https://www.aliciariveraphotography.com/

Alicia Rivera Photography, Lancaster, Lancaster, PA (2026)

02/20/2026

My favorite part of a wedding day is the moment that feels the most them.

▸ Sometimes it’s deeply personal vows that only make sense to the two of them.

▸ Sometimes it’s the emotion during a first dance, or a father-daughter dance that says everything without a word.

▸ Sometimes it’s a chaotic, goofy mother-son dance, or the exact second the dance floor comes alive.

▸ And sometimes it’s the guys being ridiculous during portraits because that’s just who they are.

Every wedding has that moment.
That’s the one I’m always watching for.

02/18/2026

Let’s do a little mid-week engagement session this or that.

Big city rooftop or mountain overlook?
Deep woods or wispy fields?
Rainy + romantic or golden + glowy?
Bring the dog or beers in the park?

There are no right or wrong answers here. Your engagement session doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s.

It can feel like your favorite Saturday date night. We can go to your favorite park, hiking spot, rooftop view, or even the beach. The world is your oyster. The thing that matters most to me is that your engagement session looks and feels like you. 🩵

02/18/2026

Let’s talk shot lists.

I know some people have very strong opinions on them, so here’s my take:

I actually love them… when they’re done well.

A good shot list isn’t four pages of pinterest screenshots. It’s a thoughtful list of the people who matter most to you, the groupings you don’t want forgotten, and the combinations that would break your heart if they didn’t happen.

I usually recommend keeping formal family groupings under 10-15 combinations unless we’ve intentionally built in extra time.

Why?

Because every additional grouping adds time, and while the goal will always be for you to enjoy your day without feeling like you’re spending hours upon hours cheesing for the camera, my biggest concern is making sure you still have time for photos of just the two of you.

I never want your entire portrait time taken up by logistics - aka Aunt Susan begging you to do an additional 17 family combinations (sorry to any Aunt Susan's out there that are super chill lol).

If you’re not sure who should be included, that’s where I step in. I’ll help you with building out a shot list that makes sense for your family dynamic. The goal isn’t to get a photo of every single person at the party, but to lay out your options and get you thinking about the photos that matter most.

And what some people don't realize is that not every photo actually has to happen during cocktail hour. I always tell my couples they can pull me aside during the reception for a quick photo with college friends or a cousins photo on the dance floor. That's what I'm there for.

Shot lists are meant to protect what matters most, not take over your entire day. I’ll always try my best to keep it intentional and efficient... andddd to make sure there’s still space for the two of you to just be in the moment. 😉

02/13/2026

Just missing all the colors of summer and really felt like this session deserved a place on my grid this week. 🥹🩵

02/11/2026

We’re going a little off schedule today with this one because I’ve been cleaning up old hard drives this week, and sometimes it’s honestly just wild to me thinking about how long I’ve been doing this. I guess you could say I’m just so full of gratitude.

Going after your dreams takes a lot of courage, a lot of sacrifice, a s**t ton of dedication, and a literal army of people who believe in you and support you through all of your wins, losses, failures, mental breakdowns, and those moments where you’re crying so many happy tears because you finally figured something out.

Its so easy to compare yourself to what you see online and assume everyone else figured it out overnight. I’ve fallen into that trap more times than I can count, but over the last year, I’ve been working really hard to stop measuring my business against anyone else’s and just built it in a way that feels right for me.

In April, I’ll be celebrating four years of doing this full-time. And it’s not like I “finally” know what I’m doing, because honestly I’ve always poured my heart into this and I’ve always cared deeply about creating an experience that meant something. But I do feel more grounded now.

I know who I’m talking to, and I know what’s important to them. I love my editing style and my branding. And I love the people I get to work with across all of my niches. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve built something from the ground up, but everything feels aligned now.

And none of this happened because of hard work alone.

It happened because of the friends who trusted me with their weddings when I had never shot one before, the clients who supported me during hard seasons, the people who show up for my last minute model calls, the same few names who hype me up on every single post, the couples who come back for maternity and family sessions, and the ones who trust me with their most important moments.

This will always mean way more to me than any number attached to this business.

So if you’ve ever hired me, shared my work, believed in me, or cheered me on from the sidelines, thank you. Truly. You are the reason I get to do this, and I’m so unbelievably grateful for it. 🩵

02/11/2026

Sunset photos - are they worth it?

At some point during the reception, I’ll usually pull couples outside for about 15–20 minutes to catch that soft, glowy light right before the sun goes down. It sounds like a big interruption, but most of the time no one even notices you slipped away. You’re gone for a few songs, we move quickly, and you’re right back on the dance floor like nothing happened.

What you get in return are some of the most relaxed, romantic photos of the day. The light is softer, the nerves are gone, and everything feels a little quieter. That’s why people hype sunset photos. Not because they’re trendy, but because they feel different.

Timing-wise, sunset isn’t one-size-fits-all. It depends on the time of year, your venue, and the landscape (the sun drops a lot faster in the hills than it does somewhere with an open horizon). That’s something I’m always factoring in when I help build your timeline.

So, are sunset photos worth it? If you want a short pause in the middle of the party, a few minutes to breathe together, and photos that feel glowy and intimate without being gone long, absolutely. If not, that’s okay too. My job is to help you understand the options so you can choose what fits you best.

02/09/2026

Your wedding isn’t something you owe anyone else.

It doesn’t have to make sense to every person in the room. It’s about you and the person you’re choosing, the bond you’re building, and the life you’re about to start together. Everything else is secondary.

There will be opinions from family members, from the internet, from people who had weddings twenty years ago and are very sure about how things should be done. You can listen if you want, you can smile and nod, but none of it has to dictate what your day looks like.

Your wedding doesn’t need to impress anyone. It doesn’t need to follow trends, and it definitely doesn’t need to go viral to matter.

It just needs to feel like you and the love you’re celebrating.

The most meaningful wedding days are the ones where couples stop worrying about how it looks from the outside and focus on what’s happening between them. When a day feels honest, lived in, and true, that’s when the magic shows up.

That’s the kind of wedding that stays with people long after the day is over.

02/07/2026

There are moments on a wedding day that matter more than the photos themselves.

One of those moments was when a bride chose to have a separate dance with her grandfather in addition to her father-daughter dance.

It was quiet and simple - the kind of moment that didn’t need any explanation. You could feel how much it meant to both of them. The room slowed down. People wiped away tears. It wasn’t about tradition, it was about connection.

As someone who was very much a grandpa’s girl and didn’t have my grandfather at my own wedding, that moment hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I found myself thinking about how meaningful it was to honor him in that way, and how beautiful it felt to witness.

The photos mattered, of course. But what mattered more was what was happening in the room.

Those are the things that stay with you. Not because they were planned perfectly, but because they were real and deeply personal.

That’s what I love most about wedding days. When couples make space for what matters to them, even if it looks a little different than expected.

02/06/2026

Last minute, but I have an Airbnb space rented this weekend in lancaster city and I’m looking for one more bo***ir model and one cozy couple session (not couples bo***ir).

Anyone interested in the bo***ir session would need to be comfortable having their photos used in one of three ways:

1- my bo***ir Instagram page
2- private galleries sent to women inquiring about sessions
3- in a private guide sent to women who booked

If you’re interested, shoot me a message here or on Instagram and I’ll provide more information on outfits and things! 🩵

02/04/2026

Your wedding day is the start of the next chapter of your story. Not a styled shoot. Not a performance. Not a checklist you have to get through perfectly.

There are so many details that go into a wedding day, and of course they matter - the flowers, the outfits, the space you’re in. But the thing I care most about, always, is how the day feels.

Because the photos people come back to again and again aren’t usually the perfectly posed ones. They’re the ones where you’re laughing so hard you forget the camera is there, you’re crying happy tears, or your partner looks at you in a way that makes the rest of the room disappear.

I’ve seen a lot of conversations lately about what kinds of photos people “should” want. About candids being unflattering or moments being too messy or imperfect. And the truth is, there are so many different ways to tell a story.

For me, the candid moments matter. The real ones. The double chins, the snorting laughs, the hands squeezing a little tighter during the ceremony, the way the room feels when the love is loud and obvious.

Those are the images that tend to mean the most years down the road. Not because everything looked perfect, but because it was real. Because you can feel the love in them.

That’s the kind of wedding day that resonates with me. The ones where the emotion leads, and the photos follow.

02/03/2026

If you got engaged over the holidays and now it’s February and you’re feeling like you should have more figured out by now, you’re not doing anything wrong.

I promise, you’re not behind.

January tends to come with a lot of noise. Timelines, opinions, advice from everywhere. It can start to feel like there’s a “right” pace you’re supposed to be moving at.

But this part of wedding planning doesn’t need to be rushed.

This is the time where you get to slow down and think about what actually matters to you. How you want the day to feel. Who you want in your corner. Which vendors feel aligned with you and your relationship, not just who checks a box.

The people you choose to be part of your wedding day shape the experience in a really real way. Taking your time to choose them intentionally is not falling behind. It’s being thoughtful.

So if you’re moving a little slower and more intentionally, that’s okay. You’re allowed to do it your way.

Alicia Rivera Photography

02/20/2026

02/18/2026

02/18/2026

02/13/2026

02/11/2026

02/11/2026

02/09/2026

02/07/2026

02/06/2026

02/04/2026

02/03/2026

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