This San Antonio Riverwalk wedding was beautiful! The rooftop ceremony followed by the riverside reception was pure wedding perfection! The ONLY missing was Sheldon—Belinda and Hootie’s beloved furbaby!

After messaging each other back and forth on match.com, they finally agreed to see each other in person. The two connected over Belinda’s favorite drink at Starbucks. However, after that initial meetup, it wasn’t long after that the two admitted to their instant connection and chemistry and began officially dating.

Although Belinda’s mother was extremely ill and in a nursing home, that didn’t stop Eduardo, who prefers to be called Hootie, for asking for Belinda’s hand in marriage. He flew all the way to Ohio to have that meaningful conversation in person.

After securing Belinda’s mom’s grace, Hootie took Belinda to Tuscora Park—a park they had visited a few weeks before to take Belinda’s mom on an outing while she was still well. On June 14, 2018, Hootie took Belinda and sat her on the exact same bench the three had sat on only a short time before and asked her to marry him. Belinda was stunned by the surprise proposal and began laughing, but said, “Yes,” immediately. Belinda’s mom passed away on July 1, 2018.

Belinda and Eduardo’s day happened almost a year-to-the-date of the proposal. The two wed in a ceremony on June 7, 2019 on Hilton’s 5th-floor Terrace Garden overlooking downtown San Antonio. The ceremony was meant to honor Hootie’s 32-year commitment to the U. S. Army and his years of service. Belinda also found a way to incorporate her mother’s presence in their special day. She found a florist who creates artificial bouquets consisting of hand-made flowers and jewelry and broach pieces. Belinda’s bouquet contained pieces of her mom’s personal jewelry collection, as well as, Hootie’s Sergeant Major insignia on the stem of the arrangement.

Neither Belinda or Hootie had a parent or grandparent present on their wedding day. All had passed away prior to their special milestone. Belinda’s brother walked her down the aisle and also served as her best person.

It was very important to both of them for the ceremony and reception to be one where every friend and family member felt welcome and a day that was infused with many personal details. They had quite a diverse group of people attending: lifelong friends, churchgoers, military veterans, gay, straight, and transgendered people. Hootie’s childhood friend doubled as his and Belinda’s wedding officiant. They chose to integrate a U. S. Army color guard into the ceremony by recessing under extended, upright swords. They also included a lasso ritual which is prevalent in Hispanic culture and wedding traditions.

I would say that the single-most, biggest surprise of the day happened at the altar. Leading up to the very moment Belinda and Hootie would see each other to exchange wedding vows, Belinda had been his personal hairstylist. Hootie had been sporting a haircut very uncharacteristic of military discipline. As Belinda approached her soon-to-be husband, it took a second or two for her to realize Hootie had replaced his easygoing and relaxed haircut with a high-and-tight conforming to the strict guidelines of the service.

While they only had about 90 people in attendance, these guests came from nine different states. There was a palatable spirit of love and joy in the air. It was a huge, weekend-long celebration. Belinda and Hootie chose a venue that was right on the San Antonio River so everyone could make a complete weekend of it. Instead of a traditional honeymoon, the newly-wedded couple spent the days after their Friday afternoon wedding pretending to be tourists with some of their family and closest friends.

San Antonio Riverwalk Wedding

Enjoy some of my favorite images from this San Antonio riverwalk wedding then be sure to watch the slideshow at the end!

If you’d like to see more images from this San Antonio riverwalk wedding, please enjoy this video. For the best quality, be sure to change the video player settings to 1080 HD. 

The incredibly talented wedding team that Belinda and Hootie chose as the ensemble for their dream wedding day were as follows:

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue: Hilton Palacio Del Rio
Photographer: Ata-Girl Photography Co.
Second Shooter: Aria Productions
Planner/Coordinator: Ronda Roe (Hilton) and Lesley, friend of the bride
Officiant: Chad
Ceremony Musicians: Mariachi Jazmin
Caterer & Bar: Hilton Palacio Del Rio
Cake: The Cake Shop
Florist: Sharyn Kramer
DJ: Javon Barrios
Gown Boutique: David’s Bridal
Hair & Makeup Artist: I.O Martinez/Sephora El Paso
Invitations: Minted.com

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I am San Antonio’s most unique wedding photographer. I specialize in a 10-day image delivery, same-day prints, same-day slideshows, Italian handcrafted wedding albums and I have a mobile meeting space.

I am a full-time, internationally-awarded and WPPI-C certified professional wedding and senior photographer based in South Texas near San Antonio. I offer a premier and personal service coupled with an unforgettable photography experience. I cater to clients who appreciate quality photography and help them to create family heirlooms that will last for generations.

I started Ata-Girl Photography Co., LLC in 2010. I firmly believe that the unique set of circumstances I have faced in life has prepared me to take a personal and genuine interest in my photography clients. I enjoy documenting the important milestones and captivating moments in people’s lives. I love being a part of people’s journeys and consider myself privileged to document their legacies.

When I’m not photographing a wedding, family or high school senior, I love to spend my spare time hiking, camping, cycling, reading, listening to Elvis and Prince. The most important things in life are for me to see my two daughters happy and to create a family history my grandparents and grandson would be proud of!

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