Damien & Brianna
Holy Cross Catholic Church & D.H. Lescombes Winery | Las Cruces, New Mexico
We have to be honest with you up front — we're not objective about this one.
Brianna's brother is one of our closest friends. And an incredibly talented photographer in his own right, which made being trusted with this day mean even more. This wasn't just a wedding we were hired for. It was personal.
These are two of the most genuinely kind people we know. Both deep into graduate-level psychology, both endlessly curious, both the kind of people who make everyone around them feel immediately at ease. They game together, read, hike when the weather cooperates — sometimes with one of the cats in tow. Their favorite place to be is just together. Anywhere. That's it. That's the whole thing.
Their faith has been a throughline of their relationship — something they've built individually and alongside each other, steadily, over time. So a Catholic mass at Holy Cross wasn't a formality. It was the only right way to do this.
“Two different rooms full of love and nerves and quite anticipation, all moving towards the same moment”
They got ready separately, each in their own Airbnb, surrounded by their closest people. Two different mornings, two different rooms full of love and nerves and quiet anticipation, all moving toward the same moment.
When that moment came — inside Holy Cross, in front of thirty people who love them most — it felt exactly like what it was. The authentic combining of two lives into one. A sacrament.
Small weddings carry a different kind of weight. There's nowhere to hide and no reason to. Every person in that church was supposed to be there, and you could feel it.
After the mass, everyone made their way to D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro — long tables, good food, dessert, and the kind of dinner where the conversation never really stops.
Then came the toasts.
Damien's brother-in-law stood up and started to speak about what it meant to see Damien on his wedding day. Damien had lived with their family when their kids were small — been present in their home, in their daily life, in the growing up of their children. He'd watched this man become who he is. And now here he was.
He closed his toast with a Hawaiian chant about marriage.
We felt like family the entire day. That's the thing about photographing people you're already close to — you're not watching from the outside. You're in it with them. Every room we walked into, we belonged.
Brianna and Damien — We love you both. Here's to everything that comes next.
Ceremony Venue: Holy Cross Catholic Church, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Reception Venue: D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Photography: Caleb + Maiya
