Valentine's Day is over, but The Del is still celebrating romance as it has for over 120 years. Even before the Hotel del Coronado debuted in 1888, the spectacular seaside resort showed its romantic promise. In fact, The Del celebrated its first wedding during its construction in 1887, when May Barnes and Harold Scott, daughter and son of two building supervisors, exchanged vows in the seaside Pavilion, a Pacific pergola used in the promotion of the hotel.
With the Del’s fairy-tale architecture, sun-drenched beaches and idyllic island setting, the 19th century hotel has been likened to an “ornate wedding cake” and linked to a number of legendary romances.
Like a great love story, The Del has stood the test to time, recently named “one of the most romantic places in the world” by Travel Channel, as well the “number one place in the United States to get married.”
Today, The Del continues to reign supreme as a premier wedding and honeymoon destination. It’s also a favorite place for popping the question … and celebrating wedding anniversaries.
Says Del historian, Christine Donovan, “People love knowing they can return to the hotel a year from now – or even decades from now – to add a new chapter to their own love story.”
Early Wedding and Honeymoon History at The Del: 1887-1917
June 10, 1887
May Barnes married Harry Scott in The Del’s “Pavilion,” an open-air, beachside loft that hosted a number of festive celebrations during the hotel’s construction (the bride and groom were the daughter and son of two of the hotel’s building supervisors). According to a Coronado newspaper, the couple repeated their vows beneath a “beautiful arch of evergreens,” in the company of “nearly every man, woman and child on Coronado Beach.” Serenaded by “the lively music of two violins,” May and Harry were rewarded with a “ripple of applause” after the ceremony, followed by refreshments and “dancing till a late hour.”
September 1892
The earliest honeymoon for which the hotel has information was the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A Fox, who had married in New Mexico on August 25, 1892. Afterwards, the couple traveled from Las Vegas, New Mexico, to San Francisco via the Santa Fe railroad. From there, they went via stagecoach to the Hotel del Monte on the Monterey Peninsula (today the Del Monte is part of the Naval Postgraduate School) and then on to what their daughter later described as “the delightful Del.”
Check back soon for more romantic history at The Del...
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