Stunningly Elegant Tahoe Wedding. Oh and it's DIY!!!
I was wowed when I first saw this glamorous mountain wedding on focusphotoTahoe. But when I learned that this beautiful wedding was also a DIY affair, I was amazed. It completely changed my idea of what a DIY mountain wedding could and should look like. The bride, Sarah, looks like a bombshell and her brooch-inspired felt bouquet adds glamorous whimsy to the mix. But what truly impressed me was how she incorporated classic rustic elements from the surrounding mountains into her wedding with out making it look too woodsy. I mean this girl makes birch bark and pine cones look elegant and charming. And of course, the best part is that Sarah has agreed to share her best Hindsight Advice!
Real Hindsight Advice From the Bride
Ryan and I actually in Kansas, which is where I am from. I was home on Winter break from college and he came to a wedding in my home town. I met him through my twin sister's boyfriend, now-husband. We spent every day he was in town together. When it was time for him to leave I asked him not to go, and without hesitation he stayed…..he missed his first week of classes. The following quarter I transferred to UCSB… :)
We chose Tahoe as our wedding destination because of it's obvious beauty and it was a place we spent time together when we were in college, we would met there occasionally when we were apart. It's a very special place for us. We also love all of the outdoor activities in Tahoe.
Ryan and I chose to get married in South Tahoe, CA. We were engaged there in the winter and it's a spot we often spend time together. The planning process went pretty smoothly; we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted and we had a lot of help. Still we struggled with the guest list.
My husband's mom helped a lot with the special elements we incorporated in the wedding. We used a lot of natural elements from the Tahoe area, including pine cones and sugar pines from their backyard. Even our hurricane candles had pine cones. We topped off the end of the night with guests waving sparklers when we left the reception, which was really fun. I also made all of our flowers out of felt. My sisters husband made our cupcake stand out of tree rounds from a tree in their backyard. I guess you could say all of our elements were special and rooted in a sense of place.
What are three things you're glad you did?
- Our friends rented an amazing house on the lake with an indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna. We had a blast with the blizzard outside and us in the pool inside, and on occasion outside.
- Our rehearsal dinner wasn't typical, we included many of our friends and family who traveled far to come be with us.
- Third thing I'm really glad we did was have our bachelorette and bachelor parties in Tahoe two days before the wedding. Everyone was able to attend and it was a blast.
Three things you wish you had done?
- Hired a wedding planner
- Sent out save the dates
- Sent my invitations out sooner.
Three things you wish you hadn't done?
- I wouldn't have planned activities during the week, you never know what the weather is going to do.
- I wish I wouldn't have started my bouquet so close to the wedding. I was still making flowers a few days before.
- I also would have stayed out of hotel arrangements.
Three things you wish you hadn't worried about
- Upsetting people we couldn't invite
- My husbands tux
- Our dogs at home.
Team Wedding
Venue: Edgewood Tahoe
Caterer: Edgewood Tahoe
Photographer: Nina Miller from focusphotoTahoe
DJ: Brett Axelbaum of Platinum DJ