Apparently Sabrina + John loved being engaged so much that an entire a year passed before they even lifted a finger to start planning. They just didn’t know what they wanted. Neither of them had even visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, but they knew they wanted a destination wedding and the lure of something entirely unexpected was enough for them. Wedding Coordinator & Designer, Jessie Baca coined their wedding style as modern meets mountain desert and that’s exactly what it was, modern yet still lighthearted and playful.
Sabrina had told her florist that she wanted a bridal bouquet was “asymmetrical and unrestrained” and the result was spot on. Sabrina fell in love with her bouquet made of an air plant, succulents, scabiosa pods, purple dahlias, burgundy scabiosa and jasmine vine.
The best memory from the day was walking with John through the desert brush for our first look photos. One minute I was a ball of nerves, and then the next minute, I was carelessly dragging my dress through the dusty terrain, over rocks, sticks, and ant holes without a thought of getting it caught or dirty before the ceremony (which it did!). I realized we would walk through life in just the same way — seeking beautiful places, helping one another, and laughing the entire way.
Jessie Baca built a “living wall” adorned with air plants, succulents, choya wood, and moss to serve as the focal point for their ceremony.
Yves Lucero was the guitarist for their ceremony, and he played acoustic versions of Ceremony by New Order and Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez as they walked down the aisle. Their first dance song was That’s How Strong My Love Is by Otis Redding.
As someone who works for a stationery & letterpress studio, I naturally enjoyed designing and creating all of the paper touches for the wedding. The invitations reflected the serene mountain scenery but in a more modern light with the use of straight lines and fluorescent coral ink. We also incorporated a pair of chiles which added a humorous nod to our affinity for spicy food. Unexpectedly, we still hear about the personalized pins we made as part of our escort cards. John and I came up with a witty question—comical icebreakers based on our friendship with them—for each of our guests to proudly wear or hide depending on how embarrassed they were!
When Jessie, our Event Planner brought us to the Center for Contemporary Arts, it was the perfect match for us. The gallery is a renovated warehouse from the early 1900s, and we were immediately drawn not only to its history but also its unexpectedly airy and industrial interior. When we realized that our reception would be placed right in the middle of an art installation (that was yet to be determined), we were sold.
Love that the walls were lit up with video projections of old black & white films (think Esther Williams and Busby Berkeley) that dazzled and created a magical glow for their reception area.
So much fun. Congrats you two!
Photography: Karen Kristian Photography & Articulate Photo / Wedding design, ceremony backdrop and coordination: Jessie Baca / Ceremony & reception venue: Center for Contemporary Arts, Muñoz Waxman Gallery / Caterer: Marja Custom Catering / Invitations, programs, menus, escort cards: designed by the bride, Sabrina, and printed through Smudge Ink / Bridal bouquet and personal flowers: Artichokes and Pomegranates / DJ: Celeste Worl / Ceremony Guitarist: Yves Lucero / Bride’s Fashion: Casablanca Couture dress, Saks Fifth Avenue heels, Stella and Dot Lucia necklace, J.Crew mini jeweled flower comb / Groom’s Fashion: 9Tailors custom suit, John Varvatos shoes, Boston Ring and Gem wedding band, Hugo Boss tie
