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 - 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 - 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

Groom Style - Second Edition

Last January we featured our first ever groom style edit here on the blog and we’re soooo excited to present the second edition! From classic black tuxes to dark crimson jackets to navy blue suits, there’s seriously a style for every groom out there. Peep some of the amazing accessories too, from custom watches to stylish shoes to roadrunner pins (made by the groom himself) to presidential cufflinks! Check out all of our incredibly handsome grooms of 2018 here and get inspired for wedding seasons to come!

Our Favorite Suit Designers
Tweed Maker
The Black Tux
Ted Baker
ASOS
Jos A Banks
Banana Republic
Men’s Wearhouse
Mr Tux (local to New Mexico)
Indochino
Perry Ellis
Zegna
Suits Unlimited

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

Duncan + Tatianna, a La Fonda Fall Wedding

On a fairytale October day, Duncan and Tatianna officially tied the knot at one of our treasured Santa Fe venues, La Fonda on the Plaza. It was love at first sight for this sweet couple who met in London and eloped just 10 months later! They decided to celebrate in a big way with an incredible party for all of their loved ones in the bride's home state of New Mexico (officially giving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle competition for the most amazing American /English wedding).

Moody fall florals, a stunning sheath dress, and incredible American Flag/Union Jack cookies made this day one for the books, and one that we'll hold close to our heart. Family and friends from both, all over the United States and England not only experienced the eclectic city of Santa Fe, but they were also treated to the Albuquerque International Ballon Fiesta and a first hand taste of some true New Mexican cuisine.

In the summer of 2018, we were over the moon when one of Tatianna and Duncan's stunning romantic photos, taken in a little hidden Santa Fe alleyway, was selected as the New Mexico Cover of Rocky Mountain Bride! This wedding was also featured by RMB earlier this year as a "Classic Santa Fe Wedding at La Fonda". A huge congrats to these stunners, thank you for letting us be a part of your world for one magical fall day!

Vendors
Venue -  La Fonda on the Plaza
Planning + Coordination - Orange September
Florals - Viva Flora
Sweets - American Pie Santa Fe
MUA + Hair - Genica Lee
Bridal Gown - Enzoani
Groom's Suit - Ted Baker

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