Weddings

Mariah & Alex | Elegant Desert Catholic Wedding at Sts. Peter and Paul Church

posted on : August 26, 2022

Albuquerque, New Mexico

There are so many things I want to say about Mariah and Alex's wedding day, but simply put: it was perfectly beautiful in every single way. Both Mariah and Alex come from large Catholic families, and so there was bound to be a massive celebration in tow for their special day!!! They actually had all-day RAIN on their wedding day, which is very rare for New Mexico(!), but it stopped in time for the ceremony and provided us the most beautiful cloud coverage for their portraits, which are stunning!

Mariah and Alex chose to have a Traditional Latin Mass said for their wedding, in which Alex’s brothers served as altar boys, and they opted to share two very special Church traditions during mass which I’m going to detail in this little post a little later!

Mariah chose to have sage green, blush pink, and other neutral colors to feature in her beautiful (handmade!!) bouquet and for the reception decor. Her bridal details included their wedding bands, earrings, invitation suite and Mariah’s rosary. And then the extra special details included a Lazo Rosary, and a blessed Crucifix, which Alex and Mariah exchanged their vows over.

The Lazo Rosary tradition is of Latino, Spanish, and Filipino heritage, and it is a very large rosary in which two individuals (one from the Bride’s side and one from the Groom’s) wrap around the Bride and Groom while kneeling, after the Our Father, symbolizing their union with Christ.

The Cross of Christ custom for Marriage, is a custom that originated in the town of Siroki-Brijeg, Herzegovina in Eastern Europe, where not a single divorce has been documented. The Crucifix, which is brought by the Bride and Groom into the church, is blessed and the marriage vows are exchanged with the bride’s hand laying on the cross and grooms hand over top of his bride’s hand. This unity symbolizes that they are bound by the love of Jesus in the cross for one another for life. They are to then hang the cross in a place in their new home together where it is the center point of life for their family.

These traditions are insanely beautiful!!! I’m so thankful to have witnessed them and their uniqueness. That is why I love the Catholic Church, she is steeped in countless beautiful traditions!

At the reception, Mariah and Alex surprised their guests with a professional first dance. It was great and everyone loved it!! They also opted to get everyone involved in another cultural tradition and danced to “La Marcha”, which was really fun to watch play out! We completed sunset portraits just in the nick of time, and then at the very end, they departed from their celebration with a sparkler exit!!! It was pretty epic!!

It was an absolute honor to photograph this day for Mariah and Alex, and I hope to see them in the future, as they’re relocating to the East Coast! These are just a few favorites from their day!!…