- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
Any wine maker worth their merlot will tell you harvesting is the first step in wine production. For our DIY project, we followed a similar path…only we’re harvesting bottles instead of grapes!
Ffffwooosh, Napa countryside whizzing past on our way to another winery
We *heart* wine.
Whose genius idea was it to wear white linen for a full day of reds??
Editor’s note: 10 AM is not smiley time for Mr. P, even after a Caymus tasting.
(Both photos from our 2008 Napa/Sonoma trip with Mr. P’s family)
We *heart* it so much I have brainstormed a multitude of ways to work it into the wedding. Table names, favors, escort cards, Jeroboam guest book (more on these later)…but my favorite iteration is FREE, tree-huggin’ green and does the two birds/one stone thing. Our centerpiece vessels will be wine bottles!
Harvesting wine (bottles)
Step 1 - Drink wine. Lots of it.
Step 2 - Save the bottles. For about six months. Take home any orphan empties from wine-lovin’ folks. Take care to store your precious bottles in a cool, dark place…like your basement.
Step 3 - Do nothing with them for another three months. This rest time is crucial to the wine-bottle-DIY process. It’s also called procrastination.
Step 4 - Are you anxious to start on your DIY yet? Good. Wait another two months while you figure out how to cut the blasted things.
Step 5 - Sort your lovely bottles by whatever criteria suits you. You’ll need two groups: your favorites, and the rest. I’m after a specific color range, so the green, blue-green and yellow-green bottles are set aside as favorites. Instead of recycling the rest (clear and brown bottles), save them. You will need practice bottles.
About five cases, or all that would reasonably fit onto the work table
The “favorite” bottle colors
(all personal photos)
Step 6 - There is no step 6. Don’t be such an overachiever. If you’ve come this far, please eject the cassette, turn to side B, and wait for the rest of us to catch up.
Please note: For shorter engagements, the timeline can be expedited. You’ll just end up with fewer bottles.
Are you DIY-ing to save money or to create something unique?
I’ve had a few local restaurants save up their empties when/if possible, but only when we are “regulars” and eat there often. I’ve got an abundance of the dark green bottles because the owner of our favorite Argentinean restaurant saves us at least a half dozen every week!
I’m still trying to find an Italian restaurant that will do the same so I can get some clear and amber bottles into the mix.
I won’t be cutting mine though, just cleaning them up to hold the flavored teas and lemonades at our non-alcoholic wedding.
hahah. We saved wine bottles for a while as well for our centerpieces. Except I wanted a color and size that was available only via one vineyard and Pinot Noirs only. in 1.5L. It was my ILs fave but not my husband’s. So when they moved out of state we had to get drinking!
Another option is many vineyards are very open to give you their old bottles. I would go for tastings and just ask them for specific bottles and most of them would send me home with a box of empties. Or ask for my # and they called me when they had a box accumulated.
What about wine stores which do tastings? Our favorite store has multiple tastings every week.
Now that is a lot of wine!! I wish my diy projects were as fun as yours - I think I’ve been going all wrong at it!
Can’t wait to see the cut bottles and how your centerpieces turn out!
Favorite Step: #3! I love that step in all my DIY projects. 
@Gerbera: Wineries are a good idea. I worked te tasting room for a local one before wedding planning took over my weekends.
@TheFutureMcBride: Another good source for bottles. As you can see, we have NO trouble drinking enough wine for this DIY!@Miss Carousel: Drink, hole punch. Drink, glue. Drink, print. Drink, stamp. Yep, that’s how our projects go so swimmingly.
@Miss Elephant: Almost a month later, we’re wrapping up and ready to send samples to out florist.@Mrs. Meerkat: Step three is muy importante! It’s a time consuming step too.
@SqueakySquirrel: Targeting varietals or country of origin is a good way to get the shape or color you want. One of my favorites (top photo) is a Finger Lakes Riesling.
lol fabulous post! The next time someone asks why our wine rack is always full I’m going to tell them “we’re harveting wine bottles.”
I DIY’ed for both reasons - to save money and create something unique. It was worth it on both fronts 
Can’t wait to see how your centerpeices turn out! I’m hoping to do something similar. We have…uh…. 3 bottles saved. That’s kind of depressing…. OR incentivising!!!
Funny you post this - I actually pulled out our “harvested wine bottles” last night. They’ve been “harvesting” for a little over a year now, lol. Wine bottles went perfectly with our “green” theme - so it was a no brainer when choosing them for our centerpieces. Besides, it was an excuse to drink more wine. I love me some Pino Noir! 
Neat idea! My curiosity is definitely piqued by the part about cutting the bottles. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out!
We love wine too! I’m actually kind of scared to find out how many bottles we would have saved if we didn’t recycle them every week…
This post cracks me up. Can’t wait to see the big finsh!
@MrsTimber: Perfectly sane response!
@toshella: Sounds like you need to get swirl, sniff and sipping.
@Panda Pez: The only downside to the donated bottles is we see all the wines we didn’t get to drink. Free is so good.
@Miss Tartlet: Hehehe… yeh, the cutting part was a bit tricky.
@Mrs. Eggs Benedict: You’d be surprised how quickly 6 cases accumulates. Our drinking has slowed significantly as I’ve cut out alcohol during the week.@Miss Giraffe: I never thought about what we’ll do with them after the big finish!
Love this post! And the wine bottle colors are so pretty!
Can’t wait to see part deux! We have a TON of wine bottles. My fiance works at a popular wine place (in delaware, i might add - i’m sure you’re familiar if you’re a big wine fan!).
I’m guessing you’ve completed the project already but if you do by chance need more, I bet the store would be happy to provide empties! (Part of working there involves tasting and *pouring out(!!!)* the rest of the bottle).
@blueroses: If you’re upstate, I can only think of one retail location that surpasses all others as a popular place. However, we do have other favorites (restaurants and stores) that I like to think are just as popular among those in the know. (Before our engagement really kept me busy, I worked 1-2 times a month at a nearby PA winery. Loved it, cannot wait to get back to it and my wine blog.)
Yup, our project is 95% complete. Hoping to knock out the last of it this weekend.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Mrs. Pain au Chocolat, Wilmington, DE Age and Occupation: 29, Realtor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Realtor Engagement Date: November 21, 2009 Wedding Date: June 2011 Venue: Greenville Country Club About Me: An ENFJ with an artistic streak who loves backgammon, sailing, graphic design, and sleeping in. Travel (near or far), good wine, and tasty food makes my heart sing. I'm a compulsive list-maker who lives to plan and organize. Mr. P and I have lived together for 4 years, all the while renovating our city townhome bit by bit. We're planning a whimsical, Anthropologie-inspired garden wedding in June 2011.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics