out there. There are also vineyards upstate, and one in Jersey - I can't remember names.

We did alot of research into having a tent wedding at a vineyards grounds and going someplace like Raphael, and the prices were comprable for a June, Sat night wedding. Raphael is not cheap in season...but it is gorgeous, and the food is well known for being amazing! My experience thus far has been very positive, but I'll tell you more after the wedding in 2 weeks.

The cost of renting a tent, linens, and all the other stuff associated with an outside wedding is immense - and there can often be alot of costs that pop up you were not expecting. Just something to consider...


Overall, I think a vineayrd wedding can be wonderful, different, and very fun for the guests. We are having everyone come out for the weekend and we have tastings, dinners, and BBQ's planned for a really packed weekend of fun. There will be a tasting happening during the cocktail hour as well, so the guests get a chance to really sample and learn about the wines at Raphael. I just thought that was a nice touch...

FM me if you have any questions.

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

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Posted by Bunnymonkey

There will be a tasting happening during the cocktail hour as well, so the guests get a chance to really sample and learn about the wines at Raphael. I just thought that was a nice touch...

FM me if you have any questions.

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My guests really enjoyed the wine tastings during the CH too.

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

I'm getting married at Wolffer Estate, one of the few vineyards on the south fork. It's a Tuscan-style estate and no tent is needed because seating is on a covered patio, but you have to bring in everything else -- tables, chairs, linens, etc. I've been told that although the site fee is pretty high, it's not so bad because you don't have to rent a tent and their kitchen facililties are very good for the caterers. Raphael was our second choice, and pretty much all of the above things are included.

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

Wolffer Estate for me too! We had about 90 people at our wedding; I thought it was ideal for a small wedding. Ceremony at the gazebo, cocktail hour on the lawn by the vines, dinner on the patio, and dancing inside the beautiful tasting room! The fee for a Saturday in July was a lot, but everything else (catering, wine, rentals, band, flowers) was reasonable. One more thing I love about getting married at a vineyard: you can go back whenever you want to enjoy it!!

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

Hey ginny! Still can't wait to see your pictures!

Re: Has anyone had their wedding at a winery?

LOL...my pix are STILL in a box...and I STILL don't have access to a scanner!!!!!