Planning the Big Day in Carmel

Your mom and I planned an overnight trip back to Carmel this weekend to see what we could do to prepare for getting married there. We had some amazing luck meeting some of the owners of some great local vendors and finding out that this might actually work and be everything we're hoping for. It's always a blast to see Carmel, and we're excited about what we'll be able to do there next Spring.

On the way we stopped in Marina for a sampling of the beers at English Ales. Your mom is gradually getting into some beers, much to my delight, and here she liked the cask ale, which was really buttery and served warm from a pump! 

This is the walkway into Happy Landing's courtyard, the central area of a seven room bed and breakfast which we're going to use for our home base during all the wedding stuff next year. We hope to rent the whole place out for a weekend and celebrate the entire time! 

We were so pleased with ourselves making progress in the wedding planning that we treated ourselves and joined some locals for a celebratory nosh at Jack London's Pub. 

Then we hit the beach for sunset, which, as usual for Carmel, was stunning. 

The next morning we got up and checked out a local florist, a really sweet lady who was preparing for another wedding when we walked in. She showed us some pictures and gave us some great ideas for flowers on the big day. 

Then we hit up Petals and Pastries, a local cake place to try out their stuff. We got an assortment of cupcakes, including this mini-cheesecake which was tasty. 

After saying goodbye-for-now to Carmel, we checked out nearby Pacific Grove, a charming little town on the northern tip of Monterey Peninsula we'd never been through for some reason. We happened to stumble into "Good Ol' Days," a big fair of sorts happening in downtown. Live music was filling the air and everyone seemed to be in great spirits. 

We checked out Lovers Point on the nearby coast and spent a minute taking in that captivating sea view. 

For lunch we headed back into town and hit up a cute local cafe, Holly's Lighthouse Cafe. 

Your mom got the club sandwich and raved about it as well as the homemade fries. 

On the way to the nearby lighthouse, we spotted a small group of young deer grazing on a local cemetery. We couldn't help but get out and watch them munch away for a little bit. 

Point Pinos Lighthouse looked a bit out of shape, perhaps due to the condition of California's state budget right now. Things are kind of rough for the public parks right now. A lot are being shut down or cut back to save money. 

On the trek home we stopped in Berkeley. Of course I nudged us in the direction of a local microbrewery, Triple Rock, where I enjoyed some great beer. We got a weird and somewhat unfriendly vibe from the folks around us, oddly. 

Getting closer to home, we stopped in Pinole for a second to see what it was like. It's standard track housing but it sits right on the Bay, which is a nice touch. The sun was setting and made pretty views of the park trails along the water. 

It was a great trip. We made some serious headway in the daunting task of wedding planning, which made it seem so real that it has been quite exciting. It'll be a very special day : )