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Stephen and Nancy’s vision for a simply splendid  farm chic wedding came to life with a little dash of D.I.Y. and a big dose of help from the amazing staff at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Along with gorgeous photos by Kim Jackson Photography, Nancy gives us a closer look by sharing some of the details from her special day.

Location
We were married at the spectacular Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm. We couldn’t think of a more perfect place to celebrate, especially since I am the Inn Manager, and Stephen is the manager of The Farm Shop. This is one of the few places on earth where you can get married at your place of work! We felt very lucky to have this all fall into place.

Flowers
This was a no brainer – Los Poblanos is covered with flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes. I wanted to stick with the farm look, rather than really formal arrangements. Since I’m lucky to work here, I secured two rows of the farm to plant hundreds of marigolds – my favorite flower. We used them to make garlands in the weeks before the wedding, and hung them to dry in the barn. Some of our friends surprised us and tucked a few marigolds into the harness of Colorado, the darling mini mule (yes – donkey+horse) that was in our wedding.

Dress
At the time, my mother was living in Shanghai. They have fantastic tailors there, so I clipped a bunch of pictures and had my dress made there! If it was up to me, I would have had a really colorful and patterned dress. But mom said no. So I went with a double sided champagne silk – I’ve never been a big poofy white dress kinda girl. Also, I feel it’s unfair to have to commit to just one dress for a wedding weekend. I changed after the ceremony to a fun party dress, and had two others picked out for the rehearsal and brunch the day after.

Decor
I’m very much a fan of crafting and DIY. Martha Stewart was instrumental in helping me come up with ideas and crafts. I could have crafted one million more things, but at some point I had to call it quits (sadly). We had so much fun with big crafting parties before the wedding – a great way to hang out with friends and have everyone’s help with the projects. It meant so much to have my friends join in on the fun once a week – they were such troopers, and it was great to catch up with everyone.

Colors
This was tough for us, as we are both artists and love colors. All colors. So we just used a little bit of everything, kept it simple and aimed  for a “Farmy Chic” look that would fit in at Los Poblanos.

Music
The groundskeeper who has worked at the Inn for over 30 years happens to have a mariachi band – so we hired him for the ceremony. SO much fun! The reception was a little tricky. We aren’t fans of the typical DJ’d dancefloor wedding, but it was the best option for diverse music and an easy evening

Event Coordinator
Ashley Armstrong is the Director of Events at Los Poblanos, and she went above and beyond helping me with every single little detail. She was, hands down, the most important and instrumental person that helped me get the wedding logistics together. She is truly an inspiration.

Cake & Catering
We both have a major sweet tooth, so the idea of choosing just.one.cake was so intimidating. Ashley created the cake of our dreams with three flavors, we ordered Indian sweets (my favorite dessert) from a local restaurant, as well as the famous Los Poblanos vanilla bean caramels and housemade chocolates. Catering was also a no brainer. Chef Jonathan and his team are the most talented I have ever come across. Fresh ingredients from local farms and growers, the best organic produce, a creative menu – plus a cake MADE by the Director of Events: I agree with our guests when they said this is the best food they’ve ever had.

Advice for brides to be
Stay calm! We had one of those classic NM storms happen about 30 minutes before the ceremony. And when I say storm, I mean gale force winds and some sort of desert tsunami. But – it stopped after 20 minutes, the sky cleared, and we had a beautiful afternoon again. If you are calm and rational, you’ll enjoy the day even more. Also – talk to your friends and family. The endless wedding planning and details need to stop after a certain point. Kick back, relax, and spend some time with the people who came to visit you! This was the best weekend of our lives – my husband and I wish we could do this every year! 

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