Let’s get real with each other for a second...
You want someone who can capture all of the love, all of the quirks, all of the silliness, and all of the magic that makes up your wild and wonderful story.
capturing the love on your wedding day is my passion
You want someone who gets it. Someone who - not only isn’t going to judge you for wanting to do that weird thing that Aunt Susan is BEGGING you not to do on your wedding day - but will stand by you in full support… and obviously get the whole damn thing on camera for you guys to cherish for years to come.
I’ve been there. My husband Angel and I got married on top of one of our favorite overlooks in Pennsylvania and invited all of our friends and family there to watch - despite our parents trying to convince us it wasn’t the smartest idea in the world. But hey, my 85 year old grandma made it out there with us in full support (which was also frowned upon by the way LOL), and it ended up being the best day ever (and the photos were EPIC).
Having a photographer that was fully on board with the whole thing was so crucial to us - but having someone I could trust to let me be my dorky self without feeling hella awkward on camera - that was everything.
I’m not your average run-of-the-mill wedding photographer
While in hindsight, wedding photography was definitely something I was destined for, I actually didn’t start out photographing weddings, or even couples. My photography journey started out at a local paintball field in 2011. Yep - you read that right. I was a photographer for a local airsoft team (which is actually where I met my husband). To this day I still photograph some of the larger scale events all up and down the East Coast. So you’re probably wondering how tf does someone go from photographing something like that to photographing weddings?!
…I’m honestly just a closet romantic who loves love
Just a few of my favorite things…
- Picking daffodils in the spring
- Peanut M&Ms
- Hole-in-the-wall breakfast places
- Adventuring to new places
- Fields of wildflowers at sunset
- Jamming to music on a long drive
- Jumping into waterfalls
- Hiking anywhere that’s super green
- Watching the sunrise
- Game nights with my friends
After growing up watching my grandparent’s beautiful love story day in and day out, I guess you could say I turned into a bit of a romantic, so it makes sense that I eventually found my way into wedding photography.
They were very much the slow dancing in the kitchen, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears, and tackling everything life threw at them kind of love. It was the kind of love that was steady and unwavering, but also imperfect and real. They were a true force to be reckoned with. Their love story was so inspiring, even to a 10-year-old me.
When I lost my grandfather in 2015, my world felt as though it crumbled, but oddly enough, that’s when I started falling in love with photographing love. I realized at the end of the day, those photos are the one thing that helps us to share our stories, not only while we’re here, but long after we’re gone.
They help paint the picture of a love that lasts a lifetime. A love that inspires. A love that is *timeless*.
Photography has always been this thing that helps me experience life at such a higher level. And as someone who grew up painfully shy, it gave me the voice I never knew I needed. I’ve grown with it over the years and explored different niches before settling into couples and weddings, but once I started photographing love, I really started to notice just how beautiful falling in love really was. And in a way, I started to notice that I was living in my own beautiful rendition of my grandparents love story.
All of the little pieces that make your story unique - those are the pieces that make my job so rewarding.
Enough about me,
let’s talk about you for a moment
I believe with every fiber of my being that every person deserves this kind of love - and they also deserve someone who will cherish their story and honor it in the best way they can through their photos.
That’s where I will truly shine for you. I want to learn the ins and outs of your story, because I genuinely and deeply care about it. Not only does your story help to fuel my passion and my dream, it also makes the closet romantic in me smile from ear to ear.
I will be the first one on board when you tell me that you want to explore the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen or climb up a mountain at sunrise for your engagement photos. And I’ll also be the one secretly wiping away tears from my eyes when you tell me to snag a photo of the inside of your dress because you sewed a piece of your grandfather's favorite shirt into it (may or may not be based on a true story).
While being my own boss is just an added bonus, the best part of my job is getting to meet you.
My Bucket List Travel Destinations
Just a few places that I’m dying to shoot at, in case you happen to be going there too.
ABROAD:
- Acadia National Park
- Shenandoah National Park
- Asheville, NC
- Great Smoky Mountains
- Yosemite National Park
- Mount Rainier
- Lake Tahoe
- Salt Flats
- Arches National Park
LOCAL:
- Banff National Park
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Italy
ALICIA went above and beyond the job and I'm so grateful that SHE WAS able to do our engagement shoot and wedding day.
Alicia, thank you so much for all that you did to capture our day. You went above and beyond the job and I'm so grateful that we were able to have you do our engagement shoot and wedding day. If you are looking into Alicia Rivera Photography, I highly recommend her service. She is a talented photographer and a genuinely kind person. You can trust she will capture all the precious and beautiful moments and have your back throughout the whole process!
- Emily + Gavin
You will not regret booking Alicia - she's friendly, caring, true to herself, and that all shows in her photographs.
Alicia is AMAZING!! I have worked with her for so many shoots and they NEVER disappoint! You will not regret booking Alicia - she's friendly, caring, true to herself, and that all shows in her photographs. I always look forward to our sessions!
