Brooklyn hunnies Justin and Olivia tied the knot on the most stunning, windy October afternoon ever. This northern New Mexico daydream was just what we needed to kick off the most unforgettable October of all time.
Long before they traveled to Southwest to make their love official, Olivia and Justin first met at a bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Olivia was attending a party for a friend while Justin was playing in a band at the party and it didn’t take these two long to instantly connect. After their first date at Our Wicked Lady in Brooklyn, these babes knew their spark was going to last for a long time. A few years down the road, Justin proposed in Santa Fe while he and Olivia were on a road trip across the country and Olivia, of course, said yes.
When recalling how magical their experience in the Southwest truly was for their engagement, Olivia and Justin decided to do the dang thing in New Mexico. After deciding on the ever-iconic Pecos National Historic Monument, these lovebirds began to craft the most enchanting of intimate destination weddings. Amid their closest friends and family, Justin and Olivia committed themselves to each other and to their love forever and dang was it the most special of ceremonies. We adored exploring this historic location with these sweethearts underneath the bright blue New Mexico sky.
Cheers to taking risks and falling head-over-heels in love with it all!
Location - Pecos National Historic Monument
Florals - Artichokes and Pomegranates
Hair + Makeup - Something Ginger
Bridal Gown - Robert Bullock Bridal
Bridal Boutique - Designer Loft NYC
Bride’s Ring - Jennie Kwon Fine Jewelry
Groom’s Ring - Bittersweets New York
Jewelry Boutique - Catbird
Groom’s Suit - Enzo Custom
Photo Team - Carissa + Jaclyn
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography
Wedding Inspo - 5 Reasons to Have an Intimate Wedding
While our wedding seasons are always filled with the most gorgeous, larger-than-life celebrations, we are simply enamored with stunning, intimate weddings. These quaint little days have such a hold on us that we simply had to give all of the reasons why choosing a tiny wedding could be the dreamiest decision of all.
1) Intention
While we love that big weddings help everyone invited feel included, there’s something about just a handful of the most important people in your life gathering to celebrate your love. For intimate weddings, you and your babe get to be more intentional with the time you spend with your loved ones and soak in all the joy.
2) Location
We know that large, traditional weddings can take place anywhere in the world, but a tiny wedding can make it even easier to travel to a remote location with your favorite people. By narrowing down the guest list to a small group, planning becomes easier and you’ll feel less guilty about your loved ones traveling for your celebration. Addtionally, some of the sweetest locations out there can sometimes only manage to accommodate a handful of guests, making an intimate wedding ideal.
3) Money
One of the biggest issues that couples run into when planning a wedding is the question of budget. However, by only inviting a select amount of guests, you can focus on spending money on the elements that are the most important to you and your lover, as opposed to paying for dinner for one hundred guests or more or spending money on elements that may not be important to you. In doing this, you’ll also have extra money for your honeymoon, future home, or your next big adventure.
4) Style
When it comes to large weddings, couples can sometimes feel obligated to follow the latest trends from social media. Yet when it comes to intimate weddings, you’ll feel less pressure to show off for social media and be more likely to let your own personal style shine through, making it a day that’s true to you.
5) Timing
While most big weddings can go on for eight hours or more, an intimate wedding can be shorter (and even sweeter sometimes). By cutting down time in your day, you can have more time with guests, more time to enjoy your day, and more time to revel in all of the love with your partner.
Featured Love Stories
Justin + Olivia at Pecos National Monument
Laura + Brian at Hotel Chaco
Kristen + Stephen in at a Private Estate Santa Fe
Mariel + Kyle at Many Feathers Ranch in Taos
Kim + Daniel at White Sands National Park
Sophia + Andrew at Adobe and Pines Inn
Julia + Jason at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Sam + Nicky at Inn of the Five Graces
Weddings + Elopements by Alicia Lucia Photography Team
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography
Wedding Inspo - Elopements We Love
Even though huge weddings will always be the biggest part of our lives, our hearts always yearn for even more elopements. These special little days always manage to take us to the dreamiest locations with the most intentional, sweet couples on earth.
From the tiniest Taos inn to the most historic garden-district spot in New Orleans to the endless dunes of White Sands National Park, the locations we’ve ventured to for elopements have continually exceeded our wildest daydreams. We love when couples decide to get hitched in their own special way and on their own terms. Whether they go all out with attire and florals or keep it casual, yet fun, our couples always know just what makes their weddings special to them.
We have a few dreamy elopements on the horizon for 2023 and we can’t freaking wait to capture all of the love!
Featured Love Stories + Styled Shoots
Sophia + Andrew at The Adobe and Pines Inn
Alanna + James at Casa Rondeña Winery
Dillon + Jordan in New Mexico
Clem + Jamie at Race and Religious
Kiew-vi + Michael at White Sands National Park
Lindsay + Will at Pecos National Historic Monument
Bobby + D’anndra at Hacienda Doña Andrea
Betsey + Robert at Ten Thousand Waves Resort and Spa
Eric + Lauren at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Katie + Russell at Old Town Farm
Robert + Antonette in Old Town Albuquerque
Rahni + Travis at White Mesa
Owen + Amelia at Elena Gallegos Open Space
Michael + Jaclyn in Downtown Albuquerque
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography
Jimmy + Maggie, a Magical Pecos Wedding
One of the biggest silver linings of 2020 has been the opportunity for our team to capture weddings and elopements in unique locations all over New Mexico. When longtime sweethearts Jimmy and Maggie asked us to be a part of their intimate wedding at Pecos National Historical Site in northern New Mexico, we just knew it was going to be a phenomenally beautiful day.
Jimmy and Maggie first met over 6 years ago on a dating app and even though they originally planned to just go to dinner for their first date, they ended up dancing the night away at the Dirty Bourbon in Albuquerque, NM. These babes clicked instantly and their 8 hour (!) first date was just the beginning of their sweet little story. After 1 year together, Maggie ended up moving to Baltimore, MD for work while Jimmy finished up his training to become a pararescueman before moving back to New York. These two stayed together throughout a 2.5 year long-distance relationship before Maggie moved to New York in 2017. And this entire time, Jimmy (the ultimate romantic) had known he wanted to marry Maggie and had started designing a ring in 2015! He ended up proposing at Highland Park in Dallas in 2019, a total surprise for Maggie who was in Texas visiting family.
Amid all the usual wedding planning stress, these two also had to deal with a worldwide pandemic which ended up sidelining some of their original celebration plans. However, Jimmy and Maggie decided to make the most of it and hosted 13 close family members at the intimate and beautiful Pecos National Historical Site. The red rock church ruins made for the most gorgeous backdrop for these lovers’ nuptials and was such a testament to how beauty and love can withstand almost anything. Even though their ceremony was small, these two were surrounded by people they cherish and were able to kick off marriage with the perfect amount of love and support..
These two also worked with a few of our favorite vendors to enhance their wedding in the most charming way. Betty Rose by Alanna gave Maggie a dreamy wedding day glow topped off with the perfect pop of color in a berry-red lip. And Bagels’ Florals created the most divine, colorful bouquet and boutonniere based on Dutch Master paintings and Jimmy’s Liberty of London print tie (she even included thistles, Scotland’s national flower as a mini shout out to Maggie’s overseas alma mater, The University of St. Andrews).
After they made it official, we stole Jimmy and Maggie away for romantics around that epic church ruin and then into the wilds of Pecos with the magnificent Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range in the distance. We loved how down these two were for everything, from two-stepping in the middle of a tiny road to twirling in that desert landscape, capturing these two soak up those first hours of marriage was beyond special.
Congrats Jimmy + Maggie, we loved every second of your charming day here in the Southwest. We can’t wait to see where life takes you adventurous lovers next!!!
Vendors
Location - Pecos National Historic Site
Officiant - Justin Edgar
Florals - Bagels’ Florals
Hair - Kerbik HMUA
MUA - Betty Rose by Alanna
Bride’s Dress - Laundry by Shelli Segal from Bloomingdale’s
Bride’s Shoes - Loeffler Randall
Groom’s Suit - Custom
Groom’s Belt + Boots - Tecovas
Groom’s Tie - The Tie Bar
Photographer - Ashley
Assistant - Jaclyn
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography