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The site fee allows for the exclusive use of the site during the hours of your event. All our sites offer different assets that are included in the site fee, such as tables, chairs, a prep kitchen, a bridal ready room and restrooms. Please visit the Venue page for details on each specific site.
Setup & breakdown charges vary by site and at the cost of the client. The setup will typically begin 3 hours prior to the event start time and the breakdown will occur about 1 hour after the event has ended. This gives most vendors plenty of time for what they need to accomplish. However, if more time is needed this can be arranged prior to the event by your site coordinator, for an additional fee.
Yes, we are happy to provide any active members with a $500 discount off the site fee.
Milestone venues are part of a network that allows you peace of mind knowing that if there is a threat to your venue due to fire or other natural disaster, our Milestone team can relocate your event quickly to another venue we manage. This allows you a sense of security knowing that we have your back every step of the way.
Additionally, should a government mandate force your event to be postponed, you can choose to have your deposit refunded OR, we can move your event to a future date without penalty.
Events at most of our properties can go until 10:00pm due to the sound ordinance in Napa and Sonoma Counties. The following venues can allow alternate options for late nights:
St. Francis Winery & Paradise Ridge Winery: Standard event time is 6-11pm. Amplified music is required to remain indoor. An additional hour may be added to the end of the event only for an overtime fee of $1000.
Each venue has set event hours with beginning & end times. Wineries with tasting rooms require an early start custom quoted buyout. Villa Chanticleer has flexible event times; clients may add early hours for $500 upon approval.
All tasting rooms will be closed by the start of your event if the standard start time is observed.
Guests can start arriving no earlier than 30 mins prior to event start time. It is very important that our vendors have enough time to set everything up without any interruptions. Our site coordinators are happy to recommend places near your venue if guests want to gather before heading to the event.
All our venues offer varying bridal suite options, which differ in arrival times. Venues that offer staging suites include St.Francis & Paradise Ridge. Villa Chanticleer includes two 5-hour getting ready rooms at no additional site fee. Charles Krug has an onsite bridal guest house that may be rented for a fee for the day from 9am-10pm & based on availability.
Most of our venues have options for dinner to be held outside. Dancing must be held inside at all our properties with the exception of Charles Krug where dancing can be either inside or outdoors.
Live bands are allowed indoors at all of our venues with approval. Charles Krug allows an approved band & dancefloor outdoors.
-Sparklers are not allowed at any property due to the county fire ordinance. Cold sparks are a good alternative.
-Candles are allowed on all properties but need to be placed inside votives, with the exception of the Villa Chanticleer, which does not allow live flames.
Our sites have so many beautiful and unique locations for your event photos. When choosing a photographer from our preferred list, you will be pleased to know that they are extremely knowledgeable about each site and know the best areas with the proper lighting at any given time of day. If you are not choosing someone from our list, then we can conduct a walk through with them and show them popular areas for your photos. Being familiar with the venue is a huge benefit because it saves on time and ensures that the photographer will be able to capture your wedding details in each photo.
Our team has extensive experience in planning for inclement weather at all of our venues. We can offer back up rain plans including alternate layouts, tenting, heater rentals, etc.
If you are reserving a venue within the Milestone collection of properties for your wedding, you may want to consider one of our sister properties within the collection for your rehearsal dinner. Some special promotions are available to you for booking two venues. If none of these sites are suitable, we will be happy to recommend other sites in the area, typically restaurants we have good working relationships with that may be able to accommodate you.
The caterer is one of the most important vendors at your event! Not only will they be preparing and serving the food, the catering staff has the most interaction with your guests. It is very important to us at Milestone that the caterer will be professional and be able to provide excellent service as well as prepare delicious food. All the caterers on our preferred vendor list not only exceed our minimum requirements but their food, service and presentation are truly exceptional as well.
It’s easy to streamline your catering selections by working with our in-house vendor matching experts. There are many caterers to choose from and we provide sample menus with pricing & customized recommendations based on your desired criteria.
However, we do understand that sometimes you may have other plans in mind and if you wish to use an outside caterer they will need meet our standard requirements and provide the necessary information. To use an outside caterer there is a buy-out fee of $1,500 and, most importantly, your caterer must be pre-approved prior to booking. Your caterer will need to provide a current business license, insurance with the venue additionally added, comply with our vendor rules and regulations and attend a walkthrough conducted by Milestone staff
We highly encourage you to look within our preferred list of experienced vendors. If you still feel like someone else will be a better fit for you, then you may use the vendor of your choice. After many years of working in the industry we have been fortunate enough to work with so many talented professionals who truly make a lasting affect when it comes to your wedding. We have hand selected every person on our preferred vendor list and strongly feel that they are some of the best out there. These vendors are vetted and know the properties inside and out, which makes a big difference when it comes to highlighting specific wedding details. For example, your photographer will know exactly where to take the perfect photo and even know which locations are best depending on the time of day. Please see below for more details on how to use an outside vendor.
To protect the client and the site from any issues that may occur when using an outside vendor, we require that all vendors must review and sign our vendor agreement form that goes over the rules and regulations pertaining to working at one of our sites. Any caterer or DJ who is not on our preferred vendor list, in addition to signing the vendor agreement form, will also need to go through the approval process. This process includes submitting a current business license, having insurance, listing the venue as additionally insured, and attending a walkthrough conducted by Milestone staff prior to booking. Keep in mind that when you use someone from Milestone’s preferred vendor list it is a huge benefit to know that they are already familiar with each site and pre-approved! This will save you time, money and less stress when choosing your vendor.
Caterer – $1500 buyout fee provide a business license, insurance, sign the vendor agreement form and attend a walkthrough prior to booking.
DJ – $500 buyout fee provide a business license, insurance, sign the vendor agreement form and attend a walkthrough prior to booking.
Band –$500 buyout fee provide a business license, insurance, sign the vendor agreement form and attend a walkthrough
Florist – vendor agreement only
Photographer – vendor agreement & insurance
Rentals – Encore or Bright for basic rentals, specialty suppliers ok
Transportation company – vendor agreement only
Photobooth – vendor agreement & insurance
Lighting company – vendor agreement & insurance
Officiant – no documents needed
Wedding Coordinator – vendor agreement & insurance
Your planner will place & manage your rental order, which will follow the specific rules & regulations of each venue. Including setup & breakdown, delivery & pickup times.
It varies in each region ranging anywhere from 7.25%-10.25% and would typically apply to the following vendors/items. It is recommended that you contact your specific vendor for their sales tax.
Yes, at minimum a day of coordinator is required, however there are a range of planning services to choose from at our venues. If not already working with a planner, after selecting your venue, our team will help guide you in booking a planner from our curated list that meets your desired criteria. If working with an outside planner, not partnered with Milestone, a $1250.00 buyout fee will apply.
Your coordinator is required to manage your timeline, communicating with all vendors and setting up and removing all décor. This person must also not be a guest at your wedding.
No there are not. A site manager from Milestone or your hired planner will be present during your event to represent and manage the venue.
As much as we love our families we do not encourage or recommend this. We find that guests, family and friends really like to enjoy the day with you. However, if you would still like to use a family or friend, they will still be treated as an outside vendor and need to meet our standard requirements. Please see above for using an outside vendor.
No, our venues provide onsite parking for most event sizes. We or your planner have recommendations of companies we work. Both Uber and Lyft operate locally, so these are options for your guests as well.
Due to the ABC laws all venues may have beer, wine and a fermentation bar. In wine country, a winery with a working tasting room on premise is prohibited from serving distilled spirits. That is why wineries allow only beer, cider and wine as well as other fermented alternatives. A fermentation bar is a great and fun alternative to have available in addition to wine and beer! Your caterer can suggest different cocktail options within these parameters. Villa Chanticleer offers a full bar option, a beer/wine bar and a great BYO beer/wine option too.
For each winery there are specific wine minimums that the client will need to meet when they are purchasing event wine.
Please see below for specifics
Charles Krug Winery: 1/2 bottle per person
St. Francis Winery: $25 per person
Paradise Ridge Winery: 1/2 bottle per person
Villa Chanticleer: $2000 minimum
Outside wines are not allowed at our wineries due to restrictions on tasting room alcohol permits. All winery events will need to use wine from the venue where the event is taking place. One of the reasons wineries host events is to expose their wine to an increased audience. Additionally, by using this wine, we can guarantee that you will never run out during your event because we have the privilege of pulling more wine if needed. By having this option, it will help you stay on budget and you won’t over buy more than you need! All the wineries have multiple varietals to choose from to best suit your liking.
The wine minimum is non-negotiable, however becoming a wine club member is a great way to save on your overall wine purchase. By joining you will also be invited to private wine club events and most memberships provide complimentary tastings for you and your friends to continue to enjoy the winery throughout your wine club involvement.
Yes, however if wine is purchased it will need to remain on site until your wedding day. Please notify your site coordinator if purchases are made and we will be happy help make the proper arrangements to store the wine.
Beer/soft drink corkage is a $3 fee per adult and allows you to bring in as much bottled or canned beer as you’d like as well as assorted soft drinks, sparkling water and juices. If you have leftover items, you can take them with you at the end of your event.
Anyone under 21 years old will not be included in the estimated wine minimum.
Yes, it is a Milestone Events Group policy that every event have the Client shall obtain special event general liability insurance with per occurrence limits of at least $1,000,000; aggregate coverage of at least $2,000,000 insuring its liability for injury and loss and naming the Event Manager and the Venue as additional insureds. The insurance coverage shall include a waiver of subrogation clause and host liquor liability. Clients must purchase their insurance through Event Helper:
If a site does not have legal wedding & other event type permits, it is not operating legally and any event it hosts is at risk. There have been sites that have been closed down because they are not operating legally. These closures do not happen with warning and the fact that a client has paid a deposit and is preparing for an event is of no consequence.
