From a French-inspired inn overlooking Napa Valley to an Asian-themed island south of Miami, four luxurious places for you to say “I do”
By Susan Manlin Katzman
Photograph courtesy of Parrot Cay
El Monte Sagrado, Taos, N.M.
There are three reasons to marry in Taos: 1) The natural attributes of this high-desert mesa hugged by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are inspirational, especially to those who love desert sparseness, Georgia O’Keeffe skies and air so pure as to seem virginal. 2) Spirituality infuses the area; groups as diverse as Native Americans, environmentalists, New Age philosophers and artists consider Taos one of the earth’s sacred spots. And 3) Taos is home to El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa, a
4-acre eco-resort that specializes in “green” weddings. At El Monte Sagrado, couples can tie the knot not only in perfect harmony with nature, but also in utter luxury.
The resort offers a choice of venues for outdoor ceremonies. Most popular is the Sacred Circle, a large grassy area surrounded by the resort’s original adobe-style buildings. Towering cottonwood trees shade the circle, and streams with tiny waterfalls bubble around it like just-opened champagne. Another spot, the patio at the base of a long stretch of green lawn flanked by the newest portion of the resort, offers a backdrop view of Taos Mountain that is so majestic one can imagine being in Mother Nature’s own private cathedral. Indoor venues range from a homey library to a stylish ballroom seating up to 250.
The resort’s upscale De La Tierra Restaurant provides all the necessary catering, and its Living Spa will polish the wedding party to perfection.
As for accommodations, couples pick from 84 assorted delights, including suites with either Native American, contemporary western or foreign décor. A retail shop, art gallery and the Anaconda Bar round out the resort’s facilities. Skiing, hiking, llama treks and 80 art galleries provide activities to supplement wedding fun. (Visit elmontesagrado.com.)
Marquis Los Cabos, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
If a breath-stopping, breeze-blowing, sea-soundtracked, sand-beneath-your-feet-type wedding is the wind beneath your wings, head to Los Cabos, Mexico. Located at the tip of the Baja, Calif., peninsula, where the land ends and the Sea of Cortés marries the Pacific Ocean, Los Cabos promises enough Mexican-flavored magic to enchant an entire wedding party.
The Los Cabos area encompasses two unique towns: quaint and quiet San Jose del Cabo, with the airport, and Cabo San Lucas, with a mariachi/margarita-lively nightlife. A 33-kilometer “Tourist Corridor” connects the towns and hosts the majority of luxury resorts and world-class golf courses for which the area is famed. Best yet, the whole Cabo package comes gift-wrapped with beautiful beaches clasping brilliant, neon-bright blue water.
The two best spots to marry in all of Los Cabos are both at Marquis Los Cabos, a Mexican-family-owned resort with a 15,000-square-foot holistic spa, three infinity swimming pools, a waterfall cascading from the lobby and 237 luxurious suites distributed among a five-story main building and 28 beachfront casitas.
For a million-plus, couples can take over the entire resort and wed in its exquisite open-air, ivory-marble lobby overlooking a great expanse of intensely blue sea.
For considerably less cost, they can head to the beach. The best thing about Marquis Los Cabos’ beach is its relative privacy. (All Mexican beaches are public, thus open to a crowd of families, tourists, locals and vendors, but the sea that kisses Marquis Los Cabos’ beach is not swimmable, so the public congregates elsewhere.)
The resort’s wedding planner will help make all the necessary arrangements, even promising that no rain will fall on the parade down the aisle, as the sun typically shines on Los Cabos 355 or more days per year. (Visit marquisloscabos.com.)
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford, Calif.
Close your eyes and imagine the setting: The two of you stand side by side on an intimate circular extension of a flower-filled terrace. Wisteria, lemon trees and bridal bouquets sweetly scent the air. In front of you spreads a luscious panorama of Napa Valley, with postcard views of rolling hills, olive groves and growing vineyards. Your nearest and dearest fill the terrace behind you; 25 are seated, the rest stand. Some of the guests hold crystal flutes of sparkling bubbles silently toasting your love and life. You say, “I do” illuminated by the setting sun’s soft rays, after which you begin your happily-ever-after feasting on a glorious French-accented wedding dinner while sipping the best of the best from a Napa cellar.
Such is the scene at Auberge du Soleil, an elegant, charming inn spread on the slopes of Rutherford Hill, overlooking Napa Valley. This auberge, which so successfully combines French sensibilities and California style, has the terrace, view, restaurant, cellar and accommodations to make your fondest wine-country dreams come true.
Opened in 1981 as a fine dining restaurant, Auberge du Soleil, or “inn of the sun,” has evolved into one of our country’s most romantic getaways. Most of the inn’s 50 guest rooms and suites are in cottages, spread over the sloping hillside, each with a fireplace, private terrace and refrigerator stocked with regional wines and cheeses. Auberge Spa pampers with treatments based on grapes, olives, herbs grown in its own garden and healing mud of the region. Garden landscapes showcasing over 100 pieces of sculpture delight the eye and fill the spirit. And, mais oui, the restaurant, which serves cuisine based on regional products with Mediterranean accents, still wins awards. (Visit aubergedusoleil.com.)
Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner married here, as did the daughter of designer Donna Karan. Eva Longoria and Tony Parker married in France, but honeymooned here. Bruce Willis owns a home on the property.
Parrot Cay is a 1,000-acre private-island resort that is so white-sand-beach gorgeous, so seductively simple and so secluded as to be the ideal spot for a superstar-quality beach wedding for celebrities and others who want extraordinary privacy.
Just consider what it takes to reach the resort. Guests must first fly into the Turks and Caicos Islands’ capital, Providenciales (about a 1-hour flight from Miami), where they are picked up and driven to a marina, where they then catch a private speedboat shuttle for a 35-minute ride to the resort.
Owned by a Singaporean couple with extraordinary good taste, Parrot Cay embraces the best of the best of many cultures: Asian, Caribbean, European and North American influences show up in the menus of the several dining facilities, the items for sale in the shop, the treatments at the resort’s extraordinary spa and the interior design of guest rooms and public spaces.
The beach is the place to marry at Parrot Cay, and the resort’s wedding coordinator will facilitate everything from paperwork
to ... well ... just ask.
Although all accommodations are chic, sleek and sophisticated, offering a white-washed freshness and dark teak richness, and all contain four-poster beds with bridal-white curtains that romantically billow in the breeze, we suggest couples book one of the free-standing beach houses with a private plunge pool or one of the larger villas with a private swimming pool and kitchenette. Let the wedding party and other guests stay in the hotel-style rooms near and in the main building. (Visit parrotcay.como.bz.)
For The Adventurous
If you and your mate think outside of the gift-wrapped box, there are a few more ... nontraditional destination-wedding spots to keep in mind. Those whose love is as deep as the ocean can get off terra firma to merge. Key Largo, Fla., boasts such wonders as Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort (amoray.com), specializing in underwater weddings complete with waterproof veil, deep-sea bouquet and dive officials to conduct and witness the ceremony. There’s also Jules’ Undersea Lodge, a totally underwater “hotel” 21 feet under the sea (jul.com). If you’ll go to the ends of the earth to ensure that your wedding is unique, check out Nomadic Expeditions (nomadicexpeditions.com). These fine folks will make arrangements for you to travel to Mongolia for a traditional Mongolian wedding in ceremonial garb, with camels, local delicacies, blessings from Buddhist monks and lodging in a ger (felt tent of nomadic herders). Bet none of your friends have been there, done that.
