Emily + Henry Say “I Do” on the Shores of Lake Tahoe

Emily and Henry met in college at UCLA and began planning their wedding from separate cities while they each finished grad school- Henry in Atlanta and Emily in Boston. But when it came time to choose a location for the wedding, their connection to Lake Tahoe (both families have houses here) made it the perfect destination to bring their friends and families together. 

The importance of bringing family and friends together was woven through the entire wedding week. Emily and Henry stayed at the private estate leading up to the wedding day and invited friends to come to enjoy the lake from the estate’s pier. For the processional, they each walked with their parents and met at the back of the aisle. From there, they walked down the aisle together to meet the close friend who officiated the ceremony, under a chuppah (built by Emily’s father) on the beach.

Emily and Henry got engaged in Iceland surrounded by lupines, so they wanted to be sure to incorporate these blooms into the wedding’s floral design. The flowers were placed in large arrangements at the base of the chuppah during the ceremony, then repurposed for a dessert display during the reception. On the dinner tables, they wanted a natural-looking display inspired by their surroundings, and B&B Designs created a loose, flat ‘garland’ runner with ferns that spilled off the sides of the farm tables. Stepping stones displayed family-style platters of food. The place cards we created from river stones collected from the Truckee River, and the table numbers were mismatched playing cards that the bride has been collecting since childhood. 

Family and friends contributed to various elements throughout the day: the save the dates were designed by the groom’s brother’s girlfriend, the lace and tallit that created the chuppah canopy were family heirlooms, the bride’s sister made the day-of signage, and her aunt provided the Pendelton blankets to bring in a ‘summer camp’ vibe as a nod to their love of the outdoors. Henry’s uncle and a family friend played the prelude music before the ceremony. To guide guests to their seats for dinner, Emily and Henry collected photos of each guest which were turned into Polaroid escort cards.

Emily and Henry are both self-proclaimed “foodies” and share a love of cooking, so special attention was paid to selecting the food and wine. Butter + Salt created a largely vegetarian menu inspired by Israeli and Mediterranian cuisine and recipes from chef Yotam Ottolenghi, whose cookbooks the couple uses to cook together at home. Planned by One Fine Day Events and captured by Anna Marks Photography this gorgeous Lake Tahoe wedding was filled with personal touches that really showed Emily and Henry as a couple and their love for each other.