What We Heart About Santa Fe Weddings

Anyone who knows our team has seen how much we adore Santa Fe weddings and all of the amazing little spots where we’ve captured our couples and their love stories. From its vast architecture to it rich culture, Santa Fe is a gem among the Southwest and we feel so dang lucky to spend so much time exploring it.

One of the most iconic locations for weddings is, of course, the Santa Fe Plaza, but what many don’t realize is the vast number of different venues of all shapes and sizes for weddings.

Do you want a huge wedding with a parade around the historic plaza followed by an outdoor reception? There are several hotels including La Fonda on the Plaza, The Inn and Spa at Loretto, and La Posada de Santa Fe that are pros at these celebrations.

Or are you a bit more low-key and want an intimate wedding at a stunning hacienda or tiny inn? Spots like Hacienda Corta Caro and The Inn of the Five Graces are the coziest of wedding nooks.

Maybe you want a venue with an iconic past or one that’s even an art gallery? Places like Peters Projects at Gerald Peters Gallery, SITE Santa Fe, and The Santa Fe Opera are just a few of those unique, art focused spaces.

There’s even two incredibly famous churches right on the plaza, Loretto Chapel and The Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, for more traditional weddings.

And what about places for couples wanting to venture a bit outside of the usual Santa Fe scene for venues nestled among the mountains and vast New Mexican landscape? Venues like La Mesita Ranch Estate, Las Campanas, Hacienda Doña Andrea, and Four Seasons Santa Fe all provide amazing views and details for any and all weddings they host.

Not only does Santa Fe have so many amazing venues, but so many unique New Mexican and Southwestern traditions have stayed in style season after season in The City Different. Every season mariachi parades around the plaza take center stage, tequila donkeys like sweet Conchita make an appearance at receptions, and all the chili, cactus, and skull details accent every inch of weddings. We love how couples from near and far fully embrace all the special little pieces of Santa Fe that we have such a soft spot for. And we can’t help but absolutely love it even more when our lovers from previous wedding seasons continue to visit Santa Fe year after year just to always have a part of the Southwest with them.

In our eyes, any venue in Santa Fe is the perfect venue and every tradition is beyond special. We’ve been so fortunate to capture a huge amount of couples in the most unique locations and honestly, we can’t wait to explore new places with brand new love stories.

Featured Santa Fe Venues
La Fonda on the Plaza
Hacienda Doña Andrea
La Mesita Ranch Estate
La Posada de Santa Fe
Santa Fe Opera
Las Campanas
SITE Santa Fe
Gerald Peters Gallery
Hacienda Corta Caro
Loretto Chapel
Inn and Spa at Loretto
Inn of the Five Graces
Eldorado Hotel and Spa
Four Seasons Santa Fe

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

Shawn + Lauren - A Snowy Rock House Engagement

Winter isn’t quite over yet, but we were still so excited to capture these cuties in the cold weather! Along with their sweet pup, Tater, Shawn and Lauren adventured up with us into the foothills for some ultra pretty romantics!

Its only February, but we can’t wait for their wedding at Gerald Peters Gallery this fall, see you babes in Santa Fe!!!!

Engagement Session by Bre of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Vendor Feature - Chocolate Maven

If there’s a way to anyone’s heart (especially any of ours) it’s through cake! And the team over at Chocolate Maven in Santa Fe always whips up simple, delicate, yet stunning wedding day beauties.

Known for their effortless buttercream cakes, Chocolate Maven always creates unique treats for their couples while incorporating dainty wedding day flowers into these decadent desserts. And although minimalist floral cakes are this bakers forte, we’ve seen them pull off some epic baked delicacies including an adobe building- inspired creation and an absolutely divine naked cake (topped off with the tiniest succulents ever!).

Chocolate Maven has became a staple in the Santa Fe wedding community and we love getting to capture their goodies (and our sweet couples taking bites out of those cakes). Scroll through to see some of our favorite cake moments and why its always love at first bite with Chocolate Maven’s sweet confections.

Cake Vendor - Chocolate Maven (Santa Fe, NM)

Real Life Love Stories
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch (coming to the blog soon!)
Kirk + Taylor at La Fonda on the Plaza
Chris + Alexa at La Fonda on the Plaza
Oriol + Sarah at Gerald Peters Gallery/Peters Projects
Carter + Carrie at La Fonda on the Plaza
Patrick + Sydnie at La Fonda on the Plaza

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

Vendor Feature - Jessie Baca

Attention to details on wedding days are definitely one of our favorite things here at Alicia Lucia photography and we can’t help but gush over other wedding vendors who share that same love & passion. Our girl Jessie Baca has coordinated countless weddings and styled shoots here in New Mexico and we’ve been lucky enough to capture so many of her ultra creative, amazingly gorgeous ideas. From pampas grass adorned seating charts at the iconic Santa Fe Opera to the moodiest winter wedding table arrangements at Los Poblanos to incredible Spanish inspired hacienda weddings in the heart of Santa Fe, there isn’t any creation of Jessie’s doing that we haven’t fallen in love with at first sight. We love this talented lady and her endless passion for all things southwestern and beautiful!!!

Coordination + Styling + Planning - Jessie Baca

Real Life Love Stories + Styled Shoots
Randy + Elizabeth at the Santa Fe Opera
Scott + Leanne at SITE Santa Fe
Chris + Alexa at La Fonda on the Plaza
Styled Elopement at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Styled Vow Renewal at Ghost Ranch
Ben + Katy at Inn of the Five Graces and Hacienda Corta Caro
Alex + Marcela at Four Seasons Santa Fe
Keith + Clare at La Posada de Santa Fe
Oriol + Sarah at Gerald Peters Gallery

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

Wedding Inspo - Wedding Reception Centerpieces

One look at any of our social media sites and you’ll know how obsessed our little team is with florals, but we’re also in love with how our couples, planners, and florists design and create floral centerpieces. Bright, bold, and larger than life summer florals give us just as much joy as the the simple, subdued succulent adorned centerpieces. Every wedding brings its own flavor and we can’t get enough of these reception beauties!

Wedding Venues
La Posada de Santa Fe
Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs, CO)
Santa Fe Opera
La Fonda on the Plaza
Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Four Seasons Santa Fe
Eldorado Hotel and Spa
Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
Gerald Peters Gallery
Hyatt Tamaya
El Zocalo
La Mestia Ranch Estate

Florists
Placed by Polito
Renegade Floral
Viva Flora
Floriography Flowers
Shannon Loves Flowers
Ruidoso Flower Shop
Bloomstream Flowers
The Bouq’s Co
Barton’s Flowers
Stephanie Yardman Floral Design

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

Real Weddings - Borrowed and Blue

Love stories are by far one of our favorite things on the planet, but what we adore a little extra is the history and love behind the couples we get to capture. Every single wedding brings a new story and lots of exciting touches, especially when it comes to the “somethings” of wedding days. From dainty vintage rings passed down through generations that brides have as their “something old” to stellar veils from a loved one as “something borrowed” to discrete turquoise and navy shoes as “something blue”, our brides never fail to wow us with their extremely personal, unique, and downright beautiful details. We loved the stories behind these amazing little touches as much as we loved seeing them in person!!

Real Love Stories
Chris + Emma at Hacienda Dona Andrea
Scott + Leanne at SITE Santa Fe
Shane + Megan, Private Residence in Albuquerque, NM
Trey + Clara, Private Residence in San Patricio, NM (coming to the blog very soon)
Chris + Alexa at La Fonda on the Plaza
Matthew + Kaya at Paa-ko Ridge Golf Club
Kirk + Taylor at Loretto Chapel and La Fonda on the Plaza
Trenton + Aston at Loretto Inn and Spa
Blake + Jennie at Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs, CO)
Randy + Elizabeth at the Santa Fe Opera
Oriol + Sarah at Gerald Peters Gallery
Ryan + Cristina at Praire Star
Dustin + Ashley at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Tyler + Cassie at La Posada de Santa Fe
Tyler + Meredith at Four Seasons Santa Fe

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

Wedding Inspo - Invitation Suites

If you’re a future bride or groom looking to make a good first impression on your guests, gorgeous stationary is the perfect way to catch attention and show off your wedding’s vibe. Whether you’re going for a colorful Spanish infused fiesta, a classic and minimalist bash, or a soft floral inspired day, invitation suites are truly one of the most personalized part of any wedding and the best way to set the tone for your big day. Couples can choose from a simple single page invite or an entire suite (confetti or petals optional). We’ve photographed some of the prettiest invites around so we just know that there’s something out there for all the lovers!

Featured Invitation Designers
Funky Olive
Letterpress Made
Minted
Hello Jori
Viklund Made
Eleven and West
Vistaprint
Zazzle
Karli Strohchein Art
Pigment and Parchment
Pennysmith’s
Hello Pinello

Photos by the Alicia Lucia Photography Team
Blog + Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Wedding Inspo - Bridal Hair

With our official wedding season kicking off in only a few short weeks, our team wanted to share our favorite bridal hair styles from last season. We are still super in love with all of these dainty updos, long braided styles, and floral adorned beauties.

We can’t wait to see how this seasons brides absolutely kill the bridal glam game!

A Few of Our Fave Hairstylists
Genica Lee
Santiago Romero
The Vanity
Chrome Salon and Blowout Bar (Santa Fe)
Jewel Hair Design
The Beauty Bar (Santa Fe)
The Honeycomb Beauty Studio
DRS Colorstudio
Madeline McCue

Photos by the Alicia Lucia Photography Team
Blog + Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Vendor Feature - Viva Flora

In 2019 we’re going to be featuring even more of our favorite New Mexico wedding vendors we get to hang with on wedding days and during styled shoots here on the blog!
We’re kicking it off with the floral queens over at Viva Flora. Known for their bold and bright floral arrangements, our friends of Viva Flora can make your wildest wedding day dreams come true!
Do you want an ombre flower arch? Done. Do you want a soley pink and purple toned arrangement that is still natural and dreamy looking? No problem. Or do you want to go a different route entirely and have soft, creamy, neutral toned florals for your big day? Viva Flora has you covered. They’re just some of the many talented florists we work alongside to make wedding days a breeze. Scroll through for lots more magic from this team!!

Florist - Viva Flora

Venues
Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Santa Fe Opera
SITE Santa Fe
La Posada de Santa Fe
Hacienda Doña Andrea
Ghost Ranch
La Fonda on the Plaza
Gerald Peters Gallery

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

Valentine's Day Special - Our Fave First Kiss Moments

With V-Day right around the corner, our little team wanted to do something extra special in honor of the sweet season of love. Right now we’re crushing major on wedding first kisses, you know, those crazy, oh-so-sweet, I can’t believe we finally did it first moments of becoming newlyweds. Something about seeing couples loving on each other just moments after saying “I do” makes our hearts skip a beat. Here’s to those babes who express their love and adoration for each other in the boldest, most romantic ways!

Check out the rest of our blog to see these featured love stories and so much more!!!

Photos by Alicia + Ashley + Bre of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Fave Weddings - Bre's Picks

Our third photog sister in our little squad is the amazingly talented Bre who, in addition to owning her own newborn/maternity photography company, also second shoots and sometimes lead shoots for our team! She’s helped us capture some of the most fun weddings the last few years and she’s shouted out her fave moments here on the blog!

Shaun + Jessie (coming soon to our blog) at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast- I love how laid back this couple was. They had a small intimate wedding in a gorgeous venue, a bed and breakfast. Their guests were really sweet and fun as well! My favorite guests at a wedding.

Randy + Elizabeth at the Santa Fe Opera- This wedding was very classy, and I loved it! It had the most gorgeous view, and the navy/rose gold combo was to die for!

Scott + Leanne at SITE Santa Fe- This wedding was the most fun of the year. With Scott being in the creative industry as well, he had a lot of image ideas and they were fun! Plus, the fun black and white wall at their venue was so awesome.

Sarah + Oriol at Gerald Peters Gallery - These out of town lovers just had the most beautiful, intimate unique wedding because their ceremony and reception were both at an art museum. I loved it, and his accent!

Photos by Alicia and Bre of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Bridal Accessories

There are tons of wedding details that excite us as we finally approach a wedding day. One of the many things we get excited about is the bridal style and all of the bridal details. From southwestern inspired statement jewelry to luxurious fur coats for winter weddings to the classic and clean bridal look, our brides always bring the fire when it comes to accessorizing. We found a few of our favorite veils, clutches, and hair pieces as well because there is seriously a look for every soon to be wifey out there. Whether you’re traditional and simple or modern and boho chic, we’ve included a little something for everyone. We can’t wait to see what details our future brides are going to rock for us to swoon over!

Venues
Los Pobalnos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
SITE Santa Fe
La Fonda on the Plaza
La Posada de Santa Fe
Santa Fe Opera
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town
Four Seasons Santa Fe
Gerald Peters Gallery
Paa-ko Ridge Golf Club
Garden of the Gods Park (Colorado Springs)

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

Real Weddings - First Look Advice

Even though its a newer wedding trend, we definitely have a soft spot for bride and groom first looks! Not only are first looks incredibly exciting, it also provides the soon to be newly weds with a few moments to soak in how amazing their futures spouses look before walking down the aisle. We talked to one of our recent brides, Taylor, to get the scoop on why she and her new husband Kirk decided to do a first look and her advice for future couples!

Her inspiration for doing a first look:
"Kirk and I had discussed this 2 or 3 times leading up to the wedding and it just made the most sense for us, for a few reasons. 1) Kirk thought he would be too overwhelmed and wouldn't have been able to pay as much attention to the ceremony if he was seeing me for the first time while I was walking down the aisle with my Dad. 2) We had 100 people that we weren't able to be included in our ceremony due to the size of the Loretto Chapel, they were hanging out and waiting for us up at a cocktail hour at La Fonda (our reception venue), so doing the first look and being able to take photos prior to the ceremony was important to us. We wanted to be able to spend as much time with our guests as possible, because every single one of them was traveling to be with us - it was the least we could do to be as present as possible!"

Her fave part of their first look:
"I had such butterflies when I was walking out of the Bridal Suite at La Fonda to the staircase where I knew Kirk would be. By far the most amazing part of the day was seeing his face the first time he laid eyes on me in my full wedding day get-up. We share everything together so having to keep my dress and veil a secret for so long was a serious challenge, but 100% worth the wait. The look of love and absolute certainty in his eyes calmed me down and we were able to have a few quiet moments just the two of us before meeting up with our rowdy bridal party."

Her advice for future bride and grooms:
"I highly recommend doing a first look - we're usually sticklers for tradition but this is one I'm very glad we broke. Being able to see your fiance for a few minutes (just the two of you) before becoming husband and wife was so special and something I will treasure forever, plus it really does cut down on the amount of time you spend away from your guests for pictures after the ceremony - which they were very appreciative of!"

(Taylor and Kirk's first look at La Fonda on the Plaza is pictured first in this post)

Venues
La Fonda on the Plaza
Four Seasons Santa Fe
SITE Santa Fe
Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Gerald Peters Gallery
Hyatt Tamaya Resort
Inn of the Five Graces
La Posada de Santa Fe
Casa de Sueños
The Inn and Spa at Loretto

Photos  by Alicia Padilla and Ashley Shaw of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn Younger of Alicia Lucia Photography
 

Summer Wedding Florals

If there's one thing we know about weddings, it’s that no celebration is complete without some absolutely stunning florals! In the summer wedding season, our favorite color palettes range from the bold and bright to  earthy and wild to the clean and elegant variety! Here in New Mexico we are beyond lucky to work alongside some of the absolute BEST florists in the Southwest! These are just a few of our fave summer picks, scroll through to get your ultimate floral fix.

Florists
Viva Flora
Renegade Floral
Bagel's Florals 
Stephanie Yardman Floral Design
Shannon Love Flowers
Floriography

Photos by Alicia Padilla + Ashley Shaw of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog  + Photo Curation by Jaclyn Younger of Alicia Lucia Photography

Summer Wedding Gowns

If there's one thing we love almost as much as capturing our stunning, wildly-in-love couples, its seeing the dreamiest wedding gowns ever! We have an endless number of favorite dresses so we've decided to share the best of each season. These summertime beauties caught our eyes and still have us daydreaming about them. Can it be summer all year long?!

Dress Vendors:
Made With Love Bridal
Monique Lhuillier
David's Bridal
Grace Loves Lace
Stella York
Flora Bridal
Kelly Faetanini
BHLDN
Hayley Paige
Casa Blanca Bridal
Reem Acra
Lea-Ann Belter Bridal
Allure Bridal

Photos by Alicia Padilla and Ashley Shaw of Alicia Lucia Photography
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn Younger of Alicia Lucia Photography