Close shot of the couple’s feet and the hem of Avery’s short dress as jump on couple's hotel bed - Club Giraud and LandRace
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Club Giraud Ceremony + Landrace at Thompson Hotel Wedding Reception

ByPhilip Thomas

We begin with Avery and Adam’s rehearsal dinner at Club Giraud, followed by their wedding ceremony the next day in San Antonio, Texas. Their elegant reception took place at Landrace, on the ground floor of the Thompson Hotel along the Riverwalk. Avery and Adam are a wonderful couple, and I’m so happy for them. It was a pleasure getting to know their family and friends, too. A special thank-you to Avery’s mother, Melanie, for kindly referring me to her daughter.

Thanks also to my old friend and fellow Brit, Adam Swift, and to the amazing Amanda of Wolf Weddings, who expertly managed the wedding day. It was also kinda cool to see the bridal party and Talarico senator-elect campaign bus pass through my lens. Here are a few of my favorite images from their celebration. As always, my goal is to capture the day as it felt, without relying on the clichés of traditional wedding photography. I hope that comes through as you scroll through their beautiful story below.


Vendors:
Rehearsal Dinner: Club Giraud
Ceremony: Club Giraud
Reception: Thompson San Antonio Hotel / LandRace
Wedding Planner: Wolf Weddings / Amanda
Florist: Lauren
DJ: DJMaro
Band: Trinity Jazz Band
Officiant: Judge Andy Lewis (Father of the bride)
Photographer: Philip Thomas Photography

  • Guests gather in the garden at Club Giraud as the wedding day gets under way.
  • Close detail of clasped hands against the pale pink fabric of the bridal party’s dresses.
  • Evening at Club Giraud, with guests mingling outside the venue under the oak trees.
  • A toddler in a suit leans in close to a woman, black and white.
  • Black and white photo of a vintage lantern on a carved stone pillar at Club Giraud.
  • Three young children sit together on a couch, looking down at a book.
  • Avery’s wedding dress hangs beside a window in a dim room.
  • Black and white close-up of a pianist’s hands on the keys of a Yamaha piano.
  • Black and white shot of bridesmaids seated in a dark room, the dress silhouetted in the foreground.
  • Avery’s hand rests with her ring in a single beam of light.
  • The wedding dress hangs in a dim room with bookshelves behind it.
  • Avery stands in a dark doorway, hands on her hips, ready in her gown.
  • Soft, blurred black and white detail from the getting-ready room.
  • Black and white photo of bridesmaids helping Avery into her dress by a sunlit window.
  • Black and white overhead view of Avery in her gown standing on a stone floor.
  • Avery in her gown seen through the trees as she makes her way across the garden at Club Giraud.
  • Avery and Adam embrace in a warmly lit hallway beneath a chandelier.
  • Avery and Adam hold hands in a library lined with bookshelves. Wes Andersen inspired
  • Handwritten place cards clipped to a lattice display at Club Giraud.
  • Black and white photo of a young boy smiling at a table, an adult beside him.
  • Guests wait under the oaks as Avery stands near the venue building.
  • Avery wipes away a tear, bouquet in hand, as Adam stands beside her at the stone wall.
  • Live oak branches fill the frame over the ceremony site at Club Giraud.
  • Close portrait of Adam smiling, with the edge of Avery’s veil beside him.
  • Wide view of the ceremony beneath the live oaks, guests seated and the couple at the front.
  • An older guest dabs her eyes during the ceremony, a bearded man seated beside her.
  • The officiant in a black robe speaks with Adam and Avery at the altar.
  • Guests seated outdoors, seen through a dark window frame.
  • Avery and Adam share their first kiss as a married couple in front of a stone wall.
  • Black and white photo of Avery and Adam laughing as they walk back up the aisle, guests behind them.
  • Black and white photo of Adam and Avery close together as her veil sweeps across the frame.
  • Black and white view of stone steps winding up through the garden at Club Giraud.
  • Black and white portrait of Avery and Adam walking together along a tree-lined path.
  • he ceremony had just finished, and the newlyweds and their bridal party were walking around the block to the reception when the Talarico campaign bus pulled up alongside them on October 24, 2026.
  • Avery and Adam cross a downtown San Antonio crosswalk,
  • Avery, holding her bouquet, and Adam walk down the staircase at Landrace.
  • Avery and Adam sign their marriage license at a table lit by a small lamp.
  • A glass chandelier hangs above the dining tables at Landrace.
  • Avery and Adam dance near the DJ setup, her hand raised in a twirl.
  • Mother of the bride in a red dress laughs, white flowers blurred behind her.
  • Black and white silhouette of father and daughter first dance dancing behind a sheer curtain.
  • Dim exterior of Thompson hotel, mostly shadow with a thin line of light across the top.
  • Avery and Adam embrace in the warm glow of the reception room.
  • Black and white photo of guests laughing at a table, and the sister sobbing with joy after receiving the brides bouquet.
  • Avery smiles as she stands among seated family members.
  • Avery dances with a young girl, one arm stretched out.
  • A packed dance floor under amber light at the reception.
  • Avery dances with her arms raised, friends crowded around her.
  • Black and white photo of Avery twirling in her gown while Adam looks on.
  • Close shot of the couple’s feet and the hem of Avery’s short dress as jump on couple's hotel bed - Club Giraud and LandRace
  • Looking up at the Thompson Hotel’s glass facade at night, a palm frond at the edge.
  • Avery and Adam dance with guests, Avery in her short white dress.
  • The DJ in headphones, with the lights of downtown San Antonio behind him.
  • Avery and Adam embrace in front of a staircase lined with candles.
  • The couple dances close while guests and city lights fill the windows behind them.
  • Avery and Adam hold each other in a dim, blue-toned corner of the room.
  • Friends cheer with their arms raised on the terrace dance floor at night.
  • Guests dance outside at night while Avery and Adam kiss at the left of the frame.

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