Celebrate fall at Finley Creek Vineyards

Fall barn celebrations, Halloween parties and wedding receptions are a blast! Especially when they are held at a place that’s easy to get to, and includes the mouth-watering sustainable food from an award-winning caterer.

Naturally, we’re talking about Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering at Finely Creek Vineyards, north on 421 (Michigan Road), in Zionsville.

Holding an event at our Finley Creek rustic barn can be as casual and charming as you want. Or lavish and over-the-top, with electric lights, swag curtains, and our crystal chandeliers to set the tone.

This month, we are looking forward to two crisp fall weddings, complete with fall foliage, gold and silver sprayed pumpkins, silver candleabras, and plenty of lovingly prepared Indiana pork and fresh-picked apple dishes. Even the wedding cake will be fall themed – carrot cake!

We’re also looking forward to some traditional Halloween-themed fun, as we turn our barn into a spookier version of its usual self. We will help set up an apple-bobbing area, and serve home-made caramel apple ice cream as well as Jacquie’s Indiana caramel topped apple pie. Definitely a crowd pleaser! Bales of hay and arrangements of quirky ghost white pumpkins and bumpy green gourds surrounded by corn stalks and fall foliage will set the tone.

If it’s mild, the fun will be outside as well as inside, especially with our fire pits and hay bales for extra seating. But if the temperature dips, our guests are covered, literally! We just head into the barn without missing a beat.

Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering keeps any party happy, as her made-from-scratch, locally sourced food lives up to its reputation. Fall favorites include Jacquie’s pulled pork sliders, maple bacon topped pumpkin flan, and corn soufflé – all organically grown and sustainably sourced from nearby Indiana farms – from appetizers to desserts.

When Finley Creek in the Zionsville countryside gets all dressed up for a fall party or reception, you and your guests are in for a treat! We hope you will come join us and see what we mean!

~ The Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering team

Exclusive caterers for Finley Creek Vineyards

Finley Creek hosts a country wedding

The Thompson wedding last weekend was the quintessential beautiful outdoor wedding.

The ceremony was held at 4:30, so the heat of the day was not a problem. The simple and elegant celebration was followed by a cocktail hour from 5 to 6pm, a great way to toast to the couple and the day, and for guests to mingle.

This was followed by dinner indoors in the fabulous Finley Creek barn – a lovely rustic place to enjoy a relaxed and delicious dinner before the real celebrating began.

Here’s what Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering served the happy couple and their guests:

Hors d' Oeuvres display board packed with three rich layers of Pesto Torte with Goat Cheese, Cream Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes, Fresh Basil Pesto and Pine Nuts along with a selection of crackers.

Served hors d’oeuvres:

Mushrooms Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Spinach and Bacon
Mini Chicken and Waffles with Local Maple Syrup

Dinner followed from 6:30 to 7:15, and was all about Jacquie’s Southern Barbeque – which – according to those at attending was “absolutely to die for!”

To accompany this crowd-pleaser, we also served:

Spinach and Pear Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette
Texas Style Beef Brisket
Smoked Pulled Pork - BBQ on Side
Garlic Mashed Potatoes Sour Cream Corn Bread

And for those with special diets, Stuffed Portobella Mushroom with Fresh 3 Spinach and Pine Nuts or Eggplant parmesan. There was even a special dish for the children in attendance: Chicken Fingers, Carrot Sticks, and a Fruit Cup.

After such a bountiful dinner, what better to do than have some fun outside along with a beverage of your choice, and dance to music favorites of the wedding party with some live music!

The celebrating was followed by a lovely evening send-off which included colorful biodegradable balloons as the bride and groom made their departure.

Everything was carefully planned, and the weather cooperated beautifully, right down to the gorgeous sunset!

Your next event can be just as sensational at Finley Creek Vineyards, where our lush, fall grounds and shabby chic party barn are ready and waiting for you.

Bodacious barn weddings at Finley Creek

What’s the difference between a wedding reception that is so amazing it runs well into the night, verses one in which guests begin to trickle out early?

Sometimes it’s the food. Sometimes it’s the venue. Or the weather. Or the vibe of the evening. Sometimes it’s a combination of a lot of things.

What we’ve learned at Finley Creek Vineyards is that starting the evening off with a venue that’s relaxed, charming and chock full of amazingly prepared food and interesting drinks – is a great start to any party – especially one that follows a wedding.

Finley Creek Vineyards hosts quite a few memorably amazing weddings and receptions.

Here’s why:

First of all, you can plan your event inside and/or outside -- no back up plans needed. Wedding outside, reception inside; both outside; both inside – it all works.
Have the wedding outside in a lovely flower-filled field. It’s airy and picturesque. Guests and family feel relaxed.
No traveling between wedding venue and reception. Just come inside.
Or stay outside. We’ll bring out the tables and the food.
Yes, there’s a lovely place for the bride to get ready and change. For the groom, too.
Our barn is lovely! From our shabby-chic chandeliers to our hand made furniture.
Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering provides farm-raised, sustainable food. Right in our on-premises kitchen. Cool.
Jacquie’s food emphasizes your individuality, readily adapting to your (and your guests’) food preferences
Jacquie’s can cater groups from 50 to 1,000 people. No worries.
In addition to being uniquely prepared, our food is always beautifully presented.

Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering at Finley Creek Vineyards. What a fantastic way to begin your life together – with lots of friends and family – who will also cherish the memory (and the food!)

Making summer parties memorable

At Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering, we think summer parties are some of the most fun to cater.

Why? Because they are so free-spirited, casual and outdoorsy. Plus, they can take so many forms, from celebrations of life events to fun-themed parties, just for the heck of it. All “al fresco,” and under the stars at Finley Creek Vineyards, at a popular downtown destination, or under a tent at one of our customers’ backyards.

Here are some of our favorite summer party themes:

Summer Solstice Party – Begins promptly at 6:21 PM (since summer officially begins on June 21^st), and goes through the longest day (and shortest night) of the year. We offered lots of drink and food items that were long; Long Island iced teas, extra long marinated skewers of marinated steak, foot long hot dogs with all the fixings, as well as lots of classic summer favorites like liquor-infused popsicles and individual strawberry shortcakes.
80s Glam Party - From the funky disco music right down to the glitter outfits and big hair, this party was non-stop fun from the get-go. We served over-the-top drinks, and adapted our dinner menu for whatever favorites our customers had back in the day.
Prom Party – Some guests still fit into their prom dresses and tuxes. Others found wonderful gems at Goodwill and topped them with giant corsages. The dance list was schmaltzy and highly danceable. The food was a riot, including pork sliders, burger bar, milk shakes, and 8 kinds of popcorn, all under a disco ball and strobe lights. There were even prom pictures!
Garden Cocktail Party - We held this one at Finley Creek Vineyard, including a lovely wine bar (frozen rose` was a huge hit!) and fun cocktail bar including lots of edible flowers & veggies and herb-infused cocktails. There was even a spiked lemonade stand. Appetizers ran the gamut from grilled veggie tapas with zucchini flowers, to chilled gazpacho soup. Flowers hung from the rafters and there were potted plants and cactus everywhere. Everyone received an adorable succulent plant in a giant olive, to take home.
Mexican Sangria Party – This was a kid’s party for adults, which is why our clients made sure there was plenty of room for the piñata in the center of the dance floor. Our party-goers found their piñata filled with chocolates, but others we know filled theirs with lottery tickets and even a grand prize (round trip tickets to Cancun). The sangria was refreshing and full of berries. We made sure guests had plenty of classic and nouveau Mexican foods, too, from grilled peppers and steak fajitas to bountiful desserts including tres leche cake, flan cheesecake and churros with coconut sauce.

The point of any party is to make guests feel special and welcome, feed them bountifully, and make sure everyone leaves happy. Sounds like the recipe for a perfect summer party, right there!