By Mark Cowling
Casa Grande Dispatch
Windmill Winery owner Harold Christ recently noticed a man who had been a wedding guest there a few days prior had returned and was browsing the plants at the nursery. The man, a Gold Canyon resident, told Christ that the bride’s father had told her she could get married anywhere she wanted to in the world. But she said she wanted to be married at The Windmill.
“That’s a compliment to Florence, and I hope it’s a compliment to our staff,” Christ said.
The Windmill’s wedding business, in cooperation with the Holiday Inn, has become an economic engine bringing a steady stream of visitors to Florence.
Last year, weddingwire.com voted The Windmill in the top 5 percent of wedding venues in the United States. It also won an award from The Knot in “The Best of Weddings 2013.”
“(My wife) Katie said it the other day: ‘Florence is no longer a secret, it’s on the map,’” Christ said.
It wasn’t designed that way. When Christ bought a historic Wisconsin dairy barn six years ago, he thought it might make a nice retail area for the nursery. But a friend, the late Harry Luge Sr., asked Christ why he didn’t host weddings.
The Christs found they could host weddings for appreciative couples. Then a couple of years ago, the local Holiday Inn began offering discounts to wedding parties.
“That’s huge for us,” Christ said. “… One of the first things people ask is, ‘Is there some place local to stay?’ We can say ‘Absolutely, and it’s a first-class facility.’”
A synergy took hold: Word has been spreading ever since that Florence is a terrific place to get married. Other local businesses benefit, too, Christ said; wedding parties frequently hold their rehearsal dinners at local restaurants.
“Everything that’s done is a reflection on The Windmill. That’s why it’s important to build partnerships with everyone in town.”
Riverbottom Grill owner Randy Rosane picks up wedding guests to take to his restaurant in his 15-seat “Roadrunner Express.”
“It’s typical wedding stuff; when it’s the younger crowd they want to go out and do stuff,” Rosane said. “They’re using (the shuttle) and it works out pretty good for them.”
