If you’re considering a destination wedding, why not think about Santa Fe, New Mexico? There are a lot of options to weigh when you’re making this big decision, so we’ll help you with some reasons why Santa Fe may be just right for your destination wedding.
Santa Fe History and Climate
Santa Fe is an old city steeped in history and traditions. It was first settled by Spanish explorers and thanks to the Santa Fe Trail, merchants and migrants from everywhere were soon coming through the city. Here, we celebrate Spanish traditions as well as those of the people who lived here well before the first Spaniards arrived in 1607, the many Indigenous tribes, plus all those who came after.
Walk around the Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding streets and you can’t help but be enchanted by the restaurants, galleries, museums, and shops. Sit on a bench in the plaza and consider what has happened in that spot over the centuries.
Santa Fe offers sunshine almost every day of the year, with weather that ranges from winter snow to summer temperatures in the mid-80s. When you make your wedding plans, think about how the weather may affect it, especially if part of your celebration will take place outdoors. But, like artist Georgia O’Keeffe, you may find yourself drawn to Santa Fe’s beautiful weather and light. She once wrote to her husband, “…it is not a country of light on things. It is a country of things in light…”
Traveling to Santa Fe
The key to a destination wedding is ensuring it’s easy for your guests to arrive! Santa Fe has its own regional airport with daily direct flights to Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix. Since Santa Fe is only an hour away from New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque, some guests may choose to fly there and either rent a car or hop on the commuter train, the Rail Runner Express, to get to Santa Fe.
Selecting a Venue for Your Destination Wedding
Santa Fe has a lot to offer when it comes to possible venues for your destination wedding. You’ll have to consider your style. Elegant or casual? Indoors, out, or a little of both? Modern or historic? Does the venue offer catering services or do you need to contract with a caterer? Do you want your wedding venue to also offer lodging for your guests? There’s a lot to think about and many exciting options to consider.
How Expensive is Santa Fe?
For both the wedding couple and guests, cost can be a big consideration. Brides magazine says, “the average estimated baseline cost of a destination wedding hovers around $35,000.” Your Santa Fe destination wedding should, depending on the size of your guest list, be a bit less expensive than average and certainly less costly for everyone than a trip to a far-off island.
You can help keep hotel room costs down by having your wedding in spring or fall, before the busy tourist and market season in Santa Fe when room rates go up. Average rates, falling in the middle between high-end resorts and less expensive options, can be about $300 per night depending on the season and location. Room rates tend to be higher the closer you get to the historic plaza.
Since you’re inviting people to travel to your wedding, you may want to include more meals than if you were hosting a wedding in the city where you live. Of course, Santa Fe has many world-renowned restaurants for you and your guests to experience as a whole group or individually.
What To Do While You’re in Santa Fe
This website is filled with ideas of things to do in Santa Fe! You and your guests may want to extend your visit just to experience more of what Santa Fe has to offer, from visiting nearby pueblos to exploring museums, historic buildings, unique shops, gourmet restaurants, or even taking a cooking class. Take a hike or watch the sunset from a rooftop cantina while sipping a margarita. Santa Fe has it all!
So, why Santa Fe for your destination wedding? The beautiful climate, the gorgeous light that has inspired artists, the history, the culture, the exciting venues, the world-class food, the affordable prices, and the cachet that comes with being married in a city as distinctive as Santa Fe.
This article was posted by Jesse Williams
