2020 has proven to be year full of twists and turns, but amid the chaos, we’ve found little moments of joy with a handful of elopements and incredible lovers. Stuart and Kelly’s intimate wedding at Los Poblanos this June was such a highlight of this year, we loved every sweet little moment of this day.
Nearly four years ago Kelly and Stuart’s paths crossed for the very first, but certainly not the last, time while both living in Midland, Texas. While they both had an amazing time on their first date, Kelly was simultaneously traveling quite a bit for work and set on moving to Houston, so they eventually moved on from one another (even though Stuart took this as Kelly “ghosting” him). A few months later, Kelly found out that her work rotation in Midland was being extended for another 6 months, so she decided to reach out to Stuart and to her surprise, he decided to “ghost” her by not responding to her texts (a truly modern love story)! Kelly being resilient, and having that sixth sense that Stuart was still into her, didn’t give up, and eventually he caved and they met up for dinner. Ever since, these babes have been inseparable. Once Kelly’s work rotation was up, she opted to stay in Midland with Stuart instead of moving to Houston.
About 3 years later, while on a quick weekend trip to Santa Fe, Stuart proposed. Kelly had a hunch for a few months prior and expected to him to pop the question at Napa later in 2019, but Stuart had decided that The City Different would make the perfect to ask Kelly. On a freezing February evening, under string lights in the Plaza, Stuart proposed to Kelly in the same city where they had gone on their first trip together and spent their first Christmas together, truly a magical place that would forever be extra special for both of them.
Flash forward to 2020, Stuart and Kelly were set on having a gorgeous summer wedding at historic Los Poblanos here in Albuquerque, when COVID-19, aka the pandemic that literally no one asked for, hit around the globe. As June grew closer and more restrictions were put into place, these lovers eventually settled on an intimate wedding at the property with just their parents and two of their closest friends. And even though it was small, this day was beyond beautiful and for all the right reasons. Kelly had some of the dreamiest details including a Rue de Seine gown (that we can’t stop thinking about), a stunning bouquet by Floriography, and the most beautiful glam by some of our favorite hair and makeup angels (Betty Rose by Alanna and Diana of Something Ginger), but the one detail that really stood out to us was Kelly and Stuart’s love for one another. Kelly recalls walking down the aisle and realizing that it didn’t matter if there were a handful of guests or a hundred guests, all she could see in perfect clarity was Stuart smiling at her. Even though everything had changed, becoming husband and wife was all that really mattered to both of them.
After their heartfelt ceremony, we got to spend a little extra time with Stuart and Kelly, from seeing their first dance to John Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s “Lover” to roaming around Los Poblanos for the most beautiful romantics to finally capturing them walk into their sweet little dinner at El Campo.
Something that Kelly told us after their ceremony that hit home for us and for everyone trying to plan (and replan) weddings in the time of coronavirus is this, “ “It's very easy during the wedding planning process to forget what is really important; the marriage. At the end of the day, the wedding does not define who we are as husband and wife. Our process was so unique and forced us to problem solve and make very difficult decisions together. We learned how to compromise and understand what was truly important to each of us. The little things we thought at one point were so important, like the napkins or the table settings, didn't matter at the end of the day. We were just so blessed to be surrounded by our closest loved ones, and to be celebrating each other, those small things just became afterthoughts.”
There’s so much we could say about these two, from being so dang kind to rolling with all the punches of 2020 to literally becoming Instagram besties with us, we have so much love for Kelly and Stuart. We can’t wait to celebrate your love all over again in Texas!!!
Vendors
Venue - Los Poblanos
Coordination - Chelsea Martinez
Florals - Floriography Flowers
Hair - Diana Rose of Something Ginger
MUA - Betty Rose by Alanna
Bridal Gown - Rue de Seine
Bridal Boutique - Unbridaled
Bride’s Jewelry - Kendra Scott
Bride’s Shoes - Badgley Mischka
Photographer - Ashley
Blog + Photo Curation by Jaclyn of Alicia Lucia Photography
