Brazos Hall /// TCU College Romance /// Sarah + Ryker, the full film
/A Special Father-Daughter Moment
When Sarah joined her father, Jay, on the dance floor for their traditional father-daughter dance, they were serenaded by Sarah's maternal grandfather (Jay's father-in-law). This was not the first time Sarah's grandfather had sung at a wedding; he had also serenaded his daughter, Nancy, when she danced her first dance with Jay a generation earlier. On this night, Nancy stood on the edge of the dance floor and lovingly watched as Jay danced with Sarah, and the words of "Walk With You" by Edwin McCain floated through the chandeliers overhead.
I'll take this slow sweet walk with you You'll let go of my hand to say I do And he will discover just how blessed a life can be I know 'cause all those years ago your mom handed you to me."
As Sarah leaned her head on her dad's shoulder, she said to him, "I'm so glad we get to do this," and he said to her, "Look all around. Take it all in; it will be over in a second." So true. We are so glad that we were able to film these beautiful moments so that you can look around and take it all in over and over again.
These are the kind of moments that give us #OneMoreReasonToBelieveInLove Enjoy! [vimeo]https://vimeo.com/145561718[/vimeo] From their Texas style BBQ rehearsal dinner feast at County Line on 2222 to their Hill Country ceremony and downtown reception at Brazos Hall, this wedding was a sweet buffet of the tastes of Austin.
We always love the moment a bride sees her father for the first time on the wedding day. It is truly precious! Jay later told Ryker that he could barely keep from crying when Sarah came up and tapped him on the shoulder.
Sarah and Ryker were the first ones to be married at this church--renovations had just finalized at 2am the night before! The father of the bride commended Becky Brock, Kacy King, and the entire Brock + Co. crew for their expert communication with the construction team for making sure the church was finished on time.
Sarah + Ryker met at Texas Christian University (Go Horned Frogs!), and so the couple was quick to celebrate TCU at their wedding any chance they had! The groom wore a secret TCU shirt under his tuxedo, and because he competed as an athlete on the swim team, his groom's cake was the envy of any TCU pinterest board---a custom cake of a TCU horned frog with swimming goggles. (Credit: Sweet Treets Bakery)
The Fairy-Tale Proposal in Venice:
After graduation from Texas Christian University, Sarah and Ryker both went with their families on a 10 day celebratory Mediterranean cruise to Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Italy, ending up in Venice. They were celebrating three graduations and milestone birthdays. Sarah had given up on Ryker proposing on this romantic trip. They told us, "We spent one extra night off the ship in Venice exploring the city. Ryker kept hinting at a gondola ride but Sarah thought they were extremely touristy and said she didn't want to go. She was totally surprised when on the family's walk to dinner Ryker's dad had arranged gondola rides "for the whole family." The two of us went first, and so we went off through the canals of Venice with our gondolier singing to us in Italian (romantic cheese central). As we came out of the side canals into the Grand Canal and approached the Rialto Bridge (the 'bridge of love') Sarah saw both families with camera in hand standing at the top of the bridge. Just then, Ryker stands up and pulls the ring out of his jacket pocket and asked Sarah to marry him. As soon as she said yes and they kissed the entire bridge erupted into an Italian chant/song. It was absolutely breathtaking in so many ways! Sarah didn't care about the cheesy tourists anymore-she couldn't believe what a perfect proposal Ryker had waited so patiently to put together! Afterwards we celebrated alone at an Italian cafe drinking champagne before meeting our families for dinner on the grand canal. Seriously a fairy tale!"
Sarah+ Ryker,
You truly have found something special in each other. We hope you always keep being silly, "snarf-snarf"-ing to your dog, and entertaining your families with your hilarity. Thank you for allowing us to capture these precious memories of what is really the beginning of your fairy-tale, with many more adventures to come. We wish you the best!
xoxo,
the Mason Jar Team
Ceremony // Westlake Hill Presbyterian - 7127 Bee Cave Road Austin // Venue // Brazos Hall – 204 E 4th St. Austin // @brazoshall Event Coordinator // Brock + Co. Events // @brockandcoevents Photographer // Christina Carroll Photography // @christinacarrollphoto Bride’s Cake // Sweet Treets Bakery // @sweettreetsbakery Groom’s Cake // Polkadots Bakery // @polkadotsatx Rentals // WHIM Event Rentals // // @whimhospitality Band // Suede // Lighting // FILO // Ceremony Music // Hill Country Strings // Hair // Laura Wyrtzen Makeup // Denise Vasquez // Loungs,Bars,Stag Décor // Townsley Designs // // @townsleydesigns Photobooth // SUM // // @sumbooth Horse Drawn Carriage // Lisa Siciliani // Transportation // Transportation Consultants // Dance Floor // ATX Dance Floors // // Soundtrack Licensing // MusicBed Musical Artists Featured // Johnny Stimson // The Speedbumps // Afterlife Parade // Zachary David // The Quiet Company // Katie Herzig
Sometimes our clients come to us with love stories that may have been a year in the making. Or seven years in the making....or even a lifetime, like in the case of several childhood-sweetheart weddings we have filmed. However, the love story we are about to share with you today is extremely unique: it began even before the bride and groom were born. As Emily and Keith were planning their wedding, they discovered their families had been good friends and had run in the same circles for generations--one example being that Keith now works in the same place that Emily's grandfather had worked for 30 years. Keith's mother grew up next door to Emily's great-grandmother. A family heirloom that had been gifted from Emily's family to Keith's family many years ago stood in the entrance to the reception as a physical symbol of how "God had a hand” in their love story all along. Their officiant, Jon Dansby, said it best when he said that “What it really means is that God is writing Emily and Keith a special story, for his glory and for their joy."
Guests gathered for the reception at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. They danced the night away surrounded by marble walls engraved with famous quotes professing love for the state of Texas. The couple danced their first dance in front of a two-story granite wall chiseled with the most perfect Barbara Jordan quote: "I get from the soil and spirit of Texas the feeling that there are no limits." With the way their story has begun, we truly believe that there are no limits for this special couple.
We can't believe Sarah + Ryker's wedding has already happened --it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that we met them in our office on South Congress. The bride and groom had just traveled into Austin to celebrate Thanksgiving, and so we were all in a cheery holiday mood as we sat down to chat with them about their wedding. From our very first conversations with them, what stuck out to us about this couple is their joyfulness--Sarah is always smiling and Ryker has the kind of comedic timing that would steal the show of any hollywood blockbuster. It was no surprise to us that their wedding weekend featured some of the wittiest speeches from the father of the bride and Ryker himself. From their Texas style BBQ rehearsal dinner feast at County Line on 2222 to their Hill Country ceremony and downtown reception at Brazos Hall, this wedding was a sweet buffet of the tastes of Austin. While we are finishing the edit of their full wedding video in our studios, please enjoy this sneak peek of the first moments!
The bride and groom both got ready at Omni Barton Creek Resort. The abundance of natural light in the suites at Barton Creek was perfect for showing off the beautiful textures and details in the wedding dress. A blushing bride's face and skin just seems to glow so much more in natural light!
Because their wedding was coordinated and designed by Brock + Co, we already knew we were going to experience a gorgeous visual feast at Brazos Hall. The historic warehouse was converted into a romantic, rustic ballroom with a hammered bronze dance floor that reflected the light of the chandeliers as Ryker and Sarah danced their first dance as husband and wife. Guests gathered around farm-style banquet tables that were laden with stunning gold-dipped crystal. The rustic wooden columns were draped with pink and cream linens, and the bride wore a flower crown as she mingled with guests. It was breathtaking!
Sarah + Ryker met at
