Hotel Emma : San Antonio Iconic Wedding Venue

I am always on the lookout for exceptional, iconic and unique wedding venues. A wedding is a very personal and intimate affair and the chosen venue need to reflect the bride and groom style.

As a newcomer wedding photographer to San Antonio and Texas, I have been exploring what the area has to offer to couples looking for the perfect venue for their wedding celebration, one that creates the right environment for their “I do” and that serves as an amazing stage for my photography.

The venue can elevate the wedding experience or can make it just average. It needs to be unique, exciting and inspiring. It has to be unforgettable for all the right reasons.

Many brides ask me what do I look for on a wedding venue? I look for a layering of textures, colors, and patterns. The attention to details on every aspect of the place. All that gives the wedding venue character and personality which creates the ambiance for the perfect experience and amazing photos.

As soon as I walked into the Hotel Emma, in the Pearl Historic area of San Antonio, I immediately knew it was not your average Hotel or wedding venue. It is an exquisite and luxurious venue filled with a unique romantic character and personality. What a place!!

 

Originally The Pearl Brewery, the building was rescued and turned into the luxurious and elegant Hotel Emma. One thing that impressed me was how they took the machinery and re-purposed to give the hotel a unique character and personality. I was blown away by the meticulous attention paid to every detail of the Hotel Emma.

The designers of the Hotel Emma went all over Texas looking for the right furniture for the hotel that will complement its unique style and lend an eclectic look and feel to the place. To visit Hotel Emma is a unique experience full of romance, southern Texas charm and elegance, and luxury.

 

“The hotel is named in honor of Emma Koehler, a towering figure in Pearl history. Emma ran the brewery after her husband and Pearl president Otto Koehler died in 1914. She was an ingenious CEO who kept the brewery going during Prohibition by converting operations to dry cleaning and auto repair and making near beer, ice cream, and soda. While other breweries were shutting down, Emma kept her entire workforce employed. She turned over control of the company to a nephew in 1933, but was a formidable presence at the brewery until her death in 1943.” – from the Emma Hotel Story. You can read the rest of the fascinating story here.

The rooms at Emma are not your average hotel rooms either. Each one has its own unique character and personality too. I had the opportunity to visit the “Emma Koehler” Suite, named after the wife of the brewery founder, is the epitome of eclectic elegance and luxury. What a magnificent room with a fabulous terrace overlooking the river. perfect for entertaining an intimate welcome party or just a romantic dinner for two. I can’t wait to do an intimate and romantic couple’s session.

 

 

For your reception, the Hotel Emma has several options to accommodate weddings of all sizes. One of my favorite rooms is the Elephant Room. It has old world charm, a perfect mix of elegance and organic. Hotel Emma is perfect for your elegant black tie wedding as well as for your Boho wedding, or a mix of both.

 

For very large wedding reception the Hotel Emma has The Pearl Stable. Once a grand home to the brewery’s draft horses in the late 1800s, today Pearl Stable provides a unique site for weddings.

You can see from my images that, thus far, I must say that Hotel Emma has to be my favorite venue in San Antonio and I can’t wait to do a wedding there. For more information contact Hotel Emma aby calling 210 448 8300 or via email at sales@thehotelemma.com.

The Stable at Pearl can be contacted by calling 210.236.4203 or jlopez@pearlbrewery.com.