Denelle & Chris' Hilltop Lodge Wedding - Truckee, CA.

For Truckee locals, the Hilltop Lodge is an iconic place which is perched on a hill that overlooks Downtown Truckee. Packed full of history, one of the nation's oldest ski lodges, the site is now the home to Cottonwood Restaurant and Bar: a rustic, classy and vibrant eatery that is home to intimate live music performances twice a week. Rumor has it, you usually need a reservation to eat dinner at this place so Denelle and Chris were ecstatic to get the entire place for their private event. They told me the reason they were allowed to be married there was because both families are long time Truckee locals.

Denelle and Chris' wedding day was on 10-11-12, a typically cool, fall mountain day with all the normal chance of rain and/or snow that is to be expected. The morning began, also typically, with the girls' hair and makeup. Taking over the kitchen of The Lazy Bear Lodge on Donner Lake, they dolled up, slipped into long, sleek purple dresses, donned handmade feather hair pieces and hopped into vintage fur coats. The ivory bridal gown was so elegant and absolutely perfect for Denelle. The Lazy Bear Lodge was so expansive it allowed the guys to get ready at the same time without too much overlap. The groom and his men wore grey suits with purple ties to match the bridesmaids gowns, while the best man looked very proper in his naval uniform.

Once everybody was ready, the entire group was whisked outside. Denelle and Chris had decided before wedding day that they were going to see each other before the ceremony which allowed us to take a majority of the Bride/Groom & bridal party images before the ceremony. We got some fabulous shots with Chris' family heirloom Mercedes Benz which was just one more touch of class. This group was so much fun and I am so happy about all the images we got.

Once the clock hit 5:00, it was time to load into the cars and head to Cottonwood. The guests were all waiting on the back porch as the sun tucked behind the evening clouds creating a beautiful mountain glow on historic Downtown Truckee. During the ceremony, the air was filled with electricity, the guests were excited, and even the conductor of a freight train below sounded his horn (a moment that really confirmed this as a classic Truckee Wedding). Only adding to the night was the delicious food, the entertaining speeches (complete with a dinosaur costume) and the live rat pack tribute songs from R and M Music.

The outfits, the car, the lodge, the details - nothing was overlooked. Congratulations to the newlyweds, Denelle and Chris White.