An Award-Winning New Year’s Eve Wedding at The St. Anthony Hotel

Allison and Derek planned a New Year’s Eve wedding weekend that felt distinctly San Antonio.

Both are established members of the local community and participate in Fiesta each year, so the weekend reflected a city and social circle that are an important part of their lives. The celebration began with dinner at the Alamo, followed by a casual welcome party downtown. On New Year’s Eve, guests gathered at The St. Anthony Hotel for a black-tie wedding planned and designed by Wilkinson Rhodes.

The weekend had plenty of personality. Mariachi music, live painting, bold floral installations, custom details, performers, confetti, rooftop fireworks and a late-night afterparty all played a part.

The wedding was later awarded the 2025 ILEA Esprit Award for Best Overall Wedding, recognizing the planning, design and execution behind the celebration.

Rehearsal Dinner at the Alamo

The weekend began with a rehearsal dinner at the Ralston Family Collections Center at the Alamo.

Allison and Derek arrived early with family, which gave us a little time for portraits around the grounds before dinner. For a couple with such strong ties to San Antonio, it was a setting that felt especially fitting.

Once everyone gathered, I photographed the evening mostly as it happened. Toasts, conversations, reactions around the tables and time with family became the focus.

Those quieter photographs are an important part of a wedding weekend. They give the final gallery context and preserve the people who were there, not only the formal events on the wedding day.

Welcome Party at La Honky Tonk

After dinner at the Alamo, guests headed downtown for a welcome party at La Honky Tonk.

The dive bar had a completely different personality than the rehearsal dinner. The night was casual, loud and fun, with live music, drinks and dancing.

It was a good contrast to the formal celebration planned for the following day and gave everyone a chance to relax together before New Year’s Eve.

For documentary wedding photography, these events are especially fun to cover because there is very little need to direct. People settle in quickly, and the photographs become about expression, movement and the relationships in the room.

Getting Ready in the John Wayne Suite

On New Year’s Eve, Allison got ready in the John Wayne Suite at The St. Anthony Hotel.

The afternoon began quietly with hair and makeup, bridal details and time with family. Allison got dressed with her mother nearby before sharing a reveal with her bridesmaids and another with her father.

These are often some of my favorite parts of a wedding day to photograph.

Rather than creating moments for the camera, I pay attention to what is already happening. A look across the room, a mother helping with a dress or an unexpected reaction can say much more about the day than something carefully staged.

Portraits Around The St. Anthony Hotel

Allison and Derek met for their first look before we spent a short amount of time photographing them around The St. Anthony.

We used Peacock Alley, the Gallery on the Park area and the streets surrounding the hotel. Their dogs joined us for part of the portraits as well.

The variety of spaces inside The St. Anthony makes it possible to create very different photographs without spending a large portion of the day traveling between locations.

The goal was to give Allison and Derek a strong collection of portraits while keeping the experience easy. We worked quickly, changed locations and then sent them back to enjoy the rest of the celebration.

Wedding Ceremony in the Peraux Ballroom

The ceremony took place in the Peraux Ballroom.

White flowers lined the space while family and friends gathered for the evening ceremony. The room felt formal, but the moments between people kept it personal.

After Allison and Derek were married, guests moved into Peacock Alley for cocktails and mariachi music.

The wedding also included a large custom seating display in Peacock Alley, along with custom bars, floral installations, monogrammed napkins, ribbon menu cards and playful dog inspired drink stirrers.

The combination of traditional San Antonio music with a more polished hotel setting felt especially appropriate for this wedding.

Cocktail Hour in Peacock Alley

Peacock Alley became its own part of the celebration rather than simply a place guests passed through.

Mariachi musicians performed while guests had drinks and found their seating assignments. The hotel’s architecture and green interiors gave this portion of the evening a completely different atmosphere than the ceremony and reception.

It also gave me time to photograph guests naturally.

Cocktail hour is often one of the best parts of a wedding for photojournalistic coverage. Everyone is moving, talking and reconnecting, and most people have forgotten about the camera entirely.

Anacacho Ballroom Wedding Reception

The reception took place in the Anacacho Ballroom, where Wilkinson Rhodes created a formal New Year’s Eve dinner surrounded by white florals, greenery and crystal chandeliers.

Long tables, layered place settings and floral installations filled the room. Custom cakes, a live wedding painter, specialty signage and custom bar designs added personality throughout the space. The planning notes also included floral bar treatments, custom napkins and a large seating installation.

I like photographing reception design both closely and within the context of the room.

The small details matter, but the photographs that show the full ballroom help preserve how the space actually felt once everything was finished and the guests arrived.

That balance is important to me. The design deserves attention, but it should still feel connected to the people experiencing it.

A New Year’s Eve Wedding in San Antonio

After dinner and the formal dances, the reception changed quickly.

The dance floor filled, performers joined the party and New Year’s Eve accessories started appearing throughout the room.

The evening had a lot happening at once, which is exactly where a documentary approach works well. I am watching for reactions, movement and small interactions while also keeping an eye on the larger celebration.

There were guests dancing beneath the chandeliers, family watching from the balcony and spontaneous moments happening throughout the ballroom.

As midnight approached, confetti filled the room and the celebration moved toward the rooftop for fireworks.

Midnight Fireworks and a Cavalier Room Afterparty

New Year’s Eve did not end at midnight.

After the fireworks, the celebration continued in the Cavalier Room.

The afterparty had lounge furniture, disco highboys, a neon sign and a more playful setup than the formal dinner earlier in the evening. Late night food included pretzels, sliders and a French fry station.

At that point in the night, there was almost no reason to direct anything.

The photographs became about the party itself. People were dancing, laughing, moving through the room and fully enjoying the night.

Those images are an important contrast to the composed portraits and carefully designed reception photographs earlier in the gallery.

Documentary Wedding Photography at The St. Anthony Hotel

This wedding is a good example of what documentary wedding photography means to me.

It does not mean avoiding portraits or ignoring the design.

It means understanding when direction is helpful and when it is better to stay quiet and let something happen.

Allison and Derek still have portraits together, family photographs, wedding party photographs and detailed images of the reception. But those sit alongside a mother reacting during the ceremony, a flower girl moving through the hotel, friends laughing during dinner and guests celebrating beneath confetti.

That range is what makes a wedding gallery feel complete.

The St. Anthony Hotel also works especially well for that approach because each part of the celebration can have its own atmosphere without guests having to leave the property.

The John Wayne Suite created a quiet setting for getting ready. Peacock Alley worked beautifully for portraits and cocktails. The Peraux Ballroom held the ceremony. The Anacacho Ballroom became the center of the reception, while the Cavalier Room gave the late night party a completely different feel.

An Award Winning Wedding Planned by Wilkinson Rhodes

Allison and Derek’s wedding was later recognized with the 2025 ILEA Esprit Award for Best Overall Wedding.

It was a fitting recognition for a celebration that relied on detailed planning and a large creative team.

Wilkinson Rhodes designed and produced an evening with multiple spaces, live entertainment, custom floral installations, a mariachi performance, live painting, performers, rooftop fireworks and an afterparty while keeping the experience cohesive for guests.

But what I love most in the photographs is that the production never overshadows the people.

There is a lot to look at in this wedding, but there is also a lot to feel.

Family, old friends, traditions, laughter and a very full dance floor made the celebration distinctly Allison and Derek.

And for two people so connected to San Antonio, The St. Anthony was a fitting place to ring in a new year surrounded by everyone they love.

Wedding Vendors

Planning & Design: Wilkinson Rhodes, @wilkinsonrhodes

Venue: The St. Anthony, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Antonio, @thestanthonyhotel

Band: Plush Party Band, @plushpartyband

Rentals: Bright Event Rentals, @brighteventrentals

Floral & Decor: Wilkinson Rhodes, @wilkinsonrhodes

Florist: Last Straw Florist, @laststrawflorist

Cake: Cakes By Cathy Young, @cakesbycathyyoung

DJ & Entertainment: Gaines Entertainment, @gainesentertainment

Live Performers: Artisan Oddities Entertainment, @artisanoddities

Mariachi: Mariachi Nuevo Estilo, @mariachinuevoestilo

Live Wedding Painting: Alyssa Love W.C. Artists, @alyssalovewcartists

Strings: Monte Vista Strings & Jazz, @montevistastings

Videography: Custom Made Productions, @custommadeproductions

Bridal Gown: AMSALE, @amsalebridal

Cocktail Dress: Monique Lhuillier, @moniquelhuillierbride

Bridal Boutique: Julian Gold Bridal, @juliangoldbridal