I pulled up to Rainbow Lodge on August 24th and it was raining. As their Rainbow Lodge wedding photographer, I’d seen mountain weather flip before.
Not a light mist. Not the kind of brief Sierra Nevada shower that clears in twenty minutes. Real rain, the kind that changes the plan. By the time I grabbed my gear from the car, I was already making a decision: let the day feel like it’s not going the right way, or let it be exactly what it was.
I chose the latter. And so did Anna and Ari.
Anna and Ari got married at Rainbow Lodge in Soda Springs on August 24th, 2024. Their wedding is one of those days that has quietly become a favorite, not because everything went perfectly, but because the two of them were so fully themselves, so genuinely happy to be marrying each other, that the weather simply didn’t have enough room to matter.
About Rainbow Lodge
Rainbow Lodge sits along the South Fork of the Yuba River in Soda Springs, just off I-80 at the base of the mountains. It’s one of those venues that feels built for gathering: stone and timber, big fireplaces, old trees pressing close to the property. In summer, the lawn and deck are stunning. You can hear the river. It feels like the best version of a mountain escape. It’s a venue I return to regularly as a Rainbow Lodge wedding photographer, and every season brings something new.
It’s also a venue I’ve shot in enough different conditions to know this: the Rainbow Lodge team knows how to pivot. And when August decided to test that, everyone rose to the occasion.
The Details That Made the Day Theirs
Anna and Ari worked with Cassandra Ream at AIM Design on their planning and design, and it showed in every single detail. This was not a wedding assembled from a mood board. It was thought through. Wildflower botanical invitations in clean, understated type. Blue and white patterned plates paired with green-tinted crystal goblets and ivory tapered candles in hurricane glass. Florals by Twine running the full length of the dinner table in blush and deep burgundy, blooms that looked like they’d been gathered that morning.
Every element was cohesive in a way that only happens when someone with a real creative eye is driving. Jessica Olsen did hair and makeup, and by the time Anna was ready, she looked both completely herself and completely bridal. Such a stunning bride.
When the Weather Rolled In
It rained. And then, because August in the Sierra Nevada has its own opinions, it snowed.
I want to say that out loud because I think couples planning mountain weddings deserve honesty about what days like this actually look like. The ceremony was beautiful and went forward exactly as planned. Post-ceremony, the wet ground made some of our original portrait locations unavailable. We moved portions of couples’ portraits and family photos inside the lodge, which sounds like a compromise until you’re actually in that space and realize the warm wood tones and the amber light are genuinely gorgeous to shoot in.
For dinner, the plan shifted to a tented space outside with heaters. What I expected to feel like a workaround ended up being one of the most intimate, contained celebrations I’ve photographed. Warm light. The sound of rain just outside the tent walls. Everyone pulled close in a way that sprawling outdoor receptions don’t always allow for.
There’s something that happens at a wedding when the weather tests everyone and the couple doesn’t blink. Guests take their cue from the people getting married. Anna and Ari weren’t stressed. They were present, warm, laughing, and that energy moved through every single person there.
When the Clouds Parted
Later in the evening, it cleared.
You know that specific light that comes after a storm, when the air is washed clean and everything has a quality to it that’s hard to name? We had that. Anna and Ari stepped outside for sunset portraits, and the ground was still wet, the trees were still dripping, and the light was something I don’t get on a regular clear August day. Some of my favorite images from that entire year came out of a twenty-minute window that only existed because it had been raining all afternoon.
This is what I want mountain wedding couples to hear: the weather doesn’t just affect your day. In fact, it creates conditions for photographs that can’t be replicated. Overcast skies are soft and flattering in a way that direct summer sun isn’t. Rain-wet leaves catch light differently. The drama that rolls in becomes a backdrop.
The Celebration
The evening was everything. DJ Milton Merlos (he’s AMAZING) kept the energy moving from dinner through dancing without a single awkward lull. The Hora was electric. Anna changed into her reception look and the dance floor stayed full. Roundabout Catering served a family-style dinner, the kind where people reach across the table, refill each other’s glasses, and stay seated long after they’ve finished eating. Mid-dinner, tray-passed espresso martinis appeared, which was an inspired decision.
The toasts were the kind that make the whole room lean in. Anna’s father and Ari’s father spoke before dinner. After salads, her sister and maid of honor, and his best man, rounded out a toast lineup that was funny and specific and full of real love for these two people. You could feel how well-known Anna and Ari were, by their families, by their friends, by everyone in that tent.
Late-night pizza from Firevine kept the dance floor fueled. In the end, the night ended the way the best nights do: with everyone still there, not wanting it to be over.
A Note for Couples from Your Rainbow Lodge Wedding Photographer
If you’re planning a Lake Tahoe or Sierra Nevada mountain wedding and weather anxiety is the thing keeping you up at night, read Anna and Ari’s story again.
Rain is not your enemy. It’s an unpredictable co-planner. It adjusts your schedule, it moves you inside for parts of the day, and then sometimes it gives you twenty minutes of post-storm light that becomes the most beautiful thing I shoot all season.
A few things that make the difference: book a venue with a genuinely beautiful indoor space (Rainbow Lodge has one). Work with a planner who has handled mountain conditions before (Cassandra Ream has, and she’s exceptional). Have a Rainbow Lodge wedding photographer who knows the venue and doesn’t panic when the plan changes.
And then, let go of the idea that a perfect wedding day is one where nothing happened differently than you imagined.
Anna and Ari’s August wedding snowed. Even so, it was one of my absolute favorites of the year.
Planning your own Lake Tahoe mountain wedding? I’d love to connect. Reach out here and we’ll talk through your vision.
Vendor Credits
Venue: Rainbow Lodge | @rainbowlodgeca Planning & Design: AIM Design | @artinmotiondesign Rentals: The AIM Collection | @theaimcollection Florals: Twine | @twinefloralco Catering: Roundabout Catering | @roundaboutcatering Hair & Makeup: Jessica Olsen | @hairartistjess DJ: Milton Merlos | @miltonmerlos.weddings Videography: Darren Baca, Reel Eyes Media | @reeleyesmedia Linens: Creative Coverings | @creativecoverings Transportation: North Star Transportation Late Night Pizza: Firevine | @firevinepizza Photography: Aubrey McCready Photography | @tahoephotographer
© Aubrey McCready Photography | photographybyaubrey.com | Tahoe/Truckee Wedding Photographer
