New Mexico Wedding Venues to Love

Born and raised in Las Cruces, the Melendezes met briefly at a mutual friend’s house about a decade ago. They reconnected later at a birthday party and sparks flew. The couple chose vibrant, summery accents for their fiesta-themed nuptials, using emerald green as a base color. The joyful red, orange, pink, and yellow hues of the Mexican paper cutouts found their way onto their white wedding cake as well. 

One of their best additions was renting a photo booth from the Snap Box, in Las Cruces. “We got an album at the end with a copy of all the photo strips,” Sydney says. “We’ll look back at that and the notes that everyone wrote and remember our favorite part of the wedding.”

Blue Door lends itself to  weddings with rustic, cowboy, country, or fiesta themes, though Livingston says the versatile space allows clients to express their own vision. One of her most memorable events was a bride and groom of mixed religions, one Christian and one Hindu, whose ceremony blended elements from both. They had traditional Hindu chants around a firepit, then the two families came together for a reenactment of the Jack Rabbit Slim’s dance from the film Pulp Fiction. 

But no matter the size of the guest list, the flavor of the cake, or the theme of the reception, New Mexico makes a truly enchanting spot for the big day. Last year, 8,520 couples got married in the state, with total wedding expenditures of more than $205 million. Whether you’re seeking a picturesque outdoor venue, a grand space with big-city energy, or a small intimate gathering, the Land of Enchantment has something to make every couple’s big day memorable.

“New Mexico makes it easy to get married here,” says Kathy Elliott, a nondenominational minister in Clovis. The owner of Say I Do, which provides officiants throughout the area, notes that New Mexico doesn’t require either party to be a resident of the state to obtain a license, and couples can be married the same day one is issued. Unlike some other states, including nearby Texas, there’s also no wait if someone is divorced. “We’re also LGBTQ+ friendly and were one of the early states to legalize same-sex marriage,” she says. “I did a lot of weddings for couples from other states for a while until it was legal nationwide.” 

Most of Elliott’s couples want a small, intimate ceremony, for which she opens her office “chapel” or lush backyard, featuring a large koi pond, for just a few hundred dollars. With the average cost of a New Mexico wedding in 2024 at $24,176, the state is also one of the most cost-effective for couples, ranking 43rd, with an average guest count of about 100. 

Jaci Zingerman and Riley Neale, of Lubbock, Texas, had a target budget right around the state average for their wedding at the Mystic, a renovated roadside motel and event venue in Santa Fe. They took their theme from the Mystic’s Southwest bohemian art mural: a high-desert night with a navy, turquoise, and terra-cotta color scheme. The 13,000-square-foot outdoor event space easily accommodated their 150-person wedding with dinner and dancing under the stars, and the motel provided lodgings for some guests, several of whom had traveled from Pittsburgh and Chicago. 

“Santa Fe felt like a special place for us,” says Neale, who grew up in the City Different, where his grandmother still lives and could assist their Albuquerque-based wedding planner with catering and other day-of concerns. “We wanted to share our love of the city with friends and family.”

In fact, one item on the couple’s itinerary was a visit to his grandfather’s memorial bench at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. “It was a big deal to have my grandfather there in spirit,” he says. “We were able to have a destination wedding without going too far. We even did a map with hearts on it in the program showing where people traveled from.”

Neale and Zingerman were pleased that the wedding party and other guests could stay at the Mystic or choose from Santa Fe’s variety of lodging styles, including upscale hotels, short-term rentals, and camping. “If people wanted to shop, hike, explore the museums and restaurants, they could, as everything was close to the venue,” Zingerman says. “Many came to the wedding, then took a vacation in Santa Fe.”

New Mexico’s extraordinary outdoor scenery and varied climate—everything from dramatic desert landscapes and expansive farm and ranch spreads to high alpine mountains—is one of the best advertisements for a destination wedding here. With capacity for larger wedding parties at places like Blame Her Ranch, near Santa Fe, and Enchanted Vine by Noisy Water Winery, in Ruidoso, many of New Mexico’s venues easily accommodate large weddings seeking unique, elegant-yet-rustic experiences. Some locations even offer on-site lodgings, game rooms, home theaters, horseback riding, and other add-on experiences. 

Hotel Luna Mystica, on the Taos mesa, distinguishes itself by its vintage trailer accommodations and magnificent Sangre de Cristo Mountains setting. Those seeking a sense of history might be drawn to Archbishop Lamy’s Chapel, built in the 1800s and recently renovated, on the Bishop’s Lodge ranch resort and spa property, outside Santa Fe.

Karlee and Austin Phippen wanted a northern New Mexico backdrop when they got married on her grandparents’ ranch outside Chama in 2017. The couple lived in Colorado, where Karlee had been in the wedding and events business for a decade, and loved the ranch’s iconic Western barn, proximity to the Río Chama, and rural atmosphere. “This ranch has a special place in our hearts,” Karlee says. “We are so happy to be able to share it with others.” 

As the first couple married at Log River Ranch, which had been in Karlee’s family since the 1970s, they saw the potential for something special. In 2019, the pair moved to the 40-acre property and turned it into a place where couples and up to 200 of their guests can celebrate. “The majority of couples come from the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area,” Karlee says. “When we do get out-of-state weddings, they usually have a connection to New Mexico.” 

Log River offers an on-site 5,500-square-foot log cabin that can sleep up to 14 people, as well as a 16-room motel they own a few miles away in Chama. “Our couples love the property,” Karlee says. “The outdoors and a rustic experience are what they are looking for.” 

Of course, New Mexico boasts city-centered venues for the big day, too, including lush oases like Los Ranchos de Albuquerque’s Casa Rondeña Winery; the chic vibes and elegant rooftop of Albuquerque’s Hotel Chaco; the intimate, tree-shaded Ahmyo Wine Garden on Santa Fe’s Canyon Road; and the City Different’s historic La Fonda on the Plaza, which sits in the shadows of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Whatever theme or setting, the Land of Enchantment makes the day special for couples and their guests because of the experience, expertise, and welcoming spirit of the hospitality professionals of New Mexico. Karlee points to a special wedding last August with more than 180 guests, where the bride and groom added so many personal touches that everyone felt included. “The couple wrote personal notes to each guest and had them at their place settings,” she recalls. “Those types of weddings are my favorite, when everyone realizes how special the day is for them and for their guests.”