Consider a Vineyard for your Wedding & Reception

This past weekend Harry and I took a short trip thru the Alabama Wine Trail. I wanted to get a few new ideas for wedding and reception locations to offer my brides. There are several reasons why vineyards are a good choice for weddings and receptions:
1. Very cost effective. These venues offer a lot of bang for your buck.
2. Beautiful, scenic, rural settings. If you like natural surroundings and prefer an outdoor wedding-these venues are perfect for you.
3. This one is obvious-but, alcohol is permitted. If you hold your wedding at a church location, but want to offer cocktails at your reception-a winery is perfect.
4. They offer a charming, relaxed atmosphere for your special day.

There are 7 vineyards in Alabama that are part of the Wine Trail. We visited 3.
The first stop for us was at Ozan Vineyard & Cellars, located in Calera, Alabama. This vineyard is lovely. With very nice accomodations for a wedding and reception. They have a wine tasting room, and offer a boxed lunch and free wine tastings on Saturdays. This is a great way to preview a site. Everyone was nice and friendly, and they can accomodate about 100 guests comfortably. http://www.ozanwine.com/.
Our second stop was at a much smaller vineyard named Vizzini Farms Winery, located in Calera, Alabama. They also offer free wine tastings-plus tours of the winery. I found the staff there to be pleasant, helpful and knowledgable about events. This venue is a bit smaller than the others, and I would suggest using this winery for parties or very small weddings or receptions. http://www.vizzinifarmswinery.com/.
Our last stop for the day was at Morgan Creek Vineyards, located in Harpersville, Alabama. This winery is the most beautifully landscaped. A bit of a fairytale feeling as you approach. They have thought thru the details-and it shows. We tasted wine, toured the winery, and had a great time. This venue is perfect for a wedding and reception. Everyone there is nice, knowledgable and service oriented. http://www.morgancreekvineyard.com/.

gwp