Cana Vineyards and Winery of Middleburg

igure out logistics while we planned our wedding from California. Though planning a long distance wedding was challenging, she was able to take some of the pressure off and coordinated very well with our wedding planner and caterer. I didn’t have to worry about anything the day of the wedding thanks to all of the seamless behind the scenes work that she did. Cana was very flexible to work with and were able to provide champagne for the bridal suite and toasts as well as allow use of their decorations that were already present. All in all, it was a fantastic experience that came together perfectly!

t up time. During the walk through, the manager kept referencing the "commercial business" of the vineyard and that my wedding, guests and vendors cannot interfere with it. We all agreed that set up would be discreet and our guests would come through the side entrance and not the main entrance due to the "commercial business"--even though the "commercial business" was to be over 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony and those patrons were to be out of the facility at 6:00 sharp. When the day arrived, all of the vendors showed up at the mutually agreed upon time to set up, only to have the manager not allow this--causing the vendors and my wedding to be delayed. I am mortified to know that some of my guests, dressed in formal attire, were helping to set up tables and chairs so the wedding could begin as close to on time as possible--all because Cana management would not allow the vendors to set up on the mutually agreed upon time. Furthermore, patrons from the "commercial business" were still on site as my guests were arriving at 6:15. The manager on site for the event never made an effort to see how the event was going or provide any assistance. The only times she made an effort to communicate with anyone associated with the wedding was to tell the caterer that they had to carry the food through the parking lot to serve our guests and tell DJ that the wedding had to end immediately. I am disgusted that our food had to be carried through the parking lot--this is not only inefficient (to carry the food through the building was a much shorter route) but also not very sanitary. This inconvenience imposed by Cana management caused dinner to be 50 minutes late and left some meals served cold. When we were finally able to start dancing after dinner, the DJ was approached by the manager at 10:15 that the music and event had to end--which was 30 minutes earlier than what was stated in our contract. Fast forward to midnight, when that same manager frantically called my husband and I demanding payment for additional wine that was consumed which was over the amount we had already paid for. We had no problem paying for what our guests consumed, but did not expect a call on our wedding night! This is especially frustrating since we voluntarily provided credit card information to the manager on site the day prior to cover these charges and were coming back the following day to pick up decor items and could have paid at that time as well. When we came the next day to pick up our decor items, we were greeted with a cold and agitated, "Where have you been!?! We have been calling you!" However, we previously notified management that we would pick up our decor items following our brunch the next day. Cana management had instructed our caterer and wedding planner to store the items in a room referred to as the "lab." Apparently, Cana had also promised the "lab" to another wedding that was taking place at the vineyard that day. Instead of storing our things in a different location that was not promised to another wedding, they left our things in that room, delaying the other wedding and rushing us out the door. We tried to reach out to the owners to discuss this matter, but we never received a response.

all and it was gorgeous with the fall colors on the mountain! Things to know about using this venue: -you can't have a ceremony prior to 6pm without shutting down the whole winery -wine minimum per person of drinking age (but you can keep the wine not used) -tables and chairs provided (huge plus!) The staff is lovely and I'm so pleased with our experience!

instantly that it was the spot- the view is sensational, and the building itself is gorgeous with lots of options for rain. I had a vision for the day, as most brides do, and that included some add-ons- I wanted the tent lined with fabric and lights, a stage added for the band, etc. Nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary. But coordinating this with Cana was a complete nightmare. They acted like my wedding was an irritation, an inconvenience for them. They were uptight and rude about everything, and it was clear that they are only doing weddings to try and make extra money without giving up anything. At every turn they complained about my wedding or said no to something because their regular customers might be inconvenienced- never mind that I was definitely their biggest customer that day! When you are having your wedding somewhere and paying a lot of money for that privileged you expect the venue to work with you to make the day as beautiful as possible. Cana did not care one whip about my wedding. Not only were they rude, but completely unprofessional. They called my parents in the limo (they actually called the limo driver!!) on their way back to the hotel after the wedding and demanded that they turn around and come back to pay the final bill! They of course refused, and the next day when they discussed the payments it turned out that they owed US money. And then, they overcharged my dad's card and ended up sending a check for the difference. I would only suggest a bride book this venue if they want a super simple wedding with minimal set up, and if they've hired someone to do that setup for them and deal with the venue for them, like a full-time wedding planner. Even trying to find out simple things, like where the caterers can set up, was painful. Brides know how stressful it is to plan a wedding- do yourself a favor and reserve a venue that actually cares. If you look at their reviews on yelp you will see that I am not the only one who has had issues with them.