Wedding Inspo - Top 5 Albuquerque Wedding Venues

Albuquerque has been our number one spot for weddings and elopements over the last ten seasons and let’s just say that the cutie venues here never disappoint. Our sweet little city has some of the dreamiest places to say “I do” and we’re constantly blown away by the magical celebrations we get to capture at each of them.

From tiny little farms to lavender gardens to elegant hotels to quiet gardens, there truly is a venue in Albuquerque for every single couple out there. If you’re more of the classic, romantic type, Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town might be perfect for you, but if you’re more of a quaint, rustic kind of lover, Old Town Farm could be your jam. And if you’re looking for a historic, otherworldly place to elope or have a tiny wedding, the ever stunning Los Poblanos could make your dreams come true.

Every single time we visit these sweet little venues we’re reminded of why we adore Albuquerque so much and special this city really is to us. We can’t wait for even more lovers to tie the knot at these incredible spaces!!!

Featured Venues + Love Stories
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town - Owen + Amelia and Zach + Coli
Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm - Evan + Jocelyn
Casa Perea Art Space - Ysidro + Celestina
Old Town Farm - Russell + Katie and Brad + Kenna
Casas de Sueños - Zach + Coli

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

Wedding Inspo - Boho Chic Celebrations

Over the past few seasons a newer trend, that we think is here to stay (!), has become a favorite for so many of our couples. Boho chic weddings and elopements bring together maximalist wedding vibes with unique details for some of the most wildly gorgeous days we’ve ever encountered.

Pampas grass, neon signage, hand-stitched wedding gowns, and that carefree-kind-of-love bring these stellar celebrations together. We adore how boho chic weddings can happen anywhere, whether its on a ranch in Texas Hill Country, in a tiny backyard in Albuquerque, or even at a luxury hotel in Santa Fe. These magnificent days have become a staple for so many of our couples and we are so dang here for it.

We’re so here for all of the larger-than-life, incredibly beautiful boho celebrations this year and beyond, bring on allllll the pretty!!!

Featured Love Stories
Stuart + Kelly at Sunset Ranch (Fredericksburg, TX)
Andrew + Shay at a Private Estate (Albuquerque, NM)
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch (Santa Fe, NM)
Patrick + Niki at Enchanted Vine Barn (Ruidoso, NM)
Jason + Natalie at La Fonda on the Plaza (Santa Fe, NM)
Mack + Shelby at Four Seasons Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)

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

Where to Elope in New Mexico - A Few of Our Fave Venues

In the aftermath of 2020, so many soon-to-be newlyweds are looking towards celebrating just a little bit differently this year. Couples are trading in giant wedding bashes for much smaller, intimate days and we’re so dang here for it. New Mexico is brimming with incredible places to make it last name official, even if its just you and your boo!

From a tiny adobe dwelling in the heart of Old Town to a majestic hacienda high in the mountains of northern New Mexico to a legendary lavender farm, there are so many unique, equally stunning places to finally say “I do” in the Land of Enchantment. We’ve been overwhelmed with inspiration by seeing our couples do the damn thing no matter what and we’ve been dying to share some of the most stellar spots for elopements.

Here’s to all the tiny, unique nuptials out there, we can’t wait to see even more Southwestern elopements!

Featured Love Stories + Venues
Jeremy + Michelle at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Will + Jill at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Zach + Natalie at The Desert Compass
Nate + Symone at Casita de Cacti
Russell + Katie at Old Town Farm
Brad + Kenna at Old Town Farm
Geoff + Jocelyn at Hacienda Doña Andrea
Chris + Emma at Hacienda Doña Andrea

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

Wedding Inspo - Groom Style, 4th Edition

Everyone who knows us already knows that we adore featuring our incredibly gorgeous brides all over the blog, but what about the grooms? Every year, we dedicate a special blog to all of the amazing dudes we get to meet on wedding and elopement days and, of course, take the opportunity feature their killer style.

With all of the changes to weddings in 2020, its no surprise that so many of our grooms opted for unique style choices. Whether it was a pastel blue suit, a simple yet breezy dress shirt paired with slacks, a sleek camel coat with boots, or even a classic black tux, all of the stellar outfit choices these handsome fellas made did not disappoint one bit.

We adore getting to see grooms express their personalities on wedding days, even if its through a simple attire choice, we’re beyond hyped to see what 2021 grooms have in store for us!

Our Favorite Groom Attire Designers + Shops
Bonobos
Ralph Lauren
J. Crew
Limatus Bespoke
Don Morphy
H&M
The Black Tux
Tom James
Men’s Wearhouse
Tommy Hilfiger
Kenneth Cole
Suit Supply
Ted Baker
ASOS
Jos A. Banks
Suits Unlimited

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

2021 Wedding + Elopement Trends

Despite all of the uncertainty and struggle of 2020, we’ve seen so many amazing things start to take hold in the wedding industry. From recognizing how amazing small, intentional celebrations can be to couples taking chances on brand new ideas for their special day, we’ve truly been in awe over all of it. We’re hoping that a few of the trends we’ve been crushing on become major elements of weddings and elopements in 2021!

We’re currently obsessed with:
- unique + colorful bridal gowns
- bright + funky florals
- soft baby’s breath bouquets
- tiny, intimate ceremonies with just friends + family
- unique, avant-garde cakes


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

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

Russell + Katie, an Old Town Farm Elopement

Last September we got to return to one of our favorite little venues hidden right in the heart of Albuquerque, Old Town Farm, for Russell and Katie’s beautiful elopement. Being a part of these lovers’ day was such a gift and we’re beyond grateful for this lovely, quiet evening with them.

Russell and Katie first connected in Columbia, Ohio through a dating app and even though they initially didn’t meet for several months, they immediately hit it off. A few years later, their cutie son Jack was born and five short months after starting their little family together, Russell proposed on Christmas morning of 2018. Katie, of course, said yes and these two started off their engagement by picking out rings together.

After their initial spring wedding was postponed and then cancelled due to COVID, Russell and Katie decided to alter their celebration down to just a tiny elopement. They were able to keep their dreamy little venue, Old Town Farm, for the most beautiful fall evening. Katie’s modern yet elegant bridal style was absolute perfection and we adored how our angel Genica Lee gave this beauty the most glam hair and makeup. We’re also still very obsessed with the dark, yet colorful florals Albuquerque Florist created for this evening (especially those cranberry tones). These two said “I do” during the most perfect golden hour glow alongside their son and two of their closest friends. After their quick nuptials, we got to spend even more time with Russell and Katie as they soaked up those first hours of being married.

We were so inspired these two and so dang honored to be there to capture the next step of their journey. Congrats Katie and Russell, we adore you and your elopement so much!

Vendors
Venue - Old Town Farm
Florals - Albuquerque Florist
Hair + MUA - Genica Lee
Bridal Gown - David’s Bridal
Bride’s Jewelry - BHLDN
Bride’s Shoes - Rothy’s
Groom’s Attire - Men’s Wearhouse
Officiant - Rab Freeman
Photographer - Alicia
Assistant - Jaclyn

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

2020 - Moments with Alicia Lucia Photography

2020 was by far one of the most challenging years our team has ever faced, yet through all the difficult descisons and make-or-break moments, we still found the light on the other side of it all.

After an intense global pandemic forced our weddings and shoots to a screeching halt, we weren’t sure what to do, but somehow we found a new path and gained a better perspective on our lives, our business, and our community. We found new ways to capture weddings/elopements and support our couples as they navigated this insane year. And we also found even more opportunities to create beauty through styled shoots and portrait sessions. If one thing is sure, 2020 reminded us of why we set out to do what we do in the first place: love. Watching love win over and over and over again this year, despite all of the odds was something to behold. And we once again fell in love with with what we have the immense privilege of doing, capturing those undeniably beautiful moments of pure joy.

The biggest thank you from the bottom of our hearts goes out to every single couple, family, and individual who continually put their trust in us during a year where everything was uncertain, yet everything mattered even more. And to all of our vendor friends, thank you for riding this one out with us, we’ve never had so much faith in the wedding community as we do right here and now.

No year will ever be quite like 2020, and while we’re grateful to see beacons of hope at start of the new year, we’re forever be grateful for the year that gave us all a chance to start anew and to believe in the magic that is love.

Weddings, Elopements, Styled Shoots, and Portrait Sessions by the Alicia Lucia Photography Team
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia

Wedding Inspo - Old Town Weddings and Elopements

If there’s one part of town we love getting to rediscover over and over every season its beautiful little Old Town Albuquerque. Even though wedding season looked a whole lot different this year, we loved every second spent in this enchanting little area capturing tiny nuptials.

Besides being incredibly iconic, Old Town is a place that oozes magic and charm around every single corner. Whether its an intimate wedding at the ever so quaint Old Town Farm, a grand wedding at the historic San Felipe de Neri Church right on the plaza, a quiet elopement at The Desert Compass, or a stunning ceremony at Hotel Albuquerque, we always find something new to love about this special part of town. We love getting to see new little venues thrive and older venue get lots of well-deserved love all in the same part of town.

We’re so excited for more enchanting days in this hidden gem of a place, cheers to many more years of our beloved Old Town!!!

Featured Weddings + Elopements
Zach + Natalie, a Desert Compass Styled Shoot
Rob + Antonette, an Old Town Styled Elopement
Russell + Katie, an Old Town Farm Elopement (coming soon to the blog)
Zach + Coli, a Hotel Albuquerque and Casas de Sueños Wedding
Michael + Caitlin, a San Felipe de Neri Wedding
Brad + Kenna, an Intimate Old Town Farm Wedding
Dillon + Stephanie, a Hotel Albuquerque Wedding

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

Wedding Inspo - Invitation Suite Inspo

A lot of things may have changed for weddings this year, but one element that always remains is beautiful invitation suites. We adore seeing how our couples pull together their special day with this tiny, but stunning detail.

From bespoke invitation suites with watercolor details to minimalist and modern stationary to bright and colorful invites, we’ve seen some incredible designs over the past season!

We can’t wait to see what unique and beautiful concepts our couples pull into their invitation suites in the future, we already know that we’ll be absolutely awestruck over them all!!

Invitation Designers
Funky Olive Design
Letterpress Made
Minted
Natalie Soud Studio
Silver Swirl Studios
Sweet Sentimentality
Basic Invite
Protea Press
Shutterfly
K.Laine Design
Southern Fried Paper
Dandylion Paper

Weddings by the Alicia Lucia Photography Team
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Wedding Inspo - Ceremony Altars

Whether its a mini-wedding with a handful of guests or a giant, incredibly lively wedding with a whole bunch of friends and family members, our couples always find a way to make their ceremonies extra gorgeous, especially when it comes to the backdrops they pick to stand in front of to say “I do”. From stunning floral installations to incredible ceremony arches, we’ve seen it all, but we love looking back at some of the most show-stopping ceremony set ups we’ve seen over the past year.

As expected, we captured a ton of floral arches, from the bright and bold to the soft and whimsical varieties. Arches, both of of the wooden variety and of the purely floral design are becoming a wedding staple that we’re sure will always be a fan fave.

But besides this new classic, what other beauties have adorned alters and made vows that much more special? There are a few pretty little designs that come to mind and wow, are we still drooling over them. Just a few of our current faves include a dreamy mauve-toned geometric backdrop, the most eye-catching florals being draped from a tiny balcony, and a boho rug framed with giant pampas grass arrangements. And, of course, we can’t forget how one of our couples opted for that wide open New Mexico sky to be their ceremony background as they exchanged vows at a backyard wedding in the Santa Fe mountains.

We’re not sure what new altar trends will take the wedding world by storm in the coming years, but we do know that they’ll be absolutely divines and we’re so dang here for it all.

Featured Weddings + Styled Shoots
Zach + Natalie at The Desert Compass
Emerson Venue Styled Wedding
Nathan + Caitlin in Denver, CO (coming soon to the blog)
Jawara + Jasmyn at Los Poblanos
Brittany + Angie in Nob Hill (coming soon to the blog)
Ben + Emilee at Sandia Event Center
Matt + Allie in Santa Fe, NM (coming soon to the blog)
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch Estate
John + Anna at La Fonda on the Plaza
Jeremy + Michelle at Los Poblanos (coming soon to the blog)
Patrick + Niki at Enchanted Vine Barn
Geoff + Jocelyn at Hacienda Doña Andrea
James + Lauren at Los Poblanos
Morgan + Mattie at Las Campanas
Carter + Carrie at La Fonda on the Plaza
Qwist + Cara at Los Poblanos
Trey + Clara in San Patricio, NM
Zach + Coli at Hotel Albuquerque
Chris + Ari at Los Poblanos
Ashwin + Lauren at La Posada de Santa Fe
Jordan + KC in Santa Fe, NM
Adam + Jill at Los Poblanos
Jason + Natalie at La Fonda on the Plaza
Colton + Lindsey at Hyatt Tamaya

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

Bridal Inspo - Strapless Wedding Gowns

A true bridal classic we see season after season, strapless wedding gowns are both elegant and just a tiny bit flirty. From the constructed couture variety to the plush blush styles to even the most gorgeous hand painted ones, strapless wedding gowns are definitely the perfect canvas for any bride to find her own unique style in for her big day!

One of the most special aspects of strapless wedding gowns is that the silhouette can still come in a multitude of styles. From sleek curve hugging gowns to ballgown inspired dresses to even the slightest mermaid bridal train, strapless gowns are each incredibly individual and downright beautiful!

We’re so excited to see what new designs and inspirations future strapless gowns will take on and we can’t wait to capture all of them!!!


Featured Bridal Gown Designers
Vera Wang
Eisen Stein Bridal
Ines di Santo
David’s Bridal
Stella York
Allure Bridals
Maggie Sottero
Hayley Paige
Reem Acra
Kelly Faetanini
Casa Blanca Bridal
Lillian West
Watters

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

Wedding Inspo - Wedding Cakes

If you’ve been craving a sweet escape, we can’t help but mention that this blog is just for you! We’ve featured some of the most stunning cakes we’ve captured over the past two years and we’re still drooling over them.

From succulent accented beauties to bright and festive babes to the classic, yet pretty floral beauties, we gotta say that these cakes certainly had their own personalities (and some of them definitely stole the show). We love seeing when couples get super creative with wedding day details and its always such a treat to see how some of local baking beauties pull off these sweet masterpieces!

We’re still on a sugar high for some of these cakes so scroll through and find your new favorite sweet treat!!!

Featured Bakers
Maggie’s Wedding Cakes
Chocolate Maven
Simply Sweet by Darci
Mellow Cakery (formerly Maimie’s Cakes)
Bizzy B Cakes
Q’s Cakes & Sweet Boutique
Small Cakes
A Cake Odyssey
Emerald Pie Bar
Sassy Bakes (Heather of Los Poblanos)

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

Wedding Inspo - Groom Style Third Edition

While its true that we have a huge affinity for stellar bridal style on the blog, we can’t help but share a little bit of love with our stylish, dapper, and downright handsome grooms! Not only are these guys total on-camera knockouts, they’re also some of the kindest, most personable dudes you could ever ask for on wedding days!

We love a sleek, traditional black suit or tux, so how do grooms elevate this classic style? Our grooms have tapped into everything, from incorporating Southwestern flair with bolo ties or designer cowboy boots to adding personal touches like a cool pair of sunglasses or a surprise pop of color in their boutonniere or suit jacket lining!

And we’ve had plenty of grooms chose other colors for their wedding days suits as well including blue, grey, tan, and even mix-and-match colors! We’ve loved seeing how these guys dressed up colors other than black for their big day and adored seeing so many unique details including ties with tiny prints on them (from polka dots to florals) to broaches (instead of a traditional bow tie or tie) to opting for unique textures like wool.

Last season we saw an incredible variety of groom style and honestly we’re thrilled to see what our next guys have in store for us, we’re crossing our fingers for a few extra daring grooms with non-traditional suit colors! Until then, take a look at these wedding day hunks, we had the best time capturing each one of these wedding day hubbies!

A Few of Our Favorite Suit Designers + Shops
The Black Tux
Bonobos
ASOS
Mango
Ralph Lauren
Indochino
Suit Supply
Ted Baker
Lanieri
Neiman Marcus
Jos. A Bank
Banana Republic
J. Crew
Kenneth Cole
Hockerty
The Tie Bar
Tommy Hilfiger
Perry Ellis
Joseph Abboud
Men’s Wearhouse
Suits Unlimited

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

Engagement Inspo - FAQ

Earlier this year we collaborated with our pals at Rocky Mountain Bride for a collaborative feature on our favorite engagement session locations, you can view that here. Following that, we opened up a Q+A on our Instagram for your questions on all things engagement sessions. We’ve sat down and come up with answers to all of your pressing questions with this sweet little guide. Cheers to all the newly engaged babes out there, this special blog is just for you!

Q: What’s the best time of day for engagement photos?
We prefer the evening light at dusk and into blue hour. This is when the light is at its most golden and softest, thus creating a very neutral, flattering, and most evenly dimensional light to work with. 

Q: How do you make sure your couples feels comfortable especially if one is more shy?
This scenario is actually very common and typically the norm, as we usually rarely have a couple where both the bride and groom are super outgoing and extroverted. We've had tons of practice with the more introverted and shy type & we’d definitely say that making sure you find a photographer/photography team that you connect with and feel comfortable with will help make things feel more natural.

A few questions to mull over when considering a photographer should include: What do you feel when you look through their website and images? How do they make you feel corresponding through email and phone conversations? Typically those feelings are good indicators of what you'll feel at the session. Are you going through the galleries and images and seeing that they are excelling in connection and interaction? Or are the images more stale and impersonal? Chances are that if you get those warm and fuzzy vibes while looking through their work & interacting with them, that is most likely what you'll get at your shoot!

Through the years we've found that keeping the session more active and finding ways for our couples to interact with each other by giving easy prompts like: “Scott look over at Emma, Emma look at us, Scott place your forehead on Emma's temple, kiss her cheek or anywhere but her lips, whisper your favorite breakfast meal in your sexiest voice, now lock hands and walk towards us, look at each other, look at us!” Prompts like this will keep the session light hearted, silly, and fun, taking the shoot away from a stiff, awkward forced vibe to having your shy fiance come out of his or her shell for a bit! 

Q: Suggestions for great outfits, designers, and style?
If you hired a professional wedding photographer, they should more than likely have tons of wardrobe and outfit ideas, suggestions and insight. With the ALP team, we gift our couples with a welcome box that includes a custom wedding magazine/guide covering things specifically like engagement sessions and wardrobe, timing, details and all things engagement session! A lot of our brides tend to wear brands like Anthropologie, Lulus, & Madewell to name a few! We'll cover outfits and styling in a little more detail below, but keeping it minimal, neutral, and something that is complementing to the location is always a safe start. You can always layer on accessories like a nice statement necklace, fun hat, unique belt or pretty scarf. If you are more of a patterns and bold colors type of girl (or guy!) then we’d maybe suggest keeping your location more simple to let you and your fiance's fun personality shine

Q: Speaking of location, what is the best location to capture all the southwest charm in New Mexico?

The Southwest charm is so broad and its hard for us to say what our favorite truly is . When we think Southwest, our minds immediately goes to our vast vegetation, the desert & yuccas/chamsia/cholla trifecta and the rolling hills and the views, but others think ristras, crushed adobe, and pueblo revival architecture. There is no right or wrong answer just tons of options so for the desert look, we’d go either far west for flat desert or far east for the rolling hills at the base of the Sandia mountains (that still provides the chamisa/cholla/yucca combo & where you can still get a desert vibe, strangely enough!). For adobe and ristras and that quintessential New Mexico look, we'd reccomend Old Town Albuquerque or downtown Santa Fe. Look through your photographer’s galleries and see what location you connect to and are attracted to the most. We put together a guide to some our most treasured locations with our friends at Rocky Mountain Bride, so more inspo, follow the link below!

Alicia Lucia’s Guide to the Top New Mexico Engagement Spots

Q What’s thebest attire for men?
This again ties back to personality and location chosen. We've had grooms show up to shoots in a 3 piece suit, rocking that dapper look, to grooms shutting it down in a jean jacket and beanie. Get with your photographer, nail down a location, and then base your attire on what the overall look your trying to achieve while still keeping your personality and the location in mind. 

Q: How do we make sure our style doesn't clash with the location?
As mentioned earlier, a good photographer will be basing the location options off of your attire & this is why good/open communication is important and constant correspondences is so necessary. If your photographer is not in contact with you or helping/preparing you for your engagement session, then we'd definitely re-evaluate.

Q: How do we incorporate props?
Cover that with your photographer first to make sure a) the location allows it and doesn't have any restrictions and b) that the location is flattering/complimenting to the prop you are wanting to incorporate. 

Q: How many photos should we expect to receive from one engagement session?
We typically deliver anywhere between 50-100 photos. 

Q: How far in advance should we book?
Our brides book their wedding dates with us about a year to a year and a half out with their engagement sessions being booked about 4-8 months before their wedding 

Q: What is the typical turn around for photos be? My sisters wedding photographer took a month.
We'd say that is probably average but we've worked hard to nail down our post wedding processing and have streamlined our process to a t so we can turn a round wedding galleries anywhere between a week to 3 weeks! 


Featured Engagements
Jason + Natalie at White Sands (Alamogordo, NM)
Chris + Ari at Los Poblanos (Albuquerque, NM)
Derek + Brigitte at White Mesa (San Ysidro, NM)
Trey + Clara at Old Town (Albuquerque, NM)
Paul + Carolyn at the Bosque (Albuquerque, NM)
Tom + Justine in Central Park (New York, NY)
Evan + Jocelyn at White Mesa (San Ysidro, NM)
Matt + Allie at a Private Estate (Santa Fe, NM)
Geoff + Jocelyn at the Rock House (Albuquerque, NM)
Andrew + Deanna at Nob Hill + Old Town (Albuquerque, NM)

Engagements by Alicia, Ashley, and Bre of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

2019 Wedding Moments

To our 2019 couples,
As the year winds down and we get ready for brand new decade, we cna’t help but reflect on all of 2019’s stellar weddings! From the super intimate, heartfelt days to the incredible bashes full of life and amazing details, this season was truly one for the books.

From Southern New Mexico to Albuquerque to Santa Fe, we’ve been to some pretty incredible places and seen some amazing love stories. We adored each and every one of our couples, from our New York City cuties to our Las Cruces lovers to our stunning Santa Fe babes, this season has been full of love from across the U.S.! We can’t wait for what’s to come and we can’t help but thank these beyond amazing couples for letting us be a little part of their forever! We adore each and every one of you to the moon and back!

Love,
The Alicia Lucia Photography Team

Our 2019 Lovers
Trey + Clara Peter Hurd Guest House and a Private Residence in San Patricio, NM
Qwist + Cara at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Patrick + Niki at Enchanted Vine Barn
Geoff + Jocelyn at Hacienda Doña Andrea
Gustav + Jackie at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Garrett + April at Casa Perea Art Space
Carter + Carrie at La Fonda on the Plaza
James + Lauren at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Morgan + Mattie at Las Campanas
Adam + Jill at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Zach + Coli at Hotel Albuquerque and Casas de Suenos
Ashwin + Lauren at Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi and The Inn & Spa at Loretto
Ashwin + Lauren at La Posada de Santa Fe
Ryan + Jennifer at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
Jake + Angela at Sandia Event Center
Pablo + Alejandrina at Old Town Albuquerque
John + Anna at La Fonda on the Plaza
Chris + Ari at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Jason + Ryan at Ghost Ranch
Ben + Emiliee at Sandia Event Center
Colton + Lindsey at Hyatt Tamaya
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch Estate
Jason + Natalie at La Fonda on the Plaza
Jordan + KC at Cristo Rey Catholic Church and La Fonda on the Plaza
Suraj + Celina at a Private Residence in Albuquerque, NM
Michael + Sarah at La Fonda on the Plaza (coming to the blog soon)
Bryan + Jennie at Loretto Chapel and Four Seasons Santa Fe
Brad + Kenna at Old Town Farm (coming to the blog soon)
Conner + Laura at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm (coming to the blog soon)

2019 Lead Photographers - Alicia Padilla, Ashley Shaw, Bre Bloomquist, and Brittany Miller
2019 Second Photographers - Cameron Storie, Melanie Montoya, Molly Morgan, and Brianna Archuleta
2019 Assistants - Jaclyn Younger, Cameron Storie, and Taylor DeJong

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Jason + Natalie, a Stunning Fall Wedding at La Fonda on the Plaza

On a very lovely Santa Fe day, Jason and Natalie said “I do” with the most spectacular, southwestern-boho wedding ever! These lovers came all the way from Chicago to celebrate the start of forever and they pulled out all the stops.

Jason and Natalie met about four years ago and even though Natalie cancelled their first date, Jason was persistent and the two of them finally met. After an 8 hour date walking around Lake Michigan, these babes knew they were meant for one another and now, years later, Jason and Natalie live the sweetest life in Chicago with their darling black lab/collie mix, Bartlet.

This fall, they began the next chapter of their lives together at the ever beautiful La Fonda on the Plaza. With stellar details from Funky Olive Designs, Rust Vintage, and For the Love Events, Jason and Natalie’s day was both stunning and super unique. Natalie made all her glam bridal dreams come true with her gorgeous Ines di Santo gown, complete with hand painted florals and the most epic train we’ve ever laid eyes on. Jason surprised us too with the coolest custom suit around (we’re suckers for anything with skulls on it!). We’re still trying to pick our jaws up off the floor thanks to our gal Zara of Maggie’s Wedding Cakes who created the perfect desert inspired cake (complete with pink watercolor cacti).

Cheers to more insanely beautiful, out-of-this-world days and congrats to Jason + Natalie! Here’s to a lifetime of beauty and love!

Vendors
Venue - La Fonda on the Plaza
Planning - Sofie with For the Love Events
Rentals - Rust Vintage
Florals - Renegade Floral
Invitations + Paper Goods - Funky Olive Design
Hair - Jewel Hair Design
MUA - Kata Baron
Bridal Gown - Ines di Santo
Bridesmaid Dresses - Bella Bridesmaids
Groom’s Attire - ESQ Clothing
Groomsmen Attire - The Black Tux
Cake - Maggie’s Wedding Cakes
Music - Absolute Entertainment
Lead Photographer - Ashley
Second Photographer - Bre

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Wedding Inspo - First Look Moments

One of the biggest decisions to be made for your wedding is whether or not to do a first look, and if you know one thing about our gang its that we ADORE first looks!

The biggest bonus, besides being able to shake off some of the pre-ceremony jitters, is that with a first look you and your hunny get even more time alone together on your wedding day (something that is surprisingly hard to get on the biggest day of your lives!). In addition to extra time, you get a few special, quiet moments together to take in how gorgeous/handsome your future spouse looks without anyone else around (except for us of course!). Although some might argue that seeing each other before walking down the aisle takes away from emotional reactions, we couldn’t disagree more. In fact, first looks just add to that magic because you get to experience seeing your lover in front of all of your friends and family too!

There’s also the major plus of getting extra photos together during and after a first look! And who doesn’t want even more gorgeous wedding photos without having to stress about squeezing in all of the romantics into the day after the ceremony? And with a first look you can also get wedding party and family photos done which means that everyone gets to enjoy alllll of cocktail hour!

We could seriously list off five million reasons why first looks are amazing, but we’ll let all of our couples in this special post do the talking for us!

Our Real Life Love Stories
Chris + Ari at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Jason + Natalie at La Fonda on the Plaza (coming soon to the blog)
Colton + Lindsey at Hyatt Tamaya
John + Anna at La Fonda on the Plaza
Morgan + Mattie at Las Campanas
Geoff + Jocelyn at Hacienda Doña Andrea de Santa Fe
Ryan + Jennifer at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
Carter + Carrie at La Fonda on the Plaza
James + Lauren at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Randy + Elizabeth at the Santa Fe Opera
Shaun + Jessie at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
David + Lauren at La Fonda on the Plaza
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch Estate (coming soon to the blog)
Mack + Shelby at Four Seasons Santa Fe
Jake + Angela at Sandia Event Center
Jon + Paige at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm

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

Jason + Natalie, a Southwestern Rehearsal Dinner at The Pink Adobe

It’s not a secret that we became absolutely obsessed with Chicago lovers Jason and Natalie after their lovely White Sands engagement session and we just knew their wedding weekend in Santa Fe was going to be one for the books!

These two kicked off their celebration with a festive rehearsal dinner at the ever-so-quaint Santa Fe gem, The Pink Adobe. Complete with a New Mexico inspired cake by our girl Zara at Maggie’s Wedding Cakes, to custom gift bags designed by Funky Olive Designs (who used this same amazing design for Jason and Natalie’s wedding day details), to a surprise appearance by a tequila donkey, this night was just the tip of the iceberg for a truly incredible wedding weekend

We can’t wait to share Jason and Natalie’s out-of-this-world day here on the blog, but until then, feast your eyes on this perfect Santa Fe night!

Vendors
Rehearsal Dinner Venue - The Pink Adobe
Cake - Maggie’s Wedding Cakes
Gift Bag Design - Funky Olive Design
Photographer - Bre

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography