Bachelorette Party {Pool Time & Brunch}

for our last night in Sonoma, we decided to have a pool/spa party at the house.

autumn had come with a suitcase full of floaties and bridal goodies....

....and I took advantage of this ring floatie right away in the warm and inviting pool.

they decorated our cute outdoor space with all things bridal....

....and because of our earlier issues with the fridge and losing food, we decided to order takeout Mexican food which was absolutely perfect and gave us more time just to hang out.

we spent much of the evening floating in the pool.....

.....then when it got too cold we hit up the hot tub.

i was so in awe of all the planning and thought put into this weekend getaway by my friends that I won't soon forget!

after it got dark we put on our cozies and had a spa night, doing facemasks and playing the Newlywed Game, where unbeknownst to me they had met up with Christian and recorded his answers, seeing if ours would match!  It was so much fun and so thoughtful {and awesome to see videos of Christian talking about our favorite memories}.

sunday morning it was unfortunately time to pack up our suitcases and head back home, but I'm pretty sure none of us were quite ready to leave.

we stopped in Santa Rosa at Bird & The Bottle for a yummy brunch....

....and everything hit the spot after a long day of wine tasting.  I didn't want it to end and have to say goodbye to this amazing weekend, but unfortunately after brunch it was time to go.

after brunch, we dropped off Suze & Merith at the Santa Rosa airport, then Autumn, Erika and I made our way back to SF where they could catch their flight home {but I wasn't quite ready to leave CA yet....}.

It was the most fun Bachelorette weekend with some of my most favorite people and I'm so grateful that I got to spend this uninterrupted time with my girls who are simply the best.  I am so lucky, and I wish we could do it again this weekend!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Bachelorette Party {Wine Tasting Part II}

our next stop on our winery hopping was Russian River Vineyards for more wine tasting and lunch.

we had a cozy little area to taste wine.....

......with this gorgeous view of the valley.

the food spread was delicious, with yummy focaccias and a salumi board that were the perfect compliment to some delicious wines.

we took some selfies.....

....and a few more.....

.....then it was time to pose on the stairs before heading to our last stop of the day.

we made it up to Iron Horse Vineyards, a place that specializes in bubbles, which was the perfect way to end such a wonderful day.

we all did the bubbles tasting flight.....

......and we met Paul!  Paul, a Scot, guided us through our tasting, all the while laughing and giving us wise life advice, and at the end of the day he sent me home with a beautiful bottle of "wedding cuvee" that brought me to tears  {ok, it could've been a full day of wine tasting that brought me to tears as well}.  We all loved Paul and I'm pretty sure he loved us too.

the wine was not too shabby.

we kept seeing this gorgeous view from our standing perch by the tasting room, so when Merith asked Paul what would happen if we ended up going to sit at one of the picnic tables farther away to take in the view and rest our legs.....

....he said he'd come find us so away we went for a quieter, more chill remainder of our tasting.

we took more selfies with this gorgeous view that pictures can't capture....

.....and a non-selfie with the beautiful Susannah who left her baby for the first time just to be with me that weekend.

we were surrounded by palm trees and lush vineyards......

....and we listened intently while Paul told us stories of love and friendship.

it was the absolute perfect way to end a day of wine tasting at 3 distinct and wonderful wineries that I cannot wait to go back to the next time I'm in the area!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Bachelorette Party {Wine Tasting Part I}

after a comedy of errors at the airbnb, including a broken fridge, moldy bagels, and microwave bacon, we finally headed out to our first winery of the day, Hook & Ladder.

right when we walked on the property, I knew this would be the perfect place to start the day with beautiful views and a fun inviting space.

we each had the tasting flight.....

....and cheers'd to a wonderful day ahead!

we took lots of photos, some good....

....and some not so good.

i felt so grateful and loved, and was having the best time.

unbeknownst to me, maddie had sent along a veil she made me, so I put it on to pose for a few pics.

we had lots of fun with the veil...

...and I loved sitting in the chairs staring out at the vineyards and drinking yummy wine.

before we knew it, it was already time to head to the next place!

but this one would be hard to beat.

off to the next stop with the girls!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Bachelorette Party {Sonoma}

after spending the afternoon in Petaluma, we picked up Susannah and headed to our airbnb in Santa Rosa, which had a pool, hot tub, lots of rooms, and a giant living space - basically, perfect for us.

since we had some time before dinner, Erika poured us some wine that we bought in Petaluma.....

....and we paired it with some snacks from our grocery delivery that had just arrived.....

.....and Susannah had her first bite of cheese in a loooong time, which felt like heaven.

after freshening up, we headed down to Sonoma square, one of my most favorite places.

we took pics in the glorious sunshine.....

......and unintentionally were all perfectly color coordinated!

we were early for our reservations so we took a walk around the area, checking out the cute shops and restaurants and all of the fun houses in the neighborhood.

soon, it was time for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, The Girl & The Fig {unbeknownst to Erika, who had made the reservation after hearing from several sources it's one of the best in the area}.

everything on the menu looked absolutely delicious and we had the hardest time deciding what to get.

instead of wine, we all went with yummy cocktails {I had a spicy tequila/aperol drink that I can't wait to try to replicate at home}.

after much back and forth, I decided to once again get the steak frites and once again, it did not disappoint.

it was such a fun night laughing and chatting with my friends in one of my most favorite places and made me so excited for the rest of the weekend to come!

xoxo,

stephanie marie