A destination wedding can be stressful with so many moving parts to coordinate, but a Napa destination elopement on the other hand can be one of the easiest ways to have an unforgettable wedding. Eleanor and Eric, a paramedic team from Toronto, managed to steal away from their busy schedules to spend a few days relaxing, sipping wine, wearing bathrobes as their primary outfits, and ultimately, exchanging vows for their perfect wine country elopement. The Mayacamas mountains and rows of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon provided a classic Napa valley backdrop for their intimate St. Helena wedding ceremony on the Harvest Inn’s Vin Rose Lawn. October would have to be our pick as one of the best times to plan a wine country wedding as you get to experience the best our Mediterranean climate has to offer – crush or the annual grape harvest, colorful foliage, gorgeous light, abundant local produce, and the most pleasant temperatures. But to be fair, November isn’t too bad either.

The vibe in wine country around harvest time is unique as, while it’s the busiest time of the year, it also feels like things are finally starting to mellow out. Kids are back in school, the tourist season is at sunset, and at long last the fruit on the vines has reached maturity and is ready to become the signature beverage of the region. Weekday elopements definitely offer more breathing room and Eleanor and Eric’s day perfectly quiet wherever we went. After the two were officially married, they celebrated with a champagne toast before we hopped in the car and ventured down the road and into Rutherford for some photos. We ended the day back where it all began, at their room back at the Harvest Inn as we said our goodbyes and left them to enjoy their first dinner together as husband and wife before venturing on to their official honeymoon. Another benefit of eloping is that you can free up the money to join your family a few days later, in Spain…and that’s exactly what these two did!