Category: Honeymoons and Travel

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!

What do you do after your green wedding? Green honeymoon, of course. Love, Honor, Leave No Carbon Footprint from the New York Times talks about the popularity of eco-friendly honeymoons. The article discusses options like travel with volunteering opportunities, “wwoofing” (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), travel to eco-destinations (some of which are quite luxurious) and of course (very green!) local honeymooning. California couples are especially fortunate in this regard, as there are many honeymoon destinations especially geared to the eco-traveler, such as the Historic Sand Rock Farm, Bear Flag Farm, or Shambhala Ranch.

There are so many options in the Napa and Sonoma Wine Country, both for wedding locations and for lovely places to stay. We decided, just this time, to forgo the spa/resort route (though, I love me some spa!) and instead chose the super-cozy and yet boutiquey Cottages of Napa Valley.

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you know that we like to discuss wedding issues by example: what we like, what’s worked for us, and once in a while, what not to do for your wedding (ever, ever again). We do it because all women have a story to tell, and we believe we learn as much from our own experiences as we do from the advice of our friends, women who’ve been there before. It’s only natural to want to add our own valuable voices to the mix. Fortunately, the highly opinionated women of Here Comes The Guide recently discovered a divine online forum with that goal in mind: Divine Caroline, that is.

On a recent weekend getaway to the Napa and Sonoma Wine Country area, my husband Phil and I decided to explore a different side of this famous wedding region. To me, an ideal wedding locale allows guests plenty of options for exploration, and the towns of Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Petaluma certainly kept us happily occupied.

Anyone who’s seen the film Sideways knows Central California is a wine lovers dream – but in the last 18 months or so it’s also become one of the top California Wine Country destinations for weddings. The amazing combination of oceanfront and beach locations just 30 short (and beautiful) minutes drive from gorgeous vineyard wedding locationsmakes the Central Coast irresistible. You can do your rehearsal dinner by the water and your reception amongst the vines, or vice versa. The best part? Because this region has flown under the wedding radar for so long, the prices for events are pretty reasonable compared with some of the other wine regions.

We’ve found that the best way to reward ourselves for reaching the sea is with a stay at the Inn on Schoolhouse Creek. The inn is tucked against gardens and deep woods, with a private path to an ocean cove… But the main appeal is that you will never, ever feel the stamp of the cookie-cutter here. Every accommodation is different – we especially loved the little stand-alone cabin with an observation deck (the better to listen to courting critters and watch a slowed-down world go by). During our last stay, my wife and I found that the private hot tub has its own benefits: The warm water freed up our joints, which led to some moves we hadn’t practiced for awhile. It was nice to pretend to be a 20-year-old again! Probably everybody who comes here feels like a 20-year-old for the night.

It’s not every fashion designer whose collection, studio and name are featured in a successful TV show…but then, Hanna Hartnell has always been known for her star quality.