A Winter Elopement at South Lake Tahoe : Callie + Jared

I’m a sucker for a snowy winter elopement so this one was giving me all the feels.

Here are some words about their day and story from the team at VILD Photography, Rob and Mary Louise :

“Callie and Jared’s wedding was anything but traditional, but that is completely appropriate given their unique situation. The couple chose to elope against the stark background of Lake Tahoe in the winter, a setting, and a location that brought their worlds together. Read on to find out more about the couple and the story behind their union.

The bride and groom started out as high school sweethearts. Their lives twisted and turned to locate them on different sides of the globe and Callie ended up in warm and sunny California while Jared planted roots in cold and snowy Canada. They kept up their relationship long-distance and after 10 years they decided to make it official.

The couple chose a Lake Tahoe winter wedding because they felt it was the perfect combination of their lifestyles. Once the location was decided upon, they needed to start making plans on what their special day was going to entail. Callie and Jerod decided to make things as stress-free as possible. They knew the natural background would keep them from having to find a venue and decorate it. They also loved that it allowed the day to focus more on them.

The florals were also kept to a minimum. They turned to Thran’s Flowers to provide them with an elegant bouquet and matching boutonniere. They noted that the scenery did a lot to make up for any greenery that was otherwise lacking.

During the ceremony, the bride and groom exchanged rings care of Zales jewelers. Cassie’s diamond-encrusted band was the perfect match for her engagement ring which also featured a band of diamonds. Jerod’s ring was a masculine, thick gold band.

Afterward, the couple sipped champagne and headed down to the beach to take some romantic shots. They also frolicked through the meadow and enjoyed some very tender moments and their first dance.

It is heartwarming to know Cassie and Jared shared such a special day together and to have been a part of it. We hope the rest of their lives are filled with moments like these. ”

Photography : VILD Photography

Location: South Lake Tahoe, CA

Flowers: Thran’s Flowers

Hair : RAH Hair Studio

Officiant: Marie Louise from VILD Photography

Bride’s Attire : Stylish Bride Accs and BHLDN

Grooms Attire: J. Crew and Club Monoco

Shoes/Boots : Timberland, Clarks, Journee Collection and Cole Haan

Rings: Zales

 

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: We are high school sweethearts! We have been together for ten years now. The proposal story is absolutely a perfect match to Jared’s personality! After dinner, we went to a place that he had picked out ahead of time, but had never actually scoped out before (we were long distance at the time, so this proposal happened during one of our visits together).  Turns out, this place has no lights at night time, so we were walking around in the dark while Jared tried to find the lake he was supposed to propose in front of! So, he found a super cute barn that had a tiny light on the front, and got down on his knee. It was so adorable, and so sweet. We went back the next day and took some engagement photos with that beautiful lake in the background!

Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

A: Our wedding was meant to feel and look exactly like what a wedding should be – a perfect blend between the both of us. We live in California, which is where I (the bride) am from, and the groom is from cold and snowy Canada. Tahoe in the winter time was a perfect combination of our two lives. We made our day as stress-free as possible for us, so the planning was super minimal (color palette was blue, because the blanket we bought to wrap ourselves in was blue!). We wanted a simple, calm, peaceful day, and that’s exactly what we got.

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

A: The entire day from start to finish was all about us. We loved spending such a precious time together just connecting with the world around us, exploring and enjoying such a beautiful and peaceful place. Our favorite part was the whole day! But also, our first dance in a magical snowy meadow all alone was true bliss, and may have been one of the best moments.

Q: Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

A: For me (the bride), it was A LOT of online shopping. Hours of combing through white skirts and tops looking for something bridal, but not super traditional, because eloping is not super traditional. I wanted to be warm, so I ended up choosing a white, hand-knit wool sweater to go with my full length skirt. But, I also wanted show off my body while I still can! So I went with a skirt that had a slit up to my thigh and my sweater is cropped to show a bit of my stomach above my high-waisted skirt. I was cold, but so warm with love! Jared (the groom) also wanted to wear wool, so he found a wool-blend dress pant that he loved and found a blue sport jacket that went with the tones in the pants. We both love shoes, so we got creative with those! I wore suede boots with applique flower details and he wore oxford style leather dress shoes. The taupe of my boots complimented the brown in his, and we really got to exercise our personal styles there.

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

A: This day was so big for us because we had been together long-distance for almost 10 years. Not only was this the beginning of our married lives, it was the beginning of a physical relationship that we never really had the chance to have. We were so excited to just finally be together in the same place and celebrating our love.

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: My advice is to elope! I can’t even count the number of people that I’ve had tell me “I wish we had done that!” I mean seriously, best decision ever. But in any case, the most important thing to remember is that this day is about YOU. It’s not about your parents, nor any of your guests, it’s all about you. Do whatever makes you happy and let your worries about your guests fade. They will be happy for you and that’s all that matters.