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

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

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

ALP Team Picks - Alicia's Fave Weddings of 2019

Each year we kick off a new chapter by reflecting back on our favorite moments from the previous season. First up for 2020 is our boss babe and incredibly talented photographer, Alicia. She picked her two favorite weddings of the 2019 season and we’re super in our feels over these sweet couples!!

Alicia:
”When i think of back at my most memorable, favorite moments for 2019, there are bits and pieces from each and everyone of our weddings this year that instantly come to mind. But when Jaclyn said to narrow it down to just two, I knew I was in for quite the challenge! 

First up is Ari & Chris's incredible September day. Ari was a dream bride with her kind yet confident & witty self & Chris was sincerely every photographers dream groom, being up for it all, accommodating & just all around awesome, funny & so dang sweet. Those two together just made our job so incredibly FUN, laid back and sincere. Their approach to their wedding was uniquely special and one I'll admire forever. First, they vocalized on many occasions how they wanted to prioritize their time with family and wedding guests and wanted to be sure and be as intentional as possible while still maximizing any possible solo moments together and allocate tons of bride & groom portrait time. Because of that, not only were we able to get a plethora of candids & capture super sweet in-between moments, but we also got an incredible amount of gorgeous editorial and romantic shots, both silly and sweet! After wrapping up their portrait time, they rolled right into some of the most heartfelt speeches we've ever heard & the dance party of the century. Ari and Chris, thank you for having us…we'll love you forever & ever!! 

KC & Jordan were simply incredible from day one. Their love story was inspiring, their personalities were beyond sweet, open minded, thoughtful, and their wedding day, well that was just a blast! They made it a point to let us know throughout their entire wedding planning process that they trusted us wholeheartedly and wanted to give us complete creative liberty to do our thing, and because of that, we were able to deliver some of our all time favorite images we’ve ever created! Similar to Ari & Chris, KC & Jordan also valued time with family and guests but planned their day seamlessly where it gave us plenty of solo portrait time with just them two. Their gallery is one I was so eager to share with them because it included an abundance of darling candid moments & some of my all time favorite editorial bride+groom shots all over downtown Santa Fe! KC + Jordan your sweet day was one for the books and i'll treasure it forever!”

Alicia’s Fave Weddings
Chris + Ari at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Jordan + KC at Cristo Rey Catholic Church and La Fonda on the Plaza

Lead Photographer - Alicia
Second Photographers - Bre (Jordan + KC), Cameron (Chris + Ari)

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

Jordan + KC, a Cristo Rey and La Fonda Wedding

Fall weddings in Santa Fe are ALWAYS next level so we were beyond grateful when Jordan and KC asked us to capture their big day in New Mexico’s beautiful capital! A stunning ceremony at the ever historic Cristo Rey Catholic Church right off of the plaza, followed by the best party ever at La Fonda made this day sooo freaking amazing!!

They always say that you find love where you least expect it and Jordan + KC’s story brings that truth to the light. About 5 years ago, KC spotted Jordan at a local gym in Santa Fe and knew that she just had to get this hunk’s attention! She was leaving with a close friend (who happened to be a guy, but just a guy friend KC assures) and not wanting Jordan to mistake her friend for her boyfriend, KC snuck a cute little note with her phone number into Jordan’s gym locker! The rest is history because these lovers have been together ever since (ladies, let KC be your inspo for making the first move in 2020!) .

Fast forward to fall 2018 and these lovers were on a trip in Austin, TX for KC’s 30th birthday when Jordan surprised her with a proposal. He made sure that all of they friends were there for this major surprise!

One year later, Jordan and KC made it last name official with the prettiest, yet incredibly meaningful Santa Fe celebration. Opting out of a first look, these two got ready with their closest friends and then started off the day with an intimate ceremony at Cristo Rey Catholic Church (the same parish that KC was baptized at). We’ll (probably) never get over Jorden’s reaction to KC walking down the aisle or the unique beauty of this special church. We snuck off with these two for lots of dreamy romantics in some of our all-time favorite Santa Fe spots before capturing them twirling away on La Fonda’s terrace during blue hour. And if these babes couldn’t be even more fun, they not only danced to “Diamonds and Twine” by Ryan Hurd for their first dance, but they kicked off the party with a SECOND first dance to “All My Life” by KC n JoJo (pretty clever huh?!).

We can’t get enough of these genuine, kind, downright beautiful human beings! Jordan and KC, thank you for reminding us of why we love this sweet gig, we love capturing love!!! Cheers to many more years of being one of Santa Fe’s hottest couples!!! #KCnJoJoSayIDo

Vendors
Venues - Cristo Rey Catholic Church + La Fonda on the Plaza
Florals - Renegade Floral
Invitations + Signage - Minted
MUA - Marisa Lux Makeup
Hair - Chic Boutique by Julia and Krista Peterson
Bridal Gown - Lillian West
Bridal Boutique - The Dressing Room West
Bride’s Shoes - Vince Camuto from BHLDN
Gift Book - Love Book Online
Custom Rings - deBella Jewelry
Bridesmaid Dresses - Birdy Grey
Bridesmaids Gifts - Michael Kors + Birkenstock
Groom + Groomsmen Suits - Hockerty
Ties + Pocket Squares - The Tie Bar
Shoes - Cole Haan
DJ - John Edwards
Cake - Cake Odyssey
Lead Photographer - Alicia
Second Photographer - Bre
Assistants - Jaclyn + Taylor

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography