A Wedding Label, a Honeymoon Idea, and Generations of Winegrowing: The Story Behind Wedding Wines

Jeff and Nina Merrill combine the Schatz and Marengo families' California winegrowing heritage with easy-to-use online personalization, allowing couples to create custom wedding wine right from their phones or computers.

LODI, Calif., Oct. 26, 2026 — When Jeff Merrill designed a custom wine label for his wedding to Nina, it was intended as one more thoughtful detail for their celebration. Instead, it became the beginning of a business idea.

During their honeymoon, the newlyweds began imagining how other couples could create personalized wine bottles for their own weddings. The idea was simple: couples should be able to choose a great wine, make the label their own, and have everything delivered without the hassle of coordinating with wineries, designers, and printers.

But at the time, the technology wasn't there to make the process as easy as they envisioned. Rather than build a complicated ordering system, they waited for the technology to catch up with their idea.

Years later, that vision has become Wedding Wines, a California winery that brings wine selection and label personalization together in one easy online experience.

Couples can design their wine labels from a phone or computer, with no special software or technical skills required. They can start with one of Wedding Wines' professionally designed templates and customize the colors, wording, photographs, and other details. Those who prefer to create something entirely their own can upload a design they've made in Canva, purchased on Etsy, or created elsewhere.

The process gives couples the freedom to be as creative—or as hands-off—as they like, without having to be graphic designers or wine experts.

The business also draws on Nina's family history. Her grandparents in the Schatz and Marengo families established roots in winegrowing in California's Lodi region. Nina represents the third generation of that tradition, with a fourth generation continuing the family's connection to the vineyards. The grapes used for Wedding Wines are sourced from family vineyards.

For the Merrills, the goal is to make wine both meaningful and manageable for couples preparing for one of life's biggest celebrations.

Today's couples plan weddings between work, travel, family responsibilities, and busy schedules. They often want personalized details that coordinate with their invitations, flowers, décor, and overall aesthetic, but may have little time for complicated projects.

Wedding Wines simplifies the process by bringing the wine and personalized label together in one place. Once customers have selected their wine and completed their label design, the finished bottles are prepared for delivery.

The company offers five wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Brut Sparkling Wine.

Recognizing that choosing wine can be intimidating for people who aren't wine experts, Wedding Wines also offers the Pours Truly Tasting Kit, featuring one full-size bottle of each wine. Couples can invite family and friends to taste the selections together, compare favorites, and consider which wines pair best with the food they plan to serve.

“We had this idea on our honeymoon, but we needed the technology to make it truly simple,” said Nina Merrill, co-founder of Wedding Wines. “Now couples can create something that's completely their own, right from their phone, without having to know anything about wine or graphic design.”

Although weddings inspired the business, the personalized bottles can also be created for engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, wedding-party gifts, anniversaries, milestone celebrations, holiday gatherings, and business gifting.

For Jeff and Nina, the idea has come full circle: a custom label created for their own wedding has become a way for other people to add something personal to theirs.