Well, I don't think this Lake Tahoe wedding by Matt Edge Wedding Photography can get any prettier. Actually I know it can't. Is it just me, or is Lake Tahoe the land of lovely where gorgeous is the norm? Because this elegance meets the outdoors wedding is knocking my socks off this morning with all of its gorgeousness! It's sure to do the same to you, and don't forget you can get lost a bit more in the land of lovely by stopping by the full gallery of images!
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From the Bride...Joe and I both grew up in Danville, CA and went to rival high schools, but it took Spring Break in Maui for us to meet. I was 16 and a sophomore in high school, and Joe was 18 and a senior in high school. Both of our families were traveling with family friends - who happened to know each other. So all of the kids got together one night and hung out. Joe asked for my number and called me when we got back home. Our first phone conversation lasted 4 hours, and the rest was history! 10 years later, we decided to tie the knot!
Joe and I decided on Tahoe for our wedding location because it's place we love to go together and spend as much time as possible. Since it would be too difficult to have all of our family join us in Hawaii (Amanda's dream), Tahoe was the easy compromise to get a destination wedding that was still close enough to home - not to mention it's a beautiful place to begin with. The Hyatt in Incline was the perfect venue because of their lakefront location and accommodations.
We wanted to keep our decor simple since Tahoe is already a gorgeous backdrop. We went with a wood and crystal theme, and kept all our color palate as different shades of white. The wood balanced out the "bling" of the crystal to give it a natural yet glamorous feel. As you can see from my shoes and head piece - I really like "bling," but wanted to be sure it was done tastefully.
We worked really hard to make our wedding as personal as possible, which in many aspects just meant making it fun and classy, but with a twist. We scripted our entire ceremony with our officiant, and family friend, which was one of the most rewarding aspects of our wedding. It was short and sweet, but very meaningful and very "us." We wanted to attend cocktail hour with our guests so immediately after our ceremony we met our guests at the bar and were serenaded by a steel drum band - which was something Joe wanted from the very beginning.
The meal was also a very big part of our wedding. We were able to customize our menu to be a delicious 3 course, Mexican-inspired meal: tortilla soup, salad, and tostadas. We both don't eat a lot of cake, so we decided to go with our favorite dessert, chocolate malts. And if that wasn't enough, a frozen yogurt machine and topping bar opened up a bit later on in the evening. The one thing I always said growing up was that I would have a frozen yogurt machine at my wedding - and my wish came true! For those who made it to the end of the evening and worked up an appetite (again), we provided late-night food of hot pretzels and dipping sauces in to-go boxes.
Lastly, and perhaps one of the most personal touches of our wedding was our favors. Joe is a hot sauce connoisseur, so he wanted to create his own and bottle it for each of our guests. He called it: "Joe and Amanda's burning fire of love," which definitely brings out sense of humor. To balance out the spicy with a little sweet, we also included "Ball" jars (Amanda's maiden name was Ball) of raspberry freezer jam, which is a family recipe passed down from Joe's grandma. We are still getting requests for refills of both.
It was a magical day and all of our vendors made it happen. Now if only we could just relive it!
Venue: Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe / Wedding Planner: Julie Briggs Dunn of JBD Events / Floral Design: panacea event floral design / DJ + Lighting: Exquisite Entertainment / Rentals: Celedon Events / Wedding Photography: Matt Edge Wedding Photography / Wedding Videography: Rose Street Studios / Hair + Make-up: Jane Kim, The Glamourist / Frozen Yogurt: Raff's Tropical Frozen Beverages / Steel Drum Band: Bay Music and Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Head Piece: Priscilla of Boston / Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaids Dresses: Ann Taylor