Kaitlin & Evan
Photography by Charleton Churchill PhotographyKaitlin and Evan became engaged after a romantic proposal on a black-sand beach in Maui—but technically, Evan proposed on the first date! “From our initial meeting I knew there was something special about Evan,” says Kaitlin. She remembers that he said on their first date that they should get married, but describes it as more of a “casual suggestion” than an actual proposal.
But eventually they did marry, in July 2018 in Lake Tahoe. After a ceremony at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Tahoe City, the reception was held on Evan’s family’s property, in a pavilion built specifically for weddings. Evan and Kaitlin’s wedding was the third held in the location, and the third that included a tree-planting ceremony to mark the occasion. “Evan’s parents dream is for the family to have entire grove of weddings memorialized on the property,” says Kaitlin. “It was important for us to contribute to the special memories this property already holds.”
For these two, food and drink was an integral part of the celebration, with catering from Componere Fine Dining and the late-night arrival of the Pretty Odd Weiners Food Truck, a well-loved staple of South Lake Tahoe. Food played a part during the toasts as well, as they honored Kaitlin and Evan’s respective Irish and Polish backgrounds by serving shots of vodka or whiskey, paired with kielbasa and Irish soda bread. Their backgrounds influenced the party favors, too, as they gave out Tahoe-themed travel coffee mugs filled with Tasty Cakes (a nod to Kaitlin’s East Coast hometown) and almonds (a nod to Evan’s Sacramento upbringing). And for dessert they went all-out, too, offering a Champagne cake with raspberry filling as well as a dessert bar with cake pops, macaroons, mini cupcakes, and (of course!) Lake Tahoe-shaped cookies.
As their wedding guest list included more than 200 people, owing to their large families, the planning to make sure that everyone enjoyed themselves was time-intensive. But Kaitlin was surprised when Evan revealed on the wedding day a project he’d been spending extra time on: a book he wrote that told their love story. “It was really sweet and touching to read through all of our special memories before heading to the church,” she says.
Evan describes the day as “a blast from beginning to end,” especially on the dance floor, when he saw friends from all different points in his life together and having a great time. And fortunately for the couple, the good times didn’t end when the reception was done, as the two flew to France the next day for a two-week honeymoon.
Though their wedding was fabulous, Kaitlin says that the morning after was also a special memory. “Eating breakfast burritos and drinking Champagne on the way to the airport the morning after an amazing night with our friends and families was one of the highlights for us!”
— Suzie Dundas
Kaitlin & Evans Wedding Resources
Phone: 916-520-4447
Minted
Phone: 916-773-2133
Verdi Energy
Phone: 916-726-2339
(catering for Rehearsal Dinner)
Pretty Old Wieners (food truck)
Auberge Du Jeu De Paume in Chantilly France, Tiara Yaktsa, Cannes France, La Bastide De Marie, Menerbes France, Villa Florentine in Lyon France, Chateau De Fere Hotel and Spa, Fere En Tardenois, France
“I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” acoustic version of the Elvis Presley original
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder
“You’ll Be in My Heart” by Sting
Champagne cake, raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream frosting
White roses, peonies, hydrangeas with green accents
Tahoe Fund Travel mugs filled with goodies, personalized shot glasses
• Lake Tahoe Cakes were wonderful to work with and amazing.
• Componere Catering was outstanding.
• Randy Peters food was beyond good for our rehearsal dinner.
• Janece Shellooe of Every Elegant Detail was outstanding and such a calm presence leading up to and during the day.
• Verdi Energy knocked the lighting out of the park for us and really made our vision come to life.
• Hip Service brought the party to life, they were awesome.
• Acknowledge the challenges planning a wedding in 9 months can have and how important it is in choosing the right vendors.
• Also, be open and upfront with your vendors, especially about potential concerns. It’s always best to have open lines of communication rather than worry about something or feel forced into compromising or making a decision between less than ideal options. We were able to have that dialogue and that helped ensure the right people were in the right places to execute in the months and days leading up to the event.