Japanese Tea Gardens Intimate Wedding| San Antonio, TX.
Dreamy Fairytale Garden Wedding at The Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio, TX.
You might remember this madly in love couple from their engagement photo blog we did a few months back. Their romantic engagement session was like a scene right out of The Notebook and totally did not prepare us enough for all the love that happened on their wedding day. The look on Dominick’s face and the heartfelt emotional tears in his eyes as he saw his beautiful bride walk down the aisle were indescribable. Her father and Dominick were just overcome with emotion as the ceremony began and it was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. We were so honored to have been able to capture their intimate garden wedding at the San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden.
I was so excited for Mackenzie and we were all waiting anxiously for her to arrive from Jax Studio, where she got her hair and makeup done. I was extra excited because my good friend/talented makeup artist Danielle does such amazing work and all her brides are stunning! When Mackenzie arrived everyone was speechless. She was gorgeous. It was so amazing that all of Dominick’s family were able to be present all the way from Canada (and brave the San Antonio heat). Both Mackenzie and Dominick’s family were so sweet and I’m not gonna lie- Sam and I kinda wanted to keep Dominick’s brother. He has such a huge heart and was literally there helping with anything for the bride and groom (and such a huge help to us with coordinating photos). My favorite part of weddings is seeing all the love parents give the bride and groom and these parents just radiated love.
I think Dominick and Mackenzie’s dream wedding came true. It was exactly as the told us they wanted it. At our initial consultation a few months back, Mackenzie described her wedding as “Vintage fairytale garden” and that is exactly what she got! And guys, I am in love with small intimate weddings! With a guest list of about 45, this really gave us a chance to really capture some great moments of the bride and groom being surrounded by their closest loved ones. Besides the fact that the Japanese Tea Gardens is a breathtaking sight, Dominick and Mackenzie chose the Japanese Tea Gardens because they are honeymooning in Japan – how awesome is that! The Jingu House served an amazing Japanese inspired bento box dinner and I loved that all of their decor was very meaningful to them as made it all themselves. This included a gorgeous archway for the ceremony that was made up of 1000 paper cranes that were delicately hand folded by the sweet couple. There was also a gorgeous light fixture that featured their paper cranes as well that lit up beautifully when the sun went down. Dominick hand painted the cake topper to match his suit and they even displayed a drawing of one of the engagement photos from our session! It was so sweet to see that they love that photo so much that they made artwork out of it! Did I mention that she is also a natural in front of the camera? Her smile is so contagious and I can hear her soft-spoken giggles when I see her photos. You can see the love in Dominick’s face when he looks at Mackenzie.
It was so amazing to have played a small part on their wedding day and we wish them a lifetime of happiness as their new life as husband and wife begins!
-A gorgeous archway for the ceremony that was made up of 1000 paper cranes that were delicately hand folded by the sweet couple.
The Groom’s heartfelt emotional tears as he sees his bride walk down the aisle
When we asked Mackenzie what photos meant the most to her, she did have one special request- She wanted a photo with all “her babies” She has nannied all these children; she calls them “her babies”.
Venue: The Japanese Tea Garden/ Jingu House
Photographer: Olvera Photography
Florist: Creative Designs by Helene
Catering: Fresh Horizons
Hair: Michelle for Jax Studio
Makeup: Danielle Montana for Jax Studio
Dress: David’s Bridal
Tux: Men’s Warehouse
I am so very pleased to have been referred to you! We found Jax first for the hair and makeup and then asked who they recommended. The challenge being a small intimate wedding and all the packages we were seeing were for the bigger affairs. Thank you for being adaptable and accommodating to our small affair. Dominick and Mackenzie are truly two peas in a pod and made for each other and you captured their love for each other in a timeless way. You were intuitive and skillfully navigated through the blended and extended families, loved ones and people close to their hearts. And thank you for patience with some of us coming from and needing to pay from Canada.
The flowers were gorgeous.
Men’s Warehouse deserves kudos for matching in under 48 hours a child’s version of the men’s togs. They were professional and so accommodating.
Jax hair and makeup as well were so patient and accommodating while the Mother of the Groom was trying to pay from Canada for the trials and then the bridal party on the day. So professional and the results were astounding. Thank you!!