Derrick and Jaci Bradford | Wedding Day at the St. Regis Hotel and West End Church in Downtown Houston, Tx
Jaci and Derrick Bradford //
WEDDING DAY AT THE ST. REGIS HOTEL AND WEST END CHURCH IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, TX
Why do you want to capture your wedding on video?: One of my best friends & bridesmaids was the first of our friend group to get married about 5 years ago. Soon after her own wedding she said the one thing she was sad about her wedding was that it wasn't videographed. I realized in that conversation that photos, although perfect and wonderful in their own right, can't capture the sights and sounds quite like videography can. This day is so important for Derrick & I and our life together. We want the wedding videographed to be able to relive and revisit these memories over the years. I have watched my parents, aunt and uncles, and other family members wedding videos from 20+ years ago. It's a way for memories to be preserved in a more personal and tangible way so that our kids and grand kids can feel the sweet magic that we know our day is going to be. It's a joyful thought to be able to know we will be watching our wedding video many years down the road.
Why did you pick Me?: I've watched HOURS of wedding videography. Even prior to getting engaged or even meeting Derrick I LOVED pulling up Vimeo and youtube and watching wedding videos - I've cried at more strangers wedding than I care to admit. Then it came time to pick my own videographer and I was having the hardest time finding someone who consistently captured what I wanted my personal video to look like. Everything was beautiful in its own right but no ones work felt like MY wedding. I am not one to ask for help, but I genuinely trust my photographer, and she gave me a few names after I'd exhausted my search. I got to your website and was like YES YES YES. It was exactly what I had been looking for. I felt like each video captured that couple for their love, their wedding day, their personalities instead of just your typical shots to smush together and make a film. I really felt like you produced, in the video producer since of the word, a short film for each couple that was for THEM and no one else. Every video I watched was lovely, different, elegant, and so well done. That is why I picked you!
You guys.. What do you do? How do you spend your time together? What is important in life to you?: Derrick and I both have degrees in accounting and both work in the account realm. We met working at an accounting firm during college. I don't really think we fit the general mold for accountants. We're no Kevin from The Office. Derrick is die hard Ole Miss fan - particularly baseball and football. Lots of his time is spent watching those games. I enjoy the social aspect of sports, not necessarily the sport part of sports! We love to take walks, lots of walks. Some of my favorite memories are the walks we use to take a the park by his house in college. We learned so much about each other walking that trail. We also like to cook, more accurately, he cooks and I eat! We love charcutarie boards and a nice bottle of wine on the patio. So much of our relationships foundation was formed over a nice glass of wine and a good long conversation. There are lots of things that are important to both of us, separately and together. Derrick loves his sweet grandmother like i've never seen. It's one of my favorite things I saw early on in him. We both value family deeply. I think I speak for us both when I say together, we want to live a life of meaning, through faith and service towards others. Where my gifts lie more in the outgoing and social environment - Derrick's gifts center around listening, steadfastness, and giving. I know we will make such a great duo in life, attaining what is important to both of us while simultaneously securing what is important to each of us individually.
The proposal... Tell me everything (all the details): Derrick did such a great job planning this out to a T. I love that about him, when he has to plan something, he goes all out! Derrick had been talking to my best friend and maid of honor since January, after he went ring shopping at his home in St. Louis over Christmas. I guess knew he needed months to plan of the perfect proposal! I am not one who is easily surprised and had known that was where our relationship was headed for some time. I would ask him and my friends about it all the time. Derrick had picked the weekend a few months out and it just so happened to be the weekend a college friend was getting married out of town. In order to keep me in town, Derrick had Madi plan this whole houston weekend where her family ( including mom who loves gardens) was going to come into town and we were going to show them around and hang out - the guys would play golf, we'd go to the Bayou Bend Gardens, which was across from my apartments at the time. About a week before the proposal was set to take place, Barbara Bush passed away, blocking off ALL entrances into that Garden on memorial! Derrick was scrambling with a new plan when I nonchalantly sent a text to Madi saying "why don't we go to the arboretum in Spring", meanwhile they're planning for that to be the new proposal sight. I walked myself perfectly into their plan! Morning of, we get ready and head to the arboretum. Its sprinkling a little and I remember my mom being kinda strange saying to not carry and umbrella. We're casually walking through the park (not the prettiest because it was destroyed by harvey, but we're having a fun time). Eventually I spot what looks like like back of Derrick sitting on a bench. I turned to my mom and said "I think thats derrick" and she was like noooooo we get closer and closer and the more I realize that it was Derrick. I knew what was happening! Alot of the details start to go blurry because I was just so excited. Derrick said a few words, wish I had them recorded (haha) and gets down on one knee! I said yes, of course! It was such a sweet moment. His family from out of state pops out of the bushes to celebrate with us! It was so sweet that they flew and drove in for us! We went to lunch and then had a sweet party on the roof of my apartment with our extended family. We will cherish those memories forever!
The Venue/s? Why this place over everywhere else?: We picked our church because it was our church! (haha) It is a beautiful building with stained glass and old pews. Although we only went to church there for a little over a year, we love that church. We picked the St. Regis for our reception because it was really a one stop shop! The chandelier is beautiful and I've always wanted the elegant, sophisticated vibe for a wedding! That is not really how I grew up, so being able to execute this type of wedding is really a dream come true. (Thanks to my dad) I love the vibe of the older hotel with great amenities and am excited for all of our guests to experience it too!
What experience do you want to give your guests?: At the ceremony, I really want all of our guests to be reminded of the meaning of marriage. I know our ceremony will be a sweet communication to Christ about our love for each other and this journey of marriage we're about to go on. Our ceremony will be soft and sweet, until the end, when we walk out to Taylor Swift's new song, ME!. I am hoping that starts the vibe for the reception! We picked a guitarist over a pianist for cocktail hour in hopes of keeping the evening lively, while remaining classy! After the ceremony, I really want the night to be all about mingling with extended family and friends you don't get to see too often. Enjoying good drinks, too! I want all of our guests to dance the night away and really enjoy the live band!
Check out their Teaser Film:
Vendor Team:
Ceremony Venue- West End Church
Reception Venue, Catering, Linens, and Cake- St. Regis Hotel
Florals and Coordination- Jennifer Laura Design
Photography- Ashlen Sydney Photography
Lighting- Intelligent Lighting
Band- The Satellite Band, Austin
Videographer- Jake Austin Films
HAMU- Southern and Adorn
Flower Wall- Glo Paper Flowers
Calligraphy- Half Moon Lettering
Transportation- Sam’s Limousine
Rentals- What’s the Occasion