Category: Stuff We Love

Food is a top priority at this resort, and we took advantage of as many culinary options as possible, from the frosty frozen grapes served by the pool to the entire dessert menu at Farm, their signature restaurant. Speaking of desserts, do you mind if I start there? We sampled at least 5 different confections, but the Apple and Cranberry Gallette with Crème Fraîche Sorbet was, in my estimation, a tastebud-altering experience. Simply divine.

So YOU want your wedding video to be super romantic and just oozing with precious, loving goodness: shots of you putting on your dress, fade to you walking down the aisle with dad, your guest weeping in open emotion, you know the stuff.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I set off amid a picturesque drizzle from my home in beautiful Ojai to beautiful Santa Barbara. The occasion? A Day Celebrating Weddings, a boutique bridal fair put on by our stylish friends at Your Wedding Day Magazine. What better place to track down the latest event trends and cool wedding ideas?

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.

I recently blogged about using a Wish Tree in lieu of the traditional guest book and got such great response from brides that I wanted to tell you what you would need to make your own. By purchasing the materials to make your own Wish Tree, you’ll be able to use it again for other types of parties such as baby showers, birthdays, graduations, etc. Think of it as the Wish Tree that keeps on giving.

As a fan of The Squid and the Whale, I’m looking forward to director Noah Baumbach’s new movie, Margot At The Wedding, opening November 16, 2007. I haven’t seen any reviews yet, but with Nicole Kidman and Jack Black? I’m there. And it’s been too long since I’ve seen either Jennifer Jason Leigh or John Turturro in a movie. It’s practically a professional responsibility for me to go. That’s what I’m telling my husband.

Confession: I’m an educated mother of three with a full time professional job, but I love TV. Love it. Don’t get to watch as much as I’d like, but I watch what I can and, the trashier the better. Two of my favorite shows premiered this last week and I had to make sure you were watching:

Northern California photographer Jennifer Baccioco’s latest triumph is the cover of our upcoming Southern California edition of Here Comes The Guide. Her romantic, photo-journalistic style is perfect for our baby blue and chocolate brown design, due to hit the shelves by January 1, 2008!