Comments on: Avoiding “Hidden” Costs/Surprises with a Winery Wedding

By: Colleen L.

Colleen L. — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:59:20 +0000

Also, don’t forget that they will charge you for unopened bottles of wine if they were iced down for the event! We just learned this. It’s not that big of a deal, though, because we used a Full Service Caterer (because Kerry Lee requires it thank god) who knew what they were doing and only iced down the amount of bottles necessary for the event. There were very few unopened bottles we had to take hm. w/ us. Just stuff to think about as you’re planning a winery wedding.

By: Kerry Lee

Kerry Lee — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:44:16 +0000

Hi Rachelle,
Great points and thank you for the kind words. As one groom said, “now I get it, you’re ‘wedding insurance’, making sure in advance there are no surprises!”

A 100 person, basic wedding – and I mean basic- in wine country and in Santa Barbara proper for the most part averages about $45,000.

-Kerry Lee

By: Rachelle Wood

Rachelle Wood — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:51:11 +0000

All of the above info is SOOO true. Im currently a client of Kerry Lee’s . Dont forget they add in tip as a percentage of the total service, site, and wine bill, so its a HEFTY charge. There are a lot of things we just didnt expect. When we got quotes from everyone initially it was always thousands lower than what our final cost ended up being. Make sure you are prepared to spend more than you plan since it seems impossible to avoid this.

Dont forget- most of your vendors will be from Santa Barbara and they will charge a delivery fee since the wine country is a little out of there way. When every vendor adds on $100 this does make a difference!

I can say that having a planner is a MUST MUST MUST for anyone who doesnt live close to their vineyard wedding location. Theres no way we would even know what to do with out KL’s help.
I hope this helps! Good luck, brides!

By: Kendall

Kendall — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:26:43 +0000

Wow, this advice just saved me a ton of money (probably more than the cost to hire a wedding planner!) and will prevent a lot of surprises. Kerry Lee, you’ll be hearing from me soon. Thanks for the info.

By: Kerry Lee

Kerry Lee — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:03:12 +0000

Hi Everyone! Thank you for the great comments. Laurie and Jeff, all of the wineries are lovely; however, I would encourage you to check out any winery under the Foley Wine Group (including Firestone) – they are set up and “dialed” for events and have a world-class staff representing their events. Another non-winery alternative for a more intimate celebration would be the Santa Ynez Inn, which is a decadent inn in the heart of wine country and they have some of the most flexible (and affordable) policies of all. You could also enjoy the wineries by providing a tour/tasting for your guests as part of a “mobile rehearsal dinner” at the wineries if hosting your wedding at the inn. Good luck and thanks for visiting our site!
-Kerry Lee, Owner

By: Laurie & Jeff

Laurie & Jeff — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:59:04 +0000

Wow. This is a novel concept- a wedding planner who is reputable and offering a complimentary advice column her Website? Are there any wineries who are known for being more flexible overall in wine country? We’d like to start with those first. Are there other alternatives to vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley?

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:25:38 +0000

As a new bride considering a wedding in wine country, I can’t tell you how immensely helpful this information is. A friend told me about your site and with a limited budget to work with, I feel so much better informed about the questions I should be asking the wineries I am contacting. Thanks so much for all of the great advice!