Alex + Shannon, an Iconic Hotel Parq Central Wedding

Lovers Shannon and Alex started their new chapter in the most mesmerizing of ways at the historic Hotel Parq Central in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque. These babes knew just how to celebrate their once-in-a-lifetime kind of love on the most magical summer evening.

Alex and Shannon originally met in college when they were both art students at The University of New Mexico. Even though Alex called Shannon the wrong name (Samantha), she still agreed to go on their first date. After many hours talking over coffee (over the course of many dates) and endless games of 20 Questions, these two knew that they had discovered something extremely special in one another. Over the last few years together, Shannon and Alex have cultivated a life together based on love, light, and a deep sense of adoration for all of their loved ones.

These hunnies enchanted everyone this July with an elegant, modern, and completely stunning wedding. From their colorful florals and disco ball accents to Shannon’s divinely chic bridal style to the most killer playlist (complete with Sade, Beyonce, and Kendrick!), these two took every last element of their nuptials to the next level. We loved the way these lovers did things that were true to themselves, including walking down the aisle together (which made for the most emotional moment) to both Alex and Shannon having an outfit change for their reception (just look at Shannon’s sparkly party dress and Alex’s vibrant shirt) to showing everyone an extremely special skateboarding video that Alex made for Shannon. This day was full of the deepest love, joy, and excitement for two souls who are so clearly meant for each other.

Bring on all the couples who know how to bring the party and who aren’t afraid to take their love to new heights.

Vendors
Venue - Hotel Parq Central
Coordination - Corazon Events
Florals - Albuquerque Florist Weddings
Invitations - Minted
Ring - Porter Gulch
Hair + Makeup - Something Ginger
Bridal Gown - Sarah Seven
Bridal Boutique - Lovely Bride Denver
Bride’s Reception + Reception Shoes - Vince Camuto
Reception Dress - Fame and Partners
Bridesmaid Dresses - Petal and Pup + Lulus + Reformation
Groom’s Attire - Jack Victor Official
Groomsmen Attire - Men’s Wearhouse
Cake - Simply Sweet by Darci
Disco Balls - Darling Details Rentals
DJ - Dream Factory Productions

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography

Wedding Inspo - Bouquet Inspo Third Edition

No matter what kind of celebration we’re capturing, we know that there’s guaranteed to be some variety of magical florals involved. For us, bouquets always take the cake on wedding and elopement days, these beauties say so much about a couple, their nuptials, and their love story.

From the tiniest blooms to the biggest florals, bouquets are always one of our favorite details. Whether they’re dainty and soft or bold and bright, bouquets know how to steal the show. We love seeing our couples chose the most elegant, classic florals or even opting for something modern, colorful, and completely out-of-the-box.

2021’s bouquets were the downright dreamiest, we can’t wait to see what 2022 and beyond have in store for our floral-loving hearts!!!!

Featured Florists
Renegade Floral
Manmade and Sage
Bagels Florals
Floral Fetish
A Beautiful Theme
Mini Falls Farms
Floral Elegance
Floriography Flowers
La Flora Floristry
Viva Flora
Two Baroque Girls
Whim Hospitality
Noble Floral
The Flower Company
Stems of Austin
Good Seed Floral
Rose Rebels Floral Design
Foraged Santa Fe
Florecita Flowers
Albuquerque Florist
Something Special with Flowers

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

Wedding Inspo - Southwestern Glam Celebrations

There’s no party quite like a party in the Southwest, so when our couples make sure to include tiny pieces of our little corner of the world into their special days, it seriously makes for the best celebrations. Southwestern inspired nuptials are truly something to behold and dang are we lucky to capture them every single season.

Whether its bolo ties, turquoise, or adobe venues, we adore when couples fully embrace all of the charm that the Southwest has to offer. Seeing lovers come from all over the country just to celebrate their new chapter in our pretty home state leaves us on cloud nine. Plus, any opportunity to explore an amazing, authentic part of New Mexico is always the perfect excuse for us to obsess over this gorgeous state.

Cheers to all the crazy-beautiful, wildly fun, downright enchanting celebrations of love to come!!

Featured Weddings + Styled Shoots
Jake + Becky at Ghost Ranch (coming soon to the blog)
Kenny + Molly at a Private Santa Fe Estate
Zac + Shelly at Hacienda Doña Andrea (coming soon to the blog)
Robert + Antonette in Old Town Albuquerque
Zach + Natalie at The Desert Compass
Paul + Carolyn at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Tyler + Cassie 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

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

Valentine's Feature - Florals We Heart

Out of all of the pretty things we’ve laid our eyes on, florals are always the detail that take our breath away. From the bright and bold to the delicate and soft, we’re obsessed with it all!

Over the last year we’ve been beyond lucky to capture so many incredibly divine floral creations from all over Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and everywhere in-between. We’ve been completely obsessed with the new, brilliant ideas coming out of the tiny weddings and elopements of 2020. All of the insanely beautiful hanging installations and the dainty bouquets have us dreaming forever and ever.

We beyond hyped to see what new beauty 2021 brings to the realm of florals, but until then, feast your eyes on some of the most darling creations of all!

Featured Florists
Floral Fetish (Albuquerque, NM)
Renegade Floral (Santa Fe, NM)
Bagel’s Florals (Albuquerque, NM)
Albuquerque Florist (Albuquerque, NM)
Florecita Flowers (Albuquerque, NM)
A Beautiful Theme (Albuquerque, NM)
Marisa’s Millefiori (Santa Fe, NM)
Flower Loop (Albuquerque, NM)
The Flower Company (Albuquerque, NM)
Floral Elegance (Albuquerque, NM)
Rose Rebels Floral Designs (Albuquerque, NM)
Noble Floral Co (Portland, OR)
Stems Floral (Austin, TX)
Uptown Flowers (San Antonio, TX)
Good Seed Floral (Austin, TX)

Weddings, Elopements, and Styled Shoots 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

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 - Intimate Weddings Part II

Earlier this year we posted a blog about some of our favorite intimate wedding inspiration, but after about a dozen more tiny weddings just in the past few months, we decided to make a part two!

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a dozen times, we ADORE intimate weddings. Everything about these little weddings is absolute perfection, from being able to spend more time with your guests to having a less limited budget due to overall lower costs to even just being able to enjoy more moments soaking up those first few hours of marriage. Over the past few months, we’ve been absolutely blown away by how our couples have taken intimate weddings to the next freaking level. Backyard weddings with all the pretty garden details, stoop weddings followed by mini parades, and the most adorable little farm weddings have just been the beginning of a whole new era of micro-weddings.

We’re not sure when giant weddings will be a consistent possibility in the coming months, but dang are we thankful for these beautiful, heartfelt, downright incredible intimate weddings. We can’t wait to share even more of these gorgeous days still to come!

Real Love Stories + Styled Shoots
Ysidro + Celestina at Casa Pera Art Space (coming soon to the blog)
Andrew + Deanna at Hotel Andaluz (coming soon to the blog)
Kenny + Molly at a Private Estate in Santa Fe (coming soon to the blog)
Eric + Lauren at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm (coming soon to the blog)
Angie + Brittany at a Private Home in Nob Hill
Gates + C.C. at a Private Estate in New Mexico
Matt + Allie at a Private Home in Santa Fe
Nate + Cait in Downtown Denver, CO
Brad + Kenna at Old Town Farm
Stuart + Kelly at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Zach + Natalie at The Desert Compass
Andrew + Shay at a Private Home in Albuquerque (coming soon to the blog)
Jawara + Jazz at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Ryan + Jennifer at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
Zach + Coli at Hotel Albuquerque and Casas de Sueños
Paul + Carolyn at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm

Weddings + Styled Shoots by Alicia, Ashley, Bre, and the ALP 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

Zach + Natalie, a Captivating Desert Compass Styled Wedding

Hidden away in Albuquerque’s historic Old Town area lies The Desert Compass, a magical little oasis with love and intention carved into every single inch of it. We spent the most phenomenal evening in this new little gem for a dazzling styled wedding with some of our fave New Mexico vendors!

On this overcast, yet perfect New Mexico evening, lovers Natalie + Zach were front and center of this absolute vision dreamed up by none other than our queen Lauren of Just Lovely Weddings and Darling Details. In this Southwestern inspired details meets moody tropical florals daydream, we were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of beauty and intricacy in every single moment. From divine florals from A Beautiful Theme to an unreal cake by Honey & Salt Cake Co to a truly stunning invitation suite by Silver Swirl Studios, we have wedding inspo for years to come! And when it comes to bridal details, our hair + makeup angel Genica Lee gave Natalie the most perfect glow that paired so dang beautifully with that beautiful Tara Lauren gown from our friends at Lovely Bride Denver and those exquisite pieces of jewelry from Ooh Aah Jewelry.

We teamed up with videographer Kevin Guevara to kick off this styled intimate wedding with some of the most fire bridal portraits in Desert Compass’ Coyote suite (which literally involved open flame candles) to a quick little ring exchange under Darling Details’ infamous hexagon arch to romantics all over this stellar property (and in quaint Old Town too!). And then we topped it all off with a mini reception with all the perfect table top elements under the dreamiest star lanterns.

Evenings like this are the ones we seriously live for, cheers to more intimate weddings with the most darling couples and all the right wedding day touches.

Vendors
Venue - The Desert Compass
Planning + Concept - Just Lovely Weddings
Rentals - Darling Details
Florals - A Beautiful Theme
Paper Goods + Lettering - Silver Swirl Studios
Jewelry - Ooh Aah Jewelry
Hair + MUA - Genica Lee
Bridal Gown - Tara Lauren
Bridal Boutique - Lovely Bride Denver
Groom’s Attire - Tom James
Groom’s Shoes - Cole Haan
Cake - Honey & Salt Cake Co.
Videography - Kevin Guevara Photo + Film
Lovers - Zach + Natalie
Photographer - Alicia
Assistant - Jaclyn

Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography