Hey guys! Guess what? It’s Friday. I’m not sure if you’re the type that misses the memo or that’s been counting down the days. All I know is, whenever I’m out of town, the days always get a little crazy, so this week has flown by! We got back in from San Francisco on Tuesday night and I’ve been so excited to collect some of my images from the trip and tell you about our stay. I thought sharing about our getaway on a Friday would be a perfect way to get us all in the mood for the weekend…whether your getting away to weddings, brunch in bed, housecleaning, errands, or skipping town. We’re gonna do a little iphone pic tour so get ready for it. Don’t hate on me–this is how we all document our lives these days, right? iPhone for the win.
First off, when I was asked to come speak of Fizz and Frills, I had to call on the mad travel skills of honeymoon planner Katie Frederick to help us find a cool place to stay. I’ve shared with you guys before some of the trips she’s helped plan, and this one was no exception. It’s so great to have a trip booked for you and know that when you show up, everything is going to rock.
When we pulled in on Saturday morning, we were so excited to take in the views from Hotel Vitale. Their location is absurdly unbelievable. The pic on the left is from their rooftop deck, which we enjoyed cocktails and snacks on throughout the trip. The image on the right is the view from our room. Ummm??? What? Ridic, right? (Poor Bry. I make him pose to keep things interesting!). Oh…and what the heck. We were greeted with a bottle of champagne from the hotel. Darn me for not taking a pic, but it was so thoughtful that their staff arrived with a chilled bottle right away.
The hotel is located on the Embarcadero and across the street from the Ferry Building. Naturally the trip revolved around food and walking (so as to burn off at least a few of the tons of extra calories we couldn’t help but take on). It was super fun feeling so close to all the action. We checked out the Ferry Building across the street and bought something from almost every stand to make our own little smorgasbord. We ended up walking along the Embarcadero all the way to the marina near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Without really planning, our walk around the marina lead us to the Palace of Fine Arts. Whoa. Gorg. On the right, you can see we capped off one of the nights at The Orbit Room, which serves up 40’s inspired cocktails like the Bourbon Basil Raghbone.
Here’s a little sneak of my presentation at Fizz and Frills. I shared some insight on finding ideas for wedding details and how to incorporate them throughout your event. The great table is from One True Love Vintage Rentals and the dress is from H&M!
Try as we might, despite cloudless days, we still only managed a tiny little sighting of the Golden Gate Bridge, as she was surrounded in a tutu of clouds. Not to worry. Fried egg sandwiches and mimosas from Plow made up for it! (Thanks to San Fran local, photographer Joel Flory and Twitter for that rec!).
One of the highlights of the trip was an afternoon stop at the Top of the Mark. We felt so lucky that the clouds parted so we could enjoy such great city views. I think I fell in love with San Francisco from up above. (There’s my love posing again. Poor thing.)
The Hotel Vitale concierge and entire staff was really rad. Everyone seemed really passionate about the city, so we not only got food recommendations from the concierge, but from the bellman (actually, bellwoman…or bellperson…how would you say that?) as well. One of the days we did a little shopping (and by “we” I mean “I”) in the Mission District. I landed on a cute little boutique called The Belljar and couldn’t resist the clawfoot bathtub full of soaps. If only that could be my bathroom. We also hit up the croissants and cappuccinos at Tartine Bakery. Divine.
All that to say, this trip made me realize that even if you aren’t planning a crazy honeymoon getaway across the world, a local city like San Francisco can be just as wonderful of an experience. I’m going to interrupt my award winning iphone photography to share a couple of pro pics of the Hotel Vitale, in case it’s the kind of swanky place you might have in mind for you next San Fran excursion:
It would also be such a fun place to host a wedding…there is so much to do! Speaking of weddings, I found a few online that took place at Hotel Vitale, whose views of the Bay Bridge and The Ferry Building are unbelievable. If you are interested in a city wedding, check out this venue review from The Wedding Bee, as well as this wedding from Tinywater Photography and this one from GB Photographers. Oh…and this one from Brides. Heart this wedding.
WHEW. I think that’s the longest, most personal post ever! But I thought you might enjoy a little peek into the trip. Special thanks to all of our rad Twitter friends who helped with great recommendations. We also love Ever After Honeymoons. For reals…easiest travel planning evah. And special thanks to Hotel Vitale for their media rate and general hospitality. Can’t wait to come back!