LGBTQIA+ Wedding in Lake Tahoe, California

Roni + Cassi | Lake Tahoe, California | May 15th, 2021 | Ali Boundy Photography | Lake Tahoe Photographer

I’ve been lucky enough to know Roni since middle school. Back in the Myspace days, we were great friends. From there, the universe always put the two of us in the same room at the same time. We would lose touch, and then we’d find each other again one way or another. This time, I needed a couple to model for me for a styled shoot I had planned with some friends. I hadn’t talked to Roni in a while, but she responded and said, “my girlfriend and I would love to, if a gay couple is okay” – it was more than okay. We went to the Redwoods together and getting to know them on an overnight trip was the foundation for their story to come.

Even back then, at the beginning of 2020, they knew an engagement was coming. Roni and Cassi had an agreement that Cassi could propose first if Roni got to walk down the aisle first. A perfect compromise. Cassi proposed in Tahoe, on a waterfall overlooking the lake, and Roni proposed a few months later in Mexico.

Amidst a pandemic, some sketchy vacation home rental situations, and a loose plan, they planned their wedding. I needed to be able to get both of their reactions at the same time, so I hired Emma Wynn Paul to second shoot for me. While I was trying to decide which one of them would get ready with Emma and which would get ready with me, Roni sent me a text that made my heart hurt in the best way. She said, “Cass said she’ll take Emma, which makes my heart happy cause I was secretly hoping to have you! Just with our friendship, it would mean a lot to me.”

On the wedding day, it rained, snowed, hailed, and sometimes it was sunny. Classic Tahoe. They had a small guest list and a ton of rad hacks. Like using Ikea bags to hold up their dresses while they hiked, or staging a moment for cell phone pictures that didn’t interfere with the professional photos. They both had dresses from Miosa Bride and it was kind of beautiful to see which ones they picked out for themselves. They had their closest & best in attendance, and the love electrified the entire day.