Country Chic Summer Wedding at Secluded Venue Outside Ruidoso New Mexico

Alexa and Jordan’s June wedding might be my favorite wedding of the summer season this year. But I seem to say that about every wedding I attend! I especially loved shooting at Walnut Grove Ranch. It is a historic ranch home and spacious property located in Lincoln, New Mexico, just a short drive from Ruidoso, New Mexico. You can see how gorgeous the grounds were in the summer months in these photos. I bet it’s breathtaking in every season!

Alexa and Jordan met playing a friendly match of sand volleyball with their mutual friends. Here’s their proposal story from Alexa’s perspective.

“We went to Las Vegas, Nevada and the night he proposed I was looking out the window at the Bellagio and when I turned around he was down on one knee holding the ring! I was freaking out and didn’t hear much of what he said haha, but we were both super excited!”

When I asked what they were most excited for in anticipation of their wedding day, they said, “We are most looking forward to having our family and friends there for our special day and to see us commit to each other and celebrate our relationship.”

Mission accomplished!!

Vendors

Venue: Walnut Grove Ranch

Photography: Taylor’d Photography

Officiant: John Duncan, Gateway Christian Church Ruidoso

Florist: Blossoms Floral Design and Artistry

Caterer: Popo’s Mexican Restaurant

Bride’s dress: Lillie’s Bridal

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Azazie.com

Photo booth: PixnStix

Sophisticated holiday weekend wedding at Los Portales Venue in Anthony, New Mexico

Alejandra and Robert were married over Labor Day weekend in Anthony, New Mexico at the Los Portales venue. The thing Ale and Robert were most looking forward to on their wedding was “seeing everyone and celebrating” with their loved ones. I would say, mission accomplished! These two had a blast on the dance floor all night and they have families who know how to cut a rug.

Describe yourselves as a couple in three words:

cozy, loving, weird

What are you most looking forward to about being married?

“Being married will have us wearing rings and calling each other "Husband and Wife" but it's just another step confirming what we already know. Not too much changes for us, we get to continue celebrating each other every day.”

Vendors

Venue: Los Portales

Officiant: Moonlight Wedding Services

Flowers: Blossom Flowers and Sweets

Caterer: Diamond Catering

Make up: Elyse Simons

Hair: Katherine Melanie

Bride’s dress: David’s Bridal

Groom’s attire: Men’s Wearhouse

An Interview with Floral Artist Marisa Guerrero from Debbie's Bloomers

Marisa and the crew at Debbie’s Bloomers continue to awe us with their jaw dropping floral design and professionalism. Here’s our interview with one of our favorite florists!

What's your story? How did you become a florist?

Flowers are a family business. My mom bought Debbie's Bloomers when I was a child and that meant I spent a lot of time around the flower shop growing up. After pursuing other passions during college, I came back to the flower shop and have never looked back. Since then, I have taken on regional and national roles in the floral industry that have opened doors for amazing opportunities like designing at the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2019!

What is a consultation like at Debbie's Bloomers?

When couples come in to discuss flowers for their wedding, we try to make the process as easy, enjoyable and quick as possible. Consultations typically take 30 - 45 minutes as we talk through inspiration photos, discuss budget and seasonality of flowers, and define the overall style of a wedding. It's great to have a bride bring in photos of what she envisions her wedding looking like and then we can work together to refine and design. After the initial consultations, we email a beautiful proposal with lots of pictures and descriptions for the couple to look over and make adjustments to.

What trends are you excited about for wedding flowers?

I don't think I'm the only florist ready for color to come back to wedding flowers. We have seen season after season of burgundy, blush and white so it's really exciting to see bold colors making a comeback! Bright pink flowers, foliage in vibrant blues, and sunny yellow pops are all starting to shine in over-the-top flower walls and simple but dynamic bouquets. Flowers can add so much pizzazz to your wedding style.

What are some unique ways you have seen brides and grooms incorporate florals into their weddings?

We love having a chance to place flowers in unexpected places. One of the most underrated areas is the bathroom. Everyone visits the bathroom during your wedding, and it's a welcome touch to have one or two small vases of flowers placed between the sinks. When I got married (of course there were flowers everywhere) the men couldn't get over the flowers in their bathroom. It was such a simple touch but so often overlooked. Every venue has a location that could be made more inviting with a floral accent; fountain, the pool, a quiet corner of the room. Flowers make everything a little more beautiful.

 What advice can you give brides and grooms?

For a lot of couples, they know they want flowers but they aren't sure how much it's going to cost so they put off talking with a florist. I encourage them to talk with a florist about 3-6 months before their wedding, once they have chosen their venues and ordered their dresses. That's when they seem to have a good vision for the style and feel of their wedding and colors are pinned down. Then find a florist who's style you like and schedule an appointment with them to discuss ideas. They will take your ideas and create a proposal for your flowers. The proposal is a staring point for ideas. If you need to make adjustments to get the colors right or get suggestions to cut costs so they match your budget, don't be afraid to ask. You've been planning your wedding for months, so you know your vision and your budget perfectly, but your florist doesn't. They will be happy to work with you to make suggestions and refine ideas if they know you are going to work together. So that's my advice, have a conversation. Just like you wouldn't leave the dress store if they didn't give you your dream dress on the first try, you florist needs your guidance to make your flowers fit.

Best of luck to all of you as you plan your wedding! Flowers are a gift, so enjoy the process.

Elegant wedding with natural touches at the Blue Door Venue in Las Cruces, New Mexico

Estrella and Diego were married on a gorgeous summer day in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the Blue Door Venue. It was a pretty HOT day, July in New Mexico can do that to you, so they had a super short and sweet ceremony and provided fans for their guests. Roxanne from Livingston Bridal and Events even made sure industrial sized fans blew cool air on the guests as they waited for the ceremony to begin. But not even the shining summer sun could match Estrella’s beaming face as she walked down the aisle toward Diego.

Here’s more from Estrella!

What did you envision for your wedding being prior to planning?

I never really thought of this day! Didn’t think I would get married! But when we got engaged I definitely started looking and couldn’t decide! 

What was your color palette and your style vision? 

Navy blue and gold. Elegant and classy but still with a little bit of wood, outdoorsy look. I liked the outdoors, barn/wood style but also loved elegant lace and wine bottles! We put together the centerpieces and it looked amazing! 

What unique elements or DIY details did you include? 

My mother in law and I did all our center pieces. We went to an empty lot next to her house and took branches off of trees, hand painted all of them and added flowers and jewels. We also spray painted all the wine bottles that the branches were being held in. 

Tell us about your wedding dress, why did you chose it? 

The wedding dress I chose was mermaid style. It was actually the second dress I had picked. The first time I went dress shopping I felt I had to pick one there and then so I settled for one everyone liked but deep down I knew I didn’t! Finally, I told everyone and we went shopping again and I knew more of what I wanted since I had been looking around, plus I had lost some weight! I found the wedding dress I liked online but definitely wanted to try it on, when we got to David’s Bridal it had just came out, brand new, my size and no one had tried it on yet! It’s like it was made for me! 

Let’s talk blooms. Describe your floral elements. 

Never had I seen bouquets with navy and gold and my florist did an amazing job! 

Describe the locations of the day (getting ready, ceremony, reception). 

It was all in one place which was so great and helpful! We had it at the Blue Door Venue and we were able to get ready there, check up on the decorating, and just be there the whole time! We had the ceremony in the courtyard, went inside to have dinner and then back to the courtyard for the dance! 

What was your favorite moment of the day? 

I had a lot of favorite moments! Seeing all the people we love make it to our special day, how beautiful all the decorations looked, and the way all of my family looked! But what topped everything was seeing Diego when I was walking down the aisle. Just knowing after that moment we’d be spending the rest of our lives together made all the stressful things leading up to that moment worth it! 

What was one of the most emotional parts of the day? 

The most emotional part was seeing my dad for the first time! He cried the moment he saw me. Also seeing Diego crying when he had his dance with his mom! 

What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be? 

Enjoy it all! It can be stressful but don’t forget it is also going to be the best day of your life! Do what you want, invite who you want, wear what you want, pick what you want! Of course what your fiancé wants as well lol! And also make sure you actually enjoy the day and take it in with your husband! It can get so busy that you forget why you’re doing it, for the love of you two! 

VENDORS:

Venue - The Blue Door

Photography - Taylor’d Photography

Coordinator and Invitations - Livingston Bridal and Events

Rentals - Enchanted Occasions Event Rental

Officiant - Ray Lucero

Flowers - Kelly Ledesma

Caterer - Chala’s

Cake - Deliciously Creative Cakes

Cake pops - Laura’s Sweets

DJ and Up lighting - Sight and Sound Entertainment

Make up - Brenda Tarango

Hair - 425 Salon

Dress - Galina Signature, David’s Bridal

Mens Attire - Men’s Wearhouse

Photo Booth - Clikster

Classic wedding with Italian vibes at Casa Rondeña Winery in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Audrey and Nick were both born and raised in Hatch, New Mexico the green chile capital of the world. After Nick proposed on beachside in Mexico on a trip away together, Audrey started to look for a wedding venue that would wow her guests and family and still honor her agricultural and New Mexico heritage. Both Nick and Audrey feel in love with Casa Rondeña Winery in Albuquerque, New Mexico and knew the winery with an Italian air is where they would become Mr. and Mrs.  

Audrey seamlessly curated a wedding style of sophisticated, lush elements. Greenery draped tables, ceremony arch and getaway car mirrored the rolling grapes vines surrounding the event. Audrey chose a wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline, dramatic train, and a silhouette fitting for Grace Kelly.

Besides the caring attention to details, this wedding brought family and friends together to celebrate the natural and easy love shared between Nick and Audrey.

Here’s more from Audrey!

What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning? 

Prior to planning my wedding, I honestly hadn't given much thought to how I wanted my big day to be. I was never the type of person that had pictured her wedding as a child.  So when I got engaged I thought, how in the world am I going to tackle this?? My inspiration actually came from my fiancé Nick. He told me what he had envisioned for his wedding and I loved it! Nick and I both had an affinity for the classic American weddings mixed with a little vintage style but also somehow modern.  We wanted to have a lot of neutral colors and not too many decorations because we wanted the beauty of the venue to shine. After we had an idea of what we wanted it made it a lot easier on me to fill in the blanks!

What was your color palette and your style vision?

My color palette was basically a lot of neutrals; white, grey, and green were the stars but we also had notes of blue and pink in the end.  What is so funny is that when I had initially picked out the bridesmaid dresses (online) they looked like they were a smoky grey... however when they arrived they looked like a bright blue in the sunlight! It wasn't initially what I had envisioned but it turned out pretty anyways.

What unique elements or DIY details did you include?

My favorite DIY project that we did for the wedding was the centerpieces. I wanted so badly to have real candles as the focus on our guest tables, however everywhere we looked it was going to be so overpriced and I was almost willing the change my mind before we came across THE candles on Amazon. The centerpieces came out perfect and we saved a ton of money.  One of my favorite details from the wedding was the tie I gave my dad the day of, I had sewn on the back a heart that said "Dad I loved you first" with our wedding date 8.18.18. He cried, I cried and it was perfect. 

What was your favorite moment? Your favorite crafted detail?

My favorite moment hands down was the transition from the ceremony into the getaway car. I was exploding with happiness and driving away in my grandpa’s classic car while watching everyone cheer and wave, it seemed like a fairytale. The car was the most important detail to me, weeks prior my family put in so many hours trying to get it running and just the day before they had to leave for the wedding, it started up.  My grandpa who had just turned 97 was giddy with happiness because not only did he get to see his granddaughter get married but also see her drive away in his car that was so dear to him.

Tell us about your flowers, your gown, favors, cake, etc.

The flowers were easy and simple. I wanted white with green accents and it matched the venue beautifully.  We also had our florist bring in an Arbor for the ceremony which they decorated with the same flowers as the bouquets. When I had initially gone to try on dresses I had no idea what I wanted and what I purchased I would have never imagined myself in. I bought a strapless mermaid gown by Essence of Australia. I paired it with a body suit with lace sleeves and lace covered shoulders. To complete the dress I had a cathedral length veil with lace details on the bottom. The whole ensemble was beautiful and one of my favorite parts was taking off the bodysuit for the reception so that it seemed like a whole new dress!  We wanted our cake to match the theme of the rest of the wedding, so we went with a four tiered classic white buttercream with simple details and real flower accents.  Nick’s family is Italian so instead of the typical vanilla or chocolate, we went with an Italian wedding cake and it was so good!

What is one piece of advice that you would give brides-to-be?

The one piece of advice I would give to brides-to-be is to remember why you are getting married.  The year leading up to the wedding and especially the weeks before are so stressful and it becomes really overwhelming. It is so easy to become wrapped up in the wedding you forget why you are getting married and that is because you love the person that you are with.  Even if you have to remind yourself every day just don't forget the most important part, your love for each other! 

VENDORS:

Venue: Casa Rondeña Winery

Wedding Photographer Videographer: Taylor'd Photography

Coordinator: Orange September

Rentals: Rust Vintage Rentals

Floral: Floriography

Cake: Cake Fetish

Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Bride’s dress: Ella Blu

Dress Designer: Essense of Australia

Bridesmaids dresses: JJ’s House

Hair: Santiago Romero

Make-Up: Angelique Martinez

Catering: Sparky's

Are you looking for a New Mexico wedding photographer? We would love to chat with you about your wedding!