Before the guests arrive,
the farm does.
By the time the first car turns onto the gravel drive, our catering director has already walked the dock twice, tasted the soup three times, and rearranged the herb station once. The morning belongs to the kitchen.
Every Thursday, we receive a handwritten list from the farms we've worked with for years. No menu is written until we've read it. This week: late-summer corn, three varieties of basil, and a crate of plums so ripe they bruised in the truck.
This week's sourcing
Heirloom Tomatoes
Millbrook Ridge Farm, 4 miles east
Wildflower Honey
Lakeview Apiaries, harvested Tuesday
Aged Chèvre
Clearwater Creamery, 12 miles north
Estate Chardonnay
Hand-labeled, Shoreline cellar reserve
The dock — Shoreline Estate
The water holds the light
differently at three in the afternoon.
Ceremonies on the dock begin when the sun has dropped low enough to turn the lake gold but not yet orange. Guests are seated facing west. The couple stands at the end of the dock, and behind them, the water looks like it was lit by someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
"We didn't plan for the heron. He stood on the railing for the entire vow exchange. The photos are — I still can't look at them without crying."
— Mara & Daniel, married August 2025
Arch florals by arrangement
The hour before
dinner is its own meal.
Guests drift between the barn terrace and the lawn. Servers move through the crowd with trays held low. There's a raw bar set on ice at the end of the dock, and the bartender is making something with elderflower and the last of the season's rhubarb.
We pass seven to nine items during the cocktail hour. Every one of them is written the Wednesday before the wedding, after we've seen what arrived from the farms. Nothing is decided before then.
This week's passed appetizers include:
Chilled Corn Bisque
Stone-ground corn from Millbrook Ridge, crème fraîche, chive oil
Served in hand-thrown ceramic cups from our own kiln
Duck Rillette Crostini
Slow-rendered duck, cornichon, whole-grain mustard from the Alsace
Duck sourced from Heronwood Farm, 8 miles west
Watermelon & Feta Skewer
Seedless watermelon, aged sheep's milk feta, black pepper honey
Honey harvested five days ago, Lakeview ApiariesFour courses.
One long table. No rush.
The barn doors open onto the lawn. Candles are lit. The table is long enough that the couple can see every face they love from where they sit. The first course arrives before the toasts, so everyone has something to hold.
Amuse-Bouche
A single spoonful: compressed cucumber, dill crème, estate caviar. Eaten in one moment.
Served the instant guests are seated.
The Garden Salad
Butter lettuce, shaved fennel, plum vinaigrette, candied walnuts from the orchard above the barn.
Dressed tableside.
The Fish Course
Trout from the lake, pan-seared, brown butter, capers, lemon verbena. Plated on our own stoneware.
Lake-caught that morning. Seriously.
The Main
Grass-fed short rib, braised 14 hours, celery root purée, roasted bone marrow, herb gremolata.
The course people talk about on Monday.
Wine & Beverage
Pairings built around the menu, not the other way around.
Our sommelier selects two to three bottles per course from the estate cellar and from regional producers we trust. We don't offer a generic wine package. We offer a conversation about what you like to drink, and we build from there.
The last thing guests remember
is the light on the water.
We've hosted 200 weddings on this property. They all end the same way: a line of people on the dock, holding sparklers, watching two people walk toward a boat in the dark. The water reflects everything.
The Cake
Three tiers. Seasonal fruit filling. No fondant — ever.
The Dancing
The barn floor was made for this. The acoustics, too.
The Exit
Sparklers on the dock. The water catches every one.
You've been imagining your wedding
since the second paragraph.
Schedule a private tasting and tour. We'll walk you through the property at golden hour, sit you down at the long table, and cook for you. No slideshow. No sales pitch. Just the food.
Tastings available Tuesday – Saturday · 2 hours · Complimentary