A Classic, Southwestern Wedding at La Mesita Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Mia Yu and Ian Bothwell infused their love of the Southwest into their summer wedding with details that paid tribute to New Mexico’s culture and landscape. “Most of our friends had never been to New Mexico before, and Santa Fe was the perfect place for a wedding celebration and to introduce the people we love to the Land of Enchantment,” Mia says. Owned by the Pueblo of Pojoaque, La Mesita Ranch provided plenty of inspiration for the day, with its Pueblo Revival architecture, original artwork from local artisans and views of the red rock Barranca Mountains. Mia and Ian exchanged vows on the lawn under a handcrafted wedding arch draped in paper crepe flowers (made by Mia) and dried chilies. Framed by two shady cottonwood trees, the ceremony site overlooked a quaint pond and the ancestral mesa of the Pojoaque people. After the “I dos,” the newlyweds joined their guests at the ranch’s Equestrian Center for the reception. A long banquet table stretched the length of the dramatic stucco arcade, topped with lush greenery, roses and ivory pillar candles. In the months leading up to the wedding, she and Ian dyed more than 100 napkins with indigo to give the place settings a hint of playful Southwestern flair. Steer skulls and handmade papel picado also added to the effect. The soft sounds of a Spanish guitar filled the air during cocktail hour, and guests sipped on prickly pear margaritas while visiting the local horses. “Ian isn’t a cake person, so we served green chili apple pies in addition to wedding cake,” Mia says. “One of our top priorities was to have great food, and our amazing caterers came up with a modern New Mexican menu complete with coffee-and-red-chili-rubbed Sous-Vide beef tenderloin, roast duck breast with mole sauce and stuffed poblanos with corn flan and calabacitas.”