A relaxed vineyard setting for a couple’s perfect day
Given the natural beauty of vineyards and the celebratory symbolism of wine, it’s no wonder wineries have become popular settings for weddings. And just as wine lovers have discovered that Lodi provides a refreshingly lowkey, affordable alternative to bustling Napa and Sonoma, so have brides and grooms on the hunt for the perfect venue.
“Lodi makes you relax,” said Charina Sales, wedding sales manager at Wine & Roses, a full-service resort in Lodi that hosts between 100 and 200 weddings a year on its lushly landscaped, 7-acre property. “It has a very hometown, warm feeling.”
Lodi’s wineries also offer as many different kinds of settings as they do varietals. At Harmony Wynelands, couples exchange vows under a gazebo with stained glass windows and vineyard views followed by receptions on a shaded patio.
At Oak Farm Vineyards, enormous oak trees and vintage buildings, including an 1876 ranch house and a restored barn that’s even older, create picturesque backdrops amid 14 varietals of grapes. A former saddle room serves as a groom’s room while brides ready themselves in the pool house.
About 12 weddings a year, ranging from 10 to 200 guests, take place at Oak Farm. Its newest wedding area is under a large live oak on an islet in a lake lined with fig trees and home to ducks. Sunset casts a glow over the nearby vineyards, making it a perfect spot for wedding portraits. Afterward, guests can have cocktails in the rose garden near the lake, then enjoy dinner on a
covered patio beneath grape vines and dancing in the vintage barn.
Although Oak Farm has a professional wedding coordinator on staff, “the natural beauty means you don’t have to do a lot for a beautiful ceremony or reception,” notes co-owner Heather Panella.
At Viaggio Estate & Winery, just outside of Lodi in Acampo, the banks of the gently curving Mokelumne River and a 15-acre walnut grove add to the scenic appeal of 4 acres of vineyards. Terry and Larry Lawrence’s winery hosts about two dozen weddings a year with several options for outdoor ceremonies on an upper lawn under the walnut trees, a lower riverside lawn with amphitheater seating and a hidden garden. A three-tiered reception hall, which can seat up to 350, comes with catering from chef Bernard Martinez’s banquet kitchen.
Viaggio’s tasting room, which includes a unique cellar room and a poker pit that once stored walnuts, can be used for cocktail hours, as can the extensive patio and carport area strung with market lights. The long patio, which owners Terry and Larry Lawrence nicknamed “Main Street” after Disneyland’s promenade, also leads to a “man cave” for groom’s parties, well-stocked with games, a TV, a bar and snacks.
For their part, brides enjoy a two-room “woman’s cave” in the River Cottage, which offers a hairstylist’s shampooing chair in the bathroom, multiple mirrors and a full kitchen. Bridal parties may also rent the nearby 10,000square-foot home, which has five master bedroom suites with themed decor: Hawaiian, safari, princess, etc.
Couples may choose to arrive or depart via helipad or join guests on the vintage Louisiana trolley that licensed driver Larry Lawrence uses to shuttle guests to area hotels.
The trolley often appears in wedding photos, as does his restored 1947 red International Harvester pickup truck.
“You can’t take a bad picture — there’s always something beautiful in view,” Lawrence said.
At Wine & Roses, the cellar room with outdoor patio often hosts rehearsal dinners and postwedding brunches while the nearly 5,000-square-foot ballroom with vaulted ceiling and a wall of windows can be transformed into any style a couple desires for their reception, notes Sales, who was married there 14 years ago.
“I’ve seen every look in here, from elegant to shabby chic to contemporary and neutral,” she said. Couples also benefit from a deluxe room in every package, gourmet catering overseen by Bradley Ogden and optional spa and salon services.
Ashley and Joe Lucero, a couple from Pleasant Hill who married at Wine & Roses in May, discovered their guests also appreciated the Lodi setting.
“Many of our people chose to spend the night and go winetasting the day before or the day after, and because we had our wedding there, Wine & Roses also gave great discounts to our guests,” she said.
Her guests appreciated Lodi’s downtown with antique shops and olive oil, cheese and wine tasting.
“We were happy to bring the city to life with our family and friends, and people had such a relaxing weekend, we had many people say, ‘We’re coming back,’” Lucero said.
Count these newlyweds among those planning to return.
“The best decision Joe and I ever made was to get married at Wine & Roses,” Lucero said. “We’ll forever spend our anniversaries there.”