Begin the romance of a lifetime in the setting of your dreams - Claremont Hotel Club & Spa offers the ideal wedding venue in Berkeley

Beautiful beginnings… gracious and elegant, the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa has been creating distinctive weddings in a gorgeous setting overlooking the San Francisco Bay since 1915.  No matter how intimate or lavish, casual or elegant you wish your special day to be, the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa will provide for every detail. 

Planner Services - Our Wedding Coordinator will handle all the details including transportation, accommodations, spa and salon services, rehearsal dinners, and bridal gifts.

Vendors - We offer a variety of sources to help create the perfect day including photographer, florist, linens, invitations, music, production & props, even special lighting & effects.

Reception Packages - Choose from a variety of wedding packages to suite your desires including menus created by our Executive Chef.

Bridal Salon Services - Achieve the ultimate style that fits you and your bridesmaids beautifully with our stylist. 

Spa Claremont - Relax, rejuvenate, and let us pamper you with a spa treatment that will soothe the body and soul.

Wedding Blog - Take a moment to look through our wedding blog and learn more about Wedding Reception Trends, “Happily Ever After” Wellness Programs, The Wedding Experience, and more.

Plan your Wedding - It would be our honor to assist you in achieving an elegant and unique wedding in our venue in Berkeley.  Please click here to request more wedding organization information.

Guests can enjoy special rates for their rooms or suites in a setting with stunning panoramic San Francisco Bay views.  For a unique wedding venue in Berkeley, consider the Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa for hosting engagement parties, showers, rehearsal dinners, bridal party spa packages, wedding nights, and honeymoons.  To learn more about the Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa, please visit our website.

Wedding Reception Trends

When planning your wedding reception, you may be thinking of an early evening dinner followed by dancing, cake, and more dancing.  There is a reason why so many weddings follow this pattern…it works!  Guests are served a delicious meal and they get to dance all night with the bride and groom.  It is certainly not a bad way to spend an evening.  But like many of today’s brides and grooms, you may be seeking a reception that better reflects you as a couple, one that is unique.  The food you serve sets the tone for your reception and can serve as the focal point for your individual wedding style.  Here are a few trends we have been seeing with our own Claremont Weddings couples:

The Brunch Reception – For many couples brunch is the best meal of the week.  It is a comforting meal, while also being lighthearted.  Guests are often pleasantly surprised when they get a chance to build their own omelette or feast on waffles and french toast at a wedding.  And brunch offers the same flexibility as dinner.  You are free to choose a buffet presentation with action stations, or you can present a more formal plated meal.  One thing you may assured of, your wedding will be memorable.

The Cocktail Reception – Cocktail receptions are very hip and offer you the ultimate blank slate for setting the theme and style of your wedding.  Brides and grooms can choose a casual, intimate affair that bridges the time between lunch and dinner beautifully, or they can go for a classic, black-tie event late in the evening.  Our gourmet couples love having the ability to serve a variety of amazing hors d’oeuvres and small plates.

The Family Style Reception – Nothing brings people together like food.  Serving your guests their food Family Style gives them a chance to get to know each other as the plates are passed, and it can create a warm and intimate atmosphere.  And do not feel limited to large bowls of pasta or platters of baked chicken for your menu.  Braised short ribs passed with roasted vegetables is a wonderful option, or a platter of perfectly seared scallops served with a fresh, crisp salad would be an impeccable choice for a spring wedding.

The key to your reception is to find the style that suits you and then communicate that to the coordinator at your venue.  We at the Claremont Hotel know that each wedding is unique and we will work with you to ensure your day reflects you!

 

Create the day of your dreams at the Claremont!

Look your best on your wedding day at the Claremont - "Happily Ever After" Health & Wellness Program will get you fit & ready for your special day!

The Happily Ever After Health and Wellness Program is offered exclusively to couples who book a wedding at the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa, the Club’s elite personal trainers together with the Spa’s award-winning therapists will ensure that each and every bride and groom will be in tip top shape from head to toe in time for their big day. 

With each of the four programs they will focus on the mind, body and spirit - each customized to fit the goals, time frame and budget of the bride and groom. 

aFIRMations

• 5 Personal Training Sessions
• 50-Minute Pedicure
• 1 Day Spa Ritual before the big day at Spa Claremont

$ 425.00 per person

Best Food Forward

• 10 Personal Training Sessions
• 50-Minute Manicure
• 50-Minute Pedicure
• 1 Day Spa Ritual

$795.00 per person

New Beginnings

• 15 Personal Training Sessions
• Two 50-minute Spa Treatments of choice
• 2 Days of Spa Ritual

$1,235.00 per person

The Runway Bride (Bride) & Groomed for Life (Groom)

• 20 Personal Training Sessions
• Two 50-minute Spa Treatments of choice
• 3 Days of Spa Ritual

$1,575.00 per person

Brides and grooms are also invited to partake in the Claremont’s Nutritional Counseling services. Individual 50-minute sessions are offered for $150.00 per session and duets for $185.00; price for a series is available upon request.

Given the Claremont Hotel, Club and Spa’s idyllic setting and its storied reputation as a romantic retreat, the destination is a natural choice for weddings.  Adding to the allure are the property’s renowned rose gardens, its castle-like architecture and impressive views. Everything from the most intimate affair to a 300-person extravaganza can be accommodated in more than 20,000 square feet of newly renovated event space, including a poolside arbor.

To inquire about hosting a wedding at the Claremont and the “Happily Ever After” packages, please call 800.551.7266 or visit The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa. 

The Wedding Experience

Your wedding is the reason your friends and family will gather together.  They will be there to witness you publicly proclaim your love and commitment for each other, and they want to celebrate your joy!  When reading some of the wonderful wedding blogs out there, one thing that brides and grooms seem to have cherished is having the opportunity to spend time with their guests outside of the wedding day itself.  The events do not have to be elaborate or formal, just excuses for spending some quality time with the people you love.

When planning a wedding, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to have the “perfect” wedding, to be the “perfect” hosts, and to create the “perfect” experience for your guests.  Well, we at the Claremont are here to let you in on a little secret: there is no formula for perfection.  What our wedding planners understand is that a wedding, or any related event, that is authentic to you as a couple will be far more memorable and meaningful for both you and your guests.

Before delving into that “how to plan a perfect wedding” checklist, take a step back and consider which events hold special meaning to you, and consider using one venue to host multiple events to keep things more sane.  The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa is the type of venue that can certainly help you create a wonderful wedding experience for you and your guests, with the bonus being they don’t have to drive all over town!

If your friends and family are scattered all over and have not spent much time together, then holding a fun, casual poolside barbecue at the Pool Arbor the day before your wedding might be the perfect way to facilitate some pre-wedding bonding among your two communities.  Throw in a few party games and by the end of the day your guests will have had the time of their lives and will be looking forward to spending even more time together at your wedding.

If you never get to see your best friends from college or high school, meeting up at a lounge like Paragon after the formalities of the rehearsal dinner will give you a chance to relax and catch-up in an intimate yet energetic environment.

If you want nothing more than to spend some time relaxing with those closest to you the day after the wedding, brunch at Meritage, or in one of Meritage’s private rooms, may be the best way to enjoy your guests for just a bit longer and to say your good-byes without feeling rushed.

Making your guests feel welcome, included and loved will help set the tone for your entire wedding experience.  Let us help create an experience that truly reflects you!

The Claremont is proud to announce our Associates and Manager of the Year for 2009:

The Manager of the Year for 2009 was Ms. Rosy Palec. Rosy has worked in several departments of the Claremont and is currently Club Services Manager. Rosy provides outstanding service to members and guests, is respected and valued by the assocaites she works with and lends a helping hand in all areas of the Claremont. She is particularly involved in Claremont's community outreach programs benefitting such organizations as St. Vincent's Day Home and the Clinton/Bush haiti Relief Fund. Congratulations Rosy!

Mr. Chris Stephens, Bellperson, was selected as the 2009 Associate of the Year for the "Front of the House". Chris provides outstanding service to guests on a daily basis and is an exemplary associate in providing Forbes (formerly Mobil) service standards to all he comes in contact with. Thank you and congratulations Chris!

Ms. Janine Fong, Pastry Cook, was selected as the "Heart of the House" 2009 Associate of the Year. Janine is creative and hardworking and her creations are unique and delicious; she created the current dessert menu in the fabulous Meritage Restaurant - stop in for a taste and you'll see why she won this prestigious hotel award.

Nominations for Manager and Associate(s) of the Year can be made by any Claremont Team Member based on a range of hospitality skills. Winners are selected via a vote of management and staff. We salute our 2009 award recipients.

Holidays, Marriage Proposals and Weddings

With the holidays upon us, scurrying for gifts and special gestures to last a lifetime, it's a time of year that many are romanced with a marriage proposal.

So if the plans are being made to ask your special someone to spend their lives with you, why not take a moment and look at the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa to help celebrate your special day?

Our wedding coordinator will handle all the details of your special day. From limousines and other transportation for you and your guests, to referrals for linens, chairs, place settings, musicians, DJ’s, photographers, florists and more.

Our Spa & Salon is ideal for your wedding day. Be pampered with manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and wedding day hairstyles and make-up.

We offer special room & suite rates for your guests for that 'elevator ride' home after your special day with stunning rooms and panoramic San Francisco Bay views.

Come read about our bridal packages and the amazing reception packages we offer.

Let us help you make that special day magical.

Meritage at the Claremont website is launched!

Check out the new website for the Meritage at the Claremont!

The pictures of those exquisite dishes scrolling across the page makes your mouth water! But don't take our word for it, go take a look . . .

and then come in and taste!

www.meritageclaremont.com

Join Us on YouTube and Flickr!

We are so excited to share with you our new video on YouTube. We've also created a Flickr photo album to share with everyone.

We hope you'll subscribe so you can stay updated on new videos and pictures as we post them!

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheClaremonthotel

http://www.flickr.com/photos/claremonthotel/