Bernardus Lodge & Spa 415 W. Carmel Valley Road • Carmel Valley • California 93924

You have to love a resort where the Concierge greets you by name and hands you a glass of fine wine as soon as you cross the threshold. This is just the beginning of the personalized services you’ll receive at Bernardus Lodge & Spa.

Serenity and natural beauty are hallmarks of Carmel Valley, and the lodge’s tasteful Old World-meets-Monterey styling harmonizes with the surrounding wilderness. The young resort has already garnered a collection of prestigious accolades, and may soon surpass the fame of the winery for which it was named. Bernardus vintages strive to “transcend the ordinary,” and this idyllic retreat accomplishes the feat superbly.

The warm and inviting lobby has a pastoral European flavor with rich woods and textures softened by fresh-cut flowers and the glow from a stone hearth. A vaulted ceiling crowns the expansive space, and a glass door at the far end offers a tantalizing glimpse of what lies beyond. Set along a terraced hillside, the boutique resort’s 73 sumptuous suites and villas occupy several adobe buildings, surrounding the Lodge's centerpiece, the Croquet Lawn. The rest of the accommodations are spread out among acres of gardens, stately oak and pine trees, and a working vineyard.

Perhaps what makes most brides fall in love with Bernardus is the spectacular Wedding Garden, a vast cornucopia of floral and herbal delights. A splashing fountain encircled with fragrant rosebushes welcomes the wedding guests, who take their seats on the lawn facing an elevated flagstone pavilion.

With the bridal party posed on the pavilion’s broad steps, the bride and groom exchange vows under a classic stone pergola adorned with flowering vines. If you get married as evening falls, the setting sun paints a luminous panorama of cotton-candy pink and dusky orange over the Santa Lucia Mountains.

Lavish receptions come alive in the Meritage Ballroom, a discreetly elegant banquet space with 22-foot vaulted ceilings and wrought-iron chandeliers. Arched windows above French doors are hugged by velvet draperies, pulled back to capture a lush garden view.

Several more cozy rooms at the lodge offer their own unique charms: Rehearsal dinners and other intimate gatherings feel right at home in LUCIA, the lodge’s award-winning restaurant that blends sophisticated artistry and organic California country cuisine. A stunning 12-foot-wide limestone fireplace with a raised hearth lends distinction, and a sweep of windows brings in a magnificent mountain vista. LUCIA also opens onto a peaceful terrace, complete with a meditation pool and water garden.

Your wedding weekend guests will appreciate that all of the property's accommodations exude an air of European luxury, culminating in feather-beds dressed in imported linens to enfold them in a dreamy embrace. The Lodge also boasts eight spacious Villa Suites that define sensual splendor: All include a complimentary wine grotto, two fireplaces, a patio or balcony with its own fireplace or fire-pit, and luxury master baths with copper soaking tubs and wet rooms featuring rain showers. The two-bedroom Villas have been designed with bridal parties in mind, and even have an intimate dining space that seat twelve alongside a cozy fireplace.

For more pampering, the on-site spa offers a tempting array of signature treatments, and the salon attends to all your styling needs.

With its outstanding amenities and epic cuisine, Bernardus Lodge & Spa is an epicurean paradise that alternately nurtures and heightens the senses. Any event here is sure to be sensational.