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Photo by Catherine Clark
I was ultra lucky to be included on a destination wedding tour of Sonoma County in Northern California to show us all of the reasons why a wine country wedding can be the swankiest, most immersive, and totally customizable wedding weekend experience. Destination weddings are especially rad since you can offer a whole weekend of activities for your guests, whether it's just the two of you or a whole big crew. It can be as affordable as you like, too.
Here are some of the highlights that I got to experience that you can totally steal for your own destination wedding. In fact, feel free to make this a copy and paste template to your own wedding weekend! If you particularly love some elements in this itinerary, the amazing all-inclusive wedding planning team at Off The Beaten Path Weddings can hook you up with it. They create start-to-finish signature experiences with their connections at all of these venues, source the local, farm-to-table catering, and can make ALL of this happen for you. Special thanks to Venone PR for coordinating all of this for us.
Let's take a peek at part one of a STELLAR wedding weekend itinerary in Sonoma County, California…
Day 1: Spa day and welcome party
Here's a huge tip: if you have guests coming in from out-of-town and want to give a buffer before everyone arrives, an optional pre-wedding activity allows anyone in town to have something fun to do while others are flying in and getting settled.
We started with a fabulous lunch at Servino Ristorante in Tiburon, California, which was so convenient because it's right outside of San Francisco and serves as a perfect stopping point for anyone coming in from the airport. Plus, the views were out of this world and would make a welcome party or a wedding itself magical.
Their authentic Italian fare (think goat cheese stuffed figs, heirloom tomato salad, and eggplant with burrata — OMG) was a hell of a way to start an epicurean adventure weekend. Check out the menus here.
After we were full and happy, we headed to a super healing spa experience at Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone, California that involved a cedar enzyme foot bath while we all sat together and sipped tea. It was warm, felt invigorating, and really got us into a relaxed vibe away from our day-to-day. And the scenery here? MADE for meditation and relaxation.
Now you're on to the official welcome party which allows your guests to mingle and recharge before the big wedding activities. We took Beau Wine Tours' luxe transportation over to an Off The Beaten Path Signature Event at a venue managed by The K Group (who has all kinds of connections to private and exclusive venues in Sonoma County you'd never be able to find otherwise!).
We took in the views with rentals by Encore Events Rentals, sipped small batch craft cocktails by Alley 6 Craft Distillery, drank lemony Palmia Beer, and bonus: figured out how we can transport all our collected wine bottles back home with a wine suitcase from VinGardeValise. I mean, it's wine country — you'll want to snag a bottle or two.
Day 2: Petaluma Museum, farm visits, and the rehearsal dinner
To keep the fun going before the big events, we stopped at The Petaluma Museum in the adorable town of Petaluma for a private tour of an exhibit of over forty vintage handmade wedding gowns representing the best of the Belle Epoque and early 20th century fashion.
One huge bonus of a wedding in Sonoma County is the abundance of working farms and ranches that can provide farm-to-table catering for your events. We visited a few of these places, including Beffa Springs Ranch in Petaluma who provided the meat and vegetables for our meal later that day.
After touring Beffa Springs Ranch and their amazing facilities, we got to have a farm-to-table lunch at a private French Country estate managed by Distinct Locations. It was ultra private and absolutely beautiful for an outdoor ceremony and reception.
The combined forces of a venue from Distinct Locations, food from Beffa Springs Ranch, and a chef from Off The Beaten Path Weddings making it delicious means that we had a transcendent time.
Take a peek at this super private venue…
In the evening, we got to experience what a rehearsal dinner would be like in an elaborate array of caves! Seriously, a five-course meal at a winery IN A CAVE. I still can't get over it. Beau Wine Tours took us to Petroni Vineyards in Sonoma County to tour their gorgeous vineyards and, of course, to experience what a dinner would be like in a cool cave with live music by Keri Campbell Music and a super festive atmosphere.
Just take a peek and you'll see…
BONUS: If you want to seriously impress your guests, check out these gift assortments that you can assemble for their hotel room from DigiBuddha, Spann Vineyards, Sonoma County, Chloe + Isabel, copper + daisies, MadoroM Vineyards, Alexander Valley Vineyards, and more…
That was just day one and two of your potential wedding weekend in Sonoma County. There's more to come!
Vendors
Say hello to some of the stellar Sonoma County vendors who made this possible. They'll hook you up with more wedding resources than you can imagine:
- Day one and boudoir photography: Boudoir be Chee
- Day two, three, and four photography: Krista Marie Photography
- All-inclusive signature experiences wedding planning: Off The Beaten Path Weddings
- Venues: Servino Ristorante, Distinct Locations, Front Porch Farms, The K Group, Petroni Vineyards
- Wine and cocktails: Petroni Vineyards, Palmia Beer, K Squared Cellars, Alley 6 Craft Distillery, Moshin Vineyards, and Heidrun Meadery
- Transportation: Beau Wine Tours
- Activities: Osmosis Day Spa, The Petaluma Museum, Cowgirl Creamery
- Catering: Off The Beaten Path Weddings with the use of Beffa Springs Ranch, Cowgirl Creamery, and Napa Valley Olive Oil
- Live music: Keri Campbell Music
- Paperie: Invite Design
- Rentals: Encore Events Rentals
- Gifts: VinGardeValise, DigiBuddha, Spann Vineyards, Sonoma County, Chloe + Isabel, copper + daisies, MadoroM Vineyards, Alexander Valley Vineyards, JJYoung, Three Sisters Apothecary, and Dream Water
- PR: Venone PR
This was only part one of the big Sonoma County wedding itinerary for a wine country wedding in California. I've still got some winery tours, a meadery tour, more farm-to-table magic, and the actual wedding event to share. Stay tuned!
More photos here!
About the Author: Catherine Clark
Catherine Clark loiters at her local library, makes art, watches movies en masse, plays video and tabletop games, poorly cooks healthy things, cuddles with her feline fur babies, and blogs at BijouxandBits.com.
