Category: Rehearsal Dinner

I’ll admit I’m a gardening junkie. My favorite part of any outdoor spring wedding is having the chance to explore a new wedding location with amazing gardens or flowers. If you love gardens as much as I do, you might want to think about celebrating this Earth Day in the Tri-Valley wine country (the other Napa).

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.

For San Francisco Bay Area brides, have we got an idea for you: how about a rehearsal dinner celebrated with the folks at Kitchen on Fire in Berkeley? You bring your guests, KoF provides the ingredients, kitchen facilities and tools and you and your fam cook your meal together before sitting down to eat. KoF’s professional chefs are on hand the whole time to provide guidance and support if needed. All the preparations are taken care of by KoF and the group can enjoy a completely private dinner (unlike simply reserving a table at a restaurant). You are also welcome to customize a menu that would be meaningful to you and your family (like an Italian-themed meal before the honeymoon in Rome.)

Wedding Planning Tip: if you’re still hemming and hawing about where to have your rehearsal dinner , Restaurant Week’s a great way to test drive your faves without breaking the bank!

I was quite excited to learn that Monsieur Richard was launching a new enterprise, in gorgeous Carmel Valley: Citronelle by Michel Richard, which will debut in February 2008 as part of the newly transformed Carmel Valley Ranch. Considering how beautiful the Ranch was when I had the pleasure of staying there last year, I’m eager to see its sleek new look. (I appreciated that the suites were spacious and plush without losing that rustic flair one loves about Carmel.)

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.

What kind of setting is fit for the rehearsal dinner of Sarah Gore, daughter of Vice President Al Gore? Truly, only a restaurant created by a princess will suffice. Crustacean Beverly Hills was the dramatic location of Sarah Gore’s 75-guest rehearsal dinner celebration…

You’d think with my job, running Here Comes the Guide, that I’d be a wedding junkie. And I do love weddings, don’t get me wrong. The pomp, the emotional gravity… But, I gotta say, I am a sucker for the rehearsal dinner.