How to Find Your Perfect Sonoma or Napa Valley Wedding Venue (including a list of questions to ask venues)
Arrowood Photography
Congratulations you’re engaged! One of the first things you probably did (after texting your BFF) was to start looking at Sonoma and Napa wedding venues online. Many couples know they want to get married in wine country and they know the season right away. Whether that vision is a resort with a pool in July, an elegant ballroom in Spring, or a vineyard backdrop in the Fall, the venue sets the tone and style of the wedding. When selecting a Sonoma or Napa wedding venue, the most important considerations are budget, capacity, layout, date availability, and rain plan options.
The initial search for a Sonoma or Napa wedding venue can be daunting and overwhelming. Wedding venues offer a variety of information in different formats, which makes it challenging to compare them all. However, with some due diligence, you can find the perfect venue for your Sonoma or Napa wedding.
If we haven’t met yet, hi! I’m Lindsey Nickel and I’m a local Sonoma and Napa wedding planner and the owner of Lovely Day Events. Since 2010, I have helped stylish, fun-loving couples (and their dogs) plan destination weddings. Our clients want the ceremony to be outside, the food to be outstanding, and the dance parties to be epic. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place, so you might want to learn more about our wedding planning services.
Manali Anne Photography
Two things that always catch couples by surprise when they start to research Sonoma and Napa wedding venues:
A true winery is not permitted to serve liquor, only beer and wine. Trust me, if it was up to just the winery you would be able to serve liquor at your winery wedding, but sadly the county event permits do not allow that. Don’t worry, there are plenty of opportunities for your guests to enjoy a gin and tonic at your welcome event and before arriving at the wedding venue.
The county noise ordinances do not allow amplified music after 10:00 pm, which means dancing can not go past 10:00 pm outdoors. The keyword there is “outdoors.” Many wedding venues have a workaround for this, offering event buildings with giant doors that open for an indoor-outdoor feel and dancing can go past 10:00 pm.
Manali Anne Photography
How to find your perfect Sonoma or Napa Valley Wedding Venue
1. Research Sonoma and Napa Wedding Venues
Start by hopping on Google to browse wedding venue websites and wedding blogs to see what catches your eye. Ask around to friends who were married in wine country about their wedding venues. If you have a favorite winery or resort in Sonoma or Napa, contact them to see if they host weddings.
Check out my list of The Best Sonoma And Napa Wedding Venues
2. Start A Wedding Budget
Begin to estimate your wedding budget, which will include a line item for the wedding venue. This is important because the wedding venue is typically a significant portion of your wedding budget. You don’t want to fall in love with a wedding venue, book it, and then start to book your other wedding vendors only to realize you totally underestimated how much a Sonoma or Napa wedding costs because you didn’t put a budget together in the beginning.
Curious about How Much Does A Sonoma Or Napa Wedding Cost?
Suzanne Karp Photography
3. Decide How Many Guests You Will have
When working on your wedding budget you will also need to have an estimate of your total guest count. Will it be closer to 50 people? 100 people? More than 200 people? The number of guests will affect your venue options, so calculate your best guess. The capacity of some venues maxes out at 50 people, while other venues would feel way too large for that number and are more suitable for 120-plus guests. With a rough estimate of your budget and guest count, you will be able to quickly assess if a venue is a potential match.
4. Consider what is included and not included
As you look at wedding venues online and receive information after you reach out, you’ll start to notice that wedding venues are not apples to apples. Some venues (for example resorts like Stanly Ranch) are turnkey and include rentals (tables, chairs, linens, flatware, etc.). Other wedding venues have stunning outdoor spaces with sweeping vineyard views and you have to rent everything (for example wineries like Gundlach Bundschu winery). A turnkey resort venue with tables, chairs, and linens included might seem like a big price tag at first glance. Keep in mind that at a winery venue, you need to rent everything from a rental company which can add up fast.
PRO TIP: One thing to be aware of is that the included rental items at a resort are usually more basic (white linens, standard flatware, banquet chairs, classic glassware, etc.), so you may want to invest in a few specialty rental items like pretty napkins or eye-catching flatware to add your personal style to the wedding design. Wedding planners offer wedding design services and can coordinate your rental order and make design recommendations so that your wedding is truly unique.
Each wedding venue is distinctive so be sure to ask what is included and what is not included in the site fee.
Must Ask Questions When Touring Sonoma and Napa Wedding Venues:
Do you include tables and chairs or do they need to be rented?
Do you include lighting?
Do you include bathrooms or do they need to be rented?
What time does the ceremony start?
Do you allow liquor or just beer and wine?
Do you require shuttles or a valet?
Does the couple get ready on-site or somewhere else?
Can the venue send you a preferred vendor list?
What are the rain plan options?
Can dancing go past 10:00 pm?
Milou and Olin Photography
5. Have Multiple Date Options
Flexibility with your wedding date will provide more options, especially if you fall in love with one specific wedding venue. Venues book out as far as eighteen months. If you can be flexible with the date of your wedding, you will have more choices. Many guests turn their trip to wine country for your wedding into a vacation, so you might consider a Friday or Sunday date, which some venues may discount. Don’t forget that the weather is really nice here from June through September, so you have quite a few options for warm weather dates that don’t require a tent or being inside.
6. Don’t show up at wedding venues without an appointment
Start contacting your favorite wedding venues to learn more about what they offer, available dates, and prices. Schedule a site visit of your top three to five locations; this will prove very helpful in making a final decision. Be sure to make appointments with the salespeople to tour the entire venue site. Don’t just show up unannounced and ask for a tour because the salesperson might be booked for the day or offsite working at an event.
PRO TIP: Don’t forget to take lots of photos so you can remember all the details.
PRO TIP: Ask if there are any recent wedding photos that you can see.
Nate Puhr Photography
Final Thoughts On Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley Wedding Venues
Choosing a venue is undoubtedly one of the largest decisions when planning a wedding, though once you pick one, all of the other planning pieces will start to fall into place. From an intimate dinner at your favorite restaurant to a picturesque vineyard, the Sonoma and Napa wine country offers a size, price, and season for every wedding style.
Do you want to talk about Sonoma and Napa wedding venues? Get started by filling out the form below.
