Wedding and Honeymoon Vacation Ideas & Tips

With long, sandy beaches, rolling green hills and vineyards, moonlit strolls through the historic Mission Plaza, fine wine and gourmet cuisine, San Luis Obispo, CA is made for lovers—whether you are getting engaged, married, or honeymooning.

Stunning indoor and outdoor wedding locations and romantic honeymoon hotels and suites abound, as do honeymoon packages, spas, salons, restaurants and wedding planners to make the wedding, reception or honeymoon a perfect event. Ample and elegant conference spaces, creek-side wedding sites and grand banquet rooms invite a special day that your whole family will enjoy and remember forever.

“On One Knee” Engagement Vacation Ideas

Recipe for the perfect engagement story: Take her to one of San Luis Obispo’s many breathtaking settings, and then really take her breath away with a ring! San Luis Obispo is home to many romantic and inspiring sites for getting engaged including scenic and secluded trails, beaches and monuments. Here are a few original ideas for where to pop the question (affirmative answers not guaranteed, but highly likely):

• Pack a ring box in a wine country picnic in San Luis Obispo’s premier Edna Valley wine country
• Make her your princess at Hearst Castle, nestled in the hills of San Simeon.
• Start your journey together at the end of the pier in Pismo or Avila Beach.
• Ask for her hand while aboard a yacht out of Morro Bay.
• Stay together forever after a moonlit kayak trip.
• Put butterflies in her stomach by popping the question amid thousands of Monarch butterflies in Pismo Beach (from November through February).

“Down the Aisle” Destination Wedding Vacation

Whether you say “I Do” at sunset on the bluffs in Shell Beach, walk down the “aisle” of a picturesque vineyard, or proclaim your love and devotion at sunrise on Bishop’s Peak, the splendor of San Luis Obispo scenery will give your vows (and your wedding pictures) a touch of the wow-factor. Unique man-made wedding venues also abound, such as:

• The historic Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa church and courtyard in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo
• The quaint chapel in the town of Harmony (population 18)
• The area’s beautiful Victorian mansions, such as the Jack House in downtown San Luis Obispo
• San Luis Obispo Vacations hotels, such as Embassy Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, Madonna Inn, Quality Suites SLO, offer wedding locations, banquet rooms and reception services

With a full bridal show in spring and fall, find numerous wedding planners, wedding cakes, wedding musicians and songs, wedding photographers, and wedding dresses as well as shops, spas, salons, restaurants, and hotels in San Luis Obispo:

• Photographer – Cameron Ingalls Photography
• Wedding Planner – Touch of Style Events
• Wedding Cakes –Madonna Inn Bakery
• Wedding Flowers – Panacea Flowers
• Wedding Dresses – A Heart’s Desire Bridal & Tuxedo

“Just Married” California Honeymoon Vacation

Let the cans rattle and the streamers fly on your honeymoon-mobile as you set off for a romantic vacation in San Luis Obispo. Ideally seated between vineyard sunrises and ocean sunsets, San Luis Obispo’s hotels offer spas, stone fireplaces, claw-foot tubs, Jacuzzi rooms, and other romantic amenities to start your honeymoon off smoothly. Then, add a touch of unique San Luis Obispo romance:

• Tour romantic Edna Valley wine country and join a wine club or two for future anniversary vacations.
• Reserve a moonlit mineral spring hot tub in the trees at the Sycamore Resort.
• Indulge in locally-made organic and fair trade chocolates from Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates downtown chocolate shop.
• Treat yourselves to a romantic dinner for two at one of the many downtown fine dining restaurants like Caffe Roma, Buona Tavola, Granada Bistro, Novo, and Ciopinot.
• Walk amidst the wildflowers covering the hills of San Luis Obispo County.
• Find a gem for your gem amid the tide pools along Cambria’s Moonstone Beach.
• Woo and wow with a daytrip to the romantic seascapes of nearby Big Sur.
• Walk to the waterfalls on a daytrip to the Nojoqui Falls.
• Relax at the spa in your hotel or at day spas like Nekkid, Bliss Body Spa, or the Bladerunner.