Category: Honeymoons and Travel

While I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 30 years, I took my very first trip to Lake County only recently when I rented a house on Clearlake for a much-needed family vacation. Now that I’ve finally visited, though, I’m already starting to wonder when I can return to this peaceful region north of the wine country. Of course I managed to scout out some ideal wedding ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner sites while there. A couple of my new favorite places:

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Europe next September, so I’ve been spending a lot of time at the travel magazine section of my local bookstore. While checking out an article on Italy in the July/August edition of Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine, I found an interesting little promo on budget resorts that I just had to share with you.

Whenever I want to plan a weekend vacation with my husband Phil, all I have to do is choose a region and then start browsing the wedding locations we feature on the Here Comes The Guide website that also double as fabulous weekend or honeymoon getaways (hint: there are a lot). On a recent trip to California’s Central Coast, I was practically stumbling over one great location after another. Some of the highlights:

Honeymoons are a great excuse to visit a foreign country, but savvy Here Comes The Guide brides know they’ve gotta do a little homework on their destination’s customs and etiquette before they travel. Because we live to make your wedding planning as pain-free as possible, we were pleased to discover a helpful website that explains proper travel etiquette for exotic destinations all over the world.

When we last left me, I was reveling in the tranquil charms of Capitola’s Monarch Cove Inn… But another sublime experience awaited me in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I was welcomed to L’Auberge Carmel by a smiling host proffering a fresh watermelon cooler, and I easily settled into the laid-back luxury of this European-style hostelry. The lavishly appointed guestrooms embrace a charming garden courtyard where intimate events are held, but now all was quiet, save for the trickling of a fountain.

My favorite part of working at Here Comes The Guide is visiting wedding locations. During a recent jaunt along the California coast, I spent two very different evenings in two very special places.

Continuing our mission to explore Half Moon Bay, Jan and I uncovered more delights: We visited Cypress Meadows, a new wedding location hidden behind a flower farm. We lingered in the sweet terraced garden as long as we could, and Jan had to practically drag me out of the wooden swing.

My colleague Jan Brenner and I recently combined business with pleasure in Half Moon Bay. With its fun and artsy downtown, exhilarating coastal hikes, and water sports, Half Moon Bay is a day tripper’s delight and a wonderfully easy and rewarding wedding destination—just ask our very own Meredith, who wed her sweetheart on a Half Moon Bay beach!