Andrew + Shay, an Intimate Backyard Wedding

While 2020 may have been the year that redefined weddings, it certainly wasn’t the year that changed anything about love. We were lucky enough to capture Andrew and Shay’s newest chapter in their whirlwind romance and dang was it the most stunning fall day!

Andrew and Shay first met in Cancun, Mexico in November of 2019 while separately attending the wedding of mutual friends and in a straight-out-of-a-movie story, these two immediately gravitated towards one another. During their time together, whether they spent it walking on the beach or dancing the nights away, these two quickly fell head-over-heels in love. At the end of their stay in Mexico, these two decided to take a chance on love and jump into a long distance relationship (of about 1,500 miles away from each other)! As sweet Shay once told us of hers and Andrew’s romance, “when it's for the right person no distance could be far enough”. Truthfully, Andrew and Shay’s connection wasn’t just love at first sight, this was soulmates at first sight.

After about 6 months of being together, Andrew and Shay knew that they were beyond ready to make it last name official. They decided to celebrate their love in Shay’s home state of New Mexico before making the move to West Virginia to start their new beginning together. On the most beautiful fall day, these lovers said “I do” in in the quaint, historic, Blessed Nativity Catholic Church in Albuquerque surrounded by only their closest loved ones. They followed up their intimate ceremony with the prettiest little candlelit backyard reception. And thanks to the amazing fall weather, we were able to steal these two away for some gorgeous romantics in the desert.

We were so blown away by Andrew and Shay’s love for one another, cheers to finding your soulmate against all odds and taking a leap of faith for love!

Vendors
Venues - Blessed Nativity Catholic Church + Private Home
Florals - The Flower Company
Vow Books - Ivory and Sage Co
Ring Box - The Family Joolz
Makeup - Mariah Luu
Bridal Gown - Maggie Sottero
Bridal Boutique - Bridal Elegance by Darlene
Bridesmaid Dresses - Birdy Grey
Groom + Groomsmen Suits - Suits Unlimited
Cake Topper - Raw Krft
Photographer - Alicia
Assistant - Jaclyn

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Eric + Lauren, an Intimate Los Poblanos Wedding

Every year we spend a whole lot of time at one of our favorite places on earth, Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm, and this year was no exception. Even though we captured mostly intimate weddings and elopements at this dreamy location for the better part of 2020, every single celebration was still magical. We were so dang thrilled when Eric and Lauren decided to tie the knot at this little slice of heaven on the most perfect September day.

These lovers first met at Wake Forest University in North Carolina during their senior year of college. Even though they parted their separate ways after graduation, Eric and Lauren reconnected in 2013 when they both were living in Washington, D.C. A few little years down the road in 2018, Eric decided to pursue his lifelong dream of sailing around the world and set off from Annapolis, MD. Although his entire journey would take about two and a half years, Eric decided to propose to Lauren in January 2019 while she was visiting him in New Zealand.

True to 2020 wedding form, Eric and Lauren had to change around their initial celebrations plans a whole lot, yet their day still turned out to be incredibly beautiful. They chose to keep their intimate ceremony black tie, which we think is amazing, and had the most beautiful garden ceremony in the heart of Los Poblanos. From a candle lighting ceremony during their vows to dreamy romantics to the most stunning first dance in the iconic La Quinta portal, this tiny day was one to remember. And if that wasn’t enough, these two made sure to select some of the most stellar, local, women-owned vendors for their day including glam queens Betty Rose by Alanna and Jewel Hair Design, stationary artist extraordinaire Funky Olive Design, and floral babes Florecita Flowers.

Intimate weddings like Eric and Lauren’s aren’t just a little extra magical, they’re days we absolutely adore capturing from start to finish. Congrats babes, we’re forever in love with your special day!

Vendors
Venue - Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Coordination - Shae
Florals - Florecita Flowers
Invitation Suite + Paper Goods - Funky Olive Design
Hair - Jewel Hair Design
MUA - Betty Rose by Alanna
Bridal Gown - Jenny Yoo
Bridal Boutique - BHLDN
Bride’s Shoes - Badgley Mischka
Engagement Ring - Vintage
Wedding Bands - Vrai
Groom’s Tux - The Black Tux
Ceremony Music - Diamond Empire Band
Lead Photographer - Bre
Second Photographer - Cameron
Assistant - Jaclyn

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Wedding Inspo - Intimate Weddings Part II

Earlier this year we posted a blog about some of our favorite intimate wedding inspiration, but after about a dozen more tiny weddings just in the past few months, we decided to make a part two!

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a dozen times, we ADORE intimate weddings. Everything about these little weddings is absolute perfection, from being able to spend more time with your guests to having a less limited budget due to overall lower costs to even just being able to enjoy more moments soaking up those first few hours of marriage. Over the past few months, we’ve been absolutely blown away by how our couples have taken intimate weddings to the next freaking level. Backyard weddings with all the pretty garden details, stoop weddings followed by mini parades, and the most adorable little farm weddings have just been the beginning of a whole new era of micro-weddings.

We’re not sure when giant weddings will be a consistent possibility in the coming months, but dang are we thankful for these beautiful, heartfelt, downright incredible intimate weddings. We can’t wait to share even more of these gorgeous days still to come!

Real Love Stories + Styled Shoots
Ysidro + Celestina at Casa Pera Art Space (coming soon to the blog)
Andrew + Deanna at Hotel Andaluz (coming soon to the blog)
Kenny + Molly at a Private Estate in Santa Fe (coming soon to the blog)
Eric + Lauren at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm (coming soon to the blog)
Angie + Brittany at a Private Home in Nob Hill
Gates + C.C. at a Private Estate in New Mexico
Matt + Allie at a Private Home in Santa Fe
Nate + Cait in Downtown Denver, CO
Brad + Kenna at Old Town Farm
Stuart + Kelly at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Zach + Natalie at The Desert Compass
Andrew + Shay at a Private Home in Albuquerque (coming soon to the blog)
Jawara + Jazz at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Ryan + Jennifer at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
Zach + Coli at Hotel Albuquerque and Casas de Sueños
Paul + Carolyn at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm

Weddings + Styled Shoots by Alicia, Ashley, Bre, and the ALP Team
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Elopement Inspo - a 90s Romeo + Juliet Styled Elopement

We’ve spent a whole lot of time this year out in the deserts of New Mexico with our couples, so at the end of summer we decided to switch up our scenery a bit with one of the raddest elopement shoots we’ve ever done.

Inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 90s rendition of Romeo + Juliet (you know, the one with you Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes), we created a little styled elopement with all of the romance, edge, and distinctive wedding style. We found a bunch of little gems in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque that had both that classic, romantic vibe along with those pops of color and one-of-a-kind features (especially the most perfect angel wing mural by our talented friend PAZ). We combined chic, simple bridal details including a sleek, modern Lulus gown and the dreamiest bridal glam by Santiago Romero and Betty Rose by Alanna alongside some truly unique touches such as an incredible white-floral groom’s top and that insanely colorful bouquet by Renegade Floral for an elopement look like we’ve never done before.

From zooming around to the coolest little locations to sneaking onto a rooftop to getting caught in a late-August rain, this evening truly felt like it was straight out of a film.

Vendors
Location - Downtown Albuquerque
Concept + Planning - Alicia + Jaclyn
Florals - Renegade Floral
Hair - Santiago Romero Hair
MUA - Betty Rose by Alanna
Bridal Gown - Lulus
Bride’s Ring - Monica Vinader
Bride’s Shoes - Badgley Mishkha
Bride’s Jacket - AllSaints
Groom’s Shirt - H&M
Groom’s Watch - Breda Studio
Angel Wing Mural - PAZ
Models - Michael + Jaclyn
Photographer - Alicia

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Gates + C.C., a Private Estate Wedding in New Mexico

Even though they replanned their wedding four (!) times due to the pandemic, East Coast sweethearts Gates and C.C. found the most incredible way to make the most of all the curveballs 2020 had thrown at them.

These lovers first met back in college at Princeton and started dating shortly after graduation. A few years later, Gates proposed at Beckford’s Tower, a spot overlooking Bath, a very special English city where C.C. had studied postgrad and the same place where these two had lived together.

Through all the wedding plan changes and challenges, Gates and C.C. decided to focus on what mattered most to both of them, their love for each other and their new chapter together. They decided to make it official at a private family estate in New Mexico and we were overwhelmed by all of the gorgeous details these two brought to their remarkable day. From the dreamiest flowers from our floral queen Melissa of Rengegade Floral to the softest, daintiest bridal glam by our gals Kata and Diana of Something Ginger to C.C.’s elegantly modern bridal style (which included that stellar Oscar de la Renta gown), everything about this day fell magically into place. And if their details weren’t enough, Gates and C.C. surprised us by taking us to the most captivating flower field for some of their romantics.

We loved this sweet day with Gates and C.C., cheers to all the couples making this year a celebration of love despite all the odds!

Vendors
Location - Private Estate
Florals - Renegade Floral
Hair + Makeup - Kata + Diana of Something Ginger
Bridal Gown + Shoes - Oscar de la Renta
Groom’s Tux - Knot Standard
Groom’s Boots - Little’s Boots Co.
Cake - Chocolate Maven
Music - Giovanni String Quartet
Officiant - Kelly Atkin
Photographer - Ashley
Assistant - Jaclyn

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Wedding Inspo - Wedding Trends We Heart

Now that February, aka Love Month is well underway and Valentines’ Day is just on the horizon this week, we wanted to be just a little festive on the blog! We’re kicking off this week of love with trends we are absolutely head-over-heels in love with and that we hope to see for years to come! Scroll through to see a few of our favorite things and maybe you’ll fall for a few of the trends we heart!

Mix & Match Bridesmaid Gowns
This is one trend we’ve seen soar in popularity the last few wedding seasons and we are so here for it! We love the idea of not only letting each of your gals pick a dress style/cut/fit that flatters their own body, but also adore having different colored dresses to coordinate with the overall wedding colors and tones. We can’t say enough good things about this trend and we’re praying its here to stay forever and ever. A few of our favorite bridesmaid designers include:
Jenny Yoo Collection
BHLDN
Show Me Your MuMu
Katie May
ASOS
Lulus
Revolve

Mariachi Parades
Truly more New Mexican tradition than trend, this mini wedding day party still made our list because of how much we adore all things Southwestern. Similar to a New Orleans second line parade, mariachi parades combine two of the best things imaginable: weddings & live music! We love getting the opportunity of getting to dance around the historic Santa Fe Plaza with our couples who chose to add this festive flair to their day, but we’ve also seen amazing mariachis at receptions all over the state! More of this please!

Cozy Reception Lounges
While a still relatively new tradition, cozy reception lounges are becoming one of the hottest, most popular wedding day accents around. We love the idea of pairing an additional, extra comfy space for guests to hang out during cocktail hour and the actual reception with a hint of boho style! Some of our most beloved reception lounge details include velvet couches, pretty accent pillow, and, of course, little neon signs. Some of our favorite local rental queens specializing in amazing lounges include:
Just Lovely Weddings + Darling Details Rentals
For the Love Events + Rust Vintage

Colorful Bridal Gowns
Last, but certainly not least on our favorite current trend lists are colorful wedding gowns. Straying away from typical white and cream hues, these gowns can bring not only personality and unique style to a wedding day, but they can also bring in multicultural traditions (as seen with our bride Lauren and her THREE different Hindu wedding gowns). A little known fact is that white gowns weren’t typically worn by brides until after Queen Victoria worn a stunning white lace gown for her marriage to Albert Saxe-Coberg in 1840. Before this iconic wedding, brides tended to select different colored dresses (with black being an incredibly popular shade in Scandinavia). With so many options from bridal designers, we love when brides take a jump and choose something not only different than the norm, but something that brings out their personalities. Some of our fave dress designers (both near and far) that specialize in gowns of all hues include:
Chosen by One Day
Terese Rose Designs
Grace Loves Lace
Watters
Monique Lhuillier

Weddings + Styled Shoots by Alicia, Ashley, and Bre of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography