4 Great US Destination Weddings
Luxurious American Resorts Offering the Best in Destination Weddings
Jan 11, 2008
You don’t have to go to the tropics or Europe to have a beautiful destination wedding; you can have one right in the United States at one of many lavish resorts that offer wedding services, in addition to a wealth of resort activities that will keep your guests entertained during their stay.
Ocean Edge Resort in Cape Cod, MA
If your dream wedding takes place at a historic New England mansion on a bluff overlooking the water then the Ocean Edge Resort may be the venue for you. The resort has several areas where you can hold your wedding and reception including the mansion itself, the carriage house with a wall of glass doors and terrace overlooking Cape Cod bay, the clubhouse with furnished patio, as well as outside on the tented front lawn or the poolside pavilion. Your guests can feast on a plated dinner service such as grilled swordfish or shrimp stuffed haddock, or a buffet featuring items like horseradish crusted salmon and lobster ravioli. The resort also offers a rehearsal dinner menu and next day brunch options. They will prepare your wedding cake with a variety of delicious options such as almond cake with chocolate amaretto mousse. If it is just the two of you, they have a special wedding package that includes a ceremony on the beach, a wedding cake for two, and three nights in a signature room.
Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, Napa, CA
For the bride who is looking for a spa-like setting in a warm climate then this beautiful Spanish style resort surrounded by the famous Topa Topa Mountains is a good choice. Continually voted one of the top resorts in the country, the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa offers 220 lush acres, a championship golf course and a full service spa including bridal makeup and hair styling. Brides can choose from many outdoor options for their ceremony and reception including their three-acre hillside herb garden, the lush lawns accommodating up to 450 guests or the private courtyards. On request, they will also provide arches, gazebos and other decorations. You can also rent the Casa Blanca, a private courtyard that houses your entire party in the buildings surrounding the ceremony site, which actress Kate Walsh recently used for her wedding reception. Alternatively, you could hold a more casual wedding in their Big Red Barn. Your guests will dine on the inn’s unique and healthy California cuisine featuring local vegetables, herbs and seafood.
The Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC
If your ideal destination wedding is a sprawling manor situated steps from the Atlantic Ocean, then the Sanctuary Hotel at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort is one to consider. You have a choice of venues at the resort for your ceremony and/or reception including exquisite ballrooms with large verandas, private drawing rooms for smaller ceremonies, oceanfront lawns and an outdoor area for more casual weddings complete with bonfire pits and barbeques. You can offer your guests a plated dinner menu with specialties such as pesto glazed beef filet and caramelized sea bass, or a buffet option that includes dishes like clams and mussels steamed in beer and kettles of blue crabs. They also offer specially designed wedding cakes, rehearsal dinner menus, day after brunches, and a special “For the Bride to be” spa service.
Stein Eriksen Lodge, Park City, UT
If you are looking for a snowy winter wedding this luxurious Norwegian style ski lodge surrounded by the Rocky Mountains is where actress Katherine Heigl recently got married. While the Stein Eriksen Lodge is an idyllic setting for a winter wedding, in the summer months you can hold your ceremony on the grounds with a reception on their plaza terrace. There are also a variety of ballrooms to choose from with their beamed 14 foot ceilings and stone fireplaces. You can offer your guests a themed buffet such as the Rocky Mountain barbeque buffet featuring braised brisket of beef and cornmeal crusted red trout or plated dinner services with grilled wild salmon or roasted rack of elk. There are also additional services such as homemade chocolate wedding favors, children’s meals, and a wedding cake designed by their award winning pastry chef.
Be sure to see Gail's other articles including:
