I’ve been looking forward to this wedding day ever since R booked me for his proposal last year. Shortly after, she reached out to me to document their courthouse wedding. A month or two after that, they reached out again for me to document their church wedding. This time their wedding is at the San Fernando Cathedral. It was a bittersweet moment. I rarely get to capture couples from start “the proposal” to finish “wedding day.”

The San Fernando Cathedral

When I found out it was going to be at the San Fernando Cathedral, I got extremely excited. It was a dream come true. I always wanted to capture a San Fernando Cathedral wedding ever since I started wedding photography. I’ve done many catholic church weddings. However, non of which occurred at the San Fernando Cathedral. The cathedral is beautiful inside and out. It is one of the best catholic church in San Antonio because of it’s high ceiling, beautiful altar, and historical features. It is the oldest too! Built in 1750s. The cathedral is 274 years old!

The challenges of photographing catholic weddings

I knew prior to their wedding day that catholic weddings are a little bit more strict than other weddings I’ve been to. Typically, we are not allowed to move around the church once the wedding starts. We are also not allowed to go on certain areas to get a closer shot. This is why I highly suggest having a second shooter for catholic weddings to make sure we capture every moment at all possible angles.

Another to keep in mind, flash is not always allowed during the ceremony inside the church. It is very important to have a camera that can take photos at low-light scenarios.

I was surprised to find out that the priest who will wed my couple has the Archbishop Gustavo himself. I’m not sure whether he is a “strict” priest or a “cool” priest. I was confounded when the archbishop stopped his speech and told us “come closer, you gotta get the face of our beautiful couple.”That is when I learned not to be intimidated with catholic weddings. If the archbishop is cool like that, most priests should be too right? After all, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. I’m kidding of course. It is extremely important to find out the rules of the church prior to any wedding day. Contact the church coordinator for the church rules beforehand.

If you’re interested in having your wedding at the San Fernando Cathedral, feel free to visit their website here for more info.

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To see more of photos of the reception, check them out here!