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

Real Weddings - First Look Advice

Even though its a newer wedding trend, we definitely have a soft spot for bride and groom first looks! Not only are first looks incredibly exciting, it also provides the soon to be newly weds with a few moments to soak in how amazing their futures spouses look before walking down the aisle. We talked to one of our recent brides, Taylor, to get the scoop on why she and her new husband Kirk decided to do a first look and her advice for future couples!

Her inspiration for doing a first look:
"Kirk and I had discussed this 2 or 3 times leading up to the wedding and it just made the most sense for us, for a few reasons. 1) Kirk thought he would be too overwhelmed and wouldn't have been able to pay as much attention to the ceremony if he was seeing me for the first time while I was walking down the aisle with my Dad. 2) We had 100 people that we weren't able to be included in our ceremony due to the size of the Loretto Chapel, they were hanging out and waiting for us up at a cocktail hour at La Fonda (our reception venue), so doing the first look and being able to take photos prior to the ceremony was important to us. We wanted to be able to spend as much time with our guests as possible, because every single one of them was traveling to be with us - it was the least we could do to be as present as possible!"

Her fave part of their first look:
"I had such butterflies when I was walking out of the Bridal Suite at La Fonda to the staircase where I knew Kirk would be. By far the most amazing part of the day was seeing his face the first time he laid eyes on me in my full wedding day get-up. We share everything together so having to keep my dress and veil a secret for so long was a serious challenge, but 100% worth the wait. The look of love and absolute certainty in his eyes calmed me down and we were able to have a few quiet moments just the two of us before meeting up with our rowdy bridal party."

Her advice for future bride and grooms:
"I highly recommend doing a first look - we're usually sticklers for tradition but this is one I'm very glad we broke. Being able to see your fiance for a few minutes (just the two of you) before becoming husband and wife was so special and something I will treasure forever, plus it really does cut down on the amount of time you spend away from your guests for pictures after the ceremony - which they were very appreciative of!"

(Taylor and Kirk's first look at La Fonda on the Plaza is pictured first in this post)

Venues
La Fonda on the Plaza
Four Seasons Santa Fe
SITE Santa Fe
Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm
Gerald Peters Gallery
Hyatt Tamaya Resort
Inn of the Five Graces
La Posada de Santa Fe
Casa de Sueños
The Inn and Spa at Loretto

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