A Personalized Fall Wedding at Hotel Emma in San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio–based newlyweds Angela Bazan (31 and a senior tax accountant) and Roberto Pacheco (35 and a sommelier) managed to keep mum on their officiant up until the start of their vows. “We chose to have a short ceremony officiated by my aunt,” Angela says. “We kept her identity a secret, so it was a really wonderful moment when she came out and surprised everyone.” Vintage San Antonio stamps added a fitting final touch to the wax-sealed invitations, and the couple's pup, Gardener, got glam with a garland harness for the festivities. Angela's bouquet boasted garden roses, proteas, dahlias, scabiosa, astilbe, thistle and hanging amaranthus. After an upbeat recessional to Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance,” the newlyweds invited guests to a cocktail hour that called for Italian wines that Angela and Roberto discovered during their engagement abroad. A Thanksgiving feast was in order at Hotel Emma, where gilded pumpkins, pomegranates and grapes topped long dining tables. “We chose to have our wedding the week of Thanksgiving because we wanted to spend the first moments of our life together with the people we’re most thankful for,” Angela says. Dessert came in the form of churros, chocolate mousse and Angela’s favorite nostalgic confection: yellow cake topped with classic chocolate icing. Since the duo had a caricature done during their engagement trip to Italy, they brought in artist Erica Missey to illustrate custom portraits for partygoers.