Today, on our one year anniversary, I think back to this day and how much love came together in one place. It’s a love nurtured by our closest family and friends, that has grown wiser with experience and reflects our journey together as a couple.
In our case it was a celebration of perseverance and the fusion of two cultures: a French exchange student turned ‘true’ Texan meets a first generation Mexican-American Francophile from San Diego. Neither one of us had been to Denver, CO but that trip in October 2007 to a collegiate conference turned out to be life changing. I remember seeing Thibaut cross the room in my direction, never once thinking “this is the guy I’m going to marry”.
Fast forward to years of long distance relationship, my time studying abroad in France, the uncertainty of not knowing if Thibaut could stay in the US, a career opportunity for me in San Antonio, TX that closed the long distance gap, and the adjustment to finally being in the same city after so many years of dating. We wanted our wedding to be a reflection of these experiences and the opportunity to share them with our guests.
Ceremony
Much of my extended family are Mexican nationals, so we decided to work with Our Lady of Grace Church to craft a Spanish-English bilingual mass. For our French speakers it was easy to follow along with an in-language wedding program prepared by us that contained the readings and sequence of the mass, along with an explanation of the symbols that are part of Hispanic wedding tradition.
We chose to include the Lazo (a double sided rosary) which literally tied us together for life, and the Arras- 13 silver coins the groom places in the Bride’s hands- that are exchanged to represent shared decision making. Each symbol was brought forth during the ceremony by couples that are very special to us, and my mom created these custom pillows of satin, lace and crystal accents to display everything beautifully as it made its way to the altar.
Reception
Following the ceremony, our family and friends had time to freshen up before heading to ZaZa Gardens, a hidden gem in the heart of Downtown San Antonio that’s a complete oasis and a secluded retreat where you can enjoy the lush canopy of mature trees in a rustic-meets-contemporary setting. Formerly a 19th century pickle factory, it was purchased by architects that kept original features (it’s a historic building) but added 21st century touches like the rectangular pool and modern gazebo in the side courtyard.
Having a venue that was already beautiful and which we could customize to our vision was incredibly important to us – not to mention the ability to bring in our own vendor team – because our reception was a fusion of the sights and tastes of provincial France and Mexico. This concept existed in our minds, pulled from our memories and so we had to work with people that were familiar with both and could help us execute perfectly and make it real. One of those key elements which greeted our family and friends immediately upon entering our venue was the bespoke papel picado banners that we had custom made in Puebla, Mexico through ArteMex.
We chose to produce a combination of personalized designs with our name or initials on them, but also some darling images of lovebirds and flowers to alternate and create greater visual interest. The option to chose between crêpe paper and plastic is a total game changer! We used both: plastic on the outside that would be more resistant to the elements and delicate crêpe paper for the inside. The papel picado that zig-zagged across both patios transitioned to the interior.
To tie together this look it was necessary to use an elegant, white backdrop so that the cobalt blue glassware and glazed pottery that we used for our center pieces could stand apart. Blue and white pottery is a shared element of both cultures in the Maiolica style that originated in the Mediterranean. Our pieces captured the Talavera effect that’s unique to Puebla, Mexico and provided the base for our arrangements. Luckily, both cultures also identify with the sunflower and it’s a happy, decorative pop of color that we wanted to use as the primary focal point. With this in mind, I turned to Flowers By Beverly to see if she could help me pull it together with her expertise. Specifically, I was looking to incorporate fresh lavender and olive branches to represent the southern French look, along with white calla lilies that remind me so much of Diego Rivera and the indigenous beauty of Mexico through his paintings.
Beverly was great and worked with me to create a few prototypes until they looked just right. She was excellent in her recommendations and introduced me to some choices that I would not have thought to incorporate like the round eucalyptus leaves and the cute billy balls that softened the sleek lines throughout each arrangement. These florals were also used on my sweetheart table in the form of a 4 ft. garland, using olive branches and eucalyptus leaves to frame the space in which we would place our French wedding cake.
Known as “la piéce montée” or croquembouche, it’s constructed from puff pastry balls filled with cream and held together with spun sugar. With help from pastry chef Susana Mijares, owner of Délice Chocolatier and Pâtisserie we were able to combine Thibaut’s taste for profiteroles, my love for dulce de leche and her Cordon Bleu training in classic French pastry to create this sweet, French touch. The croquembouche originates in French medieval tradition where guests brought gifts of many small, wheat cakes for the newlyweds that were stacked in between the bride and groom to form a pyramid. If the bride and groom could kiss over the pyramid of cakes without it tumbling down, then the marriage would be prosperous.
This was not the only sweet touch we enjoyed that day…we knew that the scorching Texas heat would have our guests craving something cold and refreshing. This along with our fervent love of gelato led us to work with Josh and Diletta, owners extraordinaire of South Alamode Panini & Gelato to create a menu with 3 different flavors that our guests would love. They have a real gift when it comes to pairing flavors; the challenge for us was to narrow down our favorites and also pick combinations that could please even the pickiest eater. Sweet Diletta was so patient with us as we went back and forth, finally deciding to serve Tiramisu, Sicilian Blood Orange and Stracciatella. They import their ingredients from Italy and advised us on which options would be best, considering the quality of ingredients and availability in June.
The same approach was applied to our dinner menu: we wanted our guests to have options and to choose what they wanted to eat that night. Of course, our selections would have French, Mediterranean, and Mexican flavors! The staff at Absolutely Delicious Catering were in constant communication with us for months to make sure our food station set-up and menu was the right fit for 120 guests. We had 2 action stations preparing savory crêpes that were quintessentially the French component of our menu, and the Mexican carnitas taco bar with all of the fixin’s.
A salad bar and kebab station lent themselves very well to Mediterranean flavors. We made sure to include a Caprese salad prepared with fresh mozzarella and basil since it’s Thibaut’s favorite and brings good memories of Northeast Texas, where he used to prepare this often for his host family. For the kebab station, it was important for us to have chicken, steak, or veggie options so all of our guests could enjoy. Some of the sauces included in the spread were hummus, pesto and tahini that are excellent for dipping. To maximize the space and keep the flow steady at the food stations, we intentionally separated the action stations to have them near the prep kitchen and the salad bar with the kebabs in the parlor room at the opposite end of the hall.
The crew did a good job manning the food stations and also pouring drinks constantly at the bar so our guest always had a drink in their hand. I loved that our venue allowed us to bring our own alcohol, and Absolutely Delicious didn’t pressure us to use a predetermined selection through them. They provided the TABC certified bartenders to prepare our signature cocktails and serve our wine and beer selections without issue.
This gave us the freedom to include some of our favorite Mexican reds from the Valle de Guadalupe wine growing region of Baja California that aren’t imported to Texas. Included in the line up was a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from Monte Xanic that I enjoy very much with steak (and which paired splendidly with my steak kebabs that night), the Nebbiolo from LA Cetto, and a spicy Tempranillo from Relieve Vinícola. Not to be underrepresented at the bar, a Bordeaux from Château de Camarsac was intentionally placed as a nod to Thibaut’s family background (they have lived close to Camarsac, France for decades). Then there was a young Portuguese wine that I (almost) enjoy more than Rosé: Vinho Verde from Casal Garcia that’s so crisp and excellent chilled, you could drink it on its own or pair it with summer essentials like gazpacho.
From the bottom of our hearts, we are so thankful to our family and friends that traveled to meet us in San Antonio for our wedding. There was so much help we had in the preparations leading up to our wedding day, and the day-of was no exception. We feel the upmost gratitude to our team and their attention to detail that brought everything to life:
Day-Of Coordinator: Sandra Torrez, At Your Service by Sandra Torrez
Photography: Sarah Owens, Whitewood Photography
Catering: Absolutely Delicious
Wedding Cake: Susana Mijares, Délice Chocolatier & Patisserie
Gelato: South Alamode Panini & Gelato Company
DJ and MC services: Cutting Edge Entertainment
Florals: Flowers by Beverly
Venue: ZaZa Gardens
Hair and Makeup: JAX Studio
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