Robyn Y.
Yelp
My husband and I had our wedding at the Blue Victorian on Suisun Valley Road IN June of this year. We absolutely loved our wedding, and felt that it was the perfect venue to host our special occasion!
STAFF
We need to mention that our interactions with the Blue Vic staff were nothing but incredible. By the time our wedding rolled around, we felt like we were part of the Vezer family, based on the way we had been treated. Chris, the event manager, worked tirelessly with us and our wedding planner to make sure that the venue could safely and smoothly host our wedding. The staff in the tasting room was always friendly- especially Joseph and Ron! Joseph is just an all-around awesome guy- really gets you excited about the wine. Ron is so knowledgeable about the wine- and offered his champagne bottle sabrage services at our reception! I can't even begin to explain to you how cool it was to see this- in his top hat, his silhouette striking the bottle with the sabre and hearing a huge pop! Everyone cheered and we toasted with the champagne that he opened. Frank Vezer let us take some wedding photos next to his awesome old cars in the middle of the vineyard- I am sure those pictures will be stellar! We also came by so much that we eventually ran into the wine maker, and we spent some wonderful time with him learning about the new wines aging in the barrels, the story of the grape, and the life of a wine maker. What a nice, friendly family Vezer has!
WINE
Vezer asks that you use their wine for an event on their property -which is not a problem since the wine is amazing! Since we love Vezer wine already, and you get a discount with the venue if you join their wine club, so we signed up last month. As a bonus we were able to attend a club member pick-up party, where we received our first box of 3 delicious wines. We're already looking forward to our next shipment.
CEREMONY IN THE VINEYARD
Our ceremony was outside in the vineyard- we used burgundy market umbrellas, parasols, and hand-passed fans to help people stay cool. To minimize the time in the sun, we had our ceremony start on time even though pictures ran late. Guests were still hot, but they enjoyed our quick and meaningful ceremony before they were ushered over for hors d'ouvres in the shade followed by dinner in the barrel room. One tip- when indicating attire for your wedding, note appropriate dress- if you are OK with it being less formal in order for guests to be comfortable in the sun, indicate that on the invitation. We put black-tie optional, so it was uncomfortable for some of our guests who were in black or darker outfits.
RECEPTION IN THE BARREL ROOM
We were able to fit 120 people (that is about 110 adults and 10 children) inside of their barrel room for a plated dinner reception by using 3 long rectangular banquet tables, and 3 round tables. The round tables allowed us to seat family by the sweetheart table, and the rest of the guests sat comfortably at the long tables. Caterers were able to travel between the seats to deliver food and take plates with ease. The barrel room is cool and comfortable for guests. Our planner beautifully decorated the inside of the barrel room to make the space elegant and welcoming. I personally do not think one can fit more than 120 people in the barrel room for dinner. Dinner would have to be outside (and the ceremony inside) if you have more guests than that.
DANCING AND BAND
After dinner, we danced right outside the barrel room on a dance floor. The floor we rented was on a tilt- I had wished there was a better place to put it, but for a wedding of my size and layout, this was the best option. We had our band on a stage outside faced toward the blue victorian. Make sure you rent them market umbrellas or a small tent to keep them in the shade while its hot.
Music ran until 9:45 and was off at 10pm- the guests all thought that was good timing. We ended at a high note rather than at a time when people are exhausted from staying for too long.
VALET
We used Vaca Valet for our guests- people liked having timely complimentary valet services. The valet did an amazing job and they were very professional.
HOTEL
We used the Courtyard Marriott on 1350 Holiday Lane- they have a complimentary shuttle that seats 7 people and will make multiple trips.
It was an incredible night- we planned it over the span of 6 months, and while nothing ever goes exactly as you plan it, its nice when the kinks can be worked out by your planner, the venue, and the vendors in an organized and graceful fashion. We have so many fond memories of the wedding and are looking forward to our video and photos to help us remember our special day! We'll be visiting Vezer again when we return to CA for our anniversary in 2013!!!