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Things are starting to pick up. We just booked our third wedding. We currently have one wedding in September 2010, one in May 2011, and one in July 2011.
I'm currently talking with around 20 brides about having their weddings at our winery. One thing I've found is that their decision process goes much quicker if another bride is interested in their date. Two of our recent commitments occurred when another person expressed interest in the same date being considered by another bride.
I've found that it's best to be very honest with the brides and their family. They know exactly what they're looking for and you have to tell them up front if their plans may not work exactly as they'd like. We've had several brides come by and it just wasn't going to work out with them, but most of them commented that they'd be back to the winery once it opens just to enjoy the wine and historic nature of the property.
We've also managed to stir up a lot of civic pride mostly by word of mouth, newspaper articles in the local paper and Facebook. A lot of times, you wonder if it's working, but we've had an increasing amount of feedback from people that are excited that their town is going to have a winery that they can come visit, bring guests, and even get married or hold corporate functions. We've even been approached by the local symphony and local bands about holding concerts on the property.
One of the best ways we've got the word out is that my father-in-law is a family practice doctor who has patients pouring through his office doors every day. He can put up things in his office and it quickly spread the word about the opening along with events once we open. He's always been very good to his patients and I know they're very thankful that he's restoring a city landmark to something everyone can enjoy.
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