Some wedding stories begin with one wedding day.
Aisha and Brian needed two.
And somehow, by the end of those two days, I had photographed a tiny chapel overflowing with family, a bride against the San Antonio skyline, an elevator with questionable work ethic, a sound system with impeccable comedic timing, and one of the most beautiful last dances I’ve ever witnessed.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Because first, there was a little chapel in Helotes and a groom watching the door.
First, They Got Married
Aisha and Brian’s first wedding day was at the Schoenstatt Shrine in Helotes, inside the sweetest little chapel that feels special before anything even happens inside it.
And then the people started arriving.
Family and friends kept coming until that tiny chapel was absolutely full. People squeezed together in the pews, made room for one more, and then somehow made room for one more after that.
There was something incredibly sweet about it. So many people loved these two, and nobody wanted to miss this.
At the front of the chapel, Brian waited.
And paced.
Every time the little chapel door opened, heads turned.
Is that her?
Not yet.
Then it opened again.
And finally, there she was.
Aisha stood in the doorway with the light behind her, glowing against the darker chapel. She looked completely calm, completely beautiful, and I watched every bit of anticipation leave Brian’s body the second he saw her.
There she was.
He just looked happy.
And then everything settled.
Their ceremony felt sacred. That is the word I keep coming back to.
Inside this tiny chapel packed with people who loved them, Aisha and Brian became husband and wife.
We took a few photographs afterward before they headed off to dinner, and just like that, Wedding Day Number One was complete.
Because the next day, we were doing this all over again.
Just slightly bigger.
Wedding Day, Take Two
The next afternoon, I arrived at The Skyline in downtown San Antonio and found Aisha doing something that now feels incredibly on brand.
She was in her pajamas.
Decorating her wedding.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Not supervising. Not casually checking on things.
Helping.
Eventually, we had to lovingly relieve the bride of her decorating duties and send her upstairs because at some point she did, in fact, need to get ready for her own wedding.
Upstairs, the bridal suite was buzzing. Everyone was getting glammed, and Felicity Buie was on a mission to make Aisha the most beautiful bride to have ever brided.
Mission accomplished.
By the time Aisha stepped into her dress, she was completely and totally bridal.
But we intentionally left off one thing.
The veil.
Aisha and Brian had decided to do a first look before the ceremony, and theirs was one of my favorite kinds.
Brian turned around and looked proud.
Aisha looked happy.
There wasn’t some giant reaction manufactured for a camera. They hugged and talked and looked at each other, and for a few minutes they were simply them.
Brian got to see his bride.
But we saved a little something for the aisle.
And Then She Put On the Veil
Their ceremony was on the rooftop of The Skyline, with downtown San Antonio stretching out behind them.
And when Aisha appeared in her veil, the crowd gasped.
Actually gasped.
She walked out against this huge city view and somehow the skyline didn’t overpower her.
She matched it.
It was spectacular.
Meanwhile, our beloved elevators had decided they would be participating in the wedding on a somewhat part time basis.
With approximately 250 guests and a rooftop ceremony, this added a little adventure to the afternoon.
But everyone made it. Everyone found a seat. And once Aisha and Brian were standing together at the altar, none of the logistics mattered anyway.
The ceremony was beautiful and wonderfully efficient because September in Texas remains September in Texas. 😂
They said their vows. They exchanged rings. They kissed.
And they were married.
Again.
A Rooftop All to Ourselves
After the ceremony, we tucked ourselves near the elevators and jumped into family portraits.
And this is where something happens at nearly every wedding with a big, loving family.
One photograph becomes another photograph.
Which becomes another photograph.
Which somehow produces three additional relatives.😂
Eventually, we finished and discovered that the guests had collectively made the extremely reasonable decision to enjoy cocktail hour downstairs in the air conditioning.
Which meant something magical had happened.
The rooftop was empty.
So obviously, we stole it.
Aisha, Brian and their wedding party came back upstairs, and for a little while we had that giant San Antonio skyline all to ourselves.
We started editorial.
We ended PARTY.
There may have been a secret song involved that I use with wedding parties.
No, I will not tell you what it is.
Some Love, Chelsea trade secrets must remain sacred.
But I will tell you this:
It works every single time.
The photographs from those few minutes feel exactly like I want wedding party photographs to feel. Beautiful but not stiff. A little fancy. A little ridiculous. And full of people who are genuinely having fun together.
Then it was time to head downstairs and actually celebrate.
BBQ, Dancing and One Very Memorable Mother Son Dance
There was barbecue. There was cake. There was dancing. There were hundreds of people celebrating Aisha and Brian.
And then the sound system gave us one of my favorite completely unscripted moments of the night.
During Aisha’s dance with her son, the music unexpectedly stopped. He accepted that the moment was apparently over and started heading back toward his seat.
Then the music came back.
He immediately turned and ran back toward his mom.
MOMENT SAVED.
And then the speakers let out the most aggressive:
SCREEEEEEEECH.
He covered his ears and immediately ran the other direction.
We all lost it. 😂
It was ridiculous and completely real and exactly the kind of tiny moment that ends up becoming part of the family lore.
And that is why I love photographing weddings the way I do.
Give me the beautiful portraits, absolutely.
But also give me the kid who tries twice to dance with his mom and ultimately gets chased off by the sound system.
I want all of it.
Wedding Vendors Matter, People
Aisha and Brian had some unexpected changes to their vendor team in the weeks leading up to their wedding. Their photography plans changed, which is how I had the absolute privilege of stepping into their story, and shortly before the wedding, their planning team changed too.
And this is where I have to give some love to Lisa from You Will Eat Cake.
She stepped in when Aisha and Brian needed her, helped bring all the moving pieces together, and made sure they could actually enjoy what they had spent so much time planning.
Because wedding vendors matter, people.
Not because a great vendor team guarantees that every single thing will happen exactly as it appears on a timeline.
Weddings are real life. Things happen.
Great vendors simply know what to do next.
They solve things quietly. They adjust. They laugh when laughing is the appropriate response. They protect the experience so the couple doesn’t have to spend their wedding day worrying about the mechanics of having a wedding.
And at the end of this one, Aisha and Brian were married, surrounded by people who loved them.
And thanks to Lisa from You Will Eat Cake, they did, in fact, eat cake.
I love a happy ending!!!
The Exhale
But my favorite part of their wedding happened after almost everyone else was gone.
We went back upstairs.
The rooftop that had been full of hundreds of people earlier that day was quiet. San Antonio was glowing in the distance. The twinkle lights were still shining overhead.
And for the first time in two days, there was nothing left for Aisha and Brian to do.
No ceremony waiting for them.
No entrance to make.
No family photograph we needed.
No timeline.
Nobody calling their names.
Just them.
So they danced.
Aisha’s dress moved around her as Brian spun her. They laughed. They kissed. They held onto each other.
And after two days of celebrating their marriage with everyone they loved, they finally had a few minutes to simply be married.
It felt like an exhale.
And standing there with my camera, I knew this was the part I wanted them to remember.
Aisha + Brian,
I hope you remember the funny things.
I hope someday the elevator becomes one of those stories you tell and laugh about.
But more than anything, I hope you remember how these two days felt.
Brian, I hope you remember watching that little chapel door and the moment it finally opened to reveal the person you were waiting for.
Aisha, I hope you remember stepping onto that rooftop in your veil and hearing a crowd full of people who love you gasp.
I hope you remember how many people squeezed themselves into that tiny chapel because they wanted to witness your beginning.
And I hope you remember the very end.
When the crowd was gone and the rooftop belonged to you again.
When there was nothing left to plan or accomplish.
When you got to laugh and kiss and dance underneath the twinkle lights with San Antonio glowing behind you.
Because eventually the flowers come down.
The timeline gets forgotten.
The cake gets eaten.
The wedding ends.
And after all of it, you still get to go home together.
That was always the beautiful part.
Thank you for trusting me with these two days. Thank you for letting me witness the sacred moments, the ridiculous ones, and all the tiny pieces in between that made this wedding completely yours.
Years from now, when life is busy and loud and there is once again somewhere to be and something that needs your attention, I hope you find your way back to that rooftop.
Maybe not literally.
But back to that feeling.
Everything else quiet.
Just the two of you.
Still laughing.
Still reaching for each other.
Still dancing.
Love,
Chelsea
Planning a Wedding at The Skyline in San Antonio?
If you’re planning a wedding at The Skyline or anywhere else in San Antonio, choose vendors you trust enough to let them take care of you.
Not because your wedding needs to be perfect.
Because it needs to feel like yours.
You should get to be present for the gasp when you walk down the aisle, laugh when something ridiculous happens, dance with your people, eat the cake, and eventually disappear somewhere with the person you just married.
That’s your job.
We’ll take care of the rest. ❤️
The Team
Venue: The Skyline
Planning: You Will Eat Cake
Photography: Love, Chelsea Wedding Photography
Second Photographer: AeroStar Weddings
Assistant: Lindley Ann
Rentals: Bright Event Rentals
Makeup: Felicity Buie
Catering: Harmon’s BBQ
DJ: DJ Such N Such
Officiant: Danica McKinney
Open The Comments