How to Plan Lake Tahoe Elopement?
- Lake Tahoe is located between Nevada and California. The closest airport is Reno about 45 min away, Sacramento about 2hours away or San Francisco about 4 hours away.
Depending on which side you're going to elope you'll need to obtain a marriage license. Don’t worry – I can definitely help you navigate this part.
- To get married in California, you can get marriage license at any County Clerk’s Office in California.
- You'll need to bring your ID and pay around 100$. Marriage licenses in California are valid for 90 days, and you don’t need to get married in the county you receive your marriage license. You can even get married the same day you pick up your marriage license!
- To get married on Nevada side, you also have to get a marriage license and you’ll want to ensure your officiant is certified in Nevada. . If you’re traveling from out of town, you can obtain a license at Washoe or Carson City, Nevada on your way to Tahoe. Since part of Lake Tahoe is a state park different permit rules apply for permits than they would on public lands, and unfortunately they can be a bit harder to obtain, depending where you're thinking of eloping. I can definitely help getting those or helping you find locations that don't require any permits.
Where to Elope in Lake Tahoe
There are two sides to Lake Tahoe: North Tahoe and South Tahoe, both beautiful.
North Lake Tahoe: Is more mountainous with beautiful pine trees and views, usually less crowded, more relaxed wit lots of outdoor activity opportunities. Perfect if you’re looking for an intimate Lake Tahoe elopement with no one around as you take in the beauty of the mountains and lake.
South Lake Tahoe: Is much more crowded, but it also offers more things to do after the elopement (it's closer to restaurants, water sports, casinos). Emerald Bay is one of the most popular and beautiful Lake Tahoe elopement spots with amazing views of the lake but here are other spots you might consider:
- Emerald Bay- My favorite portrait location with great views of the lake! The area of Emerald Bay State Park holds tons of overlooks and you can drive right up to them. It also offers many hikes with varying lengths that offer different vantage points of the bay. There are two waterfalls you can easily hike to for beautiful photos.
- Kings Beach
- Sand Harbor- This beach, located on the Nevada side of the lake, features golden sands and crystal-clear waters. It's an excellent spot for a beachfront elopement with the lake and surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains as your backdrop.
- Thomas Regan Memorial Beach
- Logan Shoals
- Sugar Pine Point State Park
- Tahoe Paradise Park
Best Time to Elope in Lake Tahoe
Winter are very unpredictable because of the weather. Lake Tahoe is located at high elevation so snow storms are likely. In the winter on 2022 that area received record snow storm making travel to Lake Tahoe nearly impossible. Interstate 80 and Highway 50 (both give access to Tahoe from Reno/Sacramento/San Francisco) both close quite often when it snows.
In an early spring there is always a chance of snow or rain plus the temperatures are much colder.
The best season to elope in Lake Tahoe would be late spring through the summer to an early fall. Although summers offer amazing weather, it gets crowded and accommodations fill up and are often more expensive. Late spring is a great option so is early fall.
