Manzano Mountain Retreat Wedding | Jon and Shea

When Jon and Shea booked me for their wedding in New Mexico, I envisioned lots of sand, rocks, and cacti mixed with sweltering heat and maybe some crystal meth (sorry, huge Breaking Bad fan here). When I arrived at Manzano Mountain Retreat, however, I discovered a lovely ranch in the mountains with pine forests and apple orchards. It was a beautiful day and it was obvious how much these two love each other. I started with Shea getting ready at the bridal cabin.After Shea’s mother helped her into her dress, her sister and maid-of-honor helped her with her shoes and she prayed together with her bridesmaids.
Meanwhile on the other side of the ranch, Jon and his groomsmen were getting ready.Shea did a first look with her father and brothers before the ceremony, and then her and Jon prayed together without seeing each other.The ceremony space was next to a pond, surrounded by a pine forest.The ceremony was conducted by Shea’s brother.After the ceremony it was time for portraits!After the speeches we took a break from the reception for a few minutes to get some photos with the gorgeous sunset light.The sky was lit up beautifully as the sun set behind the mountain.Once the sun went down, the dance floor filled up and everyone had a great time.I love the atmosphere that is created by the backlighting and flare in this image, and the fact that their faces are in shadow as they share this kiss on the dance floor adds some mystery and romance.

I really love to create dramatic night-time portraits with my couples whenever possible.  This was the last photo of the day, utilizing the twinkle lights hanging around the dance floor as a beautiful background and a flash behind Jon and Shea to give them some lovely rim lighting.