It’s Never Too Late To Plan Your Vow Renewal in Lake Tahoe
This styled mountain vow renewal near Lake Tahoe has a very special place in my heart. Not only did we hike 7miles with all of our gear and decor, but we also planned and witnessed Dorine & Jeff’s vow renewal.
When I first asked Dorine & Jeff to model for our styled hiking elopement shoot, they were ecstatic because they’ve been married for 2 years and never had their wedding portrait taken. This shifted my whole original plan and decided to give them a Vow Renewal experience to celebrate their love as husband and wife.
They both absolutely love the outdoors and enjoy hiking together so when they heard the new plans, we were all excited!!
Searching For the Best Places To Renew Your Vows In California
This vow renewal location is 45min away from North Lake Tahoe and there was a lot of research that went into picking a location that was secluded, not too difficult, and a bit of adventure. I spent at least 3-5 days looking for locations and I saw this one location with a swing and in my heart, I knew this was the location.
The amazing things about this location was:
- It had very few reviews but they all had something amazing to say
- Images I saw were breathtaking
- SWING!!!
- Easy access from the main road
These are the elements I spend time looking over when I do my research for my couple’s Location List and it all comes down to “is it realistic”
I’ve had so many locations that I had to pass because I value the experience more than the epic scenery. Even the most popular locations like Yosemite have a downside! It’s all about weighing out your options and deciding what’s most important to my couples!
If you are looking for a Lake Tahoe elopement photographer or planning to elope in Lake Tahoe, I’d love to help! Check out my Lake Tahoe Elopement Packages to see if we are a good fit!
Lessons I Learned From Hiking In High Elevation
This was my first time hiking up into high elevation and it was a very different experience than hikes I’ve done in higher elevation! We gained 750ft of elevation in 3.5miles and it was a challenging but rewarding experience. I was not prepared on how hungry we would get losing so many calories from the hike and we all shared our snacks and water to stay hydrated and energized.
I realized even if I have experience hiking, I should always pack a little more and anything you bring is useful! Jeff’s beloved hiking boots decided to give out in the middle of the hike and we had to find anything we had to secure one of his boots to continue the hike.
Lake Tahoe Hiking Adventure!
We started our hike with our comfortable hiking attire and simply just enjoyed spending time exploring the place! I originally anticipated 1.5 hours to our destination but it took us 2.5 hours because we simply had a blast seeing the wildlife, native plants and making small stops and to take breaks.
We reached our destination and could not believe our eyes. It was fire season at the time and we were worried about the air quality and I kept checking every day to make sure we would be safe. It turned out to be a beautiful day and the haze from the leftover smoke created a beautiful colors to the mountain range
THE SWING
The swing!! If you love riding on the rollercoaster, you have to try this swing! We were in high elevation and it felt as if you were literally flying in the air! It is very safe but it felt like I was going to burst out into the vast openness of the staggering mountains.
Intimate Vow Renewal In Lake Tahoe
We had a great team that hiked the 7miles trail with us and I really couldn’t have done it without them! We had an elopement planner, wardrobe stylist, and makeup artist that came and delivered an amazing experience to our couple!
After the amazing makeup and wardrobe styling was done, we started with a first look to set the mood of the day. Right before Jeff saw Dorine, I told Jeff to imagine their courthouse wedding 2 years ago and remember the experience and to imagine how you felt that day.
It was emotional, intimate, and beautiful.
We all felt a rush of emotion coming through and we felt so honored to help them recreate their wedding day. Their hiking vow renewal ceremony brought all the elements of who they are and we were all excited to make every little detail perfect. All of us were so honored to witness and be a part of their beautiful unity ceremony. We all cried and laughed as they screamed “I LOVE YOU!” to the vast mountain range.
It’s Never Too Late To Renew Your Vows
Maybe you didn’t have the best wedding experience or didn’t have the budget at the time to hire a photographer or experience that you wanted, but it doesn’t have to end there!
It’s never too late to renew your vows and commit to your best friend all over again!
Your marriage and your relationship with your partner changes over time and as it evolves, you get closer to the true meaning of love. Take this opportunity to rediscover your love for another and make new memories to cherish a lifetime!
Amazing Vendors
Elopement Design & Planning: Lovewonweddings
Wardrobe Stylist: Eyzhuh
Makeup: Verohna
Florals: Grace Collins
Dress: The Kindred Soul & Reclamation
Catering & charcuterie: Etre Toi Events
If this vow renewal in Lake Tahoe resonate with you and sounds like what you’ve been looking for, LET’S DO IT!
8 Responses
Ah! I love Tahoe and that swing is definitely so much fun! These are sooo beautiful! I love that it turned into a vow renewal!
What a perfect spot for a vow renewal! Just stunning. Also, all of these details are perfect… her dress, that headpiece 😍😍😍, the charcuterie board. Not even married yet and dreaming about a vow renewal just like this one! 😂
Oh my goodness, this is stunning! That location – what a find! And so many great tips for hiking in higher elevation. Thank you so much for sharing. Taking lots of ideas from this for my own vow renewal in a few years :)
Wow, what a gorgeous day! Love the location and the couple look amazing — you did a fantastic job capturing their experience! It’s so wonderful to hear your insights and lessons learned along the way. I had a similar experience hiking at high elevation and it’s so important to have enough fuel to get you to the top!
Oh my goodness Julia, these photos are absolutely stunning. I gasped when I saw some of the photos! And also her dress!!! Gosh, what a stunning couple!
These photos are stunning, and you captured their love so beautifully! I was in the verge of tears because I could feel their love and emotion through the photos – incredible storytelling. And that swing was so worth the hike! I especially love the photo of them screaming I LOVE YOU to the mountain tops. So sweet!
Vow renewals are too few and far between. This couple and these photos are so gorgeous! What an amazing experience this must have been – every couple should do a vow renewal (or two) at some point in their marriage!
Tahoe is so beautiful and you captured their elopement beautifully! Love all the photos – congrats to Dorine and Jeff!