When planning a Tahoe wedding outdoors in the winter season, brides and grooms oftentimes are unsure of what to expect on their wedding day due to the notorious unpredictability of inclement weather that occurs in the Lake Tahoe area.
While a large number of weddings take place in summer, Tahoe remains a popular destination wedding venue throughout the year, including the brisk days of winter, and if you come prepared, you can expect your wedding day to unfurl as planned, with perhaps, on occasion, a minor twist.
What to Expect if Setting a Midwinter Event Date
The severest of weather in Lake Tahoe oftentimes occurs in December and typically continues through March, but that is not to say that heavy snow storms don’t befall the basin in other months of the year, including those of summertime.
To be sure, you can expect torrential storms at any given time, but the preponderance of snow storms usually arise in the late fall and persist, at various intensities, until the early spring, with some years having an extended winter season lasting for an even longer interval.
Naturally, the safest plan to avoid the zesty winter cold on your special occasion is to plan an indoor wedding in one of the chapels that are available on both the north and south shore. However, there is nothing more romantic and serene than having an open air wedding amidst the frosted trees and snow laden mountains that surround the beautiful water of Lake Tahoe.
The harshest of storms will close the mountain passes that access Tahoe, but a majority of the time they remain passable, if prepared. It’s recommended to always carry chains in your vehicle regardless of the time of year. Automobiles and SUV’s equipped with four wheel drive coupled with snow studded tires can endure almost any type of unexpected road conditions.
Be Weather-Wise and Plan Accordingly
If you’ve planned an informal wedding, ski jackets and parkas can shield you from wind and low temperatures, making the weather conditions a non-factor in most cases. Too, large golf umbrellas work wonders if the snow is heavy and wet.
When weather is so severe that it becomes near impossible to host your celebration outdoors, no need to panic because nearby indoor chapels can be an alternative. If a chapel is required and has your desired time slot available, your wedding can still proceed as scheduled with only a slight change in venue.
Planning a Tahoe wedding during the winter season can, at times, present a few obstacles, but the bliss of an outdoor, wintery white ceremony certainly can outweigh any disadvantages. Being prepared while traveling and having a solid backup plan, such as tentatively securing an indoor facility, assures the bride and groom that their wedding day will progress as devised, which engenders a soothing confidence that cancelling the most important event of their lives will not have to be their only option.
Additional Resources
Read more about winter weddings in Lake Tahoe or visit our winter locations found along the beautiful south shore of Tahoe, including Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort where you can ski down the aisle of matrimony and the resort’s gondola where a ride up the mountainside will bring you to the observation deck for a mountaintop ceremony.