Plan a Wedding in Lake Tahoe

If accessibility and natural beauty top your list for hosting a destination wedding, then it's hard to beat Tahoe. It's a cinch to get to the alpine lake, which straddles the states of California and Nevada. And throughout the year the scenery is breathtaking: Deep blue waters are rimmed with 10,000-foot peaks. The shoreline is a mix of white beach and bluffs, with evergreens poised precariously along the edges. Winter is a wonderland of snow-capped trees and manicured slopes. Here, three options for your perfect sky-high wedding.

Shore Thing

Lakeland Village Beach and Mountain Resort is one of the area's few locales for a wedding near the water. Have your ceremony on the property's beach, and you'll get views of the wooded area as well as the lake. After the ceremony, your guests will head to the Pavilion Deck for more impressive vistas and a mountain-lodge reception. Perhaps the best part about a wedding at this condo resort is that your friends and family may choose from a variety of lodging, from studios to five-bedroom townhouses. It also has a shuttle to area attractions, like the Heavenly gondola. For more information, visit lakeland-village.com.

Mountain Magic

Take the Heavenly gondola 2,000 feet up for a mountaintop ceremony and reception. On the ride, you'll see the lake surrounded by a dense green forest. It may be hard to pay attention to the ceremony in settings like these, but tell guests that they'll have the opportunity to savor the scenery from the large windows inside the adjacent Lakeview Lodge. Catering may not always be first-rate at ski resorts, but rest assured that Lakeview Lodge gets rave reviews for its food as well as its view. In winter, you can get married on skies, snowshoes or a horse-drawn sleigh. For more information, visit skiheavenly.com.

Love Floats

Lake Tahoe Cruises has been hosting weddings on the lake for more than 30 years. Decide between two paddleboats or the private yacht. Take the boat over to a quiet cove, let the engine idle and have your ceremony on deck. For the reception, cruise the lake and watch the sunset over the pines. A nautical touch: Guests sign their names and well wishes on a buoy. Fro more information, visit zephyrcove.com.