A Natural Lake Tahoe Wedding Spanning Nevada and California
Lindi and Nik Ilich share a love of travel, and they knew they wanted to wed at Lake Tahoe after visiting the picturesque area. The ceremony took place at Round Hill Pines Beach, where the lake served as the idyllic backdrop. A wood arch with minimalistic flowers framed the newlyweds during the vow exchange. "It was snowing until an hour before the ceremony," Lindi says. "As the guests were sitting down in their seats, the sun came out of the sky after being hidden all day and freezing outside." Afterward, everyone loaded into a coach bus, ate Serbian snacks (the groom has Serbian roots) and embarked on a scenic drive to the reception. The couple picked the reception site, Basecamp Hotel South Lake Tahoe, because they enjoy camping and have their own Airstream (there happened to be an Airstream on the grounds!). Simple table runners and personalized navy napkins dressed up tables, while the bridesmaids bouquets served as centerpieces. "We're both Air Force pilots, so we wanted to incorporate that without being obnoxious. We folded paper airplanes out of flying charts and put them in the flowers," Lindi says.
Our favorite #MakeTradition moment: "My husband is Serbian, along with his whole family, so we wanted to incorporate some of their culture," Lindi says. "After our vows, shots of Serbian plum brandy (Rakija) were passed out, and we toasted cheers in Serbian—'Ziveli!'—with the entire crowd."