I photographed this beautiful backyard wedding at a home on the north side of Lake Tahoe which overlooks Crystal Bay and Incline Village. The brides wanted an intimate celebration with their loved ones in a naturally gorgeous setting. The guest list included their two dogs as ring bearers, one of which was a chihuahua!
The couple booked my custom photography package, which can be perfectly tailored for a wedding of any size. It is very popular for smaller weddings, elopements, and courthouse weddings. Their package included coverage of their first look, ceremony, and the full reception.
First Look
The brides and their wedding party got ready at a vacation rental in Incline Village, which was at a different location than the ceremony and reception. When I arrived, the brides were dressed and ready for their first look.
I should also introduce their dogs, who played a very important role as ring bearers at their wedding. Apollo is a lab, and Cadence is a Chihuahua! I thought they both looked pretty sharp. Since you never know what a dog ring bearer might get into, I made a couple portraits of them all dressed up before we left the house.
Ceremony
After getting ready we drove to the venue, which was at the home of a dear family friend. With stunning views of Lake Tahoe plenty of space for a ceremony arch, this was a great location for a backyard wedding.
There was a bit of haze in the sky from summertime wildfire smoke. But it was minimal. Fortunately, we could still see Lake Tahoe in the background.
Once the ceremony was underway, the dog ring bearers had their moment to shine. They did a great job and made it all the way up the aisle, with maybe a stop or two (or three) along the way!
Cadence the Chihuahua was obviously proud of her job bringing the rings down the aisle!
The ceremony setup included two triangular wedding arches, each with a colorful floral arrangement.
Parents and guests loved hearing the brides’ vows. They shared the history of their relationship and included some fun anecdotes from their early dates and adventures together.
Writing their own marriage vows allowed them to personalize their ceremony and celebrate what makes their relationship unique. There were a few emotional moments along the way.
These are the kinds of special moments I love to photograph during a wedding ceremony!
As any couple exits their wedding ceremony, I always keep my camera up and continue shooting. In this case, I captured these beautiful moments as the brides left the crowd of wedding guests behind.
Backyard Reception
Friends and family all pitched in to make this wedding a big success. They created handmade signs, put out decorations, and celebrated the two brides with some of the sweetest, most heartfelt speeches I have heard in a long time.
Here are some of my favorite photos from their reception!
Donut Bar
Yup- donuts! One of the highlights of this backyard wedding was a donut wall for all the guests to enjoy. The flavors were maple, double chocolate, and old-fashioned blueberry. How they managed to narrow the choices to just three, I will never know!
They also had a small cake just for the brides, decorate with miniature sugar donuts.
Couple Portraits
After the ceremony, I photographed a few candid portraits of the two brides together.
In a small grove of trees, I found some creative angles with the green foliage.
Near the Lake Tahoe overlook, there was a colorful flower garden that made a nice for foreground for some photos of the brides.
After sunset, I used the view of Lake Tahoe and a blue twilight sky to make a wide-angle backlit portrait.
Although this reception wasn’t a dance party, per se, the brides did enjoy a first dance together on the poolside patio. I found some interesting lighting and a creative angle that added a little magic to the composition.
Wedding Photography
Are you planning a LGBTQ backyard wedding in Lake Tahoe or somewhere else? I would love to be your photographer! Go to my contact page and shoot me a message to find out if I am available on your date.
You can also swing by my wedding portfolio or elopements portfolio pages to see examples of my work at weddings of all sizes.
