Rancho Mirando /// My Ray of Light /// Amy + Dallas, the Locket Film

Amy and Dallas are the kind of people who immediately draw you into their world with their warmth and honesty.  Their lives are a model of the intensity of pursuit--from the way they live as entrepreneurs, to the way that they pursue one another.  When we showed up to film their wedding day, Dallas was working on finalizing several surprises for his bride.  From a surprise video to a surprise choreographed groomsmen dance, this groom took every opportunity to show his bride that he would never stop trying to bring delight to her life.   Their love is truly extravagant.

Here is their full length film we created for them.  To watch their sneak peek video we released just days after the wedding, scroll to the end of this post![vimeo]https://vimeo.com/148961667[/vimeo] "Through and Through" by The Royal Sons, licensed through MusicBed "Hopscotch" by Afterlife Parade, licensed through MusicBed "Forever Like That"  by Ben Rector, licensed through MusicBed "Sweetest Thing" by Benjamin Dunn, licensed through MusicBed

The wedding took place at Rancho Mirando, just under an hour's drive from Austin in the hill country surrounding the capitol.  The venue is truly a dream set among the paradise of the Texas hill country landscape.   It features rustic stonework, ivy-kissed walls and stunning mixture of xeriscaped cactus and formal European style gardens, including a lavender garden.  It was the perfect setting, even on an unusually wintery and grey day.  Amy's father said that she was his "ray of sunshine," and we like to think her bright smile is what kept any rain from falling on the couple.  Right before the ceremony, the sun peeked out for just a moment to shine on their sweet vows.

When we asked how they like to spend time together, Amy and Dallas told us that they love to "eat good food and drink good wine with with good friends."  To reflect that, the couple shared a glass of mixed wines as a symbol of unity during their ceremony.

 Amy and Dallas had both of their dogs at the wedding serving as flower girl and ring bearer.  Annabelle and Bo spent the morning running around so full of life!  They really seemed to be just as excited about the wedding day as everyone else.  Annabelle wore a pretty collar of pink roses, while Bo wore a tiny dog tuxedo.

The Proposal: How did it happen?

"Our 1 year anniversary, On Mt Bonnell, with one of our favorite musicians playing in the background. He surprised me afterward with close family and friends at our house, and with Cypress Grill cooking for everyone!"

We have so much more to share about this fantastic wedding--so you'll just have to stay tuned in December to see the whole movie!  We'll share the completed Locket wedding film with Amy and Dallas by December 19, and soon after on our blog.

xoxo,

The Mason Jar Team

View the sneak peek highlight video here:

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/146415610[/vimeo]

Cocktail hour/dinner music: Ryan Beaver  @ryanbeaver Music: Hill Country Strings Venue: Ranch Mirando @ranchomirando Music: Complete Photographer: Jenny DeMarco Photography @jennydemarcoweddings

We've been featured! Wedding Video Press Coverage

We are excited to announce that we were recently featured on love24FPS, a leading style blog that features the best of wedding filmmaking in the industry.  

The story the editors selected to feature was the sneak peek we put together to introduce Kacy & Jason's film.  Of course, they were as smitten by Kacy & Jason's personalities as we were, and they gushed about it in their coverage of the film, saying,  "it’s hard to take your eyes off the screen because you know this couple is going to be worth watching."

...and we agree!  When we first heard from Jason about filming his wedding to Kacy, we were enamored with their passion for our craft and for one another.  This bold groom held our attention with stories about his proposal in a hot air balloon, how zebras would be wandering the grounds at their wedding reception, how he drives a Tesla, works for the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and with stories of how much he loves his bride, Kacy.  

 You can read our full post about their wedding and watch their wedding video in its entirety here.

Wedding Vendor Details:

Ceremony: First United Methodist Missouri City
3900 Lexington Blvd  Missouri City, TX 77459
Reception: Safari Texas Ranch
11627 FM 1464 Rd  Richmond, TX 77407
Photographer: Daniel Colvin
Videographer: Mason Jar Films
Florist: Floriography; Ines Negrin
DJ: Johnny Bravo
Getaway Car: Tesla
Wedding Bands: Tiffany
Wedding Gifts: Converse & Pandora

Soundtrack: “And Then Came A Sudden Validation” by Austin, TX band and national darling, The Quiet Company
Musical track licensed through The Music Bed

Safari Texas Ranch || Pucker Up and Let's Get Married! || Kacy + Jason, the Full Film

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Did you know that you can have converse tennis shoes specially personalized by the company?  Kacy took this awesome idea, and she had their wedding date embroidered on the back of a pair of converse sneakers for Jason, and even cooler, she was able to select the shoes in the colors of the wedding!  It was a great idea for a modern gift from a bride to a groom.  In our introduction to Kacy and Jason's story,  we talked about their proposal, and here, we are sharing their full film.

Enjoy.

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"Most importantly, I want to thank you for marrying me. You make me feel like the luckiest person on this earth, and I thank you for that." 

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Although we only spend a day (or a few days) filming a wedding, these stories of love become deeply etched on our hearts.  The many hours we spend as a team at Mason Jar Flms discussing what we've filmed and the time we spend editing and weaving together the story are almost like a meditation on the core values of marriage.  Kacy and Jason's story is no exception:

Watching their wedding film is a reminder of that when you love someone, the sky's the limit for how far you'll go to let them know it (literally--Jason proposed in a hot air balloon). Their story is a reminder that heritage and tradition are most meaningful when shared by people who treasure their community (Kacy's garter was worn by every woman in her family over the past 50 years on their own wedding days).   Their affection is a reminder that those who share love always delight in seeing each other blossom in their own personal pursuits and hobbies (Kacy is a NICU respiratory therapist, and Jason teaches both music and robotics).  And lastly, no matter how surprisingly your story may begin, it does not compare to the surprises that await you in your future together.  

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The exterior of First United Methodist Church, where the ceremony took place.  The interior is a combination of modern architecture with key classical components, like ornate stained glass windows, and carved wooden pews.

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The reception site at Safari Texas hosts plenty of wild animals for guests to enjoy viewing during cocktail hour, and among its many dance halls and party rooms, Kacy and Jason chose this beautiful rustic lodge for their wedding reception, with string lights, branches, and rustic iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

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Wedding Vendor Details:

Ceremony: First United Methodist Missouri City

3900 Lexington Blvd  Missouri City, TX 77459

Reception: Safari Texas Ranch

11627 FM 1464 Rd  Richmond, TX 77407

Photographer: Daniel Colvin

Videographer: Mason Jar Films

Florist: Floriography; Ines Negrin

DJ: Johnny Bravo

Wedding Bands: Tiffany

Wedding Gifts: Converse & Pandora

Soundtrack: "And Then Came A Sudden Validation" by Austin, TX band and national darling, The Quiet Company

Musical track licensed through The Music Bed

Safari Texas || Pucker Up and Let's Get Married! || Kacy + Jason, the preview

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 "Are you nervous?" they asked each other as they exchanged wedding gifts around a corner just before the wedding ceremony. Their hands were a little shaky, but Kacy and Jason were all grins.  As the sound of the boys' choir practicing their performance echoed through the halls of the church, Kacy and Jason began their journey through a day that they had been looking forward to for many months.  Jason opened his gift--a pair of custom converse shoes--and Kacy opened hers--a pandora bracelet, with a hot air balloon charm that symbolizes an earlier part of their story--the proposal.  Here's the sneak peek of their wedding video that we're currently crafting:

Jason is a musician who also happens to drive a Tesla and teach robotics at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and Kacy is a Texas A&M graduate (whoop!) with an independent, committed, and kind personality.  We had been looking forward to filming this wedding since we first heard from Jason, the groom.  Not only is he a model of a thoughtful groom who has diverse hobbies and a hilarious personality (love the comic timing on that speech!), but he's also got a keen understanding of filmmaking aesthetics.  From the moment he started talking to us about the artistic qualities he envisioned for his wedding film, we knew we'd have a blast putting one together for this precious couple.

During Kacy's preparation for the wedding day, her ring bearer and flower girl wandered about the bridal room at the church while the adults cheerily sang them songs.  Her bridesmaids joked and exchanged stories.  The atmosphere wasrelaxed and intimate as her aunts gathered around to admire the dress as the last few buttons were being fastened.  Here are some screen-shots from the video:

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"Get that dress on, pucker up, and let's get married!" -from Jason's note to Kacy

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    The reception was held in the rustic Safari Lodge, whose patio and gazebo rest on the edge of a pond that overlooks fields filled with wild animals, including zebras and peacocks.  Guests were able to stroll past this field as they entered the lodge for cocktail hour, where Kacy and Jason had an assorted Tex-Mex buffet and DJ Johnny Bravo from Houston to keep the music pumping.

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I love the little dots of icing scattered across the lines on the cake tiers of this groom's cake.  They remind me a little of sheet music--like small notes & a melody, even without staff marks.

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The getaway car--a TESLA.  

Did you know that you can have Chuck Taylor shoes customized?  If you're a huge fan of the classic converse shoe, you'll love what Kacy put together for her wedding day present for Jason, her groom.  She had a special pair of the spunky sneakers embroidered with their wedding date, and Jason was so pumped to wear them for the wedding reception that he busted out some amazing dance moves:

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And--you guys---the dancing just didn't stop.  This crowd was so fun, we were sorry to see the night end.  All generations crowded the dance floor with their smiles and fearless dance moves.

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We loved so many things about this wedding, but as we were driving home to Austin on Sunday, the thing that kept coming back to our minds were the beautiful and hilarious toasts from the Father of the Bride, the Matron of Honor, the Best Man, and the groom himself.  Each speech was filled to the brim with hilarity and respect.

Humor, honor, love.  This is what makes a wedding special, and it is what makes a life together wonderful.

Wedding Details:

Ceremony: First United Methodist Missouri City

3900 Lexington Blvd  Missouri City, TX 77459

Reception: Safari Texas Ranch

11627 FM 1464 Rd  Richmond, TX 77407

Photographer: Daniel Colvin

Videographer: Mason Jar Films

Florist: Floriography; Ines Negrin

DJ: Johnny Bravo

Wedding Bands: Tiffany

Wedding Gifts: Converse & Pandora

Soundtrack: "And Then Came A Sudden Validation" by Austin, TX band and national darling, The Quiet Company

Musical track licensed through The Music Bed

Boot Ranch in Fredericksburg, TX || Arrows in the Sky || Erin + Andrew, the full film

We are so thrilled to share this wedding film with you.  Their wedding was both a touching experience and imaginatively designed to create a delightful soiree for all of their friends and family.  Not only do Erin and Andrew have a delightful sense of style that is both tailored, preppy, and bohemian all at once, but their joyful spirits are extremely infectious.  In fact, while I was editing their film, my face was sore from smiling so much.  And now that we're sharing the film, your face can be sore because of extended amounts of smiling, too!

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Erin's dress was stunning--mermaid cut with a fluted skirt that extravagantly trained behind her.  Not only did she wear a dress made of the most luxuriously draped gauzy tulle that we've ever seen, but her accessories were stunning-- something bleu shoes accented by white feathers.

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The hill-top Christian ceremony was breath-taking, and Erin descended through a stair-case linked arms with her father.  The modern, romantic music selections for the wedding ceremony included songs by The Arcade Fire.  Listening to the songs they chose for their wedding day heavily influenced the music we selected for the film--the opening song is a lilting, hopeful song by  siren singer-songwriter Holly Maher filled with soaring tones of violin and cello with lilting melody created by a light piano.

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Erin's mother is doting, and her father is hilarious--which created that same combination in her siblings, who totally ham it up with Erin throughout the photography sessions.

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Matchmaker Band kept the party hopping through the night!  They have several 'front singers' to cover a variety of musical styles, and their growling vocals and energy is always top notch!  Watch it here.

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As we mentioned in a previous post, we were thrilled to work alongside noted fashion photographer Christianne Taylor at this wedding.  She's based in California, but she often returns to her native state of Texas to document special projects.  We've worked with her before at Sarah & Colby's ranch estate wedding, and it was delightful to work with her again.

In our first post about Erin & Andrew's wedding,  we told you the story of how they almost didn't have a wedding cake, which is a precious story, but now, I want to tell you about what Andrew's dad said.

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As guests sipped from glass soda bottles with these adorable DIY soda straw flags, Andrew's dad gave a heartfelt speech thanking the people who brought Erin and Andrew together, and how he felt that Erin and Andrew were like arrows shooting through the sky.  Psalm 127 speaks of how children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands, and how they will return to bless their parents.

"we also feel excitement at watching these two young people start their flight together," he said.

We could tell that Andrew's dad was already so thankful for the blessing of his son, and of his new daughter-in-law.   Congratulations to you both, Erin and Andrew.  We hope you are always able to reflect back to the joy of this celebration and how it was just the beginning of new laughter and adventures in your life.

Ceremony and Reception Venue:

Boot Ranch

77 Boot Ranch Cir, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 (830) 997-6200

Photographer: Christianne Taylor Videographer: Mason Jar Films Band: Matchmaker Band Music by Holly Maher & Amy Stroup licensed through The Music Bed