A DIY Destination Wedding in Las Cruces

New Mexico Wedding

The Land of Enchantment graced us all with beautiful rich tones and a few little surprises for these two adventure-seekers. This was no ordinary wedding, it had all of my favorite things — a dog, a baby, and a National Park.

Naturally, the wedding didn’t quite go as planned, but what wedding does ever happen exactly the way it is planned? There were a few events that initially I considered setbacks, but in hindsight, it probably ended up happening for the best. The government shutdown shifted the ceremony location from White Sands National Monument to their Airbnb villa in Las Cruces, which was probably for the better considering it ended up snowing and being about 20 degrees! But who else can say they got married surrounded by snow-covered cacti and mountains in their backyard? They have such an incredibly unique story, and we were still able to photograph at White Sands for a little bit the following morning. Not to mention, the villa was FILLED to its max with their friends who came from all over the United States and even the world to support and celebrate this sweet, adventurous family. Did I forget to mention that they had bubble girls instead of flower girls?

It was made very evident at their welcome party that Mara and Derek have surrounded themselves with some incredibly talented, intelligent and artistic people. The talent show featured their friends and family presenting videos, dances, singing, guitar playing, and poetry. The support I saw in that room quite frankly left me teary-eyed and ultimately proud to be a part of such a great group of people. The support didn’t stop and start at their welcome party. Upon arriving on their wedding day, I walk in to see their wedding party already there moving furniture, arranging flowers and setting up their reception space. Their friends had been right alongside these two, helping prepare for this day for quite some time. I was grateful to have able to witness this celebration and get to participate in the festivities myself.

– New Mexico Wedding Photographer, Kerry McIntyre Photography

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