Trinity Baptist Church /// The Day You Found Out Why /// Tara + Alex, the full film
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All Texans grow up learning the significance of the battle for the Alamo. Here at the Mason Jar Films studio, we have a special tie to it that goes beyond being Texans. Jones participated in the filming of Baylor Alum John Lee Hancock's The Alamo for several months, and he co-produced a documentary about how the extras in the film researched so much Alamo history in their spare time on set that they unearthed previously unknown portraits of Alamo defenders.
The battle is so engrained into the public psyche of Texans that an entire series of festivals and parades has grown out of remembrances of the event. In 1891, a group of citizens decided to honor those who fought and died in the battle for the Alamo and San Jacinto with a battle of flowers, and the tradition of Fiesta in San Antonio was born. For friends of Tara and Alex, 2010 was the year that the celebration took on a new meaning. Enjoy their full film below, and find out why.
Tara's the kind of girl that a lot of guys were going after, according to reports from her brother, but when Alex came along, her entire family was thrilled that he was the one she ended up dating. After getting to know them, it is obvious that they are a generous and extremely thoughtful pair of people who like to go above and beyond normal expectations to truly express their love and friendship. The entire weekend was filled with very personalized gifts for family and friends, and a panoramic view of the Texas hill country.
The Westin La Cantera is perched on top of one of the highest hills in Northern San Antonio, and despite being pretty close to the city, it manages to feel very remote, with its modern, minimalistic take on mission style architecture and very wooded surroundings. Tara and Alex both began their day with friends in separate casitas on the ranch resort. Tara gave her sweet bridesmaids monogrammed bags filled with many goodies, including the extra-large silver monogram necklaces that they can be seen wearing with their bridesmaid outfits in the wedding video.
Alex gave us a little preview of what he had written in his note to Tara about their future, and he had a surprise for her--a Cartier love bracelet that she had wanted for many years. She also surprised him with a gift--a Montblanc pen. Its significance is very powerful--Tara wrote to Alex that when she looked at the pen, she could envision the future milestones they would go through together as a married couple--buying their first car or house together, signing children's report cards, and more.
Tara also had very special gifts for her mother and father. For her mother, she had purchased a diamond cross necklace from Moretti's in San Antonio, and each diamond represented a person in their family. For her father, Tara knew how much he loved taking the family on trips, so she surprised him with the promise to take him on one last daddy-daughter trip to anywhere in the world that he would want to go.
------Later that night, the band put on the most amazing party--one of our favorite moments was the fun, upbeat & impromptu dance circle that gathered around Alex and his mother. There was also a fun group that made a "limbo pole" out of napkins tied together, and everyone got in on the act!
Editor's notes:
Within their film, I chose to edit these gift-giving moments within flashbacks during the ceremony, because I felt that these gifts are tokens similar to a wedding ring--although they will not be worn on the hand, they are symbols that the bride and groom chose to honor the powerful impact that those relationships have had in their lives.
I think my favorite moment in the entire film is when Tara walks down the aisle, and as she walks toward Alex, the story flashes back to the moment that they first saw each other at their private first look. Often, during the ceremony as a bride walks down the aisle, she is at first smiling and nodding to the people around her, but then her eyes are quickly drawn to her groom, and both of them will lock focus onto each other. All else fades away as they walk towards one another, just as their hearts are united as one during the wedding ceremony. Because of how precious that moment can be, I wanted Tara and Alex to be able to simultaneously remember the emotions they felt during both the walk of the first look and the walk of the aisle during the ceremony. For those of you who are Jane Austen fans, I'll confess that the way I chose to edit this part is a little bit of an homage to the dance scene in Pride & Prejudice between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, where at the height of emotion in their conversation, the scene suddenly shifts as all others in the room suddenly disappear.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBMteBVnhZw[/youtube]
"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why."
Alex' father opened the rehearsal dinner with these words, and throughout the weekend, we truly learned what it meant to this family.
Reception Venue: San Antonio Resort Westin La Cantera 16641 La Cantera Pkwy San Antonio, TX 78256 Ceremony Venue: Trinity Baptist Church 319 E. Mulberry | San Antonio, TX 78212 | 210-733-6201 Officiant: Dr. Leslie Hollon Design: Morris Goen with Goen South Weddings Photography: David Sixt Reception Entertainment: Sauce Wedding Videographer: Mason Jar Films
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