Desiree and Brandon’s Lake Tahoe elopement didn’t start with a wedding inquiry. It actually started a few years earlier when Desiree found me on Instagram looking for someone to photograph their engagement photos. She wanted something classy and vintage-inspired with a little edge to it. My immediate thought was basically, oh, we’re going to get along just fine.

We ended up photographing their engagement session at The Mason in Dallas, and I loved how comfortable they were being completely themselves in front of my camera. There was this really natural balance between the polished, editorial moments and the ones where their personalities took over. At the time, though, they had no idea what they wanted to do for their wedding. And I kind of loved that they didn’t force themselves to figure it out.

There can be so much pressure around weddings to have an answer for everything immediately. Where are you getting married? When? How many people? What colors? What’s the vibe? Suddenly you get engaged, and everyone expects you to have developed a comprehensive five-year strategic plan by Tuesday. Desiree and Brandon gave themselves time.

We stayed in touch over the next few years, and they even modeled for a wedding styled shoot for me while we waited to see where their own plans would eventually take them. Then Desiree finally reached out: they had decided on Lake Tahoe. Brandon is from Nevada, so getting married there gave the destination a personal connection. And when they told me they couldn’t imagine anyone else photographing their wedding, I won’t pretend that didn’t get me a little emotional.

I had photographed them engaged, photographed them dressed as a bride and groom before they technically were one, and now I was flying to Nevada to photograph the moment they actually became husband and wife. Some stories don’t need to be rushed. The waiting becomes part of them.

A Personalized Wedding Day at Sand Harbor

If Desiree and Brandon had one goal for their wedding, it was pretty simple: they wanted to enjoy it. Not spend the afternoon watching the clock, disappear for two hours of family photo combinations, or turn their wedding into an elaborate production. They wanted to exchange their vows, make the whole marriage thing official, spend time with the people they loved, take some beautiful photos, and eventually get themselves back to the hotel casino. Priorities. I appreciate them.

Their ceremony took place at Sand Harbor State Park on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, surrounded by clear blue water, granite boulders, pine trees, and mountains stretching across the opposite shore. It was my first time in Nevada, and the end-of-May weather showed off for us: temperatures in the high 70s, clear skies, no rain threatening our plans, and a cool breeze coming off the lake.

Desiree and Brandon stood beside the water and read their vows from little books they had brought with them. And everyone around them seemed to understand the assignment. Their guests were easygoing and completely willing to roll with the day. And yes, at some point Desiree poured champagne directly into Brandon’s mouth while two impeccably dressed little boys watched the situation unfold. Romance contains multitudes.

Lake Tahoe Elopement Photos Without Turning the Day Into a Photoshoot

After the ceremony and celebrating with everyone, we carved out time for Desiree and Brandon to wander around Sand Harbor together. I say “carved out time” intentionally because their portraits were important to them, but they didn’t want photography to take over the wedding. There’s a difference.

You can care deeply about having beautiful photographs without wanting your entire day to feel like one long photoshoot. In fact, I think some of the strongest images happen when we leave enough space for both things to exist: a little thoughtful direction when it serves the photograph, and plenty of room for you to be with the person you just married.

We moved between the enormous rocks along the shoreline, little stretches of sand, pine trees, and overlooks above the water. Earlier in the afternoon, the lake was bright blue beneath the clear sky. As the sun dropped lower, everything softened. They could wander together without needing to perform anything for me. And every once in a while, I could step in and create something a little more intentional.

You Don’t Need to Do the Most for It to Mean the Most

I think there’s a misconception that an elopement needs to be more to make it special. You need an elaborate itinerary. A sunrise hike. Three locations. A helicopter. Possibly a llama carrying your vows up a mountain. Who knows. But Desiree and Brandon’s wedding was proof that meaning doesn’t come from how much you can fit into a day.

They waited until they knew what they wanted, chose a place connected to their story, and brought the people they wanted beside them. They said their vows by the water, celebrated without taking themselves too seriously, made time for photographs that felt like them, and then headed back to enjoy the rest of their night exactly how they wanted.

After knowing these two for years, I can’t imagine their wedding having happened any other way. And really, ending your Lake Tahoe elopement day married to your favorite person at a casino? Could be worse.

Vendors

Hair | Madison Cate
Makeup | Crystal Bell Beauty
Spray Tan | Shaded
Floral | Dream Weaver