How to Elope in Lake Tahoe Nevada & California Guide

Discover how to elope in Lake Tahoe with this comprehensive Nevada & California guide. From breathtaking locations to legal requirements, get expert tips for a perfect elopement.

This is a quick guide to help directly answer any questions you may have on how to elope in Lake Tahoe Nevada and California and make your big day as stress-free as possible. Down below you’ll find facts about Lake Tahoe and information to help you decide what area(s) are best for your vision to celebrate your best day ever! Lake Tahoe truly has the best of everything and is the ideal elopement location for anyone!

1. If you are getting married on private property – You’re all set to go!
2. If you are wanting to get married on the beach or in the mountains:
3. Only a handful of wedding chapels in Lake Tahoe own special permits that authorizes them to conduct ceremonies at specific locations owned by the United States Forest Service (USFS).
4. There are many breathtaking State Parks in both Nevada and California where ceremonies can be conducted each with their own requirements and fees.
5. Being that Lake Tahoe is split between the states of California and Nevada, you’ll need to get your marriage license at either Washoe County for NV, or by appointment only at the following locations for CA: Carnelian Bay office for Placer County, Placer County office, or South Lake Tahoe El Dorado County Office.
6. Timeline & Vendors – Upon booking your wedding, I will send over my Welcome Guide with timeline and any vendors recommendations that you are in need of including cake, florists and officiants!
7. Check off your to-do list! 🙂 I am here to help make your experience and special day as magical and simple as I can! Now let’s go and save your date!

// HISTORY & FUN FACTS

Before moving to Reno, NV thirteen years ago, I sept five years traveling to Lake Tahoe from the California coast and my husband used to live in South Lake Tahoe! Between the both us, we have explored many areas around the lake and can provide many recommendations based on your vision! Below some 10 fun facts about Lake Tahoe provided by the Tahoe Fund home page where you can find many more!

1. Lake Tahoe has 63 creeks and rivers flowing into it and only one outlet.
2. In Tahoe, an inch of water usually creates 10 inches of snow.
3. There are 24,333,040 trees in the Tahoe Basin.
4. Lake Tahoe is over a mile high!
5. Lake Tahoe has three fault lines – Stateline, Incline Village and West Tahoe.
6. Tahoe’s highest water level can be 6,229.1′, the natural rim is 6,223′.
7. One inch of water in Lake Tahoe is about 3.33 billon galls of water.
8. Lake Tahoe is estimated to be 2 million years old!
9. Lake Tahoe has 4,446 hours of daylight each year.
10. “The name Tahoe comes from a mispronunciation of the Washoe Native American name for Lake Tahoe, da ow a ga, which means, “edge of the lake.”

// SIGHTS TO SEE

There are hundreds of beautiful sights to see around the lake that is approximately 72 miles (takes about three and a half hours to drive around without stops); however, I wanted to list some must see’s if it is your first time depending on where on the lake you are staying.

North

• Kings Beach, CA – One of the largest beaches in the area providing paddle boarding, kayaking and pedal boat rentals.

South

• Gondola at Heavenly Village Resort, CA – 2.4 mile ride up during winter or summer for breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Tahoe.
• (SE) Zephyr Cove Beach, NV – Offers many summer activities and home of the M.S. Dixie II paddlewheel that offers year round cruises across the lake to Emerald Bay.

East

• Sand Harbor, NV – Beautiful stretch of beach with cedar and pines trees decorated with the lakes iconic boulders.

West

• (SW) Emerald Bay, CA – Eagle Falls waterfall, granite cliffs and panoramic views! Keep in mind – Note: Can get very crowded!
• Tahoe City, CA – Beautiful town with lots of history dating back to the Gold Rush with stunning views of the lake.

Additional resources:

Tahoe Public Beaches: Here you can find all of the lakes public beaches along with additional information about them!

North Lake Tahoe: This website provides a wealth of information for visiting North Lake Tahoe.

South Lake Tahoe: This website provides a wealth of information for visiting South Lake Tahoe.

I hope that this page has provided you some helpful insight and resources to eloping at Lake Tahoe! If there is anything that you do not see on here and would like additional information about, please so not hesitate to shoot me an email at katherinekphotos@gmail.com or through my contact page. I am happy to help in anyway that I can! 🙂 Thank you for visiting my website and blog – I appreciate you taking the time to do so more than you know!

xo

Kat