Regardless of the season, weddings in Lake Tahoe occur daily throughout the year, and the brisk days of winter are no exception. However, due to weather unpredictability and rapid climate changes, it’s a good idea to do a little extra research and planning to assure that your winter wedding will proceed as planned.
Helpful Advice to Ensure a Successful Event
The first and foremost thing you’d want to do before making the journey to Tahoe is to check the day’s weather forecast for the Lake Tahoe area. While your local hometown may be experiencing sunny skies, even if it’s just as little as 50 miles away, Lake Tahoe could be experiencing blizzard-like conditions.
Nevertheless, if you properly prepare yourself for the possibility of snow and allot extra time for the drive, altering your plans due to snowfall may not be necessary. This holds true as long as driving conditions are not too hazardous on the mountain passes and they remain open.
But you may be thinking, “Who wants to get married in a snowstorm?” The fact is, as long as the weather is not to severe, many brides and grooms choose to follow through with their original plans. The unique experience of having an outdoor wedding as snowflakes fall adds to the excitement of the day in addition to creating a doting memory.
Indoor Chapel as an Alternative to the Outdoors
For the less intrepid, however, there may be a local chapel in town that can offer refuge. If weather conditions become so severe just prior to your appointed wedding time, the alternate plan of moving indoors is a common practice and not all too difficult to do, as long as the desired chapel has availability. Keep in mind, though, that these local chapels are often setup to accommodate a limited amount of guests.
Another rather important tip to adhere to when planning your winter event is to avoid reserving an outdoor wedding area and paying the corresponding permit fees for its use. It would be disappointing to spend hundreds of dollars for a permit and then have Mother Nature force your wedding party indoors, later finding that the facility you reserved does not offer refunds.
While there are a few places in South Lake Tahoe where it’s unnecessary to acquire a permit in order to conduct a ceremony outdoors during the winter season, you’re generally restricted to an unembellished service and just a few attending guests. The Beachfront is one example. Although the restrictions may initiate a strategic revision in setting up adornments and the number of attending invitees, it could be a fair tradeoff since money for an unused permit won’t be lost if the outdoor design is forced to be abandoned.
Final Words
In essence, organizing an unadorned ceremony with limited attendees during the frosty midwinter is pragmatic, particularly if unpredictable climate variations cause a nuptial strategy alteration. With just a little judicious thought, planning a winter wedding in Tahoe is quite workable.
Weather can be a deterrent at times, but most often than not, the majority of winter weddings tend to proceed as planned, with only a small portion having to make some location adjustments. Perhaps a winter chill may present itself with a backless wedding gown, but the general consensus of former winter brides and grooms is that the awesome experience of an outdoor winter wedding in Lake Tahoe is well worth it.