Jolene Clark Pasztor was never one for springtime pastels, and she fell in love with a snow skier. So when she and her high school sweetheart got engaged in 2006, they settled on a December date and a wintery locale: Lake Tahoe.
The wedding was set for two and a half years off (Dec. 13, 2008) so Jolene could finish law school, pass the Bar Exam and settle in to Sacramento where her groom, David, works as a computer engineer.

“We both wanted a small, intimate, warm wedding. We wanted it to feel [lodge-like],” Jolene says. They scouted locations on their own, but learned about The Ridge Tahoe, a resort that sits on the backside of Heavenly, at a Sacramento bridal show.
The two planned their wedding long distance, and were limited by the resort in choosing many vendors. “That almost made it easier,” says Clark Pasztor who, like her husband, is 26.  
Still, she called around to find a baker who could make a wedding cheesecake—and struck gold with Carson City’s Sweet Sensations by Sue.

With the lengthy engagement, the bride was able to stock up on snowflake ornaments (the wedding favor) and other objects on sale at Crate and Barrel. The Folsom couple also had time for homemade touches, such as programs for their 65 guests, fashioned like lift passes.

The only thing they couldn’t plan for was the weather. The ceremony and reception were set to take place indoors, but the views—and the wedding photos—begged for snow. The ground was bare. “We were kind of worried,” Clark Pasztor said. They needn’t have been. It snowed the night before.