Ashley & John's Northstar California Wedding: A Mountaintop Celebration Near Lake Tahoe
Ashley and John got married up the mountain at Northstar California in Truckee, with the Sierra Nevada spread out behind the aisle and the reception under chandeliers in a timber lodge.
Their first trip together was to Tahoe. They ski here. When it came time to pick a venue, they wanted a resort that could host everyone they love without giving up the part that made Tahoe theirs in the first place, and Northstar Village checked both boxes.
Here's how the day came together, and what's worth knowing if you're considering Northstar yourself.
Why Northstar California Is One of the Best Ski Resort Wedding Venues Near Lake Tahoe
Northstar California sits between Truckee and Lake Tahoe's North Shore, which puts it close to everything without being in town.
The resort's headline wedding space is Zephyr Lodge, a mountaintop lodge at 8,000 feet that guests reach by two gondola rides up from the village. It's a LEED-certified building made with reclaimed materials, with a wall of windows facing the Pacific Crest, a big deck for cocktail hour, and a ceremony site a short walk from the door. It runs as a wedding venue from roughly mid-June through September. For smaller guest lists, the resort also offers Wild Pine down in the village, which holds up to about 80.
What makes the resort work beyond the views is the village itself. Lodging, restaurants, and shops are all walkable at the base, so guests coming from out of town can land, park once, and stay put for the weekend.
Why Ashley & John Chose a Mountain Resort Wedding in Truckee
They wanted a resort feel in a place that already meant something to them.
Ashley and John met in the Bay Area in the summer of 2019. They'd gone to the same college in Washington, though they never crossed paths there. It took mutual friends, a bar in San Francisco, and a college football game to finally introduce them.
Their first trip together was to Tahoe, and skiing has been part of their relationship since. Northstar gave them the mountain they already loved plus the infrastructure a big guest list needs.
That mattered here. Their guests came from far and wide, and one of the things Ashley and John said they cared about most was time with those people, which is easier when everyone is staying in the same village.
Blue and White Wedding Colors for a Sierra Nevada Wedding
Their palette was light and dark blue with pops of white and green, which is close to a cheat code at a mountain venue in late summer. Blue picks up the sky and the lake, white and green pick up the pines and the meadow grass, and none of it fights the view.
It ran all the way through the day. Light blue robes while the bridesmaids got ready. Navy for the guys. White florals with greenery on the reception tables under the lodge's chandeliers. Then deep blue uplighting once the dancing started.
Their invitation suite got photographed with Ashley's shoes and the rings, which was on their list from the start.
Getting Ready at Northstar Village
The morning happened in the village, with the bridal party in matching light blue, big windows, and a wall of mountain light doing most of the work.
Ashley's gown hung in a doorway before she got into it. The guys got ready separately in navy suits, bow ties and all, with the usual round of somebody fixing somebody else's collar.
A Mountaintop Wedding Ceremony with Sierra Nevada Views
The ceremony site delivered exactly what a mountain wedding promises: an aisle running out toward open sky, ridgelines stacked up in the distance, and pines around the edges.
Ashley and John had set it up with florals, wine barrels, fans for guests, and bubbles for the recessional. Fans are a smart call at altitude in summer, and the bubbles gave everyone something to do the second the ceremony ended.
Cocktail Hour and Guest Portraits at 8,000 Feet
Cocktail hour was one of the three things Ashley and John most wanted to remember, and at Northstar it's easy to see why. Guests spill out onto the deck with drinks, the mountains do their thing, and nobody is in a hurry to go inside.
They also asked for plenty of photos with their guests, since so many people had traveled to be there. That's worth saying out loud to your photographers if it matters to you. Candid coverage and deliberate time with guests are two different things, and the second one needs a few minutes in the timeline.
Golden Hour Portraits in the Mountain Meadow
Late in the evening, Ashley and John stepped out into the dry meadow grass while the sun dropped behind the ridge.
That's the best fifteen minutes of the day at a venue this high. The grass goes gold, the ridgelines go blue, and the light comes in sideways. Ashley's veil caught the wind in a few of them.
If you're getting married up the mountain in late summer, ask your photographer when sunset hits at elevation and protect that window in the timeline. It's short, and it doesn't wait.
A Lodge Reception Under the Chandeliers
Dinner happened inside the lodge, under iron chandeliers, at long tables with white florals, greenery, and dried grasses.
Then it turned into a party. The dance floor filled up under blue light and stayed that way, which was the third thing on their list of what to remember.
They'd also set out cameras and a wedding book for guests, so people were documenting each other all night.
Planning a Wedding at Northstar California: What to Know
How Do Guests Get to the Ceremony at Northstar?
By gondola, if you're getting married at the mountaintop lodge. Guests ride up from the village in gondola cabins, which is genuinely part of the experience, and it also means building extra time into the schedule so 150 people can get up the mountain before the ceremony starts.
What Should Guests Know About Weather at 8,000 Feet?
It's cooler and windier up top than it is in the village, and it cools off fast once the sun drops. Tell guests to bring a layer even for an August wedding, and expect the altitude to hit people arriving from sea level on day one.
Do You Need Fans, Shade, or Water for a Summer Mountain Ceremony?
If your ceremony is in the open sun, yes. Ashley and John put fans out for their guests, and at altitude that's not a decorative touch. The sun is stronger up there than most people expect.
Is Northstar Good for Out-of-Town Guests?
It's one of the better options around Tahoe for a travel-heavy guest list. Lodging, restaurants, and shops are walkable in the village, and Reno-Tahoe International is the closest airport.
When Can You Get Married at Northstar?
The mountaintop lodge runs as a summer and early-fall venue, roughly mid-June through September. If you want a winter wedding at Northstar, ask the resort what's available at the village level instead.
What Ashley & John Said About Working With Our Associate Team
Ashley and John worked with Roman and Chris from our associate team, and here's what they said afterward:
“We worked with the VILD Associate Team (Roman and Chris) and we LOVED working with these guys! Roman and Chris made the photography process seamless and easy. My husband I are not the best at taking photos, and they made us feel at ease and I was shocked with how many amazing/beautiful photos we got just in the preview! I was hoping they would capture how beautiful the day was, and they not only did that but gave my husband I pictures of us and our family that we will treasure forever. Thank you guys so much, we are so appreciative of you and all of your hard work!”
That line about not being the best at taking photos comes up a lot, and it's worth saying: most people feel that way. The job is to make the day easy enough that it stops being a thing you're worried about, which is what a little direction at the right moment is actually for.
Planning a Wedding at Northstar or Around Lake Tahoe?
We're VILD Photography, a Tahoe-based team photographing weddings across the lake, Truckee, and the Sierra. Ashley and John's day was photographed by Roman and Chris from our associate team, with the same approach we bring to every wedding: direction where it makes a photograph better, and space where a moment is better left alone.
If you're planning a wedding at Northstar or anywhere around Tahoe, tell us about it. We'd love to hear where it's happening.
Vendor:
Photographer: @vildphotography
Venue: @northstar_california
Planner: @eventplanningbyannie
Videographer: @timberandtidesfilms
Florist: @artinbloomfloraldesign
DJ: @dj_sawyer_tahoe
Hair & Makeup: @lunabellebeautyco
Stationery: @theknot
Caterer: @northstar_california
Cake Maker: @susiecakesbakery
Dress Designer: @grace_loves_lace
Officiant: @fionawarrington
