I’m not one to rush summer away—in fact, I’d like a few more months. But when today’s Lake Tahoe fete landed on my desk, I couldn’t help but stare wide-eye at every little bit… portraits where the Brides dress blends in seamlessly with the snow, emerald greens for days and a classic Monique Lhuillier number for the books. Oh, and have a moment with the florals designed by Nancy Liu Chin, they don’t disappoint. Elise Events planned it all to cozy perfection while Ryan Ray worked his magic behind the lens. I’m just a tiny bit closer to accepting that summer is coming to a close and this classic affair makes it totally OK.
From the bride… Cyrus and I met like many people in San Francisco do: on an app! He had relocated from London by way of New York and Los Angeles to work for Google and I had come from Indiana by way of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. to work for Salesforce. We fell in love with each other and along the way with the stunning natural beauty of California, so when Cyrus proposed it was perfect in every way: over Lake Tahoe, which had frozen out a hundred yards from the shore, just the two of us. Cyrus grew up skiing in Switzerland and I became a Tahoe convert during my first winter in California, so Tahoe was the perfect location for our winter wonderland wedding.
Danielle and my mom were our two fabulous wedding planners. They literally thought of every possible detail during our long two-year engagement, but sometimes nothing goes as planned…and that was our wedding! The winter of 2019 has been one of Tahoe’s snowiest in 150 years, and it started on our wedding day. As the snow fell, the bus carrying the bridal party from the hotel to the church was one of the last buses on the road. Nearly every road was closed and only the immediate family, wedding party, and a few brave guests managed to make it to church for the ceremony!
Miraculously, after the ceremony we were able to get from Incline Village back to Northstar for our reception. Thanks to some fragrant winter greenery, luxe velvet, and lots of candles, it smelled and looked like a magical winter hideaway. We quickly came up with a back-up plan. It may not have been our first choice, but our family minister, who baptized both my brother and me, performed the ring exchange ceremony at the reception on the stunning white dance floor and 6,600 square feet of white carpet that Danielle had made into a snowy dream. We still managed to say our “I dos!” in front of our incredible guests, many of whom had had harrowing storm experiences to get to the reception but came ready to party and drink American Girl (bourbon) and English Gentlemen (gin) cocktails! My favorite moment of the reception was looking at the glowing faces of everyone who had come all the way from England, New Zealand, Singapore, Germany, Indiana, New York and beyond and feeling so loved while my dad gave an incredible father of the bride speech to end all father of the bride speeches. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, and we danced the night away until one in the morning as the snow fell.
The next day, I put back on my beloved wedding dress for an adventure out in the snow–since we were snowed in anyway! My dress was a custom, long-sleeve, lace, Monique Lhullier dress of my dreams, and I finished it off with my mother’s pearl and diamond bracelet that had been a gift from my father on their wedding day, her original engagement ring that had been set into a pendant as my something borrowed, and my pearl and diamond drop earrings that had been a gift from my now-husband as my something new. He had them custom made at the same family English jeweler, Hancock’s of London, that made our wedding bands and my stunning engagement ring. They are all so special to me and even more special since they came from my husband’s home country. My husband put back on his bespoke white tie from Dege & Skinner, a Savile Row institution. Our photographer, Ryan, and Danielle did such a wonderful job ensuring that we would have the snowy wedding portraits of our dreams to remember a very special winter wedding!
As the minister said during our wedding ceremony, life doesn’t always go according to plan and neither did our wedding, but it was still our perfect winter wonderland.
Photography: Ryan Ray Photography | Videography: Reel Eyes Media | Event Design & Planning: Elise Events | Floral Design: Nancy Liu Chin | Invitations: Yonder Design | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Teri Jon | Hair & Makeup: Hello Darling | Band: Elan Artists | Venue: test | Bridal Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Bridal Fur: Sofia Cashmere | Groom's Tux: Dedge and Skinner | Linen Rentals: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Hensley Event Resources | Rentals: Theoni Collection | Rings & Earrings: Hancock's of London