Houston Backyard Wedding || Never Too Late To Live Happily Ever After || MaryEllen + Rob, the full film

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houston backyard wedding29

The romance!  The dogs!  The Art!  Get ready for a sweet film. Rob waited a long time to find MaryEllen--in fact, he gave his bride a ring on the wedding day with a diamond for each decade that he waited for her. Between Rob's sweet romantic gestures, MaryEllen's stunning beauty, their flower girls' antics, and the ways they incorporated their love for art and for their dogs into their wedding day, their story is sure to make you smile.

wedding video package memory tin
wedding video package memory tin

When we arrived at MaryEllen's Crown Plaza hotel room, photographer Taylor Lord was also just arriving to document the day.  We've worked with Taylor before, and she's always great to work alongside.  Edric's crew from Vanity Lounge was already in the midst of styling MaryEllen's hair and makeup.  Her flower girls scampered about like little fairies, bringing delight with each sparkle in their eye and each grin.  Meanwhile, at the house, the bartenders, chef, and waitstaff were already prepping a food course that just to describe will make your mouth water--including bite size smoked sausage with spiced poached apple, potato truffle waffle duck confit, tomato water shooters with buffalo mozzarella and basil foam, bacon wrapped jalapeño, and quail with sweet potato hash (and that's not even half of the hors d' oeuvres list).  Mouth watering yet?  

The dessert table towered with a variety of cookies and cakes, including cookies designed to look like Gracie and Barcley, the furry pups that are owned by MaryEllen & Rob.  As the flower girls marveled at the dog-shaped cookies, adult guests were able to enjoy signature cocktail drinks named after Gracie and Barcley. 

Seated on wooden pews in the backyard, friends and family gathered together all dressed in cream and buttery soft hues to celebrate the happiness of the bride and groom.

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houston backyard wedding21
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houston backyard wedding23
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houston backyard wedding36

Gracie and Barcley looking dapper and sitting patiently for portraits after the wedding.

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houston backyard wedding22
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houston backyard wedding17
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houston backyard wedding25
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houston backyard wedding35
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houston backyard wedding33

This white wedding cake by 'Who Made the Cake' has frills for days, and peonies to match.

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houston backyard wedding27
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houston backyard wedding26

 Custom water-color style script signage by Houston creative studio Papellerie beckoned guests to leave their mark on the large oil painting being created at the wedding reception. The bride commissioned the groom's favorite artist (Taft McWhorter) to create an oil painting on site at the wedding, and it was an awesome surprise gift for the groom.

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houston backyard wedding18
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houston backyard wedding16

The bride and groom have already collected several pieces of Taft McWhorter's abstract work, including a large typographical style painting with the lyrics to one of their favorite songs by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors.  It seemed to make perfect sense to us that we had to license that particular song for  MaryEllen & Rob's wedding film once we saw what a beautiful vision its lyrics were casting for their home.  (P.S. Fun Fact about our crew: both Jones and Kourtney Amelia got to participate in the filming of Drew Holcomb's music video for "The Wine We Drink" in Jan 2012 through a workshop with The Music Bed.  We love that band!)    The lyrics say:

If I had a great big mansion

I'd rather live in a shot gun shack with you

If I drove a red ferrari

I'd rather ride in an oldsmobile with you

If I won a million dollars

I'd give it away to spend more time with you

If I had a million lovers

I would trade 'em all for just one more night with you

With you I can be myself

With you I don't have to be somebody else

It's like putting on my favorite pair of shoes

I like to be me when I'm with you

Their officiant told the couple during the ceremony:  "The bible says, 'you saw me before I was born, every day of my life was recorded in your book, every moment was laid out before a single day has passed."  The ceremony is over in a few moments, but what really matters is the lifetime that you're going to spend together."  

We couldn't agree more!  Congratulations to MaryEllen & Rob, and thank you for choosing us to create an heirloom artwork to help you remember each moment of your very special day for a lifetime.

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houston backyard wedding34

Venue: Private Houston Home

Coordination:   Paul Pritzen with Keely Thorne Events

Photographer:  Taylor Lord

Caterer:  The Forest Club

Baker:  Who Made The Cake

Florist & Stylist:  Events In Bloom

Stationery & Signage:  Papellerie

Supply:  Aztec Events & Tents

Rentals:  Swift + Company

Valet:  First Impressions Valet

Pianist: Hank Taylor

String Quartet: Chamber Music Unlimited

Oil Artist: Taft McWhorter

Caricature Art:  Satirical Effect Caricature Co. 

Soundtrack:

"Nirvana"  by Chris Zabriskie chriszabriskie.com

Licensed by CC-BY-3.0

"I Like To Be With Me When I'm With You"  by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

Used through licensing by The Music Bed  themusicbed.com

Magnolia Hotel Houston | One More Reason To Believe In Love - Brea + Trevor, the full film

By the time you finish watching this film and reading this post, you will understand what we mean when we say that Brea and Trevor will give you one more reason to believe in love.

wedding video package memory tin
wedding video package memory tin

Trevor surprised Brea with the wedding proposal on a beach while they were on vacation.  Brea & Trevor are people who not only love to travel, but they also have such a deep and abiding passion for literature that their favorite quotes about love adorned all the tables at their wedding (including quotes from Oscar Wilde!).  And perhaps even greater evidence that 'great minds think alike' is found in one of our favorite details of the story of their wedding day:   both the bride and the groom separately planned the exact same surprise gifts for each other. They each secretly had the same bootsmith design and create a custom pair of boots for each other without knowing it.  That boot craftsman must have had a hard time keeping the secret for all of those months leading up to the wedding!

You may have noticed that Brea & Trevor's film looks a little different from how we normally film.  It was created in a wider "aspect ratio" (as we say in the biz), which simply creates a more wide-screen feel for the film.  Brea, the bride, expressed a desire to us for a very cinematic film that would feel more epic & romantic than simple.  Historically, Hollywood films with sweeping landscapes were shot in this wider aspect ratio to draw attention to the grandiose setting, so we chose this style to incorporate those elements of filmmaking that the bride loves.

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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 01
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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 05
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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 11

We spent the day working with the talented photography crew from Thomas and Penelope.  You can click through these links to see the beautiful wedding photos they created for Brea & Trevor on their blog. Part 1: Holy Rosary Catholic ChurchPart 2: The Magnolia Hotel Houston

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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 02
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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 08

Brea's magical Maggie Sotterro gown.

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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 09

The moment that Brea was overwhelmed with emotion as she opened her card from Trevor was just precious.  As she marveled at the jewelry set he gave her to go along with her wedding gown, she joked, "He's good.  The kid's real good."  Her beautiful smile shows her utter delight!

If you thought that Trevor looks strikingly like Daniel Craig in the video, you're not alone.  His groomsmen even joked about it as he put on his  tailored suit for the wedding, and even more when Trevor opened his gift from Brea, which, in addition the custom handmade boots, included an incredible OMEGA  watch that Daniel Craig promotes to raise money for charity.

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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 03
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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 07

The reception took place at The Magnolia Hotel Houston, and Brea and Trevor had a choreographed first dance that set the stage for the glamour of the evening.  Here, you can see that Trevor's cake was shaped like a classic dart game.  Brea also had single girls take part in the wedding tradition of a victorian cake pull instead of a traditional bouquet toss.

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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 10
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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 13

I can't begin to express how I deeply appreciate Father Juan's description of marriage and the wedding ceremony as a miracle.  No matter how many weddings we film, I am always amazed by how precious, tender, and powerful a wedding ceremony is to experience, and it it is truly for the reasons that Father Juan describes.   He said, "we all rejoice while looking at you.  You are, to us, a sign of hope. Your presence says to us (in a society that many times is afraid of commitment), "we want to be faithful. we are not afraid. in our commitment, we find our peace."  So you, Brea and Trevor, become a concrete symbol that love is real.   We (and especially you) are witnesses tonight of a miracle not too many people are fortunate to have: a permanent companion on your journey through this life.  Yes, for many of us who know you well, you are one more reason to believe in love."

Brea and Trevor, thank you for giving us one more reason to believe in love by allowing us to witness your commitment to each other.  We wish you all the best!

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web_magnolia hotel houston wedding video photo 12

Wedding Details: Ceremony Venue: Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 3617 Milam Street Houston, TX 77002 Reception Venue: Magnolia Hotel Houston 1100 Texas Ave  Houston, TX 77002 Wedding Photographer: Thomas & Penelope Florist: Events in Bloom (Rob/Denica) Cake Artist: Who Made the Cake Bride's Gown Designer: Maggie Sotterro Bride's Gown Boutique: Ventura’s Bridal (Jessica) Bridesmaid Gown Designer: Bill Levkoff Shoe Designer: Jimmy Choo Hair/Makeup: The Perfect Face Groom's suit: Armani Groom's Watch: Omega Soundtrack: "Bookends" by Adam Agin, a member of Neulore "Best Day of My Life" by Candlepark Stars All musical tracks licensed through The Music Bed