Why Visit St. Helena in the California Wine Country?

My last trip to this quaint little town was during the fall wedding of my cousin Sandy. She got married in the charming Catholic Church in town. They have several weddings all day Saturday and Sunday and each bridal couple has exactly 30 minutes for their “people” to go in and decorate the church. Their priest joked this is a “byop” church because every couple has to “bring your own priest. “

St. Helena, about 60 or 70 miles north of San Francisco, is a very busy little town going right through the wine country so on weekends it’s very crowded. There is much to do in this picturesque little town – unique and fun shops, art galleries, entertainment, adorable B & B’s to stay in, numerous eateries and most of the area wineries do not charge for tasting.

Following Sandy and Kevin’s wedding we proceeded to the Culinary Institute of America where we enjoyed a wonderful reception. We were in what is probably considered a wine “cave,” upstairs in a grey, stone building. The room we were in was very long with high, high ceilings and rather dim during the cocktail hour (for some reason they didn’t turn on all the lights until we sat down to dinner). It had beautiful, narrow windows overlooking the grounds, parts of St. Helena and the surrounding area. Because it was a stone building, it was very cool in the room. The food and service was excellent and there is a gift shop and public restaurant on the ground floor. I would heartily recommend it for a wedding reception or other private function.