A romantic evening wedding at Gardens At Old Town Helotes
I absolutely adored my September bride, Sara as we prepared for her wedding day! She was so genuinely excited to be getting married to her handsome groom Ray, and I enjoyed capturing that joy from their engagement session to her bridal session, and finally to their beautiful September wedding day at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
We started the day with a first look, a private moment between the bride and groom to see each other for the first time before they walked down the aisle.
Lopez2016-1690Cocktail hour on the deck at Gardens At Old Town Helotes with Mariachi Azteca de America.
Lopez2016-1690Cocktail hour on the deck at Gardens At Old Town Helotes with Mariachi Azteca de America.
Lopez2016-1768The grand entrance into the reception room at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1840
Lopez2016-1845Champagne glasses for the toast at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1875
Lopez2016-1928Reception at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1928Reception at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1928Reception at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1928Reception at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1928Reception at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-1951Sara and Ray had a surprise dance planned for their guests delight. At Gardens at Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-2023Sara dancing with her dad as the guests blow bubbles.
Lopez2016-2049
Lopez2016-2289
Lopez2016-2290
Lopez2016-2296
Lopez2016-2094
Lopez2016-2283Evening bride and groom portrait at Gardens At Old Town Helotes.
Lopez2016-2274
Texas Ranch Wedding with Ann & Daniel
One of my favorite things about weddings is the opportunity to capture a true happily ever after. Ann and Daniel found each other at an important time in both of their lives. Dealing with loss of loved ones they helped each other through and supported each other in a way no one else could. Three months after the birth of their absolutely gorgeous little girl, they tied the knot at Rancho La Mission, and now their family of four is complete. It was such an honor to capture this ranch style wedding with navy and gold reception decor and organic burlap and lace accents. Their three tier round wedding cake simply adorned with luscious pink and white roses was too pretty to eat! In lieu of mariachi's the groom grabbed the mic and belted out a serenade to his adoring bride. It was a romantic ending to a gorgeous day when we captured a rainbow in their sunset portraits. Enjoy a few highlights from this South Texas wedding!
See full wedding here!
Because she loved me
One of the first things you do when your loved one passes away, is you find a picture of them that represents what they looked like for those preparing the body for an open-casket wake. For my grandmother, she was a beautiful woman inside and out, and there were thousands of pictures to choose from. Her cabinet was well-stocked with albums, files boxes, manila folders, Kodak and Fuji branded folders with thousands and thousands of pictures. Growing up, she would pull them out and reminisce with us, tell us stories about being a girl visiting cousins in Laredo and Taylor, Texas.
My first experiences with wedding photographs were of seeing my grandparent's classic wedding procession, and cake-cutting. They were such a gorgeous couple standing on a pedestal for their official wedding day portrait, her satin train and lace veil draped perfectly around her. There are pictures that show the infamous dances that occurred on my great-grandfather's patio, and the antics my dad and his siblings and cousins would get into. There are wedding day pictures of my Uncle Carlos and Aunt Terry, you can see how childlike they seemed marrying and joining the navy during the Vietnam War. Somehow she had some of the best shots from my own parent's 1976 wedding, pictures that not even my parent's wedding album contained. She had a beautiful picture of my mother dressed as a Fiesta Queen, and some of her bridal portraits taken at The McNay Art Museum.
There are pictures of her as a child, maybe three years old wearing a dress and trying a proper curtsy. When I see that picture I think of her mother Clemencia, (we called her Nani), and the love that probably burned in her chest as she watched her daughter play. I especially love seeing the pictures she took as a teenager, messing around and experimenting with a camera with her friends. There are 1940s sleepover pictures, her expression carefree and dreamlike. It makes it easy to imagine her as a young woman going through life the same way I have, but now with the wisdom of the things that happened to her and developed her into the woman I would often turn to for advice.
The pictures show a strong woman, not only physically and mentally but also in faith. She would start and end each day with prayer, no matter where she was. When I turned 21, she took me on my first trip to Las Vegas, and I remember waking up to the sounds of her rosary in our Riviera, Las Vegas hotel room! She prayed every day for each member of our family, and this is how I believe our family has enjoyed so many blessings and grace from Our Father through her intercession. With her passing, I know that it is now up to me to continue this ongoing prayer for my family.
When I took a leap of faith, and began my journey with Aria Productions, she wrote me a birthday card and said,
"You hold a special place in God's heart and mine and a special purpose in this world, and that makes you irreplaceable. My love and prayers are always with you. I'm so proud of how you have faced your challenges."
As a professional photographer, I know the gift that I am creating for my clients. I know that the picture I take of the bride and groom's grandparents may be the last treasured image they have, the picture they will reach for when they lose their special loved one. It's in the back of my mind always how special and important it is to capture these precious images.
When she knew her time on this earth would end soon, she put aside little keepsakes for each of us: jewelry, prayer beads, books, and yes the pictures. They are the most treasured possessions we have and they remind us to be strong in our faith, be courageous, and live doing what we know right in our heart.
You can see some of her pictures here:
Pray with your family and your children daily. You can download a prayer card here.
 prayer for my familyDownload a prayer card to pray for together with your family.
|
 prayer for my childrenClick to download this prayer and pray daily with your children and teenagers.
|
003 Image_2
028 Image
033 Image
035 Image
EMartinez-1
10690174_10152269158741507_128914356052852056_n
EMartinez-30
SAMartinezChristmas2015-9289
EMartinez-37My favorite picture of us on my wedding day. Captured by Once Upon A Time Photography.
Kid-friendly wedding at Gardens At Old Town
What I love about this couple is how they draw out the absolute best in one another. Jessica is a calm, quiet spirit who lights up as soon as she sees her groom, Jaime. Jaime is full of life and has a rambunctious nature, which can only be tamed by Jessica. I enjoyed getting to know them during their engagement session, but I feel I really got to know them from their amazing families at their wedding. Jessica's family spent a good part of the morning decorating their reception at Gardens At Old Town Helotes, where the bride got ready. As the last couple to get married in their circle of friends, they were intent on making their reception as kid-friendly as possible, including getting a batman-themed bouncy house, bubble machine and beach balls to play on the lawn, and hiring babysitters for the parent's peace of mind. Before the celebration they got married at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.
Suzy from Mistique Makeup, got the girls ready in a flash! She specializes in airbrush makeup to help it last all night.
What to do with your engagement photos? Let your guests admire them as they sign your Engagement Guest Book. Then you can read their well wishes when reminiscing through your engagement photos as well!
The luckiest children in San Antonio were invited to this wedding! Lawn games, bubbles, glow sticks, a bouncy house and cake!
The groom surprised his grandmother with an honorary dance. I'm sure she was delighted! She danced all night!
I especially love that this baby-wearing couple were the first ones on the dance floor.
One Sound DJ Productions kept the party going all night!
Congratulations to Jaime and Jessica Solis! Leave them some well wishes below!
San Antonio Quinceanera at Our Lady of Grace and Doubletree
We photographed a quinceañera fit for a princess this July for Miss Catherine Davalos of San Antonio, Texas. The daughter of Joe and Suzanne Davalos was the picture of poise as she accepted her responsibility as a young lady during her mass at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. Her reception was a dream with pink roses, and crystals adorning the large ballroom at the elegant Doubletree Hotel. Friends and family from all over Texas celebrated and danced as DJ Men-Yo kept the party going. It was a night I'm sure Catherine won't forget, all made possible by her wonderful parents and family. See some of her portrait session at The McNay Art Museum and her quinceañera below. Leave her a comment!
