A Wedding at Manka's from Snippet and Ink

If we hadn't eloped, I'd like to think this is the kind of wedding James and I would have had. Quirky waterfront location, casual but elegant, etc.

Beautiful as they are though, these photos make me a little sad. You see, the restaurant and main lodge at Manka's Inverness Lodge - where this wedding took place in November, 2006 - actually burned down on the night after Christmas that year. Everyone has been waiting for them to rebuild, but it appears that the owners had no fire insurance and there's a dispute as to whether the zoning variance that allowed the place to continue to operate allows for it to be rebuilt. The inn continues to rent the cabins and outlying rooms though, and the Boathouse - where the ceremony took place, still exists and is available for weddings.

I've actually been wanting to go to Manka's for a long time. I'm a little sad that we missed out on the lodge and restaurant, but now when you go, I hear they actually cook for you in your cabin - sometimes even right in the fireplace. Cabins are around $400-600 per night. Most of the rooms have outdoor showers and soaking tubs, and the West Marin location is perfect for day trips to Point Reyes Station, Bodega Bay or Stinson Beach - not to mention oyster picnics at Hog Island Oyster Company. I'm looking at the calendar right now...

All photos via Snippet and Ink - one of the coolest wedding blogs I've ever come across. Wedding styled by Alison Events. Photography by Mel Barlow and Sara Remington. (Click through to Snippet and Ink for specific credits and more photos and information.)