Weddingbee boards

Hi all,

I am totally new to this thing.  I'm trying to find venues in the Wine Country but am finding that they all have a 10:00 or 11:00 curfew.  Is this a standard thing across the board- Napa, Sonoma, Calistoga, etc.???  I mean, that seriously puts a damper on the Wine Country wedding experience i was envisioning! 

Has anyone found a good solution to this and/or a county up there that isn't so strict?  Help!

Most venues in the wine country have the time limit which is a real bummer - I had the same frustration when envisioning my wine country wedding as well. IT has to do with permits, noise ordinances and complaining neighbors. The noise level is the main factor - basically no amplified music outdoors after 10pm or 11pm. This is why I chose to get married at a hotel in the wine country. I still had my ceremony in an outdoor setting in front of the vines, and outdoor dinner location but when it came to dancing we were in the hotel's library and rocked out until midnight. It was a few years ago though so I'm hoping they haven't changed the end time. 

Your other option is to start earlier and just have a long reception. This may mean you need to buy more time at your venue or rent your venue for the entire day (some places like to do two weddings in one day - I am not a fan because your vendors need time to set up and break down and do it with enough time to make it all perfect for you!!) But this way when it ends at 10pm you had the ceremony start at 3pm, cocktails at 4pm, dinner at 5pm and so on...then you can have a grand time!!

This was the exact reason why my fiance and I are not having our wedding in wine country.

Napa and Sonoma county a couple of years ago formulated a noise restriction policy of 10 pm for all public and private parties.  Some places will allow you to extend it to 11. 

Also, only a very small handful (6-7) wineries are allowed by the county to throw a wedding.  Because of this, the prices are very high as there is little competition.  Also, most are working wineries and you cannot start your wedding till 6 pm.  If you wedding needs to end at 10 or 11, you are paying a lot of $$$$ for a short amount of time.

The only way around this is if you rent out your own house/mansion in Napa or Sonoma.  However, this too is pricey as you have to rent everything (linens, tables, etc) ....

Literally, it was our dream to get married in Wine Country and changed our plans due to these restrictions, which are ridiculous in my point of view.