We met with everyone at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum, a popular spot for weddings since their patio over looks our beautiful Organ Mountains. Alyssa was a little nervous, but once the dress was on, and the ceremony began, the nerves subsided. She visibly relaxed when she saw Bill waiting for her at the alter. After a short but beautiful ceremony, we took the couple out around the grounds of the museum for some bridals. I have to admit, these are some of my favorite images in a very long time – we couldn’t have had better skies, light, and subjects!

Now I know that some of you who follow the blog are used to our ring shots, and usually I include one with every wedding. But I liked her ring so much that I included TWO this time!

The cake was beautiful too – and we learned that Alyssa made it HERSELF! That pretty much floored me, since my cakes look like something that belongs on Cake Wrecks. Cake, flowers, dress…. it was all gorgeous.

We had a wonderful evening you guys, thanks for letting us be part of your day!

Roz

We met Deanna and Adrian at our hotel on Saturday. Roz got a great deal on the Omni on the Riverwalk, so we started shooting on the Riverwalk. There are a ton of awesome spots down there, and throughout downtown, although we had to readjust to shooting in lush vegetation instead of desert sun! If you haven’t seen the San Antonio Riverwalk, it’s an absolute must-do. This was my first trip there, and I was totally blown away. After walking around downtown, both on the Riverwalk and at street level, we headed over to the McNay, San Antonio’s art museum.

Roz and I spent some time while we were there talking about the difference between Mexican and Spanish architecture. The McNay is a great example of the latter, and it’s surrounded by green lawns and gardens.

Our final stop on Saturday afternoon was the Pearl Brewery. There’s an old locomotive parked outside the Pearl Stables, and the round stable building was a great backdrop. The Riverwalk extends past the Brewery, so we walked over there as well.

We made plans to meet up later that evening to do some night photography downtown, and then Roz took me on a driving tour of her old stomping grounds, in the Texas Hill Country just north of San Antonio. We headed back to the hotel late in the afternoon, and took a short nap. When we woke up, we found that the rain had followed us back into town. While rain was a welcome change for the drought-stricken city, it forced us to reschedule our night session.

On Sunday, Deanna and Adrian took us to St. Mary’s, their Alma Mater, for some portraits on campus. I was struck with deja vu when I saw the bell tower there – it looks quite a bit like the one on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. Then we headed to the sunken Japanese Tea Garden in Brackenridge Park, which Roz remembered as not-so-nice, but which the city has reclaimed and completely worked over since she lived in the area. The rock paths, wooden bridges, lush vegetation, and the waterfall combined to make this a must-do location for portraits! Then, we all rode the 1/3 scale train that loops through the park, which gave us a chance to rest our weary feet before we took off our shoes and went wading! One of the bridges in the park is a shallow ford, which we all walked across, stopping in the middle to take pictures of course!

On Monday, Roz and I headed to Fredricksburg, a very touristy German town, for the morning, and then drove up to visit our good friend and fellow photographer Laura in San Marcos. After dinner at La Fogata, back in San Antonio (their margaritas should be illegal, but then I’d be sad), we met Deanna and Adrian for photos after dark in Downtown and on the Riverwalk. We also captured some around the hotel before bidding them farewell for the evening.

Guys, we had a simply incredible time working with you both, and it’s always a treat to visit a new city (or to return to a previous home). We simply cannot wait for your wedding next April!

Jason

Ed and Darby elected to have a first sight, which let us shoot most of the bridal party photos before the wedding. Ed was a tad delayed by his Boxer puppy Sasha, who hopped into the car when the guys stopped by his place for a few last-minute items and did not understand why she couldn’t come to the wedding too. Darby of course looked stunning, and Ed’s face lit up when he first saw her sitting on a bench in the Kent Hall courtyard, where the scene was set for a gorgeous ceremony.

After a lot of really incredible portraits, and a minor incident involving some dead tree branches that were in my way (I triumphed eventually, but it was a messy victory , Darby and her maids headed to another building while the guests got seated. La Cella Bella provided music to set the scene, then segued into the Wedding March as Darby entered, preceded by the wedding party. There were sprinkles of rain for luck during the ceremony, but the shining sun kissed the raindrops into molten gold. Afterward, we shot a few more sunset bridals (Darby’s cathedral-length veil provided options Roz just could not pass up), then everyone piled into the limo for the short drive to Old Mesilla and Josephina’s Old Gate.

Josephina’s was decked out to the nines with garden lights and black-and-white linens that turned the gardens into a New Mexican fairy-tale grotto as twilight descended. Soft music and happy conversation blended with birdsong; I completely forgot that we were just off Mesilla Square! For dessert, Darby and her maids created a delicious chocolate mousse, topped with garden-fresh berries and served in cups of milk chocolate.

After dessert, the party really got rolling. The guys broke out cigars, while the girls tore up the dance floor. Around midnight, Josephina’s was shutting down, but the party was still going strong, so the bridal party hopped into the limo and rode over to El Patio. Roz and I tagged along, and we got some more excellent images of everyone at the bar before we called it a night.

Ed and Darby, you guys had one of the prettiest weddings we’ve ever had the privilege of participating in. We’ll give you a shout when you get back from Hawaii!

Maria is actually the one who got us into offering our awesome engagement guestbooks. She asked us when they booked their wedding, if we could do something like that for her, and of course, we knew we could! So we got our heads together, and came up with what is now one of our most popular options! So a big thanks goes out to Maria for that.

We had a great time at the Inn, it was beautiful as usual. It was a little chillier than we anticipated, but we still had a great time, and some of my favorite images are of the two of them snuggling in front of the awesome copper fireplaces in the lounge.

After our shoot, we went down and had an awesome lunch at the casino’s buffet with the two of them, and they are so fun to hang out with. We really had a blast, and I am SO excited to shoot the rest of their engagements, and their wedding! Congrats you two, you rock!

Roz

The Lasso (El Lazo)

As part of the wedding ceremony, a large loop of rosary beads, a jeweled rope, or (occasionally) a literal lasso, is placed in a figure eight shape around the necks of the couple after they have exchanged their vows, to symbolize unity. The binding cord may also be made of entwined orange blossoms, which symbolize fertility and happiness. If a double rosary lasso is used, it is traditionally given by one set of parents, and it may be blessed with holy water three times in honor of the trinity.

A specially designated attendant, the madrina or padrino de laso, carries the lasso to the alter and places it around the shoulders of the bride and groom, groom’s shoulder’s first. (Sometimes, a happily-married couple perform this service together, thereby transferring some portion of their martial bliss to the newlyweds.) The lasso may also be tied around the wrists of the newlyweds. Either way, the couple wears the lasso throughout the remainder of the service. The loop is symbolic of their love which should bind the couple together every day, as they equally share the responsibility of marriage for the rest of their lives.

At the end of the ceremony, the lasso may be removed by either the person or couple who placed the lasso on the newlyweds, or by the priest. The lasso is given to the bride as a symbol of her new status as the mistress of the groom’s heart and home.

La Marcha

La Marcha is a traditional wedding dance. In form, it is similar to follow the leader. The dance starts with the wedding party, friends and family lined up as couples. The bride and groom may be second in line or at the the end of the line, but the leaders are traditionally the matriarch of the family and her husband. (At one wedding we photographed, the aunt and uncle who led the dance had been performing that service at every family wedding for 30+ years.) The music, in this area at least, is La Marcha de Zacatecas; there are as many variation in this song as there are groups playing it; but here’s one sample: La Marcha de Zacatecas [MP3]

La Marcha starts as a long chain of couples of two. To start the dance, everyone dances around the room in a circle, which signifies life. Soon, the couples split apart; the men go to one side of the room and the women to the other. This represents the first fight between the bride and groom. Each couple soon comes back together, representing the bride and groom making up. The dancers next join together in groups of four or more, signifying the growth of the family. Then, a single line forms and snakes around the room, showing the twists and turns of life. At some time during the dance (the timing varies from family to family), the couples join hands over their heads in a bridge, representing the bridges that must be built in life; this may also signify the Tunnel of Love (since the newlyweds pass under, and then become part of, the bridge of joined hands). At the end, everyone makes a circle around the bride and groom, showing their love and support of the newlywed couple.

Biscochos

These anise-and-cinnamon-flavored shortbread cookies are a staple at every wedding, quinceañera, baptism, holiday and celebration throughout the southwest, and are enjoyed throughout the country and the world. For weddings, they are usually cut into diamonds to signify purity, and dusted with powdered sugar to turn them white.

Spanish explorers brought the biscocho with them to Mexico in the 16th century. As the recipes took hold in the new land, the cookies became associated with special occasions, weddings, quinceañeras, baptisms and religious holidays because certain spices used in the recipe were rare and had to be imported from Spain. Ships carrying these spices arrived on the coast of Mexico just prior to Christmas.

These cookies have many regional names. In northern New Mexico they are known as Biscochitos; in Southern New Mexico, Biscochos. In Spain they are called Mantecosos. In other parts of the United States, they may be found as Polvorones or Mexican Wedding Cookies. In 1989 The New Mexico State Legislature, after much debate about the spelling, adopted them as the Official State Cookie under the name “Bizcochito”.
[[All information in this section is taken from Ositos Biscochitos Bakery in Las Cruces, with the kind permission of Diane Porras, Owner.]]

Mariachis

It seems no wedding is complete without one of these groups of colorfully-dressed musicians. According to Wikipedia, usually a mariachi consists of at least three violins, two trumpets, one Mexican guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar) and one guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass). (We’ve seen other types of groups, from a string trio to a brass band, referred to as mariachi – locally, it seems to be more about their music than the band’s members.) The more traditional groups often dress in matching, silver-studded charro outfits, sometimes with matching sombrero or other wide-brimmed hats.

Mariachi may make an appearance while the guests are being seated before the wedding, during the wedding ceremony, or at the reception. (If they are at the reception, they may play for La Marcha.) Whenever they appear, they are often expected at a traditional Mexican wedding celebration, and may be commented on if absent.