07/08/2026
I had an adventure yesterday. It was a wedding in a new place. Well, I actually think I have been to this place before, but it was when I was a kid, and we got there by boat, which at the time was the only way to get there.
Doing a wedding in a new place is kind of a big deal, because I’ve been doing weddings in this area since 1987. Unless it’s in a private home or a new venue, chances are, I’ve been there. And not only was this a new place, but I had to use a new mode of transportation to get there.
Which is also a big deal, because over the years I’ve used horses, ski lifts, all terrain vehicles, snowshoes and snow skiis to get to weddings. I’ve done weddings in airplanes and boats of all types and hot air balloons, along with your standard brand churches, golf resorts and meeting halls. I even did a wedding in a hotel room once, with the couple in a tub full of bubbles. I’ve hiked to get to weddings, and I’ve done weddings in snow storms, gale force winds and 100 degree heat.
Some folks say I should write a book about weddings. I’m not feeling really moved to do that, but yesterday I told my photographer that in all my years doing weddings, I have never used public transportation to get there.
And yet, yesterday, that’s what I did.
I used public transportation to get to the wedding site, along with the bride and groom and the 7 people who were with them.
They had their heart set on this location, and it was indeed a beautiful location, but there was absolutely no parking allowed anywhere within a mile of the location. So the groom, who is a planner by profession, researched and plotted and planned and got us to and from the wedding venue with a minimum of fuss.
We began our journey by parking at the Raleys grocery store in Incline Village. Which is a wealthy little town at Lake Tahoe. We walked across the highway to catch the bus that would take us to Hidden Beach. Washoe County has got this dialed in. They built a bunch of walkways in the areas stemming out from Sand Harbor, and made parking on the highway illegal. I was for the parking piece, those tourists do some crazy things out there, including parking illegally if it means they can get to where they want to go. I’m not a fan of paving paradise but I guess some sort of something had to be done to mitigate the damage the crowds do to the land there. Anyway, we catch the bus, which is free, by the way, and ride about 15 minutes to get off the bus and walk a short way down to the beach. It was a beautiful little beach. We did the wedding, did the photos, then navigated back to the bus stop, got on the bus again, and went back to Raleys.
Now, this location isn’t for everyone. While the weddings I do are small and tend to be older couples (I do elopements only), I can’t imagine that many brides will be willing to board a public bus to get to their wedding.
It was perfect for this couple though, and I enjoyed the adventure, although I was very tired afterwards.
By the way, can I just say that the Raleys in Incline is a great place for lunch? They’ve got a food court there, and I feasted on perfect sautéed vegetables, good chicken and some really yummy macaroni and cheese for lunch.
Here’s a photo of the view from the beach. I may just take a day and have a picnic there, using the bus to get to and from.
