“Quality time” was of paramount importance to Maureen and David when deciding on whether or not to have a destination wedding. “We wanted to have more than just the day of the wedding to enjoy having all our friends and family in one spot,” says Maureen. Lake Tahoe was an obvious choice as they had vacationed there for years and it required little travel time. “It’s the perfect distance away from the Bay Area, where most of our guests would be coming from…far enough away to definitely stay overnight and feel ‘away,’ but not far enough to have to fly.”

They maximized their time together by having the rehearsal dinner two days before the wedding and the night before the wedding, having a welcome party that all their 175 guests were invited to. “It gave us a chance to see and greet wedding guests before the actual wedding, so there was less pressure to make sure we had meaningful interaction with each person,” says the bride.

A “heartfelt and sweet” ceremony officiated by the bride’s uncle was followed by an “incredibly beautiful” lakeside dinner reception at sunset.

When it came to planning the wedding from afar, Maureen and David had a little help to pull it all together. “My wedding planning team at One Fine Day Events was just amazing. I pulled pages out of magazines and sent them to the team for inspiration, kept a Pinterest board of things I loved (and hated!) and looked at a lot of wedding blogs.”

Her advice for others: “Be mindful of what’s most important to you and your partner and don’t compromise on those points. Everyone will have an opinion about what you should do, but not everyone’s opinions matter…and you can’t please everyone!”

Vendors: Photographer: Catherine Hall Studios, Wedding Design and Planning: Stephanie Anderson and Paige Pruitt, One Fine Day Events, Ceremony/Reception Site: West Shore Café, Florist: Sara Spurlock, Bellissima Floral, Stationery: Eve Weinsheimer, A Day in May, Gown Designer: Christos by Amsale, Groom’s Clothing Designer: Ralph Lauren, Bridesmaids’ Designer: J. Crew, Bride’s shoes: Jimmy Choo, Hair: Elyssa Lee, Greco Rose Beauty, Makeup: Kari Addison, kariaddisonbeautiful.com, Officiant: Bride’s Great Uncle, Daniel Libarle, Desserts: D’lish Catering, Cake Designer: Sugar Pine Cakery, Rentals: Blueprint Studios and Celebrations Party Rentals, Linens: La Tavola Linens, Ceremony & Cocktail Music: String Beings, Reception Music: Steve Bloom, Pop Rocks, Wedding Cinematography: Nik Sullivan, Doxa Studios.

This article first appeared in Destination I Do’s Spring/Summer 2015 issue. You can order a copy here.