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Mr. Pinot Noir and I first set foot in our event space in July 2006. We had gone to San Francisco to visit his father, and we spent a day doing wine tastings and lunch in Napa. We had lunch on the deck at Auberge du Soleil overlooking the gorgeous vineyards below. There was a wedding rehearsal going on during our lunch, and we talked about how wonderful it would be to marry there. I was hooked. From this day on it was always the place I pictured whenever I thought about our wedding.
Lucky for me this site is also a very ecofriendly choice and fit our needs for an ecofriendly wedding! Their website outlines the following eco-practices:
HOTEL
- Founding member of the Green Spa Network
- Water Conservation – low flow shower, toilet and faucets
- Dimmers in all guest rooms, meeting rooms and dining rooms
- Daylight provides natural lighting during lunch services
- Glass, paper and oil recycling - Reduced Junk and Bulk mailing
- Landscaping produces their own mulch
- Non-toxic “Method” cleaning products
- Organic pest control sprays
RESTAURANT
- Biodynamic and Pesticide-free onsite vegetable and herb garden
- Full size non disposable resort amenities – all of which are Paraben free
- Local and organic farmers used by Auberge du Soleil: California Certified Organic Farms (Frog Hollow, Capay Organics, Full Belly Farms, Swanton Berry Farm); Sustainable Agriculture Farms (K&J Orchards, Kashawashi Orchards, Blue Moon Organic Berries, Goldbud Peaches, Meridian Hazelnut Farm)
- Organic Coffee
There are many things to consider when choosing an ecofriendly/sustainable site for your wedding. Some suggestions for choosing an ecofriendly site:
- A site that will benefit from your event such as a museum, art gallery, city party or local vineyard/farm.
- A site that has both your ceremony and reception in one place (to reduce travel emissions) or is close to your house of worship.
- A site with nice style to reduce the need for extra decorations/flowers
- Choose a hotel with green practices from the Green Hotels Association (listed by state).
Spring Wedding in Central Park
Questions to ask a possible site include:
- Will the space benefit from your event such as a museum, garden, art gallery or zoo?
- Does the site use locally grown or organic foods?
- What is their recycling policy?
- Do they support community events and local businesses/vendors?
- In the case of an outdoor ceremony, what is the rain plan?
Does your site have any ecofriendly practices? What are you doing to “green” your site?
I love Auberge. What a great wedding venue. We were in Napa last weekend and wanted to stay there, but it’s like $700 a room.
- Will the space benefit from your event such as a museum, garden, art gallery or zoo? Nopers.
- Does the site use locally grown or organic foods? Our caterer does! RHP also gets most of their produce from the local farmer’s markets! Yummers.
- What is their recycling policy? Ooh! Thank you for reminding me to ask!
- Do they support community events and local businesses/vendors? Why yes they do!
- In the case of an outdoor ceremony, what is the rain plan? Tent Rentals. Bah.
I was starting to feel guilty that our wedding was planned with little attention paid to green practices. But, your checklist made me feel slightly better because not only was our ceremony and reception at the same venue, it was also the hotel where 90% of our guests spent the night/weekend. That’s green-ish, right?
I wish my wedding was after yours though because I could have benefited from your excellent advice! 
we are marrying at the Proximity Hotel. It’s been called the “greenest” hotel in the country. check them here: http://www.proximityhotel.com
@livvie: The rooms are incredibly expensive! Lucky for us we can get married there without staying there!
@HCB: Having your ceremony/reception and guest hotel at one site is a great green choice!
I hope that by reading my posts people understand that you can have a wedding that considers the environment without compromising! There are many ways to make eco-choices!
Great post. To me, being eco-conscious goes hand in hand with being socially responsible in other ways. For example, also asking: how does the venue treat their workers? Are the workers unionized? Are there labor law violations?
We are holding ours at a wildlife refuge and yes, they do get a big chunk of the rental fee.
i am looking to get married there as well. it will be a destination wedding as all of our guests will be coming from the east coast, so we wanted to have a great event with good food, venue etc., but the food/bev min is like $16k and our group will be very small so with everything, it comes out to $435p guest - not including transportation, flowers etc etc etc. it sounds like a lot of money for throwing such a small party. do you think it’s worth it? i would gladly spend the money if it’s worth it, but since i won’t be able to visit the site before the big event, it’s hard to tell if it’s one of those places that’s overrated or not. anyone… opinions??
@gingerale: I would recommend considering a day-time wedding - this is what we are doing and it is much more reasonable ($6500 food/beverage min). I think that is worth it for the site. Plus, the food is AMAZING and the view is incredible. Also, they help coordinate so you don’t need to hire a wedding planner or day-of-coordinator. The also provide all linens, tables, etc. so you don’t have to buy it searately. I would highly recommend it - but of course I am biased! Good luck with your planning!
Hi.. I’m planning this exact wedding. Well, just starting to anyway. Where did you reserve the block of rooms for your guest?
Also, for another commenter.. if you get married M-Th the facility fee and food/bev mins are WAY cheaper.
@Tracey: That is a great point about sunday-thursday weddings. It is also much cheaper in the off season (Oct through March). Our guests will be staying in San Francisco and we are busing them out for the day to safe them on car rental costs.
I think its really important not to be afraid to state your environmental requirements in your contract so that the venue is required to follow through, as well.
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Mrs. Pinot Noir, New York/Napa Valley Age and Occupation: 24, Health Educator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Market Researcher Engagement Date: November 10, 2007 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 25, 2008 Venue: Auberge du Soleil About Me: I am a Minnesota raised, NYC transplant planning a destination wedding in Napa. I'm balancing my love for the environment and my hubby-to-be's love for tradition to create our "green wedding in disguise." Our wedding will include local food and wine, antique touches and lots of love and laughter. When wedding planning isn't taking up my free time (and money) I love to read, cook, workout, watch baseball and travel! Follow along in my adventure as I attempt to plan an eco-friendly and socially responsible wedding (with eco-oblivious Mr. Pinot Noir).
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