You've never seen a New Mexico wedding as green & glamorous than this!

Glamorous Emerald Sapphire and Peach Countryside Wedding – Melanie Julian 2

Who knew New Mexico could be so glamorous & green? Thanks to the vibrant styling & luscious floral design at this stunning countryside venue, this emerald, sapphire & peach wedding is far more equestrian chic than southwest desert.

While the country store ranch has a history going back to the times of Billy the Kid (really, you should read all about it here!) this wedding is ever-so-modern. With a very modern, sleek style wedding gown, unique sapphire rings, king proteas & eucalyptus everywhere we’re charmed by how trendy & fresh this New Mexican wedding appears.

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect shared is the bride’s beauty look – wanting to feel confidently “herself” bride Lexi decided to do her own hair & makeup with her bridesmaids. As I write this, I’m a mere week away from doing my own wedding makeup, wondering if I’ve truly made the right decision and it is so comforting to hear I’m not alone in these feelings. You look beautiful Lexi!

The Proposal

In the Fall of 2016, I was offered a job working in Washington D.C. for the US House of Representatives, and I knew I couldn’t take on this adventure without Lexi by my side. I was incredibly nervous, but I knew I couldn’t miss this opportunity to spend the rest of my life with the most incredible girl on this earth.

So I came up with a plan. Lexi and I would fly to D.C., and our parents would surprise her there. With a stroke of luck, I was able to propose in a place that only a few in the world have had an opportunity to visit: The Speaker of The House Balcony at the Capitol Building. The balcony is one of the most iconic locations in the United States.

After our parents surprised her, we walked out onto the balcony, and I grabbed her hand. Pushing back tears, I said, “Lexi Kate, the next few years will be tough. I am moving across the United States to work at a job that I know will require long hours and late nights. But, Lexi, I know I can’t do it without you. This beautiful city will be our home, and I couldn’t ask for a better wife, teammate, and best friend to tackle this adventure with.”

Then, I got on one knee and asked the most beautiful, compassionate, hilarious, and loving lady ever created to be my wife. And she said YES! After the proposal, we flew back to Texas, and all of our friends and family were waiting to surprise us at Chick-Fil-A to have milkshakes in honor of our first date. It was the most perfect weekend of my entire life.

The Bridal Beauty

Going into the big day I knew that I wanted to look and feel like myself. So I decided to do my own hair and makeup. I knew that I would be less nervous because I know myself and how I wanted to look on my wedding day better than anyone else, and I didn’t want to be worried about not liking how I looked. It turned out so fun getting to do my hair and makeup alongside my bridesmaids.

The First Look

We also decided to do a first look before the wedding. Not just for timing reasons, but because I knew seeing Caleb before would help calm my nerves and excitement before the ceremony. As I look back, I wouldn’t change a single thing. It was a day that I felt embodied who Caleb and I are as a couple perfectly.

Favorite Moments

The one thing I loved most about our wedding was our vows. Caleb and I wrote our own vows and the first time we shared them with each other was during the ceremony. Hearing the words we promised to each other, promises that served as the covenant of our marriage, and being able to share them in front of all our family and friends made the day so intimate.

We also had a relatively large wedding party, and being surrounded by them made it all the more us! I think the décor, the venue, and all the details also spoke to who we were because I was lucky enough to plan everything with my mom, so each decision was made with people who know me better than myself.

Glamorous Emerald Sapphire and Peach Countryside Wedding – Melanie Julian 11

The Photography & Videography

We chose Melanie as a photographer because she had worked with Caleb before on Weddings (he did videography on the side) and he had always liked her style of photography and I loved how she was able to capture the special moments. She took our photos when Caleb proposed and our engagement photos the next day. She made the whole process feel so special and comfortable. Having her as our wedding photographer may have been one of the best decisions we made. She helped keep everything on track and truly made our day perfect. We are SO thankful for Melanie!

We chose B3Productions as our videographer because he has been a great friend of ours since college. We knew he was talented and would make a video for us that matched our personalities and truly capture how we envisioned our day.

Advice to Other Couples

We used The Knot as our wedding website and it helped with preparation and organization so much!

My number one advice is to just soak it in, the process flies by and the minute it is over comes so quickly. So enjoy it, but focus your attention on the marriage this wedding leads to and not just the wedding itself. It keeps everything in perspective.

The Honeymoon

We had about a week between our wedding and honeymoon where we moved across the country to DC. Having that short time in between was ideal to let everything settle in before taking off on our next big adventure.

We traveled to Ireland and Paris for our Honeymoon. We found great flights by using Google Flight Tracker! We started in Dublin, rented a car and drove all over Ireland seeing castles, The Cliffs of Moher, Giants Causeway, and so much more. I recommend traveling in your own car in Ireland over anything else because we just came upon so many beautiful sights just driving along the way. We stayed in an Airbnb in Ireland called The Gatelodge and it had the most Downton Abbey feel to it! While we stayed in Paris we used a similar company called Cobblestone Paris. We had an apartment in the La Marais neighborhood that allowed us to feel almost like locals in the most beautiful city!