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 - Sweetheart Tables

For weddings both big and small, we love any details that can make the day a touch more intimate for our couples, so of course we have a lot of love for precious little sweetheart tables. Seen in both large weddings and even the tiniest of elopements, sweetheart tables let couples steal away a few moments together while still being a part of the celebrations.

While sweetheart tables aren’t seen in every single wedding, they can add a special touch to a couple’s day. They can provide a sense of intimacy among the ongoing festivities as well as a focal point for guests. A sweetheart table can also give a couple or a wedding planner/designer the opportunity to create an additional decorative space that complements the entire wedding day!

We’ve seen these cute little tables decked out in everything from elaborate boho furniture and eye-catching florals to simple and elegant accents. We love getting to see a tiny hint of a couple’s personality with these reception staples.

Scroll through and maybe you’ll find the perfect sweetheart table with just the right accents, we can’t wait to capture more of these darling tables!

Featured Weddings + Styled Shoot
Desert Romance at Los Poblanos
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch
Whimsical Backyard Wedding Inspiration
Geoff + Jocelyn at Hacienda Dona Andrea
James + Lauren at Los Poblanos
Romantic Rockstar Styled Elopement at Los Poblanos
Ben + Emilee at Sandia Event Center
Michael + Caitlin at El Zocalo
Desert Styled Bridal
Joaquin + Alexandra at La Posada de Santa Fe
White Sands Styled Elopement
Josue + Brandy at Noah’s Event Venue
Trey + Clara at a Private Estate in San Patricio
Ghost Ranch Styled Vow Renewal
Brad + Kenna at Old Town Farm
Marble Dreams Styled Bridal
Jason + Ryan at Ghost Ranch
Ashwin + Lauren at La Posada de Santa Fe


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

Wedding Inspo - Wedding Guest Style

Who says wedding parties get to have all the fun when it comes to style? One the past few seasons, we’ve seen wedding guests up the ante with some MAJOR looks that went above and beyond our dreams!

Even though wedding style varies from wedding to wedding (based on the overall vibe of the day and the couple), time and time again guests have left us awe struck with their incredible celebration outfit choices. From intricate and colorful dresses to sparkly jumpsuits to cowboy black tie- inspired numbers to modern twists on classic outfits, we love finding our favorite look of every wedding we get to capture!

Scroll through, find your fave, and maybe let these amazing guests inspire your next look!!!

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

Wedding Inspo - Romantics We Heart

To finish off this week of love, we couldn’t help but share one of our favorite wedding day things, romantics!

Whether its when strolling through the grounds at Los Poblanos, wandering the streets of Santa Fe, exploring hidden greenhouses in remote locations, or finding that perfect golden hour light outside of the most picturesque little barns, our couples always surprise us with the best adventures. And when we get to spend a little extra time with our favorite lovers, allll the magic happens.

We’ve captured the sweetest kisses, most meaningful embraces, and downright steamy moments with our brides and grooms over the last year and quite frankly we’re obsessed! Cheers to capturing the best part of weddings and the whole reason we do what we do, the love!!!!!

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

Wedding Inspo - First Dance Songs We Heart

Even though we adore every aspect of wedding days, there’s something that hits us extra hard in the feels when it comes to first dance songs. Whether they’re sweet and lighthearted, slow and romantic, or absolute tear-jerkers, a first dance song not only sets the tone for the reception, but also says so dang much about a couple!

For us, we’ve heard about ten million love songs, but here are some of our faves from last year’s weddings, a few from our 2020 couples (!), and some songs that we can never get enough of:

- Home by Leon Bridges
- Bloom by The Paper Kites
- Speechless by Dan + Shay
- Into the Mystic by Van Morrison
- This Must Be the Place by The Talking Heads
- Still the One by Shania Twain
- If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
- Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer
- Sail Away by David Gray
- The Best Thing by H.E.R. + Daniel Caesar
- Its Not Living (If Its Not With You) by The 1975
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Lauryn Hill
- More I Cannot Wish for You by Paul McCartney
- Beyond by Leon Bridges
- I Do by Fox + Hound
- Hold You Here by The Wild Life
- Venus by Sleeping at Last
- Lover by Taylor Swift
- Grey by Exes
- 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay
- Tell Me Its Real by K-c + JoJo
- Good Together by HONNE
- Diamonds or Twine by Ryan Hurd
- At Last by Etta James
- Blessed by Thomas Rhett
- Real Love Baby by Father John Misty
- LOVE by Kendrick Lamar
- I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
- More of You by Chris Stapleton
- Off the Market by ASL


Weddings by Alicia, Ashley, Bre and Brittany
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