Destination Spotlight: Pt. Reyes

Spent this weekend in the cute little town of Inverness, just next to Pt. Reyes Station.

We ended up getting a room at the super cozy and adorable Manka's Inverness Lodge where we were greeted with rum spiked hot apple cider in the Airstream lobby. Our room was sweet, complete with a fireplace, big soaking claw foot tub and a little balcony overlooking the mountains. In the morning we were woken up to a thermos full of hot coffee, fresh baked cinnamon bread, granola and yogurt with fruit, and the sweetest apple juice I've ever had.

Decided to explore Pt. Reyes Station at night and found ourselves listening to the Muddy Roses, a country western band based out of SF at the local Old Western Saloon. They were pretty awesome and definitely livened up the place.

The next afternoon we made our way over to the Cowgirl Creamery in town, which was a pretty cool spot to see in person. Then, we went off to a late lunch at Marin Sun Farms, the local butcher shop. Unbelievable meal we had there (Hint: if you go, get the brussell sprouts, they're salty and tangy and perfectly cooked).

Anyway, thought you'd enjoy the photos and if you ever find yourself in Inverness, I'd definitely recommend all these spots. Oh, and if you love the mountain lodge feel, Manka's does weddings (see one we did a couple years ago here).

Have a great week!



xo
a.b.

Venue Spotlight: Brush Creek Ranch

Okay, so we've been coveting the photos of this ranch forever because it's so insanely gorgeous and we don't want anyone to know about it but us, buttttt we also really want you all to see this epic destination wedding spot because it's the most amazing and romantic and fun venue ever. No seriously, we've been nonstop talking about this place since we went out to scout it in March and it's really on our brains now that winter is creeping up on us again.

Brush Creek Ranch is located in Saratoga, Wyoming, which is about an hour and a half outside of Denver. So, your guests can fly into DEN, pick up a rental car from there and take the scenic route to Saratoga. Once on property, there's really no reason to leave the ranch. Brush Creek is an all-inclusive resort, so all your meals and activities are part of the package. Their food is unbelievably delicious (this coming from the SF food snobs we are) and activities on-site include horseback riding, fly fishing, skeet shooting, and more. You can even arrange a paint ball competition. On property, there are a number of event spaces, meeting rooms and outdoor spaces to check out for weddings or even for corporate off-sites.

In short, we're obsessed with this place. It's rustic yet modern, elegant yet down-to-earth, and we're just dying for the right couple to choose this as their wedding destination. Call us if you're interested ;)

Pretty Venue: San Ysidro Ranch

Since we're surrounded by a combination of holiday parties and perpetual fog in the Bay Area, I find myself day dreaming of sunshine today. Just outside Santa Barbara, in Montecito, there's this stunning venue called San Ysidro Ranch. It's tucked away in fields of lavender, with a perfect mountain backdrop. The venue has a definite rustic vibe and the grounds make for a beautiful, intimate wedding. These pictures are a lovely reminder that sunny days do exist. We could use a trip to So Cal... Just throwing it out there...







photos by the ridiculously talented jose villa

Dream Destination: Yountville, CA

Yountville is one of our favorite towns in the wine country. Not only is it charming and quaint, but there is so much to do in the area. French Laundry and Ad Hoc are just two of the phenomenal restaurants in town, but there are plenty of other options to choose from as well. An all-time favorite spot in Yountville is this inspiring little shop called Ma(i)sonry. If you haven't been, you absolutely must stop in for a wine tasting and to peruse their epic vintage collection and carefully picked local artwork.




If you're looking for a wine country wedding destination, Yountville is a wonderful place to bring your family and friends together for a luxurious, long weekend. The town is beautiful and well manicured, without being stuffy. There are a couple of hotels that would make excellent wedding options, but the one venue we just adore is Bardessono. It's a really pretty, modern hotel that defines wine country chic. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Dream Destination: Mexico

Our big finale destination wedding of this year is going to be in Mexico and we could not be more excited for a weekend of sunshine and beach side margaritas! In honor of said excitement, we thought it would be fun to show off some photos from a recent scouting trip we took down to one of our favorite towns in the country. Give us a shout if you're interested in more info about these epic venues!!

New Press! Martha Stewart Weddings Website

Check out our wedding that was posted on the Martha Stewart Weddings website this morning! This wedding took place in St. Helena, CA and these gorgeous photos were shot by Anna Kuperberg. Let us know what you think!




Nicole and Wolf were lucky enough to have a dear friend offer to host their wedding at her beautiful home in St. Helena, CA. In a stroke of even better luck, gorgeous weather was on their side on the day of their wedding too, so their outdoor ceremony was stunning with the lush, green backdrop of the Sonoma hills.

The property boasts a large antique barn that has been remodeled to fit the owner’s modern aesthetic. When Nicole and Wolf hired Alison Events to plan, design and produce their wedding, they felt it was important to maintain the integrity of the building’s design, utilizing the existing banquette seating, vintage farm tables and gorgeous custom-designed lighting. They loved the idea of serving dinner family style on the large wood tables (made by Zephyr Tents), allowing the food to appear plentiful. So, they hired Sonoma favorite Girl and the Fig to cater.

By bringing in lots of candles and warming up the space with purple hues ranging from lavendar, lilac and plum to ivory and eggshell, the ambiance of the space quickly transformed from bright and stylized to warm and romantic. La Tavola's plum linen runners were topped with lush centerpieces designed by Sharla Flock that trailed down the table, accentuating the natural wood they were set upon and simple paper materials designed by Hello!Lucky completed the table scape elegantly.

Venue Crush: Tuscany's La Bandita

Located in the Tuscan countryside, nestled on four acres between Rome and Florence, lies this very sweet little cottage called La Bandita. The property is an 8-room bed and breakfast, with beautiful outdoor dining spaces. In stark contrast to the timelessness of its surroundings, La Bandita is a contemporary space decorated sparsely, but very cozily. This would be a fantastic place to do a buyout and host a Tuscan wedding, anniversary party or just a getaway with old friends. So, this is our dream planning destination of the month. What do you think?

This Venue is R.A.D.

Check out this private estate in Napa that we're loving right now. We'll be doing a wedding here in a few weeks, so consider these the "before" pics, if you will. We love, love, love this place!! It's going to be a blast to put our touch on it. What do you think?

Viceroy Palm Springs

We were recently invited to the Viceroy in sunny Palm Springs, where event coordinator Erin Chaney did a fantastic job of showcasing the property's outdoor event spaces to some of our amazingly talented industry colleagues.




For those who have not been to Palm Springs, the small town captures the quintessential California vibe (signs posted around town literally say, "feel the vibe") and you're surrounded by mountains and Palm trees everywhere you turn. It's simply gorgeous. What we really love about Palm Springs are all the off-beat, funky, boutique hotels. We are suckers for good design and the Viceroy is particularly quaint, with it's graphic black and white mid-century style decor with splashes of yellow.





The Viceroy Palm Springs would be a great venue for an intimate wedding ceremony and reception. There's a great grassy area with some cute cabanas, where you could host a cocktail reception, then move along to another outdoor section of the hotel for a more private reception with the mountain view cascading behind in virtually every photograph.





We LOVE LOVE LOVE Palm Springs and can't wait for our next wedding there!



Thanks to Jose Villa for these great photos!