Summer Lakefront Tahoe Wedding at West Shore Cafe
California was just reopening in June of 2021, and after a full year postponement, Madeline and Chris were finally able to have a spectacular wedding and celebration on a sunny Lake Tahoe summer day! The couple lives on the east coast, with their fluffy golden retriever, Remy. Remy was their honorary flower girl (from afar). With family and friends traveling in different parts of the country, this was a true destination wedding, planned by talented Sandy of Strings and Champange Events.
The West Shore Cafe is also an Inn, so much of the family’s accommodations were conveniently right there at the wedding venue. The bride Madeline got ready with bridesmaids and family with their windows overlooking the amazing views of Lake Tahoe. Madeline’s sister and maid of honor also got married at the West Shore Cafe, so the venue was very special to their family.
Madeline and Chris met in college at North Carolina. From Chris: “At Davidson, Madeline played field hockey and I played soccer, so we had a decent number of mutual friends, but weren’t exactly friends ourselves. Despite crossing paths around campus and in class on several occasions, we never really got to know each other until the spring of my Junior / her Sophmore year. We spent that year’s Spring Break down in Florida with a group of men’s and women’s soccer players and a handful of field hockey girls. It was on that trip that things started to click for both of us.”
The couple held their First Look at Homewood mountain, where the bride grew up skiing with her family.
“Despite Madeline’s stubborn nature in the beginning, I was eventually able to win her over, and we’ve been together ever since. We both found jobs in the Charlotte area after graduation, moved in together, picked up our dog, Remy (the best-looking dog I have ever seen, unbiased, of course), and finally made this whole thing semi-official in March of 2019.”
Why Lake Tahoe?
From the bride, Madeline: “Well, why not? In all honesty, Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. My family has spent summer vacations, winter breaks, long weekends, and the 4th of July’s up in Tahoe since I was born. With my Grandpa Chuck’s itch to have ‘a mountain cottage with a lot big enough for a tennis court,’ my grandparent’s bought a piece of land in Incline Village, Nevada, back in 1969. He found this crummy lot on the corner of the street that he describes as ‘kind of ugly,’ but he could envision its beauty. My grandparents and great-grandparents started building the house in 1976, and spent the next 4 years assembling almost every inch of the house and tennis court completely on their own. Their labor of love was finished Memorial Day weekend in 1980. Back then, I don’t think any of them knew what Tahoe would grow to mean to them, their kids, and their grandkids over the years.”
Their gorgeous lakefront ceremony, with a beautiful flower arch decorated by Organic Flora.
From the bride: “No matter how busy life gets, we all make our way back to Tahoe a couple of times a year to keep old memories alive and continue to make new ones. It didn’t take long for Chris to pick up on how special this place is to us. Nearly 6 years after his first trip to Tahoe, he is now one of Grandpa’s favorite tennis partners and has made the list of house handymen when working through the annual house maintenance checklist. He has embraced our Canasta playing, buttermilk pancake eating, puzzle making lifestyle with open arms and fits right into our mountain clan.:
The bride and groom boarded her grandfather’s boat for a ride around Lake Tahoe.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom boarded her grandpa Chuck’s beautiful wood boat, the “Giovanni,” with guests watching from ashore, popped a bottle of champagne, and took a ride around Lake Tahoe while guests enjoyed cocktail hour.
After enjoying that quiet moment to themselves, the newly minted bride and groom offboarded and proceeded to dance down the pier and to their reception, greeted by their cheering guests!
Lakefront dining at its best! The summer weather made dining alfresco perfect at West Shore Cafe.
After dinner, guests were served their own Baked Bear ice-cream sandwiches, a favorite of the bride’s.
The best man, Chris’ brother gives his toast at dinner.
A fun group of friends with the bride and groom.
Sunset photos along the shore with the beautiful couple!
After dinner, guests were invited into the ballroom for dancing. The bride and groom kicked off the dance party!
The bride and groom’s first dance inside the West Shore Cafe.
As the sun set, guests enjoyed the lakefront lounges on the deck and pier.
The West Shore Cafe has an amazing indoor and outdoor flow, and guests enjoyed dancing but also the summer night and fire pit on the deck.
Vendor Credits:
Planning: Strings and Champagne Events
Photography: Sonya Yruel
Photography Assistance: Sarah Rittenour
Venue & Catering: West Shore Cafe
Flowers: Organic Flora
Makeup: Kiss & Makeup Tahoe
Hair: Studio 89
DJ: Moonlight Mobile DJ
Desserts: The Baked Bear
Honorary Flower Girl: The couple’s golden retriever, Remy (unfortunately not able to travel for the wedding!)
Photo Film Processing: The Find Lab
Contact Sonya for more info about photography for your Lake Tahoe wedding!