A Timeless Wedding at Spinelli’s Cathedral and Venue | San Antonio, Texas
What an absolutely beautiful wedding I have to share with you! Emily and Matt’s big day was amazing in every way! 🙂 From the beautiful blush bridal gown and elegant ceremony details, to the intimate moment when Matt and Emily shared notes before the wedding…this is one of those weddings that makes me so, so thankful for what I do! Some days I can hardly believe this is a JOB…what??! 🙂
I always love to hear my couples’ love stories, and this one is just so sweet!
“Matt and I actually met through my family!” Emily told me. “My cousin Cassie and Matt were good friends all throughout high school, and then through college and beyond! My mom asked Cassie’s mom if they knew of any good guys for me. They immediately agreed that I should meet Matt, and Cassie gave him my number! The rest, as they say, is history! 🙂
“When Matt proposed, we had just moved into our first home together, which needed a lot of TLC. After about a month of updating almost everything and doing a lot of manual labor, we had finished! When everything was complete, Matt looked at me and said “So are we done?! Have we finished everything we wanted to do?” And I said “YES!” very excitedly. 🙂
“We celebrated for a minute, and then I went on about my evening chores (folding his laundry haha). As I was mid-fold he sat down on the bed and pulled out a box and asked me to marry him. It was so perfect, so simple and so special. Matt and I truly are perfect for each other, and we can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together!”
Emily and Matt, I’m so happy I got to celebrate with you! Thank you so much for having me at your wedding! 🙂 If your marriage is as beautiful as your big day, you’re in for such an amazing adventure! Congratulations again, and much love to the two of you! 🙂
Getting Ready














The Ceremony 















Portraits











Wedding Reception










The Grand Exit! 
Huge thanks to all the amazing vendors that helped make this day fabulous!
Vendors:
Venue: Spinellis Wedding Cathedral and venue
Bridal Gown: Stella York
Bridal Shoes: Harriet Wilde
Florist: Heb Bloom
Invitations: Basic Invite
Rental Company: Mugshot Photo Booth
Makeup + Hair: Madame Makeup and Hair
DJ/Band: Tunes Across Texas
Assistant: Priscilla
All photos are by Monica Roberts Photography. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
I am so excited to announce my 2018 Black Friday Special + a GIVEAWAY! I have never offered a special like this before…and I’m not sure if I will offer this again next year!
This special will run from Monday, November 19, 2018, at 7:00 AM CST until Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at 7:00 AM CST… OR until this sells out! I am only offering a limited number of specials to be sold. So once they’re gone… they’re gone!
WINNER! Michelle Andrews | An email has been sent! Congratulations!!
GIVEAWAY:
ONE lucky winner will receive a FREE session… family, children, engagement, anniversary or couples session! The winner will have one year to use this session (Anytime between January – December 30, 2019). All you have to do is comment on this blog post. If you want extra entries, you can head to my facebook page and like + comment + share the post about this Black Friday Sale + Giveaway! The winner will be selected at random on Tuesday, November 27, 2018. If you purchase a session during this Black Friday Sale and end up being the winner of this giveaway, you will receive a refund. The winner will also receive my FAVORITE lip scrub and gloss (bareKiss) by Mizzi Cosmetics! GOOD LUCK!!
Who is this for?
This special is for Families (up to 4 family members… if you have more members, please contact me before purchasing), Children, Maternity and Couples. This cannot be used for weddings, boudoir, or any other type of session. If you are unsure, please email me before purchasing. If you are a current client of mine, you can purchase this for a Bridals session… but you MUST be a current wedding client of mine.
What do you get?
This is the FUN part! I have NEVER offered anything like this… and I am so excited to be able to do this! You will get a FULL session + edited images in a private online gallery + USB of edited images with rights to print! You will have ONE YEAR to use this session! So, you can purchase now and use this session up until December 30, 2019! How exciting is that?!! You can also purchase this as a gift! I will have gift certificates available to be mailed out! If this is for a gift…please send me an email once this is purchased letting me know.
What is this special?
You will get a FULL session (up to 2 hours) with a private online gallery + USB of edited images- with rights to print! My full session rate is $650.00, BUT if you purchase this during the Black Friday Sale, you will get this for $300.00! You will have the option to pay the balance in full… OR you can pay the 50% retainer with the balance due 7 days prior to your session date. If you have any questions, please send me an email.
I’m making it easy to secure you FULL session at my mini session rate! Just click the link below and your spot will be reserved! If you are purchasing this as a gift, please send me an email letting me know this is a gift along with the name of the person this is being gifted to. All Gift Certificates will be mailed out within 10 days from purchase. If you are paying the retainer only, the gift certificate will not be mailed out until the balance is paid in full. Gift Certificates will be sent to the address provided.
I am completely booked for 2018 sessions.. but you can start using this session starting January 2019! And remember… this special is valid until December 30, 2019!
Click the link below to purchase. You do NOT need to have PayPal account to secure your purchase. When paying, just select the “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” option.
San Antonio Holiday Mini Sessions
I’m late getting these started this year… But so happy I get to offer these this year. I had to skip my Holiday Mini-Sessions last year due to lack of time. This is the ONLY time of year that I offer mini-sessions. We have these scheduled for 2 dates with 2 spots per date. *** I JUST UPDATED to add 2 MORE TIME SLOTS ***
When?
The 2018 Holiday mini-sessions will take place on Sunday, November 11, 2018, and Sunday, December 2, 2018. I’ll have 2 late afternoon timeslots available. You WILL have these images back in time before Christmas. My average turnaround time for mini sessions is about 7 days.
Here is my estimated time slot for the November and December session is 3:30 pm. I will also have a morning session available.
Also, I do have one slot open for a mini session on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at 4:30 pm. If you’re interested in this sessions, please email me to get this date booked. SOLD OUT!
Where?
2018 Mini sessions will take place just outside the San Antonio, Texas / in the Boerne, TX area. This year’s mini sessions will be held in a field setting. Once your session is booked, I’ll send you over all the location details along with your time.
What do you get:
30- Minute Session
15- images edited + online private gallery
15- images edited + USB – with print release
$300.00 | a 50% retainer is due in order to book your session. The balance for the mini session is due 7 days prior to the session.
Book your Holiday Mini Session
To book your Holiday Mini session with Monica Roberts Photography, please select the date you want for your session and you will be directed to pay the 50% retainer. The retainer secures your session date. Once this has been received, you will receive a confirmation from me.
If you have any questions regarding the San Antonio, TX Holiday Mini sessions or would like information on booking a full session, please send me an email.
Maggie & Grayson
New Braunfels, Texas Wedding
I am so excited to be sharing this beautiful rustic wedding on the blog today!! Maggie and Grayson are such a sweet couple, and their wedding day was full of happiness! From the smiles on Maggie’s face as she got ready to see Grayson, to the beautiful rustic tablescapes at their indoor reception – it was such a special day for the two of them and I was thrilled to capture it all!
“Our story is just my favorite!” Maggie told me. “It all began one fall evening in October 2014, when we were both attending college. Our fraternity and sorority chapters were meeting up for a social mixer, and Grayson was carpooling a group in his truck downtown for the scavenger hunt. I asked if I could join the group and ride with them, even though I had the last available seat in the truck!
“Once we arrived Downtown we had a great time exploring the city and taking pictures. A group of us ended up at a bar to continue the evening. There Grayson surprised me by buying me a rose. It was the sweetest thing someone’s ever done!
“By the time we went back to the fraternity house for the post-scavenger hunt party I had lost the rose (which Grayson still doesn’t let me live down), stolen his favorite koozie, and had accidentally kicked him in the head while on the front porch swing, so I thought for sure I had blown it!
“But he was actually with his family the next day and telling them all about me. Later in the day, I received a Facebook message from him asking for pictures of the social mixer, and though he didn’t ask for my number then, I could tell he was interested!
“A few days later I was approached by one of my sisters, who was a long time friend of Grayson’s. She questioned me about what happened between the two of us, and then decided to call Grayson! Soon I sent him my number and invited him to a Halloween party the following week. To my surprise, he accepted, and came to the party!
“Over the next few months he took me out on dates and we hung out more and more, until on New Year’s Eve I invited him over to my family’s house to meet the parents, and celebrate. At the stroke of midnight going into 2015, we officially became an ‘us.’
“As we approached our 2.5 year anniversary, Grayson and I set out to make one of the biggest purchases we had made yet – 10 acres of land for us to build our forever home in south Texas! We were so excited to begin work clearing and preparing the land, and I decided I wanted to carve our initials into a large mesquite tree. I noticed Grayson was acting strange and started to ask silly questions, but I didn’t think anything of it…that is, until I realized our song began playing in the background off of his portable speaker. Grayson had gotten down on one knee!
“With tears in his eyes, he hesitated, took a deep breath, and asked me to marry him. In the heat of a south Texas summer afternoon, on the tailgate of his truck, in the middle of our land, with our whole future ahead of us, I said yes.”
Maggie and Grayson, I just love reading your story! You are perfect for each other! 🙂 I’m so happy we got to meet, and thrilled I got to be with you on your special day. Big hugs to both of you! 🙂
The Chapel at Gruene Estate Wedding Ceremony













Just Married at Gruene Estate! 





















Amanda & Gilberto’s Wedding at Hayes Hollow | Hidden Falls, TX
These two are married!!! And I’m so grateful I got to be part of Amanda and Gilberto’s wedding day! 🙂It was so fun and romantic, and full of the prettiest details. I’m happy to be sharing all of the pretty with you guys on the blog!!
The wedding was held at the beautiful Hayes Hollow venue, located in Hidden Falls, Texas! With waterfalls, open sky, and a stunning ballroom, Hayes Hollow was the perfect choice for their beautiful wedding. Krista from A Signature Event brought the couple’s visions to life, designing a rustic-elegant event with greenery, blush, and mulberry accents. Flowers from Evember Floral finished the beautiful look!
Amanda told me, “We met at a local spot in San Marcos, Texas. “It was Halloween night 2014. I spotted him at the opposite corner of the bench I was sitting in. We locked eyes for a split second and then looked away. I don’t know what it was about Gilbert, but when I saw him everything sort of stopped and I knew I had to go talk to him! I started the conversation by asking him if he was “Hispanic” (lol). He smirked because it was probably the funniest thing to ask. Nonetheless, we chatted for a long while. I felt like sparks were flying, but I kept my cool. We gave each other a summary of our lives in about 30 minutes and realized that we had so much in common! We share a great passion for music, traveling and being outdoors. I was super nervous, so we exchanged numbers and then I gave him a fist pump and smiled. The next day, we went on a hike, but we showed up on opposite ends of Purgatory Creek Park. Since the sun was coming down, I told Gilbert the marker I was at and decided to wait for him. He did not realize he was at the other end of the park until he hiked about 3 miles to come meet me with his phone light on because it was getting dark. I thought that was so intense and felt so bad that I offered to have dinner with him. We had a nice dinner at a small local Mexican restaurant. I felt comfortable around his presence and noticed he could not stop smiling… We continued to see each other every day that week and after 10 days had passed we decided we wanted to be together in a relationship since we couldn’t stay away from each other. Since those days in 2014, we’ve traveled to numerous locations, gone on a lot of fun outdoor adventures with our pups Sarge and Chloe, and we even purchased our own home. I’m so glad we met each other and I have grown to love Gilbert much more in these past 3 1/2 years. I couldn’t picture myself with anyone else and I’m so grateful for this journey together”.
I love this love story and I’m so happy I was able to capture your first day as Husband and Wife!
Amanda told me that Gilberto proposed when they were on a trip to Denver, Colorado! “We were at the Garden of the Gods,” she said. “And we had reached the top of one of the rock formations. The view was incredible! He asked me to pose for a photo, and gave a random person his phone to photograph us. Little did that person know he was about to photograph our engagement! Gilberto told me he needed to get his sunglasses out of his case, and pulled out the ring that he had hidden then, He got on one knee and proposed! It was such a wonderful surprise!”
And Amanda and Gilberto, your wedding was just as amazing as your love story! Congratulations you two! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day!! I’m so happy for you and wish you all the best the world can give! 🙂
Enjoy a few of my favorites from this gorgeous wedding!
I’m loving these Badgley Mischka Flats!
The Ceremony at Hayes Hollow
I’m in love with the ceremony site! The beautiful florals + the amazing backdrop is perfection!
Portraits
Amazing!!!
The Reception
Congratulations to Amanda + Gilbert! It was an honor to capture your first day as Husband and Wife!!
All images are by Monica Roberts Photography. Please do not copy or print any images from this blog post. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Vendors:
Venue: Hayes Hollow
Wedding Design & Coordination: A Signature Event by Krista Lee
Florals: Evember Floral
Bridal Gown: Sophia Tolli
Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Groom’s Attire: Calvin Klein
Makeup + Hair: Blushd Beauty
Bakery: Sweet Treats
Officiant: Jennie Terrazas
DJ/Band: Ernesto Calderon at DJ Masquerade
Videographer: Something Clever Productions
Popsicles: Steel City Pops San Antonio
Photo assist by Priscilla
Katie evans - So excited for this!
info@monicarphotography.com - Me too!! I cannot wait to see your sweet family again!!
Andrea Hammonf - I would love to win! It would be for my 3 year olds birthday!
Andrea Hammond - I would love to win! It would be for my 3 year olds birthday pics!
info@monicarphotography.com - So exciting!! 3 is such a fun age!! I hope I get to meet Y’all soon!! Good luck on the giveaway!
Sara Allen - omg I hope I win!! love your photos!
info@monicarphotography.com - Thank you!!! So happy you love my photos!! <3 Good luck on the giveaway!
Michelle Andrews - I have followed you for a long time. I would love this session for my family!
info@monicarphotography.com - Thank you so much! I hope to get to meet you! Good luck on the giveaway!
Kirsten Marshall - Would love to win a session with you!
info@monicarphotography.com - Good luck on the giveaway! Thank you for entering!!
Jessica Miller - I just purchased a session + a gift for my brother and his family! So excited!
info@monicarphotography.com - I am so excited to meet you and your brothers family! What a sweet gift to give! Thank you!
Bianca - I love your photos!! I’ve never done a photo shoot session before but I would love to win a couples one!
info@monicarphotography.com - Thank you for the sweet compliment!! Good luck on the giveaway!
Bianca - Would LOVE to win!! I love your photos!
info@monicarphotography.com - Thank you so much!!! <3 Good luck on the giveaway!
Kat - This is awesome, Monica! I’m entering!
info@monicarphotography.com - YAY!!! I am soooo excited for your wedding! Good luck on the giveaway!
Sarah Beltrame - What a great giveaway! We had our engagement photos with you and would love to do maternity!
info@monicarphotography.com - Thats so exciting, Sarah! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope I get to have y’all in front of my camera soon!
Sarah Teague - What a great giveaway! We had our engagement session with wou and would love to have a maternity shoot with you!
Theresa - I am so excited for this!!! I couldn’t wait so I went ahead and purchased a session for next year! Thank you for offering this! I love your photos!!!
info@monicarphotography.com - Awwww YAY!! I am so so excited to meet and photograph y’all!! Thank you!
Sean Parker - This would be amazing!! Great surprise for my wife!
info@monicarphotography.com - I know she would love this! Good Luck!! 🙂
Whitney Watson Wood - Monica is so talented ! 😘
info@monicarphotography.com - You are sooo sweet!!! <3 You!!
Katy Walker - We love Monica and her photography!
info@monicarphotography.com - Awwww I lovelovelove y’all!! And hope I get to see y’all soon!!!
Debbie Cowey - You take such beautiful pictures ! I would love to have Chloe’s picture taken by you!
Michelle Polendo - Fingers crossed! Wedding photos needed
Stephanie Spain - 🧡🧡😘😘🧡🧡