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Solage Calistoga

Happy Friday! Guess what Mr. Feather and I are doing today?

….we are going to town hall, to get married! Yes, apparently this is what happens when you decide to have a bachelor friend who spent most of his life living in Europe get ordained for $20 on the internet, and marry you – you end up not being actually married. Here we thought that paying a zillion dollars for florals and buying various friends of your parent’s who you will never see again steak and scotch was all you needed to get married in America. But no, we actually are supposed to go fill out paperwork and sign some papers.

In the spirit of marriage, and since I think it may be a while before my actual wedding photos arrive, I wanted to share some pictures of the two day little “mini moon” that we took right after the wedding (our real honeymoon will be this winter). We stayed at Solage Calistoga for the first time for two days – it’s part of the Auberge family and pretty new – I really loved it there. We stayed on the property almost the entire time – it has a full beautiful spa, Michelin starred dining (both casual and more formal), great grounds and complimentary bikes to ride around in. We are definitely going to go back.

the bedroom..

Smores and strawberry greetings in the room 

Fireplace…I firmly believe all Napa/Sonoma lodging should have working fireplaces

Sitting area right outside..

…where you sit under a thatched roof!

Sitting and relaxing outside of Solbar with some pizza…

Have a fabulous weekend!

48 Comments

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    August 26, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    Katherine-

    We used to stay in Napa at least one weekend a month as we love it so much! I stayed at Solage one time (when the Auberge was booked) and wasn't too impressed, what were your thoughts? We have stayed at all the "nice" hotels in St. Helena/ Calistoga (Calistoga Ranch and Meadowood), but much prefer the Auberge du Soleil. Their suits are incredible, the service is impeccable and the locations is quite perfect. I definitely recommend you and your hubby stay there next time you're in Napa if you haven't already.

    Where are you going on your "real" honeymoon?!?! My husband and I did the same thing since he was in the process of selling his company, a 5 day "mini moon" in Hawaii and we're going to India and the Maldives this winter as well!

  • Reply
    Annette
    August 26, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    Your rings are BEAUTIFUL! Such a good size. Not too overwhelming, but definitely eye-catching. And that dress is very pretty too 🙂 now go get married, forreals!

  • Reply
    C'est La Viii
    August 26, 2011 at 3:16 pm

    Pretty dress and rings!

    http://www.cestlaviii.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Bravoe Runway
    August 26, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Oooo so pretty! I love that white dress, Temperley of London? And your ring is pretty 😀 Perfect size!

  • Reply
    questforfashionsense.com
    August 26, 2011 at 3:33 pm

    Your minimoon spot looks lovely. That's exactly the type of decorating that my husband likes. I'm going to forward him your post, hahaha. The dress is fabulous. Have a great weekend (and best wishes again! ;D).

  • Reply
    Mrs. Hot Cocoa
    August 26, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    I loved the Solage when we stayed there. Did you guys go to any of the TK restaurants or Bouchon Bakery? I'm drooling just thinking about it.

  • Reply
    Katherine
    August 26, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    @Anonymous a minimoon in Hawaii sounds divine! That sounds like a real vacation to me – I love Hawaii, where do you stay there?

    Auberge is my favorite resort in Napa as well but they only had one of the main house rooms for one of the dates that we were trying to book – I agree that it is a lot better than Meadowood which I found to be a little "loud and sceney" surprisingly – the same thing was there at Solage but I was expecting it and it wasn't as bad…what were your thoughts on the resort? Plus it was probably ~half the price of what it would have been at Auberge (the breakfasts cannot compare though!)

  • Reply
    Annabelle
    August 26, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    Happy kind-of wedding day!

    That white dress is adorable — I don't think I'd be able to stop twirling if I were wearing it.

  • Reply
    Katherine
    August 26, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    @Mrs. Hot Cocoa actually we originally had reservations at French Laundry but ended up canceling! We had too much heavy food and just figured we couldn't handle it…lol

  • Reply
    breakingrumours
    August 26, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    Your ring and wedding band(correct me if i'm wrong bout the wedding band) looks amazing! 🙂 and the place looks like a pretty nice place to stay for such occasions.

  • Reply
    Elaine A (TOBeautyReviews)
    August 26, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    Whoa what a story! You look absolutely gorgeous have a fabulous 2nd wedding day 😉

  • Reply
    Olivia
    August 26, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    Every thing about this post is lovely- that room looks so sleek and comfy, your dress is so pretty with fringe adding a little spice and your rings are beautiful.

    Liv @ bklynlifestyle.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Tangled In Texas
    August 26, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Have fun today! I *love* that dress! Thank you for sharing your mini-moon pictures with us. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

  • Reply
    I am Khatu
    August 26, 2011 at 4:55 pm

    does that mean you'll have two anniversaries to remember? lol.

  • Reply
    Bay Park Dream
    August 26, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    Oh my goodness your ring is so so sooo beautiful! 🙂

    Have fun in Napa

    ~Tammy

  • Reply
    Samantha
    August 26, 2011 at 5:07 pm

    Katherine!!

    You look so lovely in that Temperley dress – what a perfect after wedding dress! The picture of your hand and Mr. Feather's is really sweet.

    Your minimoon lodging is fabulous! Glad y'all had a wonderful time. (And good luck with the "second" wedding!)

    xo,
    sam

  • Reply
    amy b.s.
    August 26, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    well congratulations again! love the dress.

  • Reply
    Lydia
    August 26, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    What a pretty dress & gorgeous ring! I hope everything went smoothly with the paper work process this morning. Have a great weekend!

  • Reply
    xJOLE
    August 26, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    I hope you did some major booty shaking in that dress!

  • Reply
    alison*elle
    August 26, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    At least the fact that you have to get "re"-married makes for kind of a funny story! Love both of your rings and glad you got to go on this mini-moon 🙂

    xo, alison*elle

  • Reply
    Chelsea
    August 26, 2011 at 8:37 pm

    At least it's a great story to tell later 🙂 Congratulations again 🙂 And gorgeous rings!

    – Chelsea (www.hautechildinthecity.com)

  • Reply
    Michelle
    August 26, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    What a great tale to tell on your 50th Anniversary! Your minimoon sounded fab and as always you look gorgeous. Love the pic of you and Mr Feathers.

  • Reply
    Lisa
    August 26, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    i loveee solage calistoga hotel!!! it's so pretty and peaceful there :)!! your mini moon looks wonderful and that cake dress is GORGEOUS!!

    you picked the swing ring!!! *sigh* love love love so pretty! that's one of my all time favorite TCO bands!!

  • Reply
    the proper poppy
    August 26, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    Such a pretty dress! Sounds like a great break after all the whirlwind of the wedding. I love the bikes there, made me feel like a kid again. Congratulations on everything and making it "legal" today. 🙂

  • Reply
    Best Of Palm Beach
    August 26, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    My husband and I did the courthouse thing a month before our ceremony. So on paper our anniversary is almost a month earlier and on my birthday. Which is good because we will then celebrate our anniversary separate from my birthday. I love that dress and cannot wait to see your wedding pics!

    Veronica

  • Reply
    Chocolate, Cookies & Candies
    August 26, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    What??! How did you happen to find out you're actually not married? Your mini moon sounds lovely. The dress is beautiful on you!

  • Reply
    Chocolate, Cookies & Candies
    August 26, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    What??! How did you happen to find out you're actually not married? Your mini moon sounds lovely. The dress is beautiful on you!

  • Reply
    Chocolate, Cookies & Candies
    August 26, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    What??! How did you happen to find out you're actually not married? Your mini moon sounds lovely. The dress is beautiful on you!

  • Reply
    Steph
    August 27, 2011 at 12:56 am

    your room looks great =]
    that dress looks amazing on you!!!!

  • Reply
    Make Mommy Chic
    August 27, 2011 at 1:15 am

    Hi Katherine, oops- that definitely must have come as a little shock to find out that you weren't actually legally married. How did you first react? Stunned, or did you laugh? I bet you laughed, right? Your temperly dress is gorgeous. Your figure reminds me of Kate Middleton actually, and I know that she wore a lot of Temperly dresses during her north american tour. The mini-moon looks amazing, it must have been nice to have some down time after the wedding. Thanks for the post!

  • Reply
    Olyvia
    August 27, 2011 at 4:07 am

    congrats on being officially married! That dress above it so pretty and fun! Can't wait to see your wedding photos too!

  • Reply
    Lily
    August 27, 2011 at 4:11 am

    Love the dress and the rings are SO gorgeous !!

    xxLily
    goldandgray.com

  • Reply
    Aesthetic Alterations
    August 27, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    Your dress and rings are beautiful. Be. U. T. Ful. As always, it's a thrill to hear your happiness. May it always continue.

  • Reply
    Andrea
    August 27, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Awweh this is so sweet. Thank you for taking the time to comment when you're sorting all of this out! Your ring is gorgeous, so lucky you have the rest of your life to look at it. Love the dress too, it's so beautiful and almost 1920's flapper.

  • Reply
    emily
    August 27, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    GORGEOUS dress! i love the rings as well, and the hotel room looks divine 🙂 the plate of scones and strawberries is so cute.

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    August 28, 2011 at 12:23 am

    @Katherine

    Katherine-

    I too had booked Solage b/c the Auberge nor Meadowood were available. I wasn't a huge fan of the location and I felt that it wasn't on the same level in terms of service and ammenities. That said, it certainly wasn't a bad experience, but I am so spoiled from the Auberge so it's hard for me to give a totally fair comparison! There is nothing like having a drinks on the restaurant deck @ the Auberge in early fall– SO GORGEOUS.

    If you haven't already tried Redd, I highly recommend it, in my opinion is it only second to TFL. If you and your hubby like fried chicken you must check out Ad Hoc's "fried chicken nights"– I am not a huge fan of fried food but this chicken is SO good!

    To be honest, I'm not a huge Hawaii person– I much prefer the much less humid climate of Cabo. However, Hawaii is stunning and lush. On Oahu, I recommend the Halekulani (the Vera Wang suite!), on the Big Island, the Four Seasons Hualalai (incredible service,/tranquility), and on Maui the Four Seasons as well (not a huge fan of Maui).

    In Cabo, we love the One and Only Palmilla, Las Ventanas or Esperanza. The One and Only has exceptional service, a gorgeous pool and fabulous rooms complete with butler service. Las Ventanas is right up there in terms of service, but is not quite as lush of a property as the O and O. Esperanza is the closest to "downtown" Cabo San Lucas (which is not my scene– aside from some of the shopping LOL) Cabo is only a 3 hour flight from SF (great for a long weekend) and Virgin now has flights going there as well (double plus!!!).

    Where are you guys going for your "real" honeymoon???

  • Reply
    Katherine
    August 28, 2011 at 2:58 am

    @Anonymous Wow thank you so much! I really want to go to Mexico and when I read your response I started looking up rates for a 3 day weekend at the One and Only! I really want someone I know to get married there so I have an excuse to go. I will definitely check it out one day so thank you for the recs.

    I love Redd, it's one of our favorites in Napa too – and great because it can also be casual..

    We are going to Thailand – I am actually in the middle of begging the GM at Trisara to let us in but they seem to be all fully booked! I want to try it out, I heard it's better than Aman…the prices during peak season are way more than I thought they'd be though! Whew.

  • Reply
    Cindy
    August 28, 2011 at 7:44 am

    Your dress is so incredibly stunning! Haha the whole married/not actually married thing is a bit confusing. European bachelors these days…

    xxCindy

  • Reply
    Daria
    August 28, 2011 at 8:31 am

    amazing location..and ring!! have a nice day, too 😀

  • Reply
    Francesca
    August 28, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Absolutely beautiful rings 🙂 xx opinionslave
    / twitter: @opinionslave

  • Reply
    Schnappy
    August 29, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    Oh, your ring is so wonderful! Cool dress, and amazing room!:)

  • Reply
    Lindsay K
    August 29, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    The swing ring is one of my favorite Tiffany & Co rings- it looks gorgeous on you. Eek! Thailand is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been- you are going to love it.

  • Reply
    Mica Cataletto
    August 29, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    That is an awesome story. I'm glad you got it all worked out by now. I hope you had a great mini-moon. the ToL dress is amazing on you.

    Lots of best wishes and congratulations, Mica

  • Reply
    LabelSnob
    August 30, 2011 at 1:20 am

    That dress is AMAZING!!!! SOOOOO beautiful! Looks like you had an amazing time!

  • Reply
    Islandia Lane
    September 1, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    love this white dress and all that swing it has!

    http://www.citygirlknows.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Mary Lane
    September 2, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    This place looks gorgeous, and I love the fringed dress… perfect for twirling around at a wedding reception!

    http://www.stylish3.com/marylane

  • Reply
    urbanjunglefashion
    September 23, 2011 at 5:33 am

    Girl your ring is AMAZING!

  • Reply
    Napa – The Carneros Inn and Angelo’s » Feather Factor | Feather Factor
    August 20, 2012 at 10:43 am

    […] The inside of our cottage was very clean and sleek – and reminded me a lot of our room at Solage. […]

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