Wedding Season is in Full Bloom

Wedding Season is in Full Bloom
With 12 weddings down this season, I have about 10 more to go. 
Several new wedding trends have caught my eye this year.

Here are five that I love:
Trend 1 -  No set rules. "Pick" a seat.
Many of my bride and grooms are opting out of seating charts and allowing guests to "pick" their own seat. Several have used Pinterest to come up with cute, witty signs to explain their decision for keeping the seating open.
Trend 2 – Let them eat ice cream cake!
I have had many couples express their dislike for traditional cake and they truly use their imagination for the dessert. Ice cream cake, shortcake bars, ice cream bars, cookie tables and a rice crispy cake are just some of the tasty trends I have seen.
Trend 3 – DIY Florals
I have had a few brides make their own bouquets out of fabric and buttons. The nice thing about these bouquets, you will have them forever. They never dry out, die or get ruined.  Brides are also opting to go with versatile Mason jars and wildflowers for a more simple, romantic feel.
Trend 4 - Thumbprint Trees
As a guest book, I have seen several hand painted trees where guests use their thumbs to make a print and write their names. As long as you have a pre-done sample, it turns out nicely and you then have a piece of original artwork for years to come.
Trend 5 - The first look
The Bride and Groom have been using the Heron Hill Tower to "meet" prior to the wedding. This allows the couple a private viewing of each other prior to the ceremony. They also make time to organize and shoot pictures ahead of time, giving themselves the ability to join cocktail hour.
If you are looking for new and fresh ideas, I recommend visiting the following websites: Pinterest.com and GreenBrideGuide.com; as well as Well Wed magazine online and in print. They all have great ideas for weddings.

Don't forget to sign-up for the Heron Hill Wedding Show happening on Sunday, August 26th from 1:00 - 4:00. We will have a selection of great vendors to help you with your big day…brides enjoy a complimentary glass of wine!

It is that time of year…

The holidays are over. We have all had time to settle into our new year’s resolutions, or give them up. We are all itching for spring.

I however, enjoy this quiet time of year. I spend a few months reflecting on my past wedding season, planning for the future season and of course plan on doing a little Finger Lakes wine tasting!

My friends and I love visiting the local vineyards this time of year. I can never seem to get enough of Damiani’s Syrah or Shaw Vineyard's Cabernet Sauvignon. Yum!

Recently, a group of us attended the Corning Museum of Glass 2300˚ event. The January event, Fire and Ice, brings about 35 local wineries together. You get to sample delicious wines while listening to music and watching talented artists blow glass. This is one winter event we are sure to never miss.

A new favorite event of mine is coming up on us rather quickly, the Keuka Lake Wine Trail Cheese & Wine Lovers event. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, this is the perfect gift for you and your sweetie. What a way to celebrate - with wine and cheese!

Here at Heron Hill Winery we will be serving Sundried Tomato Chicken Pizza paired with our Classic Dry Riesling. Lively Run Goat Diary will be here sampling all of their tasty goat cheeses and offering them for sale. I love the variety of chevres that they produce. It is creamy and light. It goes great it stuffed mushrooms too.

If you are interested in more information about this event you can purchase tickets on the Keuka Lake Wine Trail’s website, weekend tickets are $18 per person.

Don’t forget to stop in and visit us here at the winery. Tambi and I love to pour wine and catch up with our favorite customers this time of year!

Come on Irene, we have a Wedding Show to put on!

Check out my online gallery from the 2011 Wedding Show!

Oh Hurricane Irene! The 1st inaugural Wedding Show at Heron Hill was a success! Waking up Sunday morning to what was not supposed to be a dreary windy day, put challenge to our wedding show. As I arrived at Heron Hill, I had in mind just how I would conquer hurricane Irene! Thanks to my staff, volunteers and patience, we did it!

Thirty-two of our thirty-four exhibitors braved the winds and prepared their booths for the show. Thank you to Crystal City Party Center, Finger Lakes Entertainment and Pembrook Pines Media Group for all the extra help and donations. The show would have not been possible without you!

We had exhibitors arrive from all over. Anne from The Topiary came with many of her wonderful floral designs. Heather from McKay’s Photography took a different angle and made her booth into its own, displaying many of her wonderful photos. Owen Entertainment joined us for their first show as well, it was excellent to learn about the new services they have to offer.

We had ten giveaways that each of the participating brides were entered for. Luxury Limo gave away a $50 gift certificate. Becky from Berry Vine Creations donated a “bag” of goodies including $200 off a floral package. Inteva Travel gave away a gift certificate to one lucky bride. These are just a few of the great prizes we had.

One lucky bride received the grand prize of $500 off a reception at Heron Hill Winery. Ten of my brides for the upcoming 2012 season were here, so it was a battle! As I drew the winning name, I looked over at my bride. She had won, but she thought I was joking with her. As our DJ, Jason, said her name, she and her fiancé got super excited. Congratulations to Jessica and Bill!

We will be hosting the show again next year. Thank you to everyone for attending and making our first year outstanding! We could not have done it without the help of all of our wonderful exhibitors. I am hoping for sunny weather next year ☺

Great giveaways at the Heron Hill Wedding Show!

As we kick off summer, I am counting down the days until the Heron Hill Wedding Show! Heron Hill Winery and Pembrook Pines Radio Group will be hosting our first show on August 28, 2011 from 1-4 pm. Registration for all brides is free, sign up here and bring a guest!

Each bride will receive a “goody” bag filled with several wedding planning tools provided by The Wedding Planner, Rochester Wedding, Rochester Bride & Groom and more.

The staff from Heron Hill and Pembrook Pines has been working diligently to bring the areas top wedding professionals to you. We are happy to announce that David’s Bridal will be attending the show with several of their dresses from each collection. The Finger Lakes Wellness Center & Health Spa will also be here. They are one of the local spas in the area offering wonderful services at great prices. What a prefect way to spend the day before your wedding. Betty Kay Bakery out of Bath will be here decorating their delicious cakes as well as providing samples. Tom Mike Photography will have his wedding albums on display! ServU Credit Union will be here to help you with all your financial questions.

During the show, will be giving away several great prizes. Here are a few teasers of what some of the exhibitors will be giving away throughout the afternoon:

• Walker Cake Company - free set-up and delivery of your wedding cake
• Berry Vine Creations - $200 off your floral package of $1000 or more.
• SEVideo – Flip Camera and Video Package
• Owen ENTERTAINMENT – Pair of Darien Lake Tickets
• LaVere Media – Framed Art Print
• And so much more!!

Join us for an afternoon of wine tasting, sampling food from local caterers, admiring photos from the area’s top photographers and exploring floral options for your big day. Register at www.heronhill.com and be sure to bring a guest!

Heron Hill Wedding Show this summer!

As every bride begins planning her wedding, there is no other better place to get information from than a Wedding Show.

If you have ever been a bride, bridesmaid, mother of a bride or groom, you have most likely been to a wedding show. You can find all of your wedding essentials there. You taste cake, try food from several caterers, listen to what different DJ companies have to offer and more.

On Sunday, August 28, 2011 Heron Hill Winery and Pembroke Pines Media will be hosting the Heron Hill Winery Wedding Show. Pre-registration is free for all brides, click here to register! Each Bride will receive a welcome gift bag filled with goodies and each bride will be entered for several door prizes, which will be given away throughout the afternoon. We will have complimentary wine tastings set-up for all of the guests.The Blue Heron Café will also be open, local musician Bruce Holler will be playing on the terrace too.

We have invited several bakeries, caterers, photographers, florists, DJ’s and more. We are in the beginning planning stages for all vendors. Currently we have Corning Catering, Crystal City Party Center, Berry Vine Creations, SE Video, Schwarz ProFoto, Walker Cake Company, Rochester Wedding and Tom Mike Photo. Here’s the list of exhibiters and more info on the Wedding Show.
If you are a vendor and interested in coming, you can also visit the link above to download an exhibitor contract.

The staff at Heron Hill Winery and Pembrook Pines Media is very excited for the event this summer! We want to make sure our local brides have access to the top wedding professionals in our area.

On a side note, we are busy finishing renovations for the upcoming season. We are currently preparing to re-carpet the tent and get it up for the season. The first event will be the Ducks Unlimited Dinner, which we host annually. As always, we are excited to be working with them on this event again!

Let the spring-cleaning begin as we welcome another busy season!

WellWed Wedding Affair

It is certainly a quiet time of year here at Heron Hill Winery. I spend most of January preparing for inventory, contacting possible brides and cleaning endless amounts of wedding chairs.

While preparing for the upcoming season, during this “slow time” I have been able to do several wine tastings and talk with some of our nice customers. I have also attended several bridal shows over the course of the last two months.

The most recent bridal show I attended was the 2nd Annual Finger Lakes Wedding Affair at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY. What a beautiful show. WellWed hosted it and did a fabulous job of bringing together all of the wedding professionals of the Finger Lakes Region. The theme this year was carnival. Everything was decorated as though the brides had just walked into a carnival. The Well Wed staff thought of everything from candied apples to cotton candy martini’s.

I was able to sneak away from the booth to speak with several of the other wedding professionals and see their work. The Topiary out of Pittsford, NY had several gorgeous displays. They had a table display as well as a bridal bouquet sample. I also spent time getting to know the ladies, and I am excited to work with them in the near future.

As I was walking around, I made a point to try some of the sweet treats from Gourmet Goodies of Victor, NY. I have never been disappointed by what they create. I specifically sampled their red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese center and the chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter center. Delicious!

I also stopped to try the paella that All Occasions Catering of Rochester, NY prepared as samples. This was my first time trying their cuisine, and I must say it was yummy.

Throughout the show, music was provided by a few of our favorite guys, Nate and Jason of Fingerlakes Entertainment. They also provided all the music for the couture fashion show. I am looking forward to working with them this upcoming season.

All in all this was a great show. I am ready for wedding season to arrive! I have many wonderful couples I am working with this year. On a side now, this week marks my 1 year anniversary at Heron Hill Winery! What a wonderful first year!

A great first season

I have completed my first season at Heron Hill Winery!! What a season it was! Between weddings, ordering for the gift shop and my own wedding, it was crazy. Let’s just say the honeymoon in St. Lucia was more than needed!

I had to the pleasure of working with several wonderful couples this summer and fall. Each wedding had their own unique twist and a party to remember. I want to thank all of them for choosing us as their venue. They helped make my first season memorable.

I also had the pleasure of working with some of the wedding industries finest: Corning Catering, Around the Corner Catering, The Village Tavern, Finger Lakes Entertainment, Dianna Hart, Chrissy Albright, Schwartz Photography, Van Scooters, Pleasant Valley, Bath Floral and others. Everyone was a joy to work with and made every detail perfect.

As for my own wedding in September...it was PERFECT!! Thank you to all of the Heron Hill staff that helped to make my day special. We had an amazing time followed by an unforgettable honeymoon in St. Lucia.

We spent 7 glorious days laying on the beach, zip lining, hiking and swimming in the ocean. We stayed at the Sandals Regency La Toc. The resort was gorgeous. The food was fantastic. We had the option of dining at 8 different restaurants each night. We drank our share of the local beer called Piton and sampled several of their specialty drinks. I highly recommend St. Lucia to honeymooners and couples for a relaxing, well-deserved break from life!

As fall comes to a close, I am finally catching up on orders for all those Christmas goers. I have created an assortment of gift baskets here this season. They make great gifts for just about anyone. Be sure to visit our website or stop in to browse what we have to offer. Gift cards are my favorite gift to give for the holidays as well. Why not give the gift of wine! We also have several wine clubs that are a great idea as well. Wine clubs are the gift that keeps on giving!!

Come visit us in the off-season and happy holidays!!

New Gift Shop Goodies

Busy season is here and it has been challenging keeping our gift shop stocked. After spending several months with Paul, Steve and Tambi hashing away at what we will buy for the gift shop, the time has come. We all worked together to choose some new items and well as keep our customer favorites.
We are now carrying a variety of hand-blown glass items. Elijiah Smith is an artist out of Corning, NY. He has supplied us with pumpkins, bowls, vases, mugs and his unique wine stoppers. His glass has been a great local addition to the gift shop.

Another new line of products comes from Hunter and Hilsberg out of Syracuse, NY. They produce a number of delicious baking mixes. We are currently selling the Wild Raspberry Scone, NY Cheesecake, Raspberry Cheesecake and Cranberry Pecan Pancake mixes. They have been one of our top selling items this season. Each is packaged in 100% post consumer recyclable cardboard making them biodegradable.

The newest clothing item we are selling is the re-designed Heron t-shirt. Tambi designed this t-shirt for us with the goal of creating something new and fresh for Heron Hill this season. She did a great job and they have quickly become a staff favorite.

Hector Fudge is yet another new local product. We have been working with candymaker Kelly McCarthy to determine the bestselling types of fudge for the winery. Varieties available include: Mint Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, Peanut Butter Layered, and Hawaiian. Kelly has done a great job keeping everything in stock for us. And the fudge is so yummy!!

We have expanded our Havill Pottery display this season. A consistent favorite among our staff as well as customers. Each piece is made to perfection and is a great souvenir for out of town guests.
Finger Lakes Tiles by local artist Kala Stein have proved very popular and she has done a great job keeping up with demand for these unique items. These tiles represent every lake in the Finger Lakes and area great addition to your cottage or home.
The summer season has gotten off to a great start. If you need a gift for that special occasion, don’t forget about the Heron Hill Gift Shop. We carry a number of unique local items that you can feel good about giving.

My trip to San Diego

By Kara Wilson, Wedding and Events Coordinator

Six more months until our wedding?! Wow. Time sure does fly. Everything is almost done, however, I keep forgetting about buying the wedding bands. You would think that would be the first thing to come to mind.

Anyways, about two weeks ago I was in San Diego. My finance and I had an amazing time. We ate tons of food; Chinese, Mexican, fresh fruit and so much more. We visited Lego Land, several beaches, Old Town San Diego and a few wineries. My favorite part of the trip was our first day there. We went to a town called La Jolla. The town created a man made breaker on one of the beaches so kids could swim and not get pummeled by the waves. The concept was a great idea, but the seals had an even better idea. They have made the beach their home. They spend all day and night playing in the calm water, laying on the rocks soaking up the rays and stinking up the beach. As cute as the seals are, they are by far the worst smelling creatures EVER.

We visited several wineries in Temecula and Escondido. Orfila Vineyards in Escondido had the most amazing view and good wine. In Temecula, I found Wiens Family Cellars to be very hospitable. Our taster poured me their best wines and educated me on their area and grape growing techniques. What amazing upcoming areas. The scenery is to die for.

Now it is time to settle in. Things have been super busy in the wine shop. The February End of Vintage sale was a huge hit. I am currently working on revamping the gift shop with new wine related items and local keepsakes. If anyone knows of any interesting wine products or a local vendor that we may like to carry, have them contact me, events@heronhill.com

Wedding season is almost here. We have a lot of weddings booked for this summer. Again, it is going to be another busy year for us.

Thanks to Heron Hill team for helping me get acclimated with my new surroundings!