On the beaches of Mexico, Michael surprised Brian with a video for his birthday. What Brian wasn’t aware of was that Michael was about to propose. They agree that the life changing memory will last the rest of their lives.

Their wedding was set for August 18th, 2018 at El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

When asked about what their absolute favorite part of the wedding was, the happy couple responded with, “The entire weekend actually!”

“Having a destination wedding, we wanted to treat our guests to a fun and enjoyable weekend exploring the beauty of Santa Fe, New Mexico!” They certainly made the celebration one to remember, with activities and events scheduled throughout to bring their family and friends together around such a momentous occasion.

As the guests arrived to their hotel in Santa Fe on Thursday, they found a beautiful gift bag complete with a bottle of champaign, a map of the city with personal recommendations complimentary of the grooms, plenty of candy, and a personalized thank you note. Guests made their way to the welcome party which featured South Western attire and a performance at the Santa Fe Opera.

“Friday morning we took our guests on a hike up into the mountains where we enjoyed the crisp air and a break from cell phone service. It was a great time to enjoy nature and each other.

Our Rehearsal Dinner was a “White Party” theme. All 75 of our guests dressed in white and joined us on the lawn at the Inn & Spa at Loretto for a fabulous and authentic New Mexican dinner, mariachi band, and a Tequila donkey!” You can imagine the fun as guests were served tequila by the bartender walking with the donkey complete with a cooler, ice, limes and salt. “We gifted customized Maracas to our guests, which were displayed on top of the farm tables. It was the perfect token our guests could take him to remember the evening.” The atmosphere was completed with none other but gold sequin table cloths overtop bar highs with white hydrangeas centered in the middle, which acted as the perfect contrast to the surrounding adobe building decor. 

“We enjoyed the morning of our wedding getting massages and soaking in the tubs up in the mountains with our guests at Ten Thousand Waves Spa. It was the perfect way to relax and get ready for our special day.”

Once Saturday evening arrived, everyone was ready for the real party to begin. “We never really felt like walking down the aisle was what we wanted. Instead, we came up with the idea of having an elegant dinner party where we would stand up and get married in the center of the room.

Our guests joined us on the roof top for some incredible band entertainment, and there, two dear friends sang us our song, You Matter to Me. The evening could not have gone any better!”

Soft ivory, pale pink and a mix of metallics set the stage for the modern celebration surrounded by New Mexico’s mountainous scape. “It is truly an evening we will never forget.”

Wedding Planner: Claudia E De Velasco
Photography: Talitha Tarro Photography
Videography: Vitor Lindo
Cake: A Cake Odyssey
Venues: Eldorado Hotel, Inn and Spa at Loretto
Flowers: A Passion Flower
Invitations: Katie & Co.
Live Music: Diamond Empire Band