Cornerstone Church Wedding Photos

You no doubt are familiar with Cornerstone Church – one of the largest and most prominent churches in San Antonio. But did you know the church has a smaller chapel you can book for weddings? In today’s blog post I’ll share with you Alycia and John’s Cornerstone Church wedding photos from the Vada Hagee Prayer Chapel. This little chapel has beautiful stained glass windows and is an intimate alternative to the Cornerstone Church grand auditorium. So, if your guest count is under 400, then I’ve got you covered with all the details of a tiny little wedding that still packs a big punch to the heart.

Meet Alycia and John

These two seemed fated to meet. They initially met just in passing when they were both shopping in Huntsville, Texas, where they were both attending college. But it was upon seeing each other again the same week in their college bookstore that they both struck up a conversation. They found they had very similar interests — like a shared love of Dr. Martens — and a non-traditional look on life. What started as a friendship soon became a romance, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

The proposal was a very romantic occasion that took place on Valentine’s Day. John asked Alycia to marry him and then invited the couple’s closest friends over for a great big celebration.

Cornerstone Church Wedding Photos – First Look

Alycia and John‘s wedding day began with a first look. With only two hours of photography booked, this couple wisely chose to have a first look and to get all of their photography ‘chores’ out of the way ahead of their ceremony.

I elected to stage their first look in the little courtyard. This space turned out to be the perfect location for both the first look and the bride and groom portraits. There is a tree in the center of the patio, which serves as the focus of the space. To get the couple’s nerves out I started off by having them walk around the space, and then positioned them off to the side close to some decorative landscaping for additional photos. All family photos were taken inside the chapel

Portrait Locations

While Cornerstone Church is surrounded by asphalt, the good news is you still have plenty of photo locations hiding in plain sight. There is a stretch of green space along Stone Oak Parkway in front of the church that can serve as a ‘park’ in a pinch. The disadvantages of this space are that it is a busy area due to the road traffic and you are likely to have people waiting for the bus on the sidewalk. But f you can use a shallow depth of field and a telephoto lens, then you can make it look like you are in the middle of a Brackenridge Park. Call it a miracle!

This space along the building also has large glass windows, which are great for reflections. This was the area I had originally planned to use for the first look. One other spot to note is the limestone wall found against the maintenance area to the far left of the windows.

Other areas for photos include the entryway to the church. This area has interesting modern columns. Finally, the interior of the Vada Hagee Prayer Chapel is a lovely space for photos. During our time there unfortunately, the film projection screen was broken and could not be drawn up, so I could not take a wide shot of the church without having an ugly, torn screen in the photo. The stained glass windows, however, are beautiful in and of themselves.

Cornerstone Church Wedding Photos – The Ceremony

The ceremony was held in the Vada Hagee Prayer Chapel. Alycia and John’s ceremony was a simple, but sweet affair. Conducted by Rev. Alexander Wright, the ceremony had all the hallmarks of a much larger ritual in the big church. The couple exchanged rings and spoke personal vows to each other. And since no one grabbed the bouquet from the groomsman, he was left holding the flowers the entire time – which of course made for a great photo.

Cornerstone Church Wedding Photos – The Reception

I was there just for the start of the reception, but the room was set up beautifully. Originally the reception was supposed to be in the courtyard. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, and thus the event was moved indoors. Due to the humidity, this was no doubt a smart choice.

As you can clearly see from the photos, everyone had a great time and pink was the color of the day. I left before the fun really began, but I did cajole the couple into one quick spin on the dance floor.

I wish these two the best. Their next adventure will be moving to Ireland together!

Enjoy the images, and I’ll have more photo adventures for you next week!

Vendors

Venue: Vada Hagee Prayer Chapel, Cornerstone Church
Bride’s dress: Impression Bridal
Bride’s and groom’s shoes: Dr. Martens
Bride’s hairstylist and makeup: Athina Mirelez
Rings: Ernest Jewelers, Huntsville
Florist: FloralDate on Etsy
Cake: Betty Jane’s Bakeshoppe

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Looking to say ‘I do’ in San Antonio? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. I have hourly rates, and all photo shoots include editing and high-resolution files.

To view more images from my wedding photography portfolio, please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com