Hair + Makeup : Glam on Demand
When I first chatted with Tomi, it was one of those things where we got off the phone feeling like we just made a new best friend. Tomi and I bonded over her hometown of Las Cruces, NM. Every time I have a session at The White Sands National Park, Las Cruces was where I would stay. And she sure did deliver when she promised she would show us the best spots around town because we had an amazing time and had the best food and drinks all weekend.
P.S. If you are ever traveling through, you should for sure stay at this Authentic Adobe Mexican Casa in Las Cruces Historic District. The spot that Tomi snagged for us was right across the street from my favorite local coffee shop: Beck’s. You have to do brunch at Willow + Blaine as well (which is right next door to Beck’s)- food was aaaaamazing and it was garden to table. And since we are talking food: Andale– get the local favorite: Stacked (the New Mexico way) Green Chile Enchiladas with pork, an egg and sour cream. Best enchiladas everrrrrr! St. Claire Winery & Bistro had the tastiest wine and food- you won’t be disappointed.
When Tomi and Rob met, he was living on the military base in Alamogordo and she was in Las Cruces. They would pass The White Sands to meet up with each other and they couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to do their engagement photos. Seeing as The White Sands National Park is one of my favorite places on earth, I fully supported their decision.
Kristy with Glam on Demand, glammed up Tomi from our AirBnB, while we shared mimosas, with a view of The Organ Mountains through the window. I kept feeling the urge to start our session there, in the mountains that Tomi calls home. It was the perfect opportunity to include, Micah, Tomi & Rob’s german shepherd baby, in the photos.
Once we got to The White Sands National Park, we knew there would be 2 things that needed to happen immediately…shots of Fireball, and sledding down the sand dunes. Loser takes an extra shot. I’m not going to say who lost the race, I’ll let y’all speculate.
After the sled racing, Tomi encouraged me to take off my shoes and go barefoot…which I normally do….however…the sand in December is basically like walking in snow. I am here to save anyone who might be thinking this is a good idea. Don’t take off your shoes if you will be walking around for 15 minutes (or 3 hours!), haha. By the end of the session, neither Tomi or I could feel our feet. It took the entire 45 minute drive back to Las Cruces with the heater on full blast to be able to wiggle my toes again. Great memories, bad decisions, haha.
Our weekend in Las Cruces & The White Sands was nothing short of perfect and amazing. If you want a snippet of what our trip looked like, I created a small slide show that you can view on IG @shannoncainphotography that has a few highlights from our trip.
How amazingly beautiful