Santa Fe Wedding Guide
For anyone interested, I thought I should compile a complete list of resources for anyone who may want to replicate our destination wedding! As mentioned previously, Chris and I had a vegan wedding in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We planned everything ourselves with much help from our moms. I had a very difficult time with everything and any help I can provide to others attempting something similar could be valuable. So, here goes.
Venue
Hyde Memorial State Park
It cost $500 for an entire day's use. It is a state park and is run by rangers. They are not overly helpful, but the price is amazing. The scenery is fantastic. We booked for their final week. Unless you want to risk ran, sleet, hail, and snow, I would suggest booking a week or two before their final weekend for your fall wedding and probably the opposite for spring.
Officiant
Marilee Harrison, Humanist Celebrant
We could not have asked for a more professional officiant. We loved Marilee. She provided us with options for our secular service including pre-written vows. She spoke clearly and with purpose and she was really, really nice. We paid $250 for all of our services. Definitely worth the investment.
Favors
Greenworld Project Saplings
Our woodland theme required appropriate favors. Chris picked out the little tubes filled with spruce saplings. They were easy to transport and care for. We ended up with three for ourselves. We planted them and although they are having some difficulty I expect they will continue to grow. They also have options for different trees and even flowers.
Catering
The two of us were determined to have a vegan wedding. Santa Fe has a number of options. For awhile we went back and forth between ordering food from Annapurna World Cuisine and Thai Vegan. Ultimately, though, we put an order in through the Whole Foods location on St. Francis Street. The price was right but on the wedding day the order was not ready. The staff were less than apologetic but the issue did get resolved. We ordered a number of salads by the pound and some wraps. Family said everything was great but I was less than impressed.
Cake
Treehouse Pastry Shop
When we visited Santa Fe in May, Chris and I attempted to sample goods from the local bakeries that offered vegan cakes. Unfortunately, nearly each of those establishments only make vegan cake or cupcakes as special orders. You do have a number of options, though. First, Revolution Bakery produces amazing vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Annapurna World Cuisine makes chocolate and carrot cakes. They are traditional style cakes so depending on how fancy you'd like to be, you may need someplace else. The third option, which is where we ordered from, is Treehouse Pastry Shop. Their menu includes many, many flavor options. We went with the lemon raspberry. Essentially, it ended up being a layer cake with raspberry jam in the middle and lemon buttercream frosting. It was really sweet, but I enjoyed it a lot. Vegan baked goods can be difficult for non-vegan establishments to make, so that could explain the epic sweetness.
Rings
Southwest Silver Gallery
To keep in line with the southwestern theme of our wedding, Chris and I really wanted to have rings that were locally created. Initially, our idea was to order turquoise bands. It took us months to find something we both liked, though. We ended up ordering a two person set from Southwest Silver Gallery. The local artist designed and manufactured the bands. They're silver and have a distinct southwestern look to them. Also, you can't go wrong with $179.
Gifts
We had originally intended to purchase gifts for all of my parents as well as my brother but had such difficulty finding anything appropriate that wasn't also cheesy. Ultimately, we only purchased gifts for our mothers with whom we could not have hosted such a wonderful celebration. While we were in Santa Fe in May, we bought two original watercolors by a local artist. We bought a couple for ourselves as well, in order to remember our time there.
The rest of the planning was not Santa Fe specific (clothes, flowers, decorations, etc.) so this entails all of the resources I can provide. If you're looking for any other recommendations, though, do not hesitate to ask. Also, if you end up using this guide to plan your wedding, I would love to see a photo from your big day! Feel free to leave me a comment. Thanks for reading! And congratulations!
Venue
Hyde Memorial State Park
It cost $500 for an entire day's use. It is a state park and is run by rangers. They are not overly helpful, but the price is amazing. The scenery is fantastic. We booked for their final week. Unless you want to risk ran, sleet, hail, and snow, I would suggest booking a week or two before their final weekend for your fall wedding and probably the opposite for spring.
Officiant
Marilee Harrison, Humanist Celebrant
We could not have asked for a more professional officiant. We loved Marilee. She provided us with options for our secular service including pre-written vows. She spoke clearly and with purpose and she was really, really nice. We paid $250 for all of our services. Definitely worth the investment.
Favors
Greenworld Project Saplings
Our woodland theme required appropriate favors. Chris picked out the little tubes filled with spruce saplings. They were easy to transport and care for. We ended up with three for ourselves. We planted them and although they are having some difficulty I expect they will continue to grow. They also have options for different trees and even flowers.
Catering
The two of us were determined to have a vegan wedding. Santa Fe has a number of options. For awhile we went back and forth between ordering food from Annapurna World Cuisine and Thai Vegan. Ultimately, though, we put an order in through the Whole Foods location on St. Francis Street. The price was right but on the wedding day the order was not ready. The staff were less than apologetic but the issue did get resolved. We ordered a number of salads by the pound and some wraps. Family said everything was great but I was less than impressed.
Cake
Treehouse Pastry Shop
When we visited Santa Fe in May, Chris and I attempted to sample goods from the local bakeries that offered vegan cakes. Unfortunately, nearly each of those establishments only make vegan cake or cupcakes as special orders. You do have a number of options, though. First, Revolution Bakery produces amazing vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Annapurna World Cuisine makes chocolate and carrot cakes. They are traditional style cakes so depending on how fancy you'd like to be, you may need someplace else. The third option, which is where we ordered from, is Treehouse Pastry Shop. Their menu includes many, many flavor options. We went with the lemon raspberry. Essentially, it ended up being a layer cake with raspberry jam in the middle and lemon buttercream frosting. It was really sweet, but I enjoyed it a lot. Vegan baked goods can be difficult for non-vegan establishments to make, so that could explain the epic sweetness.
Rings
Southwest Silver Gallery
To keep in line with the southwestern theme of our wedding, Chris and I really wanted to have rings that were locally created. Initially, our idea was to order turquoise bands. It took us months to find something we both liked, though. We ended up ordering a two person set from Southwest Silver Gallery. The local artist designed and manufactured the bands. They're silver and have a distinct southwestern look to them. Also, you can't go wrong with $179.
Gifts
We had originally intended to purchase gifts for all of my parents as well as my brother but had such difficulty finding anything appropriate that wasn't also cheesy. Ultimately, we only purchased gifts for our mothers with whom we could not have hosted such a wonderful celebration. While we were in Santa Fe in May, we bought two original watercolors by a local artist. We bought a couple for ourselves as well, in order to remember our time there.
The rest of the planning was not Santa Fe specific (clothes, flowers, decorations, etc.) so this entails all of the resources I can provide. If you're looking for any other recommendations, though, do not hesitate to ask. Also, if you end up using this guide to plan your wedding, I would love to see a photo from your big day! Feel free to leave me a comment. Thanks for reading! And congratulations!
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