While deciding on wedding venues for our wedding last year, I was really set on doing an east coast thing.  Unfortunately our top choice ended up canceling all wedding reservations for that year.  We had to decide quick, due to a set date but no venue, and Melody really loved the idea of the mountain and lakes.  There was always a top choice in her mind, but it really took me a lot of convincing to finally succumb to her requests.  So we decided to go out after we booked the venue to get everything situated, which included the food, flowers and venue (really for decorations).  I wasn’t as interested in the mundane wedding details, I knew that it was going to be beautiful no matter what, especially with Melody deciding on the decor.  I really wanted to get some shots from around the lake, and was really hopeful for the weather to be something interesting.

The first task at hand, after we arrived in Tahoe the day before was to get a few sunrise shots and I had Bonsai Rock in mind.  There were clouds and I was pretty hopeful for something to come of it.  What ended up happening was some very violent water activity and lots of snow! Here was the first shot I setup for the day, it eventually started to snow and Melody was in Love.

Mel and Kel at Bonsai Rock.

Melody, playing in the snow.  It was so cute watching her try to catch a flake on her tongue, and the reaction she had afterwards seen here.

And after the snow started to slow, I captured this last shot before we headed to Sand Dollar beach.

So we headed over to our venue, visited our wedding planner, and also checked out the local florist. But the real action happened after all the things were done. Melody and I ended up circumnavigating the lake to just get a feel for the place. One of the locations was the Sugar Pine State Park. I really loved the light at the time, so I told Melody to stand in the snow to setup a shot of us. Here is a practice shot with Melody.

And Mel and Kel with the pines.

Later that night, we figured we catch a different vantage point for sunset. We headed to Emerald Bay, one of the most iconic points on the lake, to get a few sunset shots before we met with some potential officiants for our wedding. We started at the lot, but I decided to go off the beaten path to get a better view.

As the sun started setting, we got some really interesting cloud formations and colors.  A few of the shots I took ended up being a package for our invitations to the wedding!

The afterglow, with just a few rays coloring the sky.

The next day, we visited a more calm Bonsai Rock. It was great to have such a serene feel at this location, a lack of clouds added to the atmosphere.

I love this girl, she has grown so much with me and is always my sidekick. Here is Melody taking a few shots of her own!

As the morning rays kissed the sides of the mountains, I got a few shots of the snow covered terrain.

I loved all the moss growing around the area, especially on the trees.

Also the lone pine, with pristine snow.

And a little cabin in the woods.

Our last stop was in Truckee, a sweet little town with lots of boutique shops.  And I will leave you with that!