Mount Palomar Winery

We are celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2019 and have serviced hundreds of wedding couples from all over the United States.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello, I am Sandy Caso, Wedding and Events Manager/Director of Mount Palomar Winery located in the heart of the Temecula Valley Wine Country of Southern California. We are celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2019 and have serviced hundreds of wedding couples from all over the United States. We are a wonderful destination for planning a wedding. I am in my 4th season here with Mount Palomar Winery Weddings. I am a seasoned Private Event Director who will handle all of your details leading up to your wedding and also the day of your event allowing you to relax and enjoy your most special celebration! Mount Palomar Winery Weddings has received the Best of Weddings awards with The Knot for the past 4 years and including 2019 as well as Wedding Wire Couples Choice Award.

How long does it take, on average, for couples to find their wedding venue?

Every couple is different, but it seems as though most couples do their major venue research online. When completed with their research, they will work together to narrow down their favorite locations to the specific areas and venues most interested in visiting. This background work is all completed prior to setting their tour dates and appointments to visit those most interested in. Once the process of visiting and touring sites for their special day has been completed, generally couples will make a decision on their venue of choice within a week or two.

What questions should couple ask while touring wedding venues?

When visiting couples tour our wedding venue we provide all the information they will need regarding our sites, times, food, tables, linens, all inclusions, our included services, pricing etc. We are very comprehensive with our wedding brochure, tour and information to cover every questions normally asked by perspective couples. Here are the most important questions couples should ask of a venue:

1. What date availability does the venue have?
2. What is the guest capacity or minimums?
3. Is there a separate venue rental fee?
4. What hours are included in the standard package? Are additional hours available to add at an additional fee?
5. How many weddings per day are serviced on-site?
6. What is the deposit required to secure a wedding date? It is refundable?
7. How is the payment plan scheduled? Are there fees for credit card payments and what forms of payment are accepted?
8. Are there Dressing Suites available for use on-site? What time may they be accessed?
9. What is the cancellation policy?
10. Is there a back-up plan for inclement weather?
11. Do couples need to get their own Event Insurance?
12. Is catering In-house or is outside catering allowed?
13. What percentage is the tax and service charge?
14. Are Menu and Wine Tastings included at no additional fees? Are dietary restrictions accommodated?
15. Are tables and linens included?
16. Can outside bakers or other vendors be brought on-site? Are there any additional fees to do so?
17. Is Cake Cutting included?
18. Can alcohol be brought in? Is there any corkage or other bar fees?
19. Can real candles, sparklers, confetti animals etc. be brought on-site?
20. Does venue provide umbrellas or heaters if needed?
21. Is on-site coordination included, or is an outside coordinator needed?
22. What time may vendors start set up?
23. Is there a separate space for cocktail hour?
24. Does the venue have sound equipment or does a vendor need to provide that?
25. Are there noise restrictions or a time the wedding must end?
26. Is there plenty of parking for guests?
27. Does the area have accessible rideshare such as Lyft and Uber for guests at the end of the night? Is shuttle service needed?
28. Where and how many guest restrooms are available?
29. Where is nearest lodging areas?
30. Is the site handicap accessible or provide assistance to guests if required?


You will want to make sure the venue has the couple in mind at all times and provide the best customer service for themselves and their guests.

In your opinion, based on what criteria should a couple select their wedding venue?

Budget, date availability, space requirement are all very important to wedding couples. Once they fall in love with the atmosphere and surroundings of a venue and all their criteria are met, they are ready to finalize their selection for their wedding venue. Working closely with the staff at the venue is another important factor. You will want to make sure the venue has the couple in mind at all times and provide the best customer service for themselves and their guests. You will need to be working together closely over the next months in your planning process and most definitely would like that to be a smooth and easy process.

How many wedding packages do you have, and how do you decide which one is the best for any budget?

We at Mount Palomar Winery offer one wedding package. Within that package you do have several options on dinner service styles and pricing as well as several options on Bar Packages that may be added as well as Cash Bar options.



We service one wedding per day on-site so we are focusing only on you and your event throughout the whole day.

Do you have a wedding coordinator – what services does he or she provide and what are the fees?

Our wedding package at Mount Palomar Winery is all inclusive of a wedding coordinator and wedding team to help through the whole process from tours through the day of service to make the whole process easy and seamless. Our coordinators will work with you from the time you book your date with us with any help and information needed along with your planning process. As well as set up your rehearsal dates, menu and wine tastings. Meet with you one on one to complete all your diagrams, timeline/itinerary, and wedding details for your whole event. We will also be the liaison for your vendors and provide them with your Banquet Event Order. We will run the wedding rehearsal with your complete bridal party and be the day of on-site coordinators for your whole event from the beginning until completion. We service one wedding per day on-site so we are focusing only on you and your event throughout the whole day.

What charges are extra, such as gratuity, overtime, etc.?

We do have a 7.75% sales tax and 20% Service Charge on your total invoice. Additional hours may be added prior to the day of the event. No overtime is allowed the day of the event. All vendors, guests etc. must be off-site no more than one hour after completion of the wedding reception.

What are your refund and cancellation policies?

To reserve a wedding date we require a Non-refundable deposit of $2,000. You may then set a payment schedule up monthly or in 4 equal installments starting no later than 7 months prior to your wedding date. Your final guest count is due 14 days prior to your date and final balance will be charged 10 days prior to your wedding date. Cancellations: Any wedding pre-payments made are refundable if a written notice of cancellation is received by Winery at least eight (8) months prior to the date of the event. Functions canceled less than eight-month prior to the date of the event and more than six months prior to the event, will be subject to a cancellation fee of 50% of the contracted amount. Functions canceled less than six (6) months to the event will be subject to a cancellation fee of 75% of the contracted amount.



We enjoy each and every one of the weddings hosted on our site. Every couple has a separate place in our hearts and memories.

What was the most memorable wedding you had?

It is hard to single out just one memorable wedding. We have serviced so many weddings on-site and each one seems to be as beautiful as the next. There are never any two weddings that are the same. Each has a different feel, décor and atmosphere created by the couple as well as their guests. We enjoy each and every one of the weddings hosted on our site. Every couple has a separate place in our hearts and memories. As a family-owned winery, we do get very close and personal with each and every one of our couples.



There are not too many requests we are not able to handle easily for a wedding couple. We will do our best in all situations.

What was the most difficult request you have handled?

There are not too many requests we are not able to handle easily for a wedding couple. We will do our best in all situations. If I would have to answer this question it would have to be when we were requested to not allow certain family members that were uninvited as guests or guests that have been invited but may have uninvited children along with them (when provided photos of these individuals). We do try to keep an eye out if requested to do so for these specific situations. Of course, we do not allow wedding crashers or other uninvited people to the wedding or to be in the wedding venue. Our security team and staff do our best to cooperate and handle any challenge presented to us.

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