Wine Country’s Best Places for a Rehearsal Dinner

Oftentimes, brides and grooms are spending 12 – 18 months of time focusing on the wedding. You may be left asking yourself what about Wine Country’s best places for a rehearsal dinner?  Too often, the rehearsal dinner and what goes into planning it gets overlooked. Here are some questions to consider when planning your rehearsal dinner:

• Should the rehearsal dinner be located near the wedding venue?
• Should it be held at the groom’s parents’ favorite restaurant?
• Do we need a large space, like a hotel or restaurant banquet room?
• Should it be someplace intimate where the families and out-of-town guests can mingle?
• Should we capture the memories with a professional photographer?
• Are you planning to provide some sort of mild entertainment, like a slide show or a karaoke machine?

Whatever you decide for your rehearsal dinner, here are some popular Wine Country venues that frequently host rehearsal dinners, listed by city and county: Napa County:

• Napa
  • Angele Restaurant and Bar

• Saint Helena
  • Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen
  • Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch

• Yountville
  • Bottega Napa Valley
  • Brix Restaurant
  • étoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon

Sonoma County:

• Forestville
  • Corks Restaurant at Russian River Vineyards

• Geyserville
  • deLorimier Winery

• Healdsburg
  • Dry Creek Kitchen
  • HANNA Winery and Vineyards
  • Soda Rock Winery

• Sonoma
  • Depot Hotel Restaurant and Garden
  • General’s Daughter
  • Glen Ellen Inn, Oyster Grill & Martini Bar (and Secret Cottages)

• Santa Rosa
  • Vintners Inn
  • Stark and Co Catering
  • Ca’Bianca Weddings
  • Paradise Ridge Winery

Here is some additional advice for your rehearsal dinner. As soon as you can make the reservation, do it, but the general consensus is to reserve the space at least three to six months in advance of the date. By three months out, the bride and groom should have a good idea how many guests will be attending, and they can plan a menu that doesn’t conflict with their wedding day. Also, consider scheduling your rehearsal dinner on a Thursday night if you’re having a Saturday wedding. There’s an excellent chance you’ll reduce the cost of your rehearsal dinner, plus everyone can party as much as they want, sleep it off on Friday, and wake up for a wonderful wedding on Saturday.   If you wish to include the Adrian Tamblin Photography team at your rehearsal dinner, give us a call at 707-322-2233 or adrian@adriantamblin.com. We’ll be happy to do everything we can to make you and your guests feel comfortable during your rehearsal dinner.

Contact Me via the form below For A Free Consultation

I offer a completely free consultation so we can get to know each other. I’ll learn everything I need to know about your event and answer all of your questions about my process. Then, we’ll book the date and you can get back to work planning your wedding knowing that “Finding a wine country rehearsal dinner location” can be scratched off your list.

I look forward to meeting you and speaking with you soon!

Filled Under : Engagements , Things Iv'e learned , Weddings