Old Town Albuquerque Wedding- Brooke and Cameron

It’s time to bring a familiar face back to the blog! I originally met Brooke at our college ministry in Durango. Since meeting her, I have been able to photograph her not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES now! Not gonna lie, this Old Town Albuquerque wedding was my favorite of them all. 🙂

Let’s start off with a quick shout-out to one of my favorite parts of every wedding. The details!

Brooke had vaguely described her dress to me. As soon as I saw it on the hanger, I couldn’t wait for her to put it on!

The day started with Brooke and her mom, Rhonda. It felt like such a huge honor to get to be in the suite with these two as Brooke got ready. It was a very special couple of moments between them.

As Rhonda was buttoning up Brooke’s dress, she started getting a little nervous about all of the mother-of-the-bride responsibilities as she is a self-proclaimed “tom-boy.”

Then she shared a story that I loved! She spoke about when Brooke was a little girl, going to dance class. Rhonda attempted to put Brooke’s hair up in a bun. As soon as she arrived, her teacher asked Brooke, “Who did your hair?” Brooke proudly proclaimed, “My mom!” to which her teacher replied, “Oh honey. We’re gonna have to re-do that.”

I loved hearing the two of them laugh and reminisce about the past all while creating new memories on this special day!

Brooke had been looking forward to doing first-looks with a few different groups on her wedding day. She kept her dress a super secret from everyone and it was a blast to watch everyone’s reactions!

I loved this idea of doing a first look with the groomsmen! We found out later that Cameron could HEAR the reaction of his guy’s to Brooke, just building the anticipation for him to see her!

When the groomsmen went back to be with Cameron again, they all said, “You’re gonna cry for sure!”

We then rallied up Brooke’s two brothers as well as her dad to do a first-look with them. After their initial reactions, I all of a sudden heard some sniffling. It turns out it took a moment for them to catch their breath over her beauty before some happy tears were shed.

Next up: the bridesmaids! I LOVED hearing the gals “ooh” and “ahh” over Brooke’s dress, saying it was “So Brooke.” This was such a sweet group of friends!

At the beginning of the day, we weren’t sure if there was going to be time to set-up a first look between Brooke and her grandparents. I am SO glad we made it happen. Brooke’s grandma’s reaction was one of my favorites as her jaw quite literally dropped at Brooke’s beauty. These three had all of us who got to witness it tearing up.

When it came time for the ceremony, I found myself admiring the venue of this Old Town Albuquerque wedding, Casas de Suenos. They have a perfect outdoor ceremony spot shaded by large trees.

Remember when Cameron’s groomsmen told him he was going to cry? Well, they know him pretty well. In fact, there were not a ton of dry eyes in the place!

Brooke and Cameron met in college and connected on their mutual love for ministry. When Brooke transferred to Fort Lewis College, they dated for a while long-distance.

It was fun to be able to hear more about their love story during the ceremony. The officiant talked about the ups and downs of Brooke and Cameron’s relationship, but ultimately credited the Lord for leading them to say I do!

The groomsmen all joked afterward about how long Cameron kissed Brooke. Let me tell you from a photographer’s perspective, though, take your time with that first kiss! We want to get all of the angles!

It was so fun to go back and celebrate with the wedding party right after the ceremony. Everyone was obviously so excited for Brooke and Cameron!

This wedding party was a pretty fun one and went along with all of my ideas which made photographing them a blast!

Since I don’t know Cameron that well, it was really neat to meet his friends and see how they all interacted with him and each other. You can tell they all have the upmost respect for him!

Oh, they also had quite a bit of fun together too!

Let’s talk about these bridesmaid dresses! Brooke truly just wanted her girls to get something they loved and would wear again. The bridesmaids loved this idea and so did I! It made for happy bridesmaids and really pretty pictures!

Okay. If you have looked at any of my other blogs featuring Brooke, you already know this. This girl is an absolute model. I gave her almost no direction and THIS is how her portraits turned out!

I could not get enough of these beautiful flowers and unique walls surrounding us. A very Albuquerque vibe, for sure!

Would you just look at these two?! So beautiful and in love!

When it was time for the reception, Brooke and Cameron headed straight into their first dance!

After dinner, it was time for the rest of the dances! The father/daughter dance was a heart-warming moment between Brooke and her dad.

Then Cameron and his mom, Beth, took the stage! They had a choreographed dance to the song “Rock Lobster” that was an instant hit with both Brooke and all of the guests!

I always love a good dance party at a wedding and the crew at this Old Town Albuquerque wedding brought all of the moves!

And then it was time to send the newlyweds off!

There is something extra sweet about getting to photograph old friends entering a new chapter of life! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun! I can’t wait to see how God uses you and your marriage!