While the summer sun is warming up and bridal season is under way, many brides are looking further ahead and planning their winter weddings. Strictly Weddings is thrilled to showcase gorgeous winter wedding styled shoot in Lake Tahoe from award-winning wedding photographer Natasha Gillett in Northern California.

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Lake Tahoe is famed for its crisp air, sparkling waters, stately mountains, clean beaches and bright sunshine. It's hard to imagine a more spectacular setting for a wedding! The natural beauty of Lake Tahoe, the pristine beaches at San Harbor, and the snow-capped mountains in the background inspired photographer Natasha Gillett to create a shoot inspired by nature with timeless elegance and glamour.

The color palette for the shoot features antique gold and bright scarlet red against crisp white linens. Forever Vintage Rentals brought the look to the next level by adding a red velvet tufted bench, brass candelesticks, a gold chandelier and fine porcelain dinnerware on gold chargers.

Amanda, owner of Jiosia Designs, dressed the tables with floral arrangements that complemented the backdrop by using local fauna including moss, ferns and pine. She contrasted the natural greenery with scarlet red amaryllis for a bright pop of color. The bride's bouquet was a cascade of the same greenery tied with gold lace while the groom's wore a simple boutonniere of juniper berries.

The bride wore two stunning creations from the Summer 2015 collection of couture wedding dress designer Jinza Jin of San Francisco. The first was a full-length lace mermaid fit gown in 100% pure silk shantung skirt. The top has a deep v-neck covered with a high illusion lace neck and a trail of buttons down the back. Her hair was swept up in a low, loose chignon with a long, wispy veil trailing down the back.

The second gown was a short, sleeveless sheath dress with lace overlay and scalloped lace trim paired with snakeskin print ankle strap heels to show off her shapely legs. Her hair was swept to the side in a knot and instead of a veil, she wore a long-sleeved lace jacket that flows into a full lace train.

Even the jewelry, by New York City designer Satomi Kawakita, evokes a sense of timeless beauty by pairing a round ruby stone with an antique gold hexagon setting. The groom's ring is an eternity band of rubies in an antique gold setting.

For unique custom favors, local Tahoe designer and owner of Eko Kreations, Kristina Sullivan created throw pillows from eco friendly hemp and organic cotton fabrics with gorgeous embroidery designs. Layers of scarlet red, antique gold and evergreen stationery with formal scripted calligraphy from Hyegraph in San Francisco tied the whole theme together.

The models are real life couple Tanya Sanderson and Marcin Tarczynski. Sanderson is a product manager for Wells Fargo and Marcin is a Polish-born professional swimmer from UC Berkeley who represented Poland in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They met while studying together at UC Berkeley and currently reside in the Berkeley Hills.

Credits

Photography & Styling: Natasha Gillett / Venue: Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe, California / Floral Design: Jiosia Designs / Wedding Dress: Jinza Couture Bridal / Hair: Roland Hernandez / Jewelry, Rings: Satomi Kawakita / Invitations & Stationery: Hyegraph / Dinnerware & Rentals: Forever Vintage Rentals / Pillow Gifts: Eko Kreations / Models: Tanya Sanderson and Marcin Tarczynski