A Quick Weekend Getaway to Wine Country
We were initially on the fence as to whether we should book a weekend getaway to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. With our Mediterranean Cruise on the horizon we thought it might be a bit decadent, or at the very least, travel overkill.
Wine Country Getaway
We were initially on the fence as to whether we should book a weekend getaway to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. With our Mediterranean Cruise on the horizon we thought it might be a bit decadent, or at the very least, travel overkill. The stresses of life be what they may, we decided a break from the routine would be the perfect antidote.
Once we decided to make the short trip to Sonoma Valley, we booked a hotel (more on that later), and made the difficult decision of where to dine for lunch. Pro Tip: Wine country is very busy on the weekends and restaurants book up so plan ahead. I booked on Open Table and we scored a lovely patio seat at one of our favorites, El Dorado Kitchen, on Sonoma Square. It was a picture perfect wine country day. Wasn’t it nice that they even personalized our menus? The food at El Dorado Kitchen is super fresh and the service was friendly and impeccable.
Though it’s difficult to find an available reservation in wine country for a late summer weekend we discovered a new boutique hotel, Hotel e, right in the heart of downtown Santa Rosa. The hotel is brand spanking new, sparkling clean and colorful with an energetic, accomodating staff. They have specialized touches like luxury linens and clothes steamers in each room. Hotel e is in the perfect location for exploring the up and coming downtown area.
For our anniversary dinner we chose Willi’s Wine Bar. We had dined at the original location previously but it burned down in the wine country fire two years ago. The new location is fresh and modern in the Town & Country Shopping Center. They had me at sparkling rosé, goat cheese balls and a decadent chocolate with candle.
This was a quick trip so we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, a leisurely walk and a stop at a beautiful winery on the way home. Matanzas Creek is a verdant spot with lavender fields, classic wine country landscaping and sweeping views. We enjoyed their prize winning sauvignon blancs and lush reds.
In the end, we were glad we made the decision to book a getaway, enjoy a change of pace, and explore some new views and flavors. Even a quick getaway can be stress relieving and restorative. Plus, a wedding anniversary is always worth celebrating!
For more on travel to wine country and travel ideas contact me at Curated Travel. I’d love to put a dream trip together for you.
An Invitation to The Knot's Dream Wedding in Wine Country
A dream wedding in wine country? Yes!! I felt excited as I read my invitation to attend the wedding of the year by the wedding website, The Knot. I had used The Knot website to plan my wedding back in 2000, and since that time they have become the premier wedding website. I also noted that the wedding location, the picturesque Chateau St. Jean, in Sonoma Valley, is a quintessential wine country venue.
A dream wedding in wine country? Yes!! I felt excited as I read my invitation to attend the wedding of the year by the wedding website, The Knot. I had used The Knot website to plan my wedding back in 2000, and since that time they have become the premier wedding website. I also noted that the wedding location, the picturesque Chateau St. Jean, in Sonoma Valley, is a quintessential wine country venue.
I had read about the couple, Samantha Carisch and Taylor Sinclair, who had originally planned a destination wedding in Mexico, but Samantha's mother's health issues prevented her from traveling. As they moved the wedding location back to California, they received the devastating news that her mother's cancer had returned, diagnosed stage 4, and had spread. Samantha and Taylor were determined to bump up the wedding date so that her mother could attend the celebration. In this clip they speak about their wishes with the local news. As you can see, America voted and this deserving couple won their Dream Wedding!
Once they were announced as the winning couple, the voting--on everything from wedding gown, makeup look, hairstyle, flowers, wedding rings and honeymoon destination--began. In the end, viewers made some beautiful choices for this wine country wedding, co-sponsored by Revlon and Chateau St. Jean. The selections included the lace Pnina Tornai wedding dress and Jenny Yoo's Annabelle bridesmaid dresses in spearmint. The flowing, pastel bouquets and florals were created by Farmgirl Flowers.
Samantha carried a heart-shaped locket with her mother's picture on her wedding day.
I can only imagine there was a touch of bittersweet in this reflective moment for Samantha.
As Samantha wrote on the Knot, "Life has challenged our relationship in numerous ways and has yet to affect how incredibly in love we are and our ability to grow even closer as a couple. After canceling our wedding plans twice due to my mom's health concerns, it brings tears to our eyes knowing that we'll be able to share our wedding day, which may be our last “big life moment,” with all of our loved ones."
The beautiful wedding party...and
The picture perfect wedding day...
and the affectionate kiss seals the deal.
Meet Mr. & Mrs. Taylor Sinclair!!
Not only did the couple look forward to the inherent romance of wine country, but also a high-tech twist to their nuptials. The wedding was live-streamed on the wedding day so family and friends, including Samantha's mom, unable to attend in person, were able to watch the romantic wedding ceremony in real-time. Samantha was able to chat with her mom throughout the wedding day on skype.
Drones captured the spectacular views of the intimate venue, set among the vineyards. A robotic machine created cocktails, the wedding party wore 3-D printed jewelry and the bride and groom wore fitness monitors during the ceremony.
As Samantha and Taylor look back on their wedding, I hope the beauty and romance of these images will be a sweet reminder of the day they were united as husband and wife. As many of us know, marriage is not all about a gorgeous lace gown, stunning flowers and a champagne toast. Samantha and Taylor, destined to meet, have already experienced some of the deepest challenges that life can bring. Life has already tested them with joys and sorrows along their journey. They have already lived some of the most essential wedding vows, in sickness and in health. Samantha and Taylorare beginning their married life with the genuine, hard-won knowledge of how to support each other, and their families, in this journey of marriage, commitment and life.
Best wishes on your marriage, Samantha and Taylor, and this new chapter in your lives.
Enjoy your well-deserved honeymoon in Tahiti!
I hope to be invited to the Knot's next Dream Wedding. In the end, I made the choice (difficult as a blogger and a romantic!) to watch the wedding on live-streaming, and not in person this time. Instead of a glamorous wine country wedding, I kept my previous commitment (as a school psychologist) to celebrate our Special Education graduates and throw an end of the year party for our hardworking Special Education staff at my house. The live-streaming broadcast of the wedding allowed me to be part of each event that day. Despite a surprise rainstorm, we had a beautiful rainbow to end our evening, and I toasted to Samantha and Taylor's wedding day from my view across to wine country.
I received this message from the beautiful bride Samantha on Instagram:
sinclairndipity "Such a beautiful blog about our wedding thank you so very much!💗 Wish you could have made it to our big day as well but I agree it was a worthy reason to miss...ironically enough my mom was a special education teacher and a great one at that! Takes a genuine soul to be in such a field and I send all my best wishes to the graduates! Hope you had a wonderful celebration and glad you could follow along from afar☺️ Cheers all around!😘🍷"
Watch the entire video series of the Wine Country Dream Wedding.
Read more of Samantha and Taylor's story at Dream Wedding People Magazine.
I was offered lodging/transportation to attend The Knot's Dream Wedding in Wine Country.
All opinions about the event are my own.
Wedding Event Planning: Jeannie Savage and Tips on Planning
All Images: Credit Jasmine Star Photography/The Knot
Getaway to Sonoma Valley Wine Country
In late October Scott and I stole away to Sonoma Valley wine country for the weekend. We've been keeping ultra busy with our careers, so a relaxing fall getaway was much anticipated. It's 'crush' season in wine country around this time and you can smell the rich, earthy, tangy scent in the air. Those grapes are giving their all for the cause and we appreciate them.
For this stay we choose a sentimental favorite from one of our early visits to Sonoma, Inn at Sonoma. The Inn is affiliated with our favorite Zen Suites at Gaige House in Glen Ellen. Following our three-hour drive we checked in and were reminded of the cozy charm and homey touches, like the freshly baked cookies stocked in the copper cookie jar.
A fireplace in our suite, and a glass of wine, got us immediately in the mood for relaxation. We had a late evening reservation at Harvest Moon Cafe, on the Sonoma Square, which was an easy walk from our hotel.
In seeking pure relaxation I only had my iPhone but snapped a couple of ambient shots from the heated patio. The dishes were fresh with fall harvest cuisine and the service was friendly. Harvest Moon Cafe had a local gem feel to it and we were pleased with our choice for the evening.
The next morning, following a free, hot breakfast at Inn at Sonoma, we headed out for a stroll around the square. The sun popped out after a night of heavy rain, and the vibrant colors of fall were everywhere.
We had plans to meet friends, Dean and Kathryn, so we messaged them to meet us for a light bite at El Dorado Kitchen, which I have written about in a previous post here. We especially enjoy the patio dining at this spot on a sunny day.
Sonoma Valley in crush
We watched the weather reports and ended up cancelling a garden tour my husband had booked early in the week. Instead, in a lucky roll of the dice, Scott ended up making a reservation at the Mayo Family Reserve Room in Kenwood for the 'ultimate' seven-course food and wine pairing.
Scott's Thoughts:
"Having enjoyed previous tastings at the Mayo Family Winery tasting room in Glen Ellen, we decided it was time to check out the Mayo Reserve Room food and wine pairing in Kenwood. This was one of our first more extravagant tasting experiences, as we usually look for the high quality, low fee tasting rooms, and often share a taste. (Sharing allows us to safely visit more wineries.) Our experience featured a blend of service from our very friendly pouring concierge and Chef Clayton Lewis. While we watched the rain outside, we were served seven wine tastes with seven delectable bites designed to bring out the highlights of each wine. With each pairing, Chef Lewis came to the table to describe the flavors to watch for as we tasted wine, then food, then wine. The Roussanne with a bacon-flavored madeleine was my favorite taste—a very mild yet interesting white with a finish that completely changed with this pairing (think a hint of bacon in the finish)! I could see it paired with morning bacon, spicy sausage gravy, or a BLT for a special brunch. We ended with a Late Harvest Gewurtztraminer and a savory desert, the spices of which beautifully countered the sweetness of the wine. I’ve never been a fan of the Gewurtz, but this was a completely intriguing taste! In the end, we took several bottles home, my favorite of which is their Estate Pinot Noir, a big, full red with hints of spice and dark fruit. The experience was amazing—friendly, educational, a journey of visual and flavor sensations. Try it, and be inspired to step outside your usual wine routine and create your own taste pairing!"
"THE SINGLE BEST DEAL IN WINE COUNTRY... WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE" — Wall Street Journal
The food and wine pairing at Mayo was a unique culinary and viticulture experience, as well as an excellent value, at just $35.00 per person. The experience lasted 90 minutes and the staff couldn't have been warmer or more approachable. We highly recommend Mayo and you can book online on Open Table. Take a look at the website here. Let the rain fall!
What happened next, for our evening meal, was one of those memorable occasions that deserves it's own post. Suffice it to say, our evening at Olive & Vine was extraordinary and I look forward to sharing part deux of our trip in my next post.
Sunday was a 'lounging with the paper and hot mugs of steaming coffee' kind of morning. We enjoyed another filling breakfast on the patio, at Inn at Sonoma, always a nice touch. Somebody got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, again.
We discovered that Williams-Sonoma has reopened at the original location for the brand. Chuck Williams opened the first Williams-Sonoma here in 1956. The new shop has been designed to match the original space. They have also created a 'rustic luxe' home collection and outdoor living space. For all of us home decor types, it's definitely worth a visit. It's picture perfect.
Williams-Sonoma is back in Sonoma!
I wanted just about everything...
and I think you will too.
I hope you've enjoyed this getaway to Sonoma Valley wine country.
For more on my travels to my old stomping grounds:
Getaway to Wine Country in Healdsburg