Wedding Inspo - First Look Alternatives

It’s no secret that our little team is downright obsessed with wedding day first looks, but what about the couples who chose to go the more traditional route and wait to see each other until the ceremony? Well, some of our amazing brides and grooms have been inspired to share moments with each other pre-ceremony without ever setting eyes on their future spouses! We’ve looked back at some of our favorite alternatives for first looks that are just as magical and tender.

While there are a ton of different ways to send your future spouse a little extra love on your big day, some of our couples went above and beyond the usual. Ruidoso lovers Patrick and Niki opted for a “first prayer” together in a little corner of their venue and trust us when we say that everyone present was in tears as these two held hands and said the sweetest prayers for their marriage. On the flip side, our babes Dillon and Stephanie decided to go with a “first toast” where, standing back to back, they raised their glasses to their new life together and sipped on a little bit of liquid courage before their ceremony. Meanwhile, Albuquerque lovers Kaya and Matthew as well as Crystal and Amy both opted to hold hands while hidden around corners for the perfect “first touch” moment.

And these incredible little moments are just the tip of the iceberg for first look alternatives, We’ve had so many other couples send each other touching wedding day notes and gifts that always remind us of how important the little things can be on such big days.

All in all, we’re big fans of couples taking the time to add just an extra ounce of love into their wedding days! We treasure getting to capture these little details and trust us when we say, moments like this are definitely some of our favorite parts of our crazy little job!!!

Real Life Love Stories
Patrick + Niki at Enchanted Vine Barn (Ruidoso, NM)
Trey + Clara at a Private Estate (San Patricio, NM)
Dillon + Stephanie at Hotel Albuquerque (Albuquerque, NM)
Matthew + Kata at Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club (Albuquerque, NM)
Amy + Crystal at Los Poblanos (Albuquerque, NM)
Blake + Jennie at Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs, CO)
Walker + Addie at La Posada de Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)
Brian + Ashley at Eldorado Hotel (Santa Fe, NM)
Josh + Delaney at Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club (Albuquerque, NM)
Gustav + Jackie at Los Poblanos (Albuquerque, NM)
Mack + Shelby at Four Seasons Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)

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

Wedding Inspo - Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm

Hidden away in Albuquerque’s north valley lies one of the loveliest places on earth, Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm. Dreamy, secluded, and downright otherworldly, this beauty of a venue has quickly become the destination for not only visitors to the Land of Enchantment, but so many lovers including a ton of our brides and grooms.

Every single time we step foot on its grounds, Los Poblanos feels mysterious, beautiful, and teeming with wonder. From spring to winter, weddings here always carry an air of beguiling charm, while still feeling like a cozy home-away-from-home. We’re not sure if the endless garden options for ceremonies or all the little hidden spots we’ve discovered for romantics over the years, but this lavender farm certainly lives up to all of its expectations. And with its amazing wedding day staff, complete with our gal pal Chelsea Martinez as Wedding Coordinator, Los Poblanos is nothing short of an absolute dream come true.

Rain or shine, we’ve captured some of the sweetest, most intimate, tear-worthy moments with some of the most amazing couples around at Los Poblanos. We can’t wait to be back at this stunner of a location many many times this wedding season!!!

Venue - Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm

Our Lovers
Conner + Laura (coming to the blog soon!)
Chris + Ari
Adam + Jill
James + Lauren
Gustav + Jackie
Qwist + Cara
Dustin + Ashley
Michael + Lucia
Bobby + Simone Styled Shoot

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

Wedding Inspo - First Look Moments

One of the biggest decisions to be made for your wedding is whether or not to do a first look, and if you know one thing about our gang its that we ADORE first looks!

The biggest bonus, besides being able to shake off some of the pre-ceremony jitters, is that with a first look you and your hunny get even more time alone together on your wedding day (something that is surprisingly hard to get on the biggest day of your lives!). In addition to extra time, you get a few special, quiet moments together to take in how gorgeous/handsome your future spouse looks without anyone else around (except for us of course!). Although some might argue that seeing each other before walking down the aisle takes away from emotional reactions, we couldn’t disagree more. In fact, first looks just add to that magic because you get to experience seeing your lover in front of all of your friends and family too!

There’s also the major plus of getting extra photos together during and after a first look! And who doesn’t want even more gorgeous wedding photos without having to stress about squeezing in all of the romantics into the day after the ceremony? And with a first look you can also get wedding party and family photos done which means that everyone gets to enjoy alllll of cocktail hour!

We could seriously list off five million reasons why first looks are amazing, but we’ll let all of our couples in this special post do the talking for us!

Our Real Life Love Stories
Chris + Ari at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Jason + Natalie at La Fonda on the Plaza (coming soon to the blog)
Colton + Lindsey at Hyatt Tamaya
John + Anna at La Fonda on the Plaza
Morgan + Mattie at Las Campanas
Geoff + Jocelyn at Hacienda Doña Andrea de Santa Fe
Ryan + Jennifer at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
Carter + Carrie at La Fonda on the Plaza
James + Lauren at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Randy + Elizabeth at the Santa Fe Opera
Shaun + Jessie at Sarabande Bed and Breakfast
David + Lauren at La Fonda on the Plaza
Drew + Lauren at La Mesita Ranch Estate (coming soon to the blog)
Mack + Shelby at Four Seasons Santa Fe
Jake + Angela at Sandia Event Center
Jon + Paige at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm

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

Venue Feature - Four Seasons Santa Fe

Nestled high above Santa Fe in the pretty New Mexican mountain lies one of our favorite venues, Four Seasons Santa Fe. Even though we don’t get to visit for leisure often, it is always such a treat to capture our couples and their special days. Decked out with simple, but beautiful decor, this venue can literally be transformed for every wedding, from minimalist and modern styles to the biggest boho designs. We love the opportunity of finding new spaces at this stunning getaway to capture our couples and their love stories!

Real Life Love Stories
Mack + Shelby
Tyler + Meredith
Alex + Marcela
Loren + Julia

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

Mack + Shelby, a Winter Wedding at Four Seasons Santa Fe

Mack and Shelby, where do we even begin? These babes actually went to the same high school, however their paths didn’t cross until they both attended college at Texas A&M. After dating for a bit, the pair separated, only to later on realize how special they were to each other! They reunited and later on decided that it was a forever thing. Mack, being major #husbandgoals, told us that not only is Shelby beautiful and caring, but that she is truly the light of his life. We don’t have enough words (or enough tears) for this sweet little love story!

These babes tied the knot in December 2018 at our favorite, cozy mountain getaway, Four Seasons Santa Fe. With a touch of magic and pure boho glam from Amy and her team at For the Love Events and Rust Vintage, this day was out of this world. We still wish we could keep the velvet accent furniture and neon sign from this day! Our gals at Floriography Flowers came through with the perfect moody, winter floral arrangement and made sure that every single detail was amazing. And besides the amazing design, Mack and Shelby made sure that all of their guests (and vendors too!) were well taken care of for the entire night. These little lovers helped us close out our 2018 wedding season in the most perfect way! Congrats Mr and Mrs Paulson, we love y’all so much!

Vendors
Venue - Four Seasons Santa Fe
Planning + Coordination - For the Love Events
Rentals - Rust Vintage
Florals - Floriography Flowers
Paper Goods - Letterpress Made
Hair + MUA - Genica Lee
Bridal Gown - Martina Liana Bridal
Bridal Boutique - Pasty’s Bridal Boutique
Bride’s Shoes - Badgley Mischka
Groom’s Attire - Ted Baker
Groomsmen Attire - The Combatant Gentleman
Cake - Cake Odyssey
DJ - Cutmaster Music

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

Winter Florals

It is no surprise that winter has a special place in our hearts and even though we don’t shoot a ton of winter weddings and elopements, we adore them beyond belief. One of our favorite details is, of course, winter florals and all the variety they bring to wedding days. From the dark and moody, to the celebratory pops of color, to the more muted cold-weather tones, to jewled tones, we love all the flower color palettes we’re treated to every winter. Check out some of our most memorable bouquets and arrangements from the past few years and we’re sure you’ll wish every wedding was in the winter!

 

Florists
Floral Fetish
Renegade Floral
Viva Flora
Enchanted Florist (Taos)
Floriography
Agave Florist

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

Rigo + Maria, a New Mexico Wedding

This March we finished off our winter wedding season with Rigo and Maria’s sweet, simple wedding at St. Jude Catholic Church and Marriott Pyramid in Albuquerque, NM. This couple kept their day classic yet unique with lush crimson details, traditional rose accents, and details from their favorite movie, Disney Pixar’s Up! Rigo even surprised his new bride by wearing a grape soda pin inspired by the film. After their ceremony, these lovers let us shoot their romantics among whimsical, newly bloomed trees that we’re still daydreaming about! Congrats to these lovers, cheers to a beautiful new beginning together!!

Vendors
Venues - St Jude Catholic Church, Marriott Pyramid North

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

Matthew + Alysia, an El Monte Sagrado Wedding

Long before tying the knot in a gorgeous winter wedding in northern New Mexico, Matthew and Alysia first met while attending Cibola High School in Albuquerque, NM. At the time, these lovers were nothing more than friends before parting ways after graduation (Alysia went to Minnesota to pursue collegiate soccer and Matthew to Delaware for the start of his military career). Shortly after, the pair met up during a summer in New Mexico and instantly became inseparable, but decided to remain friends for the following two years. However, fate had other plans and when Alysia visited Matthew at his military station in Hawaii, they decided to give their whirlwind relationship a go. Alysia moved to The Aloha State and three years later, Matthew proposed to her! They brought their love story full circle with a stunning wedding in Taos, New Mexico this past February! We loved their moody, yet classic day at the historic El Monte Sagrado. Congrats babes, we adored being a part of your day!!

Vendors
Venue - El Monte Sagrado
Hair + Makeup - Genica Lee
Bridal Boutique - Lovely Bridal Charleston
Groom's Attire - Express + ASOS
Videography - Moonstreet Pictures

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

Alex + Marcela, a Boho Winter Wedding at Four Seasons Santa Fe

On a chilly December weekend in Santa Fe, we were beyond honored to be a part of Alex and Marcela's three day wedding soirée. With a ton of magic from the ever talented Jessie Baca, this couple hosted not only an incredibly boho chic wedding at Four Seasons Santa Fe, but they also had an intimate bridal dinner adorned with watercolor signage and delicate butterfly details at El Nido and a fun rehearsal dinner at The Cowgirl, making their wedding the ultimate celebration of Santa Fe Culture and cuisine!

On her wedding day, Marcela took her love for the Southwest even further by donning a pair of rustic cowboy boots under her exquisite Claire Pettibone wedding gown.  There wasn't a dry eye during this couple's  incredibly moving vows and Alex even made vows to Marcela's beyond adorable daughter Izzy (who was so excited that she rushed up to the alter once the couple was pronounced husband and wife). After a round of stunning golden hour photos with the newlyweds and Izzy (and their pup, Cinderella Rainbow— sweetly named by Izzy), these lovers celebrated in style, with everything from cactus cupcakes to New Mexican inspired table settings to an amazing sparkler exit. This wedding was also featured on Carats and Cakes! A huge congrats to these lovers on an incredible wedding weekend and on recently welcoming a new baby into their family, we are beyond thrilled for you two!

Vendors
Venues - El Nido, The Cowgirl, Four Seasons Santa Fe
Planning + Coordination  + Wedding Weekend Details - Jessie Baca
Rentals - Rust Vintage
Florals - Floriography
Wedding Gown - Claire Pettibone

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

Josue + Brandy, a Winter Wedding

Last December we kicked off our winter wedding season with Josue and Brandy's incredible wedding at Noah's Event Venue in Albuquerque, NM. Josue searched for months for the perfect ring and way to propose to Brandy, making him the ultimate fiancé/husband goals. From floral ties, to golden hour smoke bombs to a yummy donut wall, this couple thought of all the incredible details for their day! Cheers to the Garcias, we love you two so, so much!!

Vendors
Venue - Noahs Event Venue
Florals - Stephanie Yardman Floral Design
Officiant - Paul Martinez
Bridal Gown - David's Bridal
Bridal Coverup - Unmentionables Lingerie
Groom's Suit - Men's Warehouse
DJ - Carlos D

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