Category: Wedding Locations

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.

Everyone likes to talk about how stressful wedding planning is, but there’s plenty to enjoy. For example, looking for a wedding location gives you the excuse to try out different locales with a pre-wedding date—just the two of you. I was reminded of this last week as my husband and I shared some cozy bench time outside the Ferry Building. (Cheap date: we were craving the fig paste, arugula & CowGirl Creamery cheese sandwiches from Acme Bread, plus steaming cups from Peet’s.)

In case no one knew this, we at Here Comes The Guide love ourselves some fine food. We probably tasted everything about…I’ll say 3 times so we don’t sound as ravenous as we really were. We also had the pleasure of telling Paula how beautiful and delicious everything was in person! I must say she looked just as stunning as ever.

Choosing from the delectable Carneros’ spa menu was a challenge: Do I want to sample the yummy-sounding Sweet Ripened Apricot and Chardonnay Body Scrub and Massage, one of the Signature Treatments inspired by the “secrets of the grape,” or channel an exotic Oriental geisha, with the Red Flower Japan Body Ritual Massage? In the end, the practical side of me won out, and I chose the Micro-Crystal Firming Facial Repair Treatment which promised to transform my skin.

In case you, dear readers, don’t know, I’m the new baby to the Here Comes The Guide family. Since I started, I’ve talked to countless clients on the phone, but I was eager for an opportunity to put faces to names and find out what this whole industry is really like. Not too long ago, the soiree-adept Denise and I tore ourselves away from emails and phone calls, freshened our hair and makeup and drove up to Geyserville for the Your Wedding Day magazine launch at the gorgeous Trentadue Winery.

After working hard all year, Here Comes The Guide rewarded its staff with a company retreat. When Managing Director Meredith Schwartz asked me to put this trip together, The Carneros Inn was the first place I thought of for our day of relaxation and fun. We are a really tight-knit group of women, but half of us work off site, so we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like. This trip was such a treat! We got to have spa treatments, lounge by the pool and enjoy an amazing dinner at their restaurant, Farm.

Could you do Turkey Brownies for Thanksgiving? (That never would have occurred to me, but now that I’m thinking about it….yes, yes I could.) That might be too off-beat for your crew, but if you’re still hunting for some new Thanksgiving recipes to enliven the usual mix, check out master chef Joachim Splichal’s ideas in this past weekend’s Los Angeles Times Magazine .

I can’t be the only one who thinks the holidays are always better with some good wine. If you agree, grab your honey and make dinner reservations at the Duck Club Restaurant at the href=“http://www.herecomestheguide.com/location/detail/lafayette-park-hotel-and-spa/”>Lafayette Park Hotel and Spa for December 5.