Casas de Suenos Wedding Photography in Albuquerque Old Town

It seems cliche to say it, but every wedding is special to us for one reason or the other. Even after hundreds of weddings, it’s true. But, there are always certain weddings that are even more special because of the people getting married. This was one of those rare times when we get to shoot a wedding for family. Faira is Shannon’s cousin, and we were honored to be able to make the trip to her home state of New Mexico to photograph her and Chris’ wedding. I had met Faira once before, and I did not have the chance to meet Chris before the wedding day. Even with our limited history, though, it was like we all had known each other for years. Many photographers do not like to work with family or friends, but we have always been an exception to that. We absolutely love it, and days like this just confirm to us how special it is.

The wedding and reception were at an amazing little venue called Casas de Suenos in Albuquerque, NM. (sidenote: the owners are actually from about 15 minutes down the road from Collinsville and moved to New Mexico to run the Inn). It was a magical place, and the weather could not have been more perfect. There was so much emotion from both Chris and Faira and the family, and there was no hiding how excited everyone was. It is always beautiful to see families coming together and celebrating the start of something new, the beginning of a chapter and the moment that really marks a couple as one, no matter how long they’ve been together. Chris and Faira have known each other and been dating a long time, so this was no surprise, rather the culmination of a relationship that has deepened and is ready to declare itself to the world in the most official way. It was a beautiful thing.

For us this was fun being photographer-guests and getting to see our family and kids as we worked. I’m not going to lie, I was mildly concerned that our son, Edmund, would run out to Shannon the moment he saw her in the ceremony, but he was a champ. This was also a dream venue to photograph at, not only was it incredibly beautiful and totally different from anything we see here in the Midwest, but being entirely outdoors, the light was incredible, and it made the whole evening feel very magical. Since we were out in the scenic New Mexico dessert, we asked Chris and Faira if they’d like to go out the day after the wedding for some additional photos (as we often do when we photograph destination weddings). We loved shooting in Elena Gallegos, a gorgeous park that stretches over 640 acres and has numerous trails and picnic areas. It was a perfect setting for a gorgeous couple. We were so honored to get to document the start of forever for you, Faira & Chris! We love you both!