Los Alamos, New Mexico, a city filled with scientific laboratories, does not have many prime wedding locations. Santa Fe, however, does have a number of good places for the reciting of marital vows. The rich history of the State Capital of New Mexico explains the ability of its residents to boast a constant run of Santa Fe weddings.
Some lodgings in Santa Fe do their best to encourage the continued presence of Santa Fe weddings. One such lodging is the Hacienda Dona Andreade, Santa Fe. This hotel, located in a scenic region of Santa Fe, contains a chapel. The candlelight in that chapel imbues it with a true sense of romance. The Hacienda is also close to downtown, a spot where last minute wedding supplies can be found.
A fair number of Santa Fe weddings take place in the Loretta Chapel. The staircase in that chapel makes any wedding distinctive, when held against the backdrop of all Santa Fe weddings. The staircase has a surprising and mysterious history. That staircase has more than one 360 degree turn, and it has no visible means of support.
The story of the staircase at the Loretta Chapel begins well before the time when Santa Fe weddings brought added numbers to the State Capital. That story begins more than one hundred years ago, when the Loretta Chapel had been completed. On the day of completion, the Sisters at the Chapel discovered that there was no way to access the choir loft from the main floor.
The sisters prayed to St. Joseph, the saint of carpenters, and they sought a solution to their problem. After several days of prayer, the Sisters found at the door to the Chapel a man with a donkey and a toolbox. According to the local legend, that traveling carpenter built the spiral staircase and then departed. He never even asked to be compensated for his efforts.
Thus the Sisters at Loretta Chapel, a group of women with limited knowledge about Santa Fe weddings, helped to create a prime location for such weddings. The sisters caused the addition of Loretta Chapel to the favored spots for Santa Fe weddings. The prayers of the Sisters expanded the list of New Mexico's most popular wedding locations. Santa Fe is now close to the top of that list.
Not all the young couples that come to New Mexico choose to have a Santa Fe wedding. Some say their vows at Hacienda Vargas, a bed and breakfast facility not far from Santa Fe. Hacienda Vargas is located in Algodones, an old stage coach stop, and the site of a former train station.
The facilities at Hacienda Vargas help to expand the list of prime spots for Santa Fe weddings, or for weddings near Santa Fe. The Hacienda can arrange for a small wedding to take place in its chapel, or it can handle a larger wedding in the spacious north yard.
The inner courtyard at the Hacienda Vargas provides an ideal spot for a garden wedding. The fountain, gazebo and bell tower all add a note of romance to the Hacienda's garden setting. By the same token, a second popular garden also hears the whispered vows of many young couples. That is the garden at the home of Reverend Carol Calvert, a resident of Santa Fe.