You're engaged!! Now what...
Congratulations are in order, you're engaged! Now lies the golden question. what's next? Of course, the first step is to take time to enjoy your Lake Tahoe engagement with your fiancé, celebrate your love, and dream up the rest of your lives together! If you're ready to start the next steps in celebrating your engagement and planning your Lake Tahoe wedding, this is the blog for you.
First Steps After Getting Engaged
As a newly engaged couple, it is so important to celebrate your engagement before diving into the next chapter. The first step is to pick a spot to celebrate! There are so many gorgeous places for your Lake Tahoe engagement celebration. For a larger celebration, our top choices are The Idle Hour, Riva Grill, Gar Woods, Jake's On The Lake, or The Hanger. If a formal engagement party doesn’t feel like your style, plan an intimate dinner with your fiancé to celebrate instead. A few of our favorite spots are Cafe Fiore, Swiss Lakewoods, and Chart House.
The next step is taking your Lake Tahoe engagement photos. If you have a favorite or sentimental spot in Lake Tahoe, it would make a great location for your engagement photos. Engagement photos are important in the celebration process to capture the beautiful memories of your engagement, and they are also part of the wedding planning process. Many couples announce their engagement with professional engagement photos online and by sending out announcement cards. These photos are also used for wedding invitations, which are extremely special!
If you need some inspiration, some great lakeside locations for your engagement photos are Sand Harbor, Nevada State Beach, and Zephyr Cove. If you want more of a mountain and forest scenery, Mount Rose and Sugar Pine State Park are beautiful as well.
When planning your Lake Tahoe engagement photos, it's important to choose a trusted photographer with a style that you love. Some amazing Lake Tahoe wedding and engagement photographers are Bridgette Wuest and Elsa Boscarello. It's valuable to choose a photographer who specializes in weddings because an engagement session gives you the opportunity to build a relationship with them and really experience their product. If you love the session and the results, you can book them for your wedding!
The process of planning your dream Lake Tahoe wedding can seem overwhelming. If you start lightly planning while you celebrate your engagement, this can alleviate some of the overwhelm. Early planning for your Lake Tahoe wedding is important because it is a very popular location for weddings, and many venues as well as vendors get booked out far in advance.
An early planning tip is to focus on finding a photographer you love. Photographers are one of the first vendors couples book for their wedding, and typically book out far in advance. If you have your eye on any photographers, reach out to them during the early part of your planning process. Another important early step in planning your wedding is to determine a budget. Start discussing this as soon as you start planning any details of your wedding, as the budget will have a huge impact on the venue, photographer, caterers, and every facet of your wedding! Need help setting a realistic budget for your Lake Tahoe wedding check out our article on What Kind Of Lake Tahoe Wedding Budget Should You Expect?
Why Tahoe is Ideal for Your Wedding
Lake Tahoe is an absolutely gorgeous place to host your wedding, with views of the Sierra Nevada mountains, pine tree mosaics, and the shimmering beauty of the lake. You will be surrounded by stunning mountainous views, and have an abundance of lakefront venues to choose from. What more could you ask for?
Lake Tahoe is available for weddings year-round, but each season looks a little bit different. Summertime is a great choice due to the early sunrise and late sunsets, allowing for plenty of daylight for wedding festivities. Summer also brings many opportunities for boating, lake days, hiking, and other fun activities for you and your guests! Spring and fall are beautiful times to get married in Lake Tahoe, as the weather is a little milder than summer, yet not as cold as a winter wedding. The winter time is a magical time to get married in Lake Tahoe, with the snow-covered mountains, small-town charm, and adventurous activities like snowboarding or skiing on your wedding day!
Choosing a venue is one of the first tasks to check off your wedding list, and Lake Tahoe wedding venues are as gorgeous as they come. If you've been dreaming of a lake-side wedding venue, you'll want to check out Valhalla Tahoe and Edgewood Tahoe Resort. Looking for a Lake Tahoe wedding venue nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains? Either Heavenly Lakeview Lodge or Tannenbaum Event Center may be your dream venue! For more Lake Tahoe wedding venues, you can read this blog: The 30 Best Lake Tahoe Wedding Venues.
Another reason that choosing Lake Tahoe for your wedding is ideal is the vendors. Lake Tahoe has a community of expert local vendors who work endlessly to create a seamless experience. Wedding vendors play an integral role in the wedding experience and it is very important to use vendors who are trusted. The vendor community in Lake Tahoe is very close-knit and works closely together to ensure that your day is exactly as you dreamt it!
Lately, many couples are opting for destination weddings. Lake Tahoe is a stand-out location for your destination wedding! The lake-side mountain town offers an abundance of resources for multi-day wedding celebrations. The lakeside wedding venues, like Sunnyside Resort, are just a stone's throw from boat rentals, sandy shores, and small-town shopping, so if your guests are traveling they can make a fun trip out of it.
Working with a Tahoe Wedding Planner
Planning a wedding in Lake Tahoe, with its stunning landscapes, picturesque lakeside venues, and myriad outdoor activities, can be an unforgettable experience. However, organizing a wedding in such a unique and remote destination comes with its own set of challenges. This is where a local wedding planner becomes not just a luxury, but a necessity! Here’s why hiring a Lake Tahoe wedding planner can truly elevate your special day.
Lake Tahoe is known for its diverse landscape—lush forests, panoramic mountain views, and crystal-clear waters. A local wedding planner will be familiar with the best venues, hidden gems, and potential challenges specific to the area. Whether you're dreaming of a lakeside ceremony, a mountaintop reception, or a cozy rustic cabin setting, a Lake Tahoe wedding planner has the insider knowledge to help you choose the perfect location and make sure it fits with your vision.
Lake Tahoe is home to many talented wedding vendors, but finding the right ones for your needs can be time-consuming and overwhelming, especially if you're planning from afar. A local planner has established relationships with the best florists, photographers, caterers, and entertainment providers in the area. They can recommend trusted professionals who align with your style and budget, and often, they'll be able to secure better deals or ensure that your vendors work seamlessly together. This means less stress and more time for you to enjoy the planning process!
If you’re planning a wedding near the lake or on a mountain peak, there are often special permits and regulations that need to be obtained. A Lake Tahoe wedding planner is familiar with local laws and can handle the paperwork, ensuring that everything is completed and compliant. They’ll also have the know-how to navigate the logistics of coordinating vendors, timelines, and transportation in a region where weather and terrain can sometimes complicate matters. Lisa and Lauranz have a special perspective on the value of hiring Enchanted Events as their wedding planner, which you can read here.
Even with the best-laid plans, things don’t always go as expected. Weather conditions in the mountains, vendor delays, or unexpected issues on the day of the wedding can create stress. A wedding planner’s role is to anticipate potential problems and resolve them before you even know they exist. If something does go awry, they’ll manage the situation calmly, allowing you to focus on enjoying your celebration without worrying about the details.
A Lake Tahoe wedding planner brings your unique vision to life, ensuring that every detail—from your floral arrangements to your reception decor—reflects your personal style while staying true to the natural beauty of the area. They understand how to incorporate the landscape into your wedding design, whether it’s through using local flowers, selecting color schemes that complement the surrounding environment, or creating a design that harmonizes with the seasons.
Wedding planning can be overwhelming, especially when you're juggling other responsibilities. A Lake Tahoe wedding planner helps streamline the process, keeping you organized and on schedule. They’ll take care of everything from creating a detailed timeline to managing contracts and overseeing the flow of events. By entrusting these tasks to a professional, you can focus on the more enjoyable aspects of planning your wedding while ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
A Lake Tahoe wedding is an incredible way to celebrate your love, but to truly make it a stress-free, memorable event, a local wedding planner is invaluable. With their expertise, connections, and attention to detail, they’ll ensure that your dream wedding comes to life seamlessly, leaving you with more time to enjoy your stunning surroundings and the people who matter most. Looking for your Lake Tahoe wedding planner? Let's chat!
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