Wedding Inspo - White Sands National Park

We always say that New Mexico is one of the most beautiful places on the entire planet, so its no surprise that the ever ethereal White Sands National Park is part of that magic. From elopements to intimate wedding celebrations to engagements, we’ve been lucky enough to capture so much beauty at this natural wonder over the last few seasons.

About three hours south of our home base in Albuquerque, this incredible place is beyond otherworldly. Described as one-of-a-kind, White Sands is one of the only natural gypsum sand deserts on the planet. Upon arrival, this gorgeous destination holds both timeless history and the perfect blank slate for any couple or shoot. White Sands’ endless landscape of immaculate possibilities always leaves us in absolute awe and desperate for more adventures there.

Truthfully, we sometimes wish that we could just live at White Sands year-round, its immense beauty is unmatched and deeply powerful to us. We can’t wait to see which of couples take us back to this literal heaven on Earth!

Location - White Sands National Park

Real Life Love Stories + Styled Elopements
Ben + Chelsea, a White Sands Elopement (coming soon to the blog)
A Day in Dubai, a Styled White Sands Elopement
Scott + Moxi, an Intimate Wedding Celebration at White Sands
Jason + Natalie, a White Sands Engagement

Elopements + Shoots by Alicia, Ashley, and Bre of Alicia Lucia Photography
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

Cait + Lana, an Evening in the Desert

California cuties Cait and Lana, brought a little extra heat to the desert earlier this fall and we were so freaking excited to capture them and their pups. This dreamy little evening out in one of our squad’s favorite Southwest spots was what we absolutely needed this year.

Originally from the West Coast, these two made a quick stop in New Mexico early this fall and we were so thrilled when they asked us to photograph this gorgeous little session. We can’t wait to see where Lana and Cait end up next, we know it’ll be beyond beautiful and so dang epic.

Location - Petroglyph National Monument
Photographer - Alicia

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Matt + Allie, an Intimate Home Wedding in the Santa Fe Mountains

Over a year ago, we captured Matt and Allie’s engagement session at Allie’s parents’ beautiful Santa Fe home overlooking the Jemez mountains and early this fall, these lovers ended up getting married in that exact same spot. Even though they traded their bigger downtown Santa Fe bash for a intimate wedding, Matt and Allie not only made their day incredibly beautiful, but it still radiated genuine love and excitement.

These two met back in college when Allie moved into the apartment right next door to Matt and after about a year of being friends, they started officially dating. A few years later in 2018, while Allie was completing her masters in Santa Barbara, CA, Matt came out for a visit. One evening, while soaking in the sunset along the shore, Matt proposed.

Even though Matt and Allie’s wedding plans changed many times, these two kept the focus on the most important aspect of their day, the huge amount of love they have for one another. They finally decided on a tiny wedding with only immediate family and the most breathtaking view of Santa Fe. In keeping with their original theme of ‘sophisticated natural’, their details were both soft and incredibly elegant. We adored the tiny gems these two snuck into their day, from having their brother-in-law Eric officiate the ceremony to a recorded speech by Matt’s brother/best man (who was unable to make it due to travel restrictions) to gifting each guest with a commissioned piece from Keshi and a smudge spray from Aromabontanica. On top of all of those amazing details, our girl Allie also brought a gorgeously modern bridal look to this day with not only the world’s prettiest veil and beyond chic bridal gown by Pronovias, but also with a custom bridal hat from Ramblin’ Rose Hat Co (which we’re just a tiny bit obsessed with tbh).

If there’s one thing we love above all, its when couples truly embrace their wedding and make it their own. Against all odds, these lovers made the most of 2020 and kicked off their marriage in the most wonderfully unique way. We loved every second of this remarkable day with Matt + Allie, the biggest congrats to these lovebirds.


Vendors
Location - Private Home in Santa Fe, NM
Florals - Marisa’s Millefiori
Invitations + Paper Goods - Letterpress Made
Hair - Salon Boheme Santa Fe
Makeup Artist - Monica Stark Makeup
Bridal Gown - Pronovias
Bride’s Hat - Ramblin’ Rose Hat Co
Bride’s Shoes - Stuart Weitzman
Groom’s Tux - Men’s Wearhouse
Catering - Walter Burke Catering
Cake - Chocolate Maven
Guest Gifts - Keshi + Aromabontanica
Music - Diamond Empire Band
Videography - Luminance Wedding Films
Lead Photographer - Bre
Second Photographer - Carissa
Assistant - Jaclyn

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Scott + Moxi, a White Sands Wedding

After their initial wedding in Vietnam was cancelled back in March, Scott and Moxi were still determined to make the celebration of their new marriage meaningful and beautiful so they decided on a tiny session with just them and their parents at White Sands National Park. We spent an early fall evening with these two at this dreamy Southern New Mexico spot with an incredible full moon in the distance.

Both originally from Albuquerque , Scott and Moxi have known each other since middle school through their families’ mutual Chinese community ties. However, even though their parents are super close friends, they didn’t really start to get to know each other until a combined ski trip in college where they realized just how much they had in common. At the time, they were attending different out-of-state colleges so after the trip Scott and Moxi moved on with their separate lives. It wasn’t until 2014 that these two really hit it off when they both attended a software bootcamp in San Francisco. They dated for 4 years before getting engaged in 2018 and now these cuties live together in the Bay Area with their two guinea pigs.

Being able to capture this dreamy little evening out on those pearly white sand dunes was such an incredibly special experience for us. From hanging out with their sweet family members to seeing Scott and Moxi being so dang cute and still so in love, this tiny celebration was everything. The biggest congrats to Scott and Moxi, we adore you both so much!!!

Vendors
Location - White Sands National Park
Bridal Gown - Wtoo by Watters
Bridal Boutique - BHLDN
Photographer - Ashley

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography