Escondido Golf & Lake Club | All You Need Is Love And A Dog - Sidni & Jay

Reception fireworks at Escondido from Austin Wedding Video

We here at Mason Jar Films love when dads take advantage of the wedding day to put on a display of love for their daughters.  Speeches. Toasts, encouraging words, dances. We especially love when a father of the bride plans a huge surprise for their daughter, like FIREWORKS.  At their swanky outdoor reception, Sidni's dad gave a really sweet toast, and afterward, he surprised Sidni with a firework show.  As you can see from her facial reaction, she was genuinely surprised, and even shed a few happy tears. It was really beautiful.

What a day--from cowboy boots& cufflinks to fireworks. Sidni's bridesmaids heroically made sure everything was in order in the dressing room, and as soon as Sidni arrived, everything was in its place.    She gleefully opened a wedding day present from her groom, Jay--monogrammed cowboy boots!  I'm not sure if that is a tradition all over the country, but here in the south, many brides and grooms send a surprise gift to their spouse-to-be by way of a member of the wedding party.  Sometimes they include a letter, or something that can be worn that day, i.e. jewelry, cufflinks, shoes, earrings, a necklace. 

 Sidni's hairstylist and makeup artist worked quickly, and minutes before the ceremony, Sidni was serenely standing in front of her bridesmaids in the most beautifully detailed lace wedding dress.  All that was left was to happily hug her dad and to begin their walk down the aisle. 

This is a still shot from the wedding after Sidni & Jay were pronounced "man and wife."

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I was really touched by how thoughtful the groom's cake was that Sidni had prepared for Jay as a surprise.  On top of the cake, Sidni had a custom cake topper made to look like each of their three dogs, and the cake was surrounding by a display of quail feathers and river reeds.  The couple loves to hunt and fly fish together, so it was a great dessert idea.

<some screen grabs from the

wedding video

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Sidni and Jay, thanks so much for having us to your wedding.  We loved being a witness to your devotion to each other and to your creativity during the reception.

-kourtney amelia

Photography: Cory Ryan Photography

Venue: Escondido Golf And Lake Club

Floral: Freytag's Florist

Reception Entertainment: Pardi Gras

Private Ranch | "Montesito Ranch: The Virginia Invasion" - Liz & Mark, the full film

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Liz & Mark

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     Liz & Mark have the kind of love that seems like something from a fairy tale or a movie--but it is even more encouraging because it exists in real life!  It is probably every girl's dream to hear a man promise her father that he will do his best to take care of her, and Mark did exactly that. 

     At their rehearsal dinner, Mark, the groom, took the stage at the end of the night andgave the most heartfelt speech to thank his parents, to make vows to his community of friends and family that he would love Liz forever, and to especially thank his in-laws for their blessing.   "I'm going to be making vows to Liz tomorrow, but tonight I'm making a vow to you all," he told them.   

     Because we had filmed Liz's sisters wedding just 6 months earlier--we had already known to expect speeches that would inspire both laughter and tears from Liz's dad (the father of the bride) and from Liz' brother (an extremely skilled wordsmith), but we were floored by Mark's honesty and vulnerability toward his family, friends, and to Liz.   Liz is a gorgeous bride (as you can see!), and her parent's homestead, Montesito Ranch, is breathtaking to look at in a wildflower-filled spring, but to work with such a kind and loving family was truly an honor.  We were thankful to be given the task of creating an artistic wedding film for this couple.

You can watch their full film here (be prepared to laugh and cry!)

On top of all of the romance at this wedding, there were some hilarious moments (& amazing decor details): 

The BBQ rehearsal dinner (a texas wedding tradition) was held at a historic auction house in New Ulm, Texas, complete with pies for dessert.  This was where family members told wild and crazy stories of Liz and Mark's hilarious antics from growing up and from college.   Liz' Dad had us rolling with his Steve Martin-themed Father-of-the-Bride toast. 

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RECEPTION

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While the guests enjoyed cocktail hour under a linen-wrapped white tent, the wedding party took pictures in the field where horses stood grazing nearby.

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The bride and groom danced their first dance during what filmmakers refer to as "golden hour"  (sunset).   This can create lovely golden colors in the images on your video and in your photos!  If you decided to do this at your wedding, make sure to check the exact times that golden hour happens, because right after the sun dips below the horizon, even though it is still light, the colors of light turn an ashy blue.  If that kind of hazy grey light is exactly what you'd like for your dance, have at it!  Just make sure that you understand what your light will look like at different times of day, and you'll be able to set your schedule to fit the kind of imagery you want.  (Your wedding coordinator will know just what to do!)

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 DANCIN' Y'ALL

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Again, if you haven't watched the dance sequence in Liz & Mark's wedding video,

you're 100% missing out on amazing dancers and old school hip hop.  Get to it!

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CONGRATULATIONS, LIZ & MARK

You can watch more of our films on vimeo or catch up with us on facebook.   We'd love to hear from you!

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Bell Tower on 34th | Sarah + John Forever & Ever

Sarah & John's wedding day started off very calm--while the girls got dressed, the guys played soccer in a courtyard outside before making their way to the hotel bar.  Sarah's bridesmaids were very helpful in taking care of everything Sarah needed as we headed out from the hotel to the Bell Tower on 34th.  The venue is pretty cool--with ballrooms, atriums, and rustic inspired spanish architecture. The warm colored walls and columns are inviting and regal, the perfect setting for a classy event.

Sarah and John very sweetly visited each table during their reception, and their friends stayed til the wee hours dancing their hearts out, as you can see in the preview.

<some screen grabs from the

wedding video>

Sarah and John's name card

Sarah's wedding dress - Vera Wang Houston Video

Tiffany Engagement Rings and wedding band

A Tiffany engagement ring nestles in with the set of wedding bands.

The Belltower on 34th

Wedding Cake

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Poker Game

The groom & his groomsmen played poker to wait out the final minutes before the ceremony.

First Dance

  Sarah & John kiss in an open courtyard just before the evening's end.  Behind them was a beautiful waterfall that spanned the entire exterior wall of the courtyard.

Sarah and John's Final Image

Sarah & John, your day was sweet and spunky, and we wish you many more years of fun to come!  Thanks for having us to Houston to help capture your memories.

Barton Creek Resort | "219 to 1" - Leslie + Andy, the full film

"Was it love at first sight?" The officiant, Dennis Prager, humorously asked Leslie and Andy to describe whether they felt this way the moment they met. The lovely Bride Leslie answered in 219 words.  Andy, an ever stoic groom, answered in one.  We wrote about it in 600 words, but we think you should just watch our video and see it for yourself.

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If you've watched several of our films, you'll notice that sometimes they open on a quiet note, and sometimes they open with a bubbly song, and other times they begin with a fast frenzy.  We try to make our films match the excitement, tone, and energy of the couple and of the day itself.  It didn't take us long to see that Leslie and Andy love upbeat, big band style music, and they love having a good time with their families.  The couple had traveled from Houston to Austin for their wedding at Barton Creek Resort, and their families joined them from all over the country.  Before the wedding, Leslie had told us that quite a few of her family members would be some serious fun on the dance floor.   (you can read more about that here)  As you can see, they really were!  We left the wedding with just as much energy as when the reception began--the dancing was just so fun.

<click

here

to see dozens of their amazing official photos by Stacy Cross.  below are screen grabs

from their

Austin wedding video

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Barton Creek Resort is nestled in the Texas hill country outside of Austin, and the ballroom has a great view of the foothills.  The resort is also famous as both a golf club and where Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were married.  The building proudly boasts of its Texas locale by hanging revolutionary Texas artifacts throughout the hallways, historic photos, flags, and other items of Lone Star State Pride.

Leslie's Bridesmaids wore a very formal royal blue dresses with champagne gold shoes of their choice. The colors were a preppy contrast with their tightly gathered and uniform rose bouquets.

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A wedding just dripping with beauty

Sally Fields may have blown off Julia Roberts' colors of 'blush and bashful' as 'pink and pink' in Steel Magnolias, but one look at the pink hues in Leslie and Andy's luscious floral and reception design makes even the adjectives 'blush and bashful' seem incapable of describing the delicate rosy and romantic hues that surrounded the couple on their wedding day.  Classic, elegant, and dripping with crystalline beauty, the wedding was a formal affair from the rose and curly-willow covered chuppah to the glass chandeliers in the reception. 

The CEREMONY

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Doesn't this chuppah take your breath away?  It has a very fairy-tale quality.   David Kurio designed the decadent florals, and Jessica Moore was the event designer/planner.  My favorite element is how David Kurio's team hid lights inside of the chuppah.  Because the wedding happened at sunset, the challenge was to keep the bride and groom well lit throughout the ceremony, even after dark.  The team had the perfect plan for the lights to continue to adjust throughout the solarium as the sun went down.  The wedding began lit by the ceiling-to-floor windows, and by the end, the lovely spotlights inside of the chuppah and beaming from the ceiling kept the bride and groom's faces well lit enough that the guests, the photographers, and the videographers could still see their faces perfectly well.

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THE RECEPTION

As guests gathered for cocktail hour, they found their place-tags organized in a table-wide bed of pearls.

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The round reception tables were covered with alternate and varying sprays in mirrored vases and glass chandeliers.  The light reflections on mirror and refractions through cut glass sent light dazzling through the reception. Hats off to Jessica and David for the gorgeous display, and to Leslie and her mom for selecting such a lovely theme.

Love is Sweet

Jessica, the planner, worked diligently with Leslie to create the perfect dessert buffet that extended for several tables with all kinds of sweet delicacies in bite sizes--allowing guests to sample several lovely treats.

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Leslie and Andy, thanks for letting us document the goodness of your Austin wedding.

Mazel Tov!

Wedding Coordinator: Jessica Moore, Something to Celebrate

Venue: Barton Creek Resort and Spa

Floral: David Kurio Designs

Photographer: Stacy Cross

Music Agent: Emerald Entertainment

Ceremony Music: High Island Hepcats

Officiant: Dennis Prager

Reception Music: Collector’s Item

Linens: BBJ

Chairs: Marquee Rents

Lighting: Ilios

Photobooth: Say Cheese

Hair: Pamela Donnellan

Makeup: Maris Malone Calderon

Rehearsal Dinner: The Salt Lick

Rough Creek Lodge | "Florida visits Texas" Allison & Ryan, Part 1 of 2

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The bridal bouquet rests in the bride's cowboy boot shortly before the ceremony.  We loved the peonies used in this floral design.  Please enjoy this preview for Allison & Ryan's divine destination wedding at the rustic Rough Creek Lodge in Glenrose, TX.

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Allison and Ryan are smart, talented, gorgeous--and they have seriously cool taste in music.  Before their wedding, Allison had let us know how much Ryan loves classic rock n roll.  Most people think of Texas as a country western kind of place, but after you visit here, you know differently--Texans love all kinds of music, because mostly, Texans just love to have a good time! We were as excited about hearing the entertainment band as we were about the wilderness setting that Rough Creek Lodge provides.

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When you pull into the lodge, the thing that strikes you is the wildness of the grassy fields.  Allison and Ryan chose to have a spring wedding, which, in our opinion, if we have had a good solid rain in late winter, Texas Spring weddings cannot be beaten.  The wildflowers were out in epic proportions that day (and we do not use the word epic lightly).  We were thankful for color on our normally tan landscape. 

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Allison & Ryan had their Chuppah (huppa, chuppa, you might spell it differently) set up in a homespun wooden chapel that sits on the land at the lodge, with wooden pews, hardwood floors, and floor to ceiling cathedral style windows.  Their rose-covered chuppah was the most ornate thing in the room, and it was beautiful. 

In Jewish tradition, the chuppah represents the home that the couple will build together.  It is open on all four sides in remembrance of the hospitality of Abraham.   Before they were married, Allison and Ryan had visited Rough Creek Lodge and found it to be a place that truly energized them--it is peaceful,  with open horizons, and enjoyable activities.  Allison told us that they had invited all of their Floridian family and friends to Texas because they wanted to share the special experience of Rough Creek Lodge with them.  In that way, even their wedding location is a reflection of the hospitality that the chuppah represents.

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Ceremony and Reception: Rough Creek Lodge

Photographer: Kym Skyles, f8Studio

Reception Band: The Annagrey Band

Hair and Makeup: Joanna Hathcock

Cakes: Frosted Art

Floral: Blue Lotus Floral

Chairs and Glassware: Ducky Bob's

Linens: BBJ

Photo Booth: SnapzSnapz

Ceremony Acoustic Guitar: Bruce Canafax

Favors: Totally Sugar

Ceremony Rabbi: Rabbi Barry Diamond

Ceremony Protestant Minister: Rev. Arianna Gray, Alternative Wedding Services

Transportation: Limo Valet