The trip after the wedding
A friendsmoon in Sonoma, CA
1 place here can put the whole group under one roof.
The trip you take with your friends right after the wedding — instead of the honeymoon, or before it.
Best months: March, April, May, June, September, October, November.
Where the group sleeps
- Sonoma Vineyard Guest House$500–$1,400 / night
Sleeps 12
What you do
- Private Vineyard Wine Tour
Guided private van tour to three or four boutique Sonoma County wineries with reserved tastings and a picked route tailored to the group's palate.
- Luxe Vineyard Picnic at Imagery Estate
Catered luxury picnic on the estate grounds with charcuterie, local cheeses, estate wines, and linen-draped seating among the vines.
- Hot Air Balloon Ride over Sonoma Valley
Early-morning balloon flight over the Sonoma Valley patchwork of vineyards — a big hour in the air followed by a sparkling wine toast.
- Pottery Class at Sonoma Ceramics
Private group pottery session in a working ceramics studio — wheel-throwing instruction with wine welcome.
- Spa at MacArthur Place Hotel
Intimate garden-surrounded spa at Sonoma's boutique MacArthur Place hotel with customized group treatment packages.
- Cooking Class at Ramekins Sonoma
Where you eat
- The Girl & The Fig
Sonoma's most beloved restaurant — Provençal cuisine on the Plaza, with a fig-forward menu, excellent Rhône-variety wine list, and a weekend brunch that should be reserved months in advance.
- El Dorado Kitchen
Farm-driven California menu in the El Dorado Hotel's gorgeous open kitchen — one of Sonoma's most consistently elegant meals.
- Café La Haye
Tiny, coveted 20-seat restaurant behind the Plaza with a market-driven menu that punches far above its square footage.
- Fremont Diner
Counter-service roadside diner with a devoted following for fried chicken biscuits, oyster po'boys, and bottomless Bloody Marys.
- Della Fattoria (Petaluma)
Wood-fired bakery and café in Petaluma — a short drive for the bread and pastry pilgrimage that begins every proper wine-country weekend.
- Hana Japanese Restaurant (Rohnert Park)
Chef Ken Tominaga's acclaimed Japanese restaurant near Sonoma — a premium omakase counter for groups who want an elevated evening contrast.
Still deciding?
How Sonoma stacks up against the other places in the West.
- Sonoma or Salt Lake City?
- Sonoma or San Diego?
- Sonoma or San Francisco?
- Sonoma or Santa Barbara?
- Sonoma or Santa Fe?
- Sonoma or Scottsdale?
- Sonoma or Seattle?
- Sonoma or Sedona?
- Sonoma or Spokane?
- Sonoma or Stateline?
- Sonoma or Steamboat Springs?
- Sonoma or Sun Valley?
- Sonoma or Taos?
- Sonoma or Telluride?
- Sonoma or Tempe?
- Sonoma or Tucson?