A winter wedding can be so gorgeous, but up in Lake Tahoe? Absolutely BREATHTAKING.  During the winter, the mountains and trees are filled with a fluffy, white blanket of snow, resulting in the most breathtaking landscapes. 

Here are 5 super romantic Lake Tahoe winter wedding ideas to make your special day magical.

1. Consider Your Venue

Whether you want to have your wedding indoors by a roaring fireplace or outside enjoying the snow, there are plenty of winter venue options in Tahoe. And a bonus, some wedding venues even have special winter discounts!

The Ridge Tahoe gives you the best of both worlds with a beautiful outdoor ceremony that is right in the middle of frosted trees and cozy indoor reception. This venue has stunning views overlooking the lake that are sure to be the perfect backdrop for photos. 

Are you the adventurous type? Do you want to ride a gondola up to your wedding? If so, Heavenly Ski Resort is calling your name! You and your guests can have the time of your lives way up in the mountains.

If you’ve always wanted a beach ceremony, but also want your dream winter wedding, the Beach Retreat & Lodge at Tahoe is perfect for you! 

Do you want to embrace the winter vibes and celebrate in a rustic ballroom with a beautiful stone fireplace, wooden beams, and gorgeous chandeliers? The Chateau at Incline Village is your spot!

Or would you prefer a venue with historic charm, twinkle lights, and a holiday theme in December? Valhalla Tahoe is seriously straight out of a fairytale! 

If you want something completely unique, you could have your wedding on a Lake Tahoe Bleu Wave cruise! You will truly get a full view of the glistening water, snow-capped mountains, and beautiful greenery. You can’t get any closer to Tahoe than right on the lake!

SO. MANY. OPTIONS.

2. Prepare Your Attire Beforehand

Now onto the outfits! Tahoe winters can be quite chilly… but do you know what this means? All of your long-sleeved wedding dress dreams come true! 

Imagine an elegant and romantic dress with long sleeves, a vintage fur coat, or some fabulous winter boots to keep you warm. A winter wedding is a perfect occasion to go all out and be bold with your outfit. 

With that being said, can you think of anything more fitting than a velvet suit?  Think deep red, emerald, or classic black. No matter what look you go for, you and your partner are sure to look absolutely amazing on your special day. 

3. The Right Decorations Matter

To turn your Lake Tahoe wedding into a winter wonderland, you’ll want the right décor to make you feel like you and your guests are right in the middle of a fairytale. If you want to keep it simple, hang up fairy lights and use some pinecones and candles for centerpieces. 

If glamourous is more your style, add in sparkle, metallics, and glitter wherever you can. Add white roses everywhere, crystal chandeliers, lace table runners, and hints of gold to add some glitz. 

You can tie in the colors from Lake Tahoe’s beauty all around you: white from the smooth, powdery snow atop the mountains, blue from the sparkling water, or green from the surrounding trees. 

If you want to use more bold colors, plum, silver, crimson, and navy are the perfect winter colors.  The possibilities are endless with your color palette! 

If you want to give out wedding favors, you might as well keep with the winter theme and give out some cute goodies to your guests. Snuggly blankets, cozy gloves, hot chocolate kits, hand warmers, and fuzzy socks are just a few ideas you could use!  There are so many winter wedding ideas – take a look on Pinterest or other social media platforms.

4. Prepare Your Menu

With a winter wedding comes so many choices of food and drink! You can truly embrace the winter weather and be creative with your menu. Since it’s going to be cold, you can enjoy some warm drinks, like hot chocolate, eggnog, and hot buttered rum. 

Can you imagine indulging in a cup of hot chocolate while watching the snowflakes fall outside? So cozy! Mulled wine, cranberry and pomegranate cocktails, and salted caramel drinks are also great festive options that could compliment your winter color palette. 

For dessert, a lot of venues offer a s’mores station. How fun! You and your guests could relax and warm up by a fire pit to enjoy the ooey-gooey goodness of s’mores. 

Of course, you can’t forget the cake! There are so many unique delicious winter cake flavors you can choose from seasonal flavors like gingerbread, snickerdoodle, and hazelnut, or classic flavors like vanilla, lemon, and chocolate. 

Not only does your cake have to taste good, but it has to look good too! When there are so many different styles to choose from, it can be a little tough, but you can make it easy by incorporating all of your favorite parts of your wedding. 

Draw inspiration from the outdoors and coat the cake with fir trees or decorate with greenery to tie in the beautiful nature of Lake Tahoe. Add delicate details with your color palette, garnish with berries for a subtle nod to your cocktails, or maybe a simple, elegant, perfectly white cake is right up your alley. 

Planning your wedding can be overwhelming but picking out your cake should be one of the most enjoyable moments, so have fun with it!

5. Hire A Photographer

You’ll want to remember every precious detail of your wedding day, so hiring a photographer that shares your vision is important. There are so many romantic photo opportunities that come with a winter wedding. 

Make the best of the weather! The beautiful, snow-capped peaks and frosted trees are the perfect backgrounds for your wedding photos. 

A “first look” with your partner is the best way to have an intimate moment with the love of your life before your wedding begins. What better place to experience this magical moment than outside in the snow? You may worry if it starts to snow, but trust us, it makes for some enchanting pictures! 

Head over to Blanca & Brandon and let us know how we can help! We’re a husband and wife photography team that understand the importance of documenting every beautiful moment during your wedding!