Let’s get real with each other for a second...
You want someone who can capture all of it - the love, the quirks, the silliness, the magic, the inside jokes, the moments that make up your wild and wonderful story.
capturing the love on your wedding day is my passion
You want someone who gets it. Someone who’s not going to judge you for wanting to do the weird thing Aunt Susan is begging you not to do on your wedding day — but will stand beside you in full support… and obviously capture the whole damn moment so you can cherish it 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. We invited all of our friends and family, even though both sets of parents tried to convince us it wasn’t the smartest idea in the world. But hey - my 85-year-old grandma made it up there (which was also frowned upon), and it turned into the best day ever. And the photos? EPIC.
Having a photographer who was fully on board mattered so much. But having someone we could trust - someone who let us be our dorky selves without feeling hella awkward on camera - that was everything.
I’m not your average run-of-the-mill wedding photographer
While wedding photography feels like destiny now, I didn’t start out photographing weddings. Or even couples. My photography journey started at a local paintball field in 2011.
Yep - you read that right! I used to photograph a local airsoft team (which is where I met my husband), and to this day, I still shoot large-scale events up and down the East Coast.
So you’re probably wondering… How tf does someone go from photographing airsoft 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
- Anything chocolate
- Baking cookies
- Trying out new breakfast places
- Traveling the world
- Jamming to music on a long drive
- Jumping into waterfalls
- Hiking every trail in Pennsylvania
- Watching the sunrise
- Game nights with my friends
AFTER GROWING UP WATCHING MY GRANDPARENTS’ BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY, IT’S NO SURPRISE I EVENTUALLY FOUND MY WAY INTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY.
Growing up, my grandparents had that slow dancing in the kitchen, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears, tackle-every-storm-together kind of love. It was steady, imperfect, real. A true force to be reckoned with. Their love was inspiring, even to a 10-year-old me.
When I lost my grandfather in 2015, my world felt like it crumbled… but that was also when I started falling in love with photographing love itself. I realized that, at the end of the day, photographs are the one thing that help us share our story - not only while we’re here, but long after we’re gone.
PHOTOS HELP PAINT THE PICTURE OF A LOVE THAT LASTS A LIFETIME.
A LOVE THAT INSPIRES.
A LOVE THAT IS TIMELESS.
Photography has always helped me experience life at a higher level. As someone who grew up painfully shy, it gave me a voice I never knew I needed. I explored different niches before weddings - yes, including my unexpected start photographing airsoft events in 2011. But once I began documenting couples, something clicked.
I realized I was capturing love in the same honest, quiet, powerful way I watched my grandparents love each other. And in my own little way, I started to notice I was living out my own beautiful rendition of their story too.
All 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 everyone deserves a love like this - and they deserve someone who will cherish their story and honor it in the best way possible through their photos.
That’s where I truly shine for you.
I want to know the ins and outs of your story, because I genuinely and deeply care about it. Your story fuels my passion. It inspires the romantic in me. And honestly? It makes me smile like an absolute idiot.
I’ll be the first one on board when you tell me you want to explore the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen or hike up a mountain at sunrise for your engagement session. And I’ll also be the one wiping away tears behind the camera when you tell me you sewed a piece of your grandfather’s favorite shirt inside your gown. (May or may not be based on a true story.)
Being my own boss is great, but the best part of this job?
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.
local:
- Acadia National Park
- Shenandoah National Park
- Asheville, NC
- Great Smoky Mountains
- Yosemite National Park
- Mount Rainier
- Lake Tahoe
- glacier national park
- rocky mountains
abroad:
- 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!
