real weddings | Lake Tahoe Weddings with Tahoe Unveiled

Lake Tahoe Wedding | Squaw Valley Stables
Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Today’s gorgeous real wedding is brought to us by super talented Sasha Coben Photography. This Squaw Valley Stables stunner captures everything our gorgeous backyard has to offer: a bright blue sky, tall swaying grass, beautiful mountains, and drop dead gorgeous views!

From the Bride ~

John and I met at the Sweater Party at Le Chamoix in Squaw Valley on January 6th, 2005. We were inseparable after that and fell in love skiing powder over the next couple of months. We were engaged on a backpacking trip outside of Crested Butte, CO in September of the year prior to the wedding. After enjoying a morning after brunch with our family and friends we left for a honeymoon to Sayulita, Mexico.

The backdrop of Squaw with golden grasses in the foreground is what inspired us. We wanted an open space with no size constraints and were planning on a rustic country theme so the Squaw Valley Stables were a natural fit.

The clear top tent was a huge hit, it allowed us to stay warm and out of the stiff wind but provided unobstructed views of the entire valley and sunset. The catering was awesome; from the private champagne service we got while the guests were seating, to a server helping unbustle my dress, to the horseradish variety on the buffet, to the dual flavored cake, they did an amazing job. I thought that I’d be noticing every little thing, like someone’s wine glass not being full, and would not be able to enjoy the big day, but that could not be further from the truth. D’Lish Catering orchestrated the event beautifully and I didn’t have to do anything but enjoy!

The horses were for sure a big highlight. I grew up riding horses, but it had easily been 15 years since I’d been on one. My husband was the same story. We contacted Alpine Meadows Stables and they were ready and willing to take part. On the day of the wedding Alpine Meadows Stables brought the horses over, they were clean and wearing their best saddle pads and bridles. John’s horse went first into the ceremony site and in the distance I heard the crowd erupt when they saw him come around the bend. As we both walked toward the site, the horses started whinnying back and forth to each other; it was magical and a moment I’ll never forget!

Vendors:

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

Leave a comment

Lake Tahoe Wedding | Vintage Love at PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn
Thursday, April 26, 2012

Today’s real wedding was brought to us by hair extraordinaire Kori Walker of Kolor by Kori! Looking through the vintage lens of David Newkirk I can see why this couple got married – they love to have fun together!! And since the lovely couple are avid skiers it was only fitting they get married at one of the best venues around, Plumpjack Squaw Valley Inn, which just happens to be located at the base of a mountain!

From the Bride ~

Ryan and I met through a mutual friend when I moved to San Francisco from Southern California. I had never skied before I met Ryan and he introduced me to the sport. Soon I was hooked and we have spent pretty much every winter weekend for the last five years in Tahoe. Ryan was extremely creative with his proposal. I have long been slightly obsessed with the Squaw Dogs and their team so Ryan coordinated with Ski Patrol and on a snowy Spring day last April, I got off the top of the KT lift and the Squaw Dogs were outside the ski patrol shack. I found a shiny diamond ring on Tucker, the ski patrol dog’s collar. The Squaw Dogs then dug up a bottle of champagne and a six pack of beer from the snow. It was the most personal and special proposal ever.

We knew we wanted to have a winter Tahoe wedding & we decided on Olympic Valley because we wanted our guests to be able to walk from their accommodations to all events and not have to drive. We chose PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn because the space was perfect for our needs and the staff is tremendous. Working with the staff at PlumpJack made everything easier! The whole design was around the ideas of natural, rustic, textural, and mountainy. We collected pinecones over the summer and spray-painted them an array of metallic colors. These were used all over the ceremony and reception space. We also found wooden skis that we had people sign for our guest book.

Our wedding was pretty unique in that we tried to have more of a rocking party and less of a structured event. We didn’t have assigned seating & our cocktail hour bled in to dinner which turned in to dancing without any organization. My most vivid memory is everyone dancing and screaming the words to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and dancing so hard that the floor was shaking!

Vendors:

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

2 Comments

Lake Tahoe Real Weddings | Ritz Carlton Wedding with Matt Theilen Photography
Friday, April 20, 2012

Today’s real wedding is packed with pretty! The Ritz Carlton has done it again with their elegant decor, beautiful backdrop and gorgeous views which Matt Theilen captured with his perfectly skilled lens! Take this beauty in – with all the great little decor details and beautiful flowers I’m sure this will bring a smile to your face & brighten your day!

From the Photographer~

Dan and Margaret met at work while Dan was in the Air Force and Margaret was in the Navy. Dan was living in Washington, DC at the time and Margaret was living in Denver, CO, but they were both assigned to work on a project together in Monterrey, CA. At lunch the first day, Margaret found herself more interested in talking with Dan than the three astronauts sitting with them, and by the end of the day Dan found the courage to ask her out for a drink, in front of their boss (brave!). That first drink led to several dinners in Denver; cross-country road trips; moving Dan to California; trips to Hawaii, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Disney World, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Canada and a Caribbean cruise; numerous visits to California and Wisconsin to visit families; moving Margaret to Washington, DC; and countless plane tickets in between! After almost three years of long-distance dating, Dan surprised Margaret with a proposal at her childhood home and she happily said “yes!”

They had visited Lake Tahoe in the first year they dated and fell in love with the pristine beauty and inviting charm of the area. They were living in Washington, DC, and were both in the military and had friends coming in from all over the country — so there was no clear choice of where to host the wedding. In the end, they thought “if we could host a fun weekend for all our family and friends, where would we want to take them & what would we want to do with them?” and decided Lake Tahoe was the perfect place! The theme of the wedding was focused most on the things they love — music, food, wine, friends & family, and fun. They wanted to keep things simple and classic (although, they learned nothing is simple when planning a wedding!).

Vendors:

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

Leave a comment

Lake Tahoe Real Wedding | Rose Street Studio
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I have fallen head over heals for today’s real wedding, mostly because it evokes a bygone time of classic beauty. Jaime from Rose Street Studio really knows how to work her magic lens to create a feeling of timelessness that is just oh-so-lovely! I adore the great use of lighting in these images, and our “big blue” always has a tendency shoot an already great image into the stratosphere of gorgeousness!

From the Photographer~

Fran and Jill are probably two of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life. They’re totally obsessed with their dogs, Lake Tahoe and The San Francisco Giants. They met in 2007 as catastrophe adjusters during the California wildfires. Jill says they truly are best friends and just simply enjoy each other and any activity they take on. How many couples can live and work together in a one bedroom high rise condo, Monday through Friday, and still want to spend the weekend skiing or hiking together? They chose us as their photographer because of a portrait I had done with a small Woody doll from Toy Story that was featured on our blog. I brought the same Woody doll for their wedding so they could have a similar portrait. The couple wanted a very classic wedding with a little bit of vintage for their decor. Mostly they just wanted to enjoy a beautiful winter wedding in Lake Tahoe, and with a few inches of fresh snow the night before, it was absolutely perfect!

Vendors:

Photographer: Rose Street Studio
Venue: Edgewood Lake Tahoe
Hair Stylist: Imagine Salon
Event Designer: Quality Event Design
Cake: Sugar Pine Bakery
DJ: Lake Tahoe DJ

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

1 Comment

Lake Tahoe Real Wedding | Martis Camp Magic with One Fine Day Events
Tuesday, April 10, 2012

We’re soooo happy to bring you one of our sister company’s (One Fine Day Events) favorite weddings from last summer. With the mountains in mind, there is no other place more breathtaking, surreal, and drop dead gorgeous than the look-out at Martis Camp, where our lovebirds tied the knot! The weather was beautiful, the views were phenomenal, and the party went off without a hitch! This wedding was so fun to plan and see come to life and I’m so excited to share it with you today, enjoy!

From our Style Me Pretty feature ~

While Ted is from Connecticut and AJ is from Bermuda they both live in San Francisco. They met sailing against one another in college – Ted was on the sailing team at Stanford and AJ was on the sailing team at Tufts University in Boston. While they knew each other in college they didn’t start dating until AJ moved to San Francisco after graduating from college. After dating for six years including a brief long distance stint while AJ went back to business school in Boston, Ted Proposed while on a hike near Mount Tam.

The inspiration for the wedding came from AJ’s love for modern design, pop art, and bright colors. She is also a very good designer and created the motif for the wedding – two yellow lovebirds on a turquoise backdrop! These little guys appeared on the cocktail napkins, wedding invitation, escort cards, and menus.

During the ceremony, the couple decided to mix ‘their’ waters. This was symbolic of their love for water sports and the areas they both grew up in. AJ’s parents collected Bermuda’s beautiful crystal clear water and Ted’s parents collected some Long Island Sound water before flying out for the wedding! During the ceremony, the two containers of water were combined together!

Another cool touch was that instead of a videographer, Ted got all of his groomsmen GoPro cameras which they mounted on their heads during the party… they ended up getting some awesome footage. There is a great picture of Ted’s best friends wearing their go pros at the reception. AJ gave her bridesmaids bright pink watches to match the wedding colors.

The couples favorite part of the wedding day was definitely the band and stage diving, because when else can you stage dive and feel confident that people will catch you!

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

1 Comment

Lake Tahoe Real Wedding | Willows & Dreams with Art in Bloom
Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Today’s gorgeous and elegant affair was brought to us by Hattie Reed of Art in Bloom. Hattie’s work is stunning, beautiful, and everything you could dream of for your wedding floral fantasies! I love the soft pinks and creams with kisses of color from the bright pops of fuchsia. This wedding has all the essentials – gorgeous flowers, a beautiful venue and two love birds! Congratulations Melissa & Jeff!

From the Bride ~

I wanted the theme of the wedding to be a romantic garden wedding with lots of candles, flowers, & crystals. We chose to get married at Willows and Dreams because of their beautifully landscaped backyard complete with a water fountain and beautiful views of Jobs Peak.

Jeff and I met through mutual friends a year before we decided to get married, Jeff being 10 years older than me was a nice change! He hit it off quickly with not only my HUGE & Loud family but most importantly my daughter Karina who adored him right away. He is an amazing Stepfather to my daughter and a very attentive husband! (Working long hours as an RN, its so nice to have dinner waiting for me when I get home from work!) Jeff was the one that wanted the big wedding; I wanted to go to Hawaii and be married on the beach instead, but I ended up giving into him. We had a beautiful wedding with beautiful weather with 190 of our closest family and friends!
There were so many great things about our wedding! I loved being able to take our friends’ vintage car out into the fields for our pictures with the cows, with the Sierras and cows in the back ground, all the lanterns and crystals, the beautiful flower arrangements including the hoopa!!!!!, dancing with my Dad, and watching every one have a great time dancing the night away to an amazingly outgoing DJ!

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

1 Comment

Lake Tahoe Real Wedding | Art in Bloom
Friday, March 23, 2012

Today’s real wedding is filled with the bright foliage of Spring! These lovely blooms remind me of Spring’s first blooms – filled with fresh grass and the smell of soon-to-be Summer. Thank you Hattie Reed of Art in Bloom for bringing us this gorgeous wedding!

From Michele Woodcock of Before I do Events ~

The theme was rustic elegance – Tahoe Style. We wanted to stay true to our environment and also to the personality of the couple. They love the outdoors and can get dirty with the best of them but also love the throw on some heels and a suit and enjoy the finer things in life!

Meg and Del are your ultimate “perfect” couple. Del is a Stanford graduate, successful business owner, true outdoors man and one who is friends with everyone he comes in contact with. Meg is not only stunningly beautiful but that beauty radiates all the way through to her soul. She is the sweetest and most thoughtful person who gets energized by art, fashion, and design. The two meet at a local restaurant in San Diego and immediately is was a true love match. They dated for 4 years and got engaged in San Diego as it held a special place in their heart. It was after living up in Tahoe during the 2 years stint they spent in Incline Village that they fell in love with the area and ultimately chose it as their wedding venue! The intimate causal feel of the night was so special and real! The amazing dinner was concluded with a spectacular sunset over the lake. The band followed suit with an amazing show and had the dance floor packed the entire night. There was so much energy and laughter in the guests’ faces! People raved all night that it was one of the best weddings they had ever been to!

Vendors:

Photography | Melissa Vossler

Venue | Private Lakefront Home

Florist | Art in Bloom

Rentals | The Entertainer

Caterer- Cafe Girasole

Coordinator | Michele Woodcock of Before I Do Events

Posted in real weddings, Vendors

1 Comment

Lake Tahoe Engagement Session | Larsen Photography
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

This Roseville couple looks right at home in our beautiful Tahoe backyard with their cheery coordinating yellow shirts and beautiful smiles. Captured ever so skillfully by Larsen Photography, this engagement session is the perfect memory for the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs!

From the Photographer ~

Melissa and Joe chose Lake Tahoe, California as the perfect fairy tale backdrop for their engagement pictures. Tahoe is the location of many summer vacations and fond memories for this lovely couple from Roseville, CA. The engagement session began with romantic photos overlooking the crystal clear waters of Emerald Bay. From there, we drove closer to Melissa’s family cabin at Chambers Landing near Tahoma, CA. The couple posed for some breathtaking formal shots and then kicked off their shoes for a walk along the beach. A sweet ending to a wonderful engagement celebration in Tahoe.

Posted in real weddings