Once in a while, for a few lucky couples, the choice of a wedding reception site is simple. For Susan Zachary and Robert Maher, the decision about where to hold their celebration could not have been easier. "Auberge du Soleil, in Rutherford, is quite possibly the most beautiful place we have ever been," says the bride.
The Bride Susan Zachary, sales manager for her family's candy company
The Groom Robert Maher III, a vice president at Credit Suisse First Boston
The Date November 3
Most guests who have visited the inn and restaurant, set in a Mediterranean-style building in Wine Country, would agree. The accent is French, with a touch of casual California chic. The rooms and gardens captured the couple's own elegant, relaxed mood perfectly.
The two met through a friend of a friend at a San Francisco Giants/Chicago Cubs baseball game. Only nine months later, Rob proposed marriage at the Highland Inn in Carmel, another favorite spot for the well-traveled duo. "The hotel overlooks the Pacific," says Susan, "and it is just spectacular."
-- Lisa Carse