Whimsical Boho Wedding at Twenty Mile House, Tahoe: Sarah + Sam

Are you thinking of planning a dreamy, forest wedding soon? Imagine yourself waking up, and as you open your front door, a pinkish orange sunrise paints across the sky and reflects in ripples across a lake nearby. Pine trees and mountains fill the horizon that in just a few short hours, you’ll be married under. Anticipation and excitement fills the air because today is your wedding day!

This is exactly what it felt like waking up in Graeagle, Tahoe for Sarah & Sam’s wedding at the Twenty Mile House. Still pondering if you want that perfect, dreamy forest wedding? Come along for Sarah and Sam’s Tahoe wedding adventure, where they went from lazy river rafting, to a Mexican dinner rehearsal, to their wedding with all the fall boho feels! 

~Scroll to the end for Sarah & Sam’s Wedding Video

So how did I meet this amazing couple? Sarah and Sam live in the same hometown as me & we got connected because I happened to unexpectedly be friends with the groom and some of the groomsmen. Sarah and Sam are extremely kind humans with a love for music and really good drinks. Like many of the couples I plan weddings for, Sarah and Sam were the perfect match; it felt like planning a wedding for family!

When we met, they were looking for a destination venue that had a dreamy, forest feel. The Twenty Mile House, which is an all-inclusive venue about an hour up from North Tahoe, was the perfect spot. The venue used to be a trading post in 1854, eventually becoming a general store, a railroad stop, a private residence and now an incredible wedding venue with onsite cabins to stay in for the weekend.

Together we came up with a whimsical boho wedding aesthetic and the bride, Sarah knew & planned exactly what decor she wanted. Her main want was LOTS of pampas grass, because you can’t go boho without pampas grass in the floral arrangements!  A fun, unique thing Sarah and Sam did was send their personalized wedding invites to their favorite music artists including Taylor Swift and the Abbot Brothers. So, if they happen to be reading this, hello! 

One of the best things Sarah and Sam got to plan & experience was lazy river rafting the day before their wedding; and I mean who ACTUALLY gets to have fun + not stress before their wedding! (the benefits of having a wedding planner comes in handy. I also helped plan a full weekend of events, including a Mexican themed rehearsal dinner with a relaxing, easygoing vibe. Guests also enjoyed a full BBQ dinner for the wedding and a special brunch the morning after! 

Overall, the guest experience was THE BEST! Besides being treated with all of the amazing food, when arriving at their cabins for the weekend, guests received custom Welcome Packages and Hangover Kits. At the ceremony, guests were also complimented with many guest favors including; custom hand sanitizer, shawls, fans, and bird seed to throw once the couple were married. The guests were also greeted with their choice of signature cocktail before the ceremony & delicious, handcrafted drinks during cocktail hour by Petite Street Bar, an awesome mobile bar vendor. 

And the guest experience doesn’t stop there, because during the reception there was a beautiful lounge space by Tahoe Rustic Rentals, a unique photo experience from The Vintage Photobooth van from Orange County, and a custom CD with Sarah and Sam’s favorite songs on them! 

The vendors for Sarah & Sam’s wedding were incredible, and I was especially thankful to work with the Twenty Mile House Staff and venue director, Rachel. The florist, Sonia Greys, even went out of her way to hide dream catchers in the wedding ceremony arch to surprise the bride with small, personal touches! Gia Boyd Designs also handmade beautiful custom signs, stationary, programs, and favors. Each reception table setting included a handmade coaster, menu, and dream catcher.

One of the most stunning pieces for Sarah & Sam’s wedding was the ceremony arch, which we moved behind the sweetheart table for the reception and added a neon sign saying, “You’re My Golden Hour” a line from their first dance song “Golden Hour,” by Kasey Musgraves. A new popular, but once uncommon trend they loved was being able to include their dog, Zeppelin, who happily found a favorite spot curled up on Sarah’s dress train. 

A huge thank you to Lisa (my best friend), who was my assistant for the weekend and went on coffee walks with me in the beautiful town of Graeagle, prior to the wedding.

Here are all of the amazing vendors you can check out on Instagram!

Venue- @twentymilehouse

Planning- @jamisonevents

Photography- @composingreality

Florals- @sonia.grays

Videography- @32degreesmedia

Catering- @pangea_catering

Rentals- @tahoerusticrentals

DJ Entertainment 530

Desserts @placejanes

Bar- @petite.street

Photo booth Bus- @californiaboothbus

Stationary & Signs- @giaboyd_design

Hair- @hairbywhitneywhiting

Makeup- @makeupbyerikalua

Officiant- @matrimonial_mindy

Production Assistant- @_lisalorenephotography_

Bride- @sarahstone90

Groom- @sanchocash

Courtney & Chas’ Lake Tahoe Wedding in the Mountains

How do you find a beautiful destination venue? Well, if you’re looking for an outdoor space with trees and a VIEW, like Courtney and Chas were, look no further!

The Resort at Squaw Creek is a luxury venue in Lake Tahoe, California. A resort that offers an idyllic mountain setting with tall pine trees and lush meadows. This venue became the perfect place for Courtney and Chas’s wedding!

We met Courtney and Chas because the bride happened to be a sister of one of my long time friends in Fresno, where I was born. Although we had one postponement of their wedding due to the pandemic, when we rescheduled the wedding, we wanted them to have an entire weekend of fun! Courtney and Chas’s main focus of the weekend was to celebrate with their closest friends and family, and to dance the night away.

The wedding ceremony was on the Golf Greens which had a sweeping view of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Even though it snowed the week prior and SNOW was still on the mountains, the weather could not have been more perfect! We then proceeded to a cozy cocktail hour with fireplaces outside.

After cocktail hour, we moved to the tented Reception space. We originally tented the Reception for the aesthetic, but we were so glad we did because it started to rain. I was told by locals brief showers like that are common, and within ten minutes, a quick storm moved in with thunder and lightning, then left. Luckily everyone was already in the tent by the time that happened. 

One of my favorite and proudest parts of the reception was the head table, where the Couples’ friend had made a backdrop wall to display their beautiful florals and a neon “The Rowlands'' sign. And the entire reception was filled with a fun night of music and dance, just like the couple envisioned! 

I want to say how wonderful the vendors were, because everyone worked really hard to make it an amazing weekend! And to my best friend, Lisa, who also assisted me and took behind the scenes photos, I appreciate and love you dearly. We added a little time in our drive home to stop and capture some fun photos, and see my parents who were nearby too!

Vendors: 

• Venue: @resortatsquawcreek

• Photography: @jessicalynn_photo

• Planning: @jamisonevents

• Florals & Decor: @love_and_lupines

• DJ: @modernsymphonydj

• Videography: @rebi.films

• Makeup: @makeup.by.dara

• Hair: @gianna.hoov