Throughout California there’s a vast amount of unique and wonderful places to get married in the outdoors, but Northern California boasts a concentrated area of outside wedding sites that rival the best in the south. Three salient venues completely surrounded by natural beauty set in the midst of nature are found along the southern shore of Lake Tahoe, a small mountainous community that harbors the third largest alpine lake in the world.
Mainly during the spring and summer seasons, outdoor weddings are extremely desirable in Lake Tahoe, and three highly endorsed locations, Emerald Bay, Logan Shoals, and Tahoe Paradise Park, are fervently sought after by brides and grooms searching for an ideal, open-air place to marry. Each of these locations are characteristically different, yet the quintessence of their encompassing beauty retain great similarities.
Emerald Bay
On a bluff overlooking Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay exhibits a remarkable scenic view that stretches to the horizons. Towering 300 feet above the water, the wedding is conducted in a secluded area near the edge of a precipice. A short narrow path leading to the overlook of Emerald Bay ends where the ceremony takes place. The slightly ascending jaunt brings you across a large, rocky hill that serves as a barrier, sheltering you from the rest of the world as you unite in matrimony. The colossal peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range surround the lake and are a perfect background to the unspoiled body of water resting in the foreground, creating an ideal setting for a monumental occasion.
Logan Shoals
With similar characteristics to Emerald Bay, the wedding site at Logan Shoals consists of a secluded area that sits high over the water with a fantastic backdrop for your vow and ring exchange. In contrast, however, the ceremony is conducted in a nook that’s carved alongside a rocky mountainous area. The nook grants a protected area for a very private wedding for you and your guests.
Adding to its splendor, the vista at Logan Shoals provides a westward view, which presents the opportunity for an attention-grabbing sunset wedding. If timing and conditions are right, you’ll witness an alpenglow sunset, an effect that occurs as the sun dips below the horizon causing a reddish-hue in the sky, a phenomenon characteristic of sunsets in the mountains.
Tahoe Paradise Park
A short distance from South Lake Tahoe and resting aside Lake Baron – an offshoot of the Truckee River – is Tahoe Paradise Park, a fairly isolated area imparting seclusion and feelings of tranquility. The ceremony site is adjacent to the lake and is totally engulfed by the rugged peaks of the Sierras, generating an ambiance and vision that is inexpressible.
The wedding is typically conducted next to the 1,000 year old cedar tree. Lake Baron is contiguous to the nuptial area, establishing an appealing photographic backdrop for both the ritual and formals afterwards. In contrast to Emerald Bay and Logan Shoals, large guest attendance at Tahoe Paradise Park is possible.
Fantastic outdoor places exist almost everywhere throughout California, but the northern part of the state has some of the best outdoor nature sites available for a wedding ceremony, many of which exist in or around Lake Tahoe. Choosing to get married in a natural habitat that produces unparalleled beauty and an environment of serenity is a favorable choice for couples, and Emerald Bay, Logan Shoals, and Tahoe Paradise Park are three unique ceremony sites that offer these exceedingly desirable qualities.
