Rosenberg Skyroom at the University of the Incarnate Word

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

McAllister Park

Breakfast the Morning After

Our Wedding

Once upon a time, John Wendell Dela Cruz Mendiola (son of McDowell and Rizalina Mendiola) and Monica Nelle Clifford (daughter of Mark and Cheryl Clifford) were both freshmen at Trinity University. Because they both enjoyed film and television and comics, they each made the decision to sign up for TigerTV, the campus television station, and specifically they chose to work on the music and pop culture show, Studio21. Monica was "talent" (on camera); John was behind the camera, working as a crew member. John noticed colorful Monica (who kept dyeing her hair all sorts of shades like blue and pink), but she was oblivious to the cute, bespectacled Asian guy, so John went and got himself a girlfriend. Monica talked to lots of guys!That spring, they were both in an 8:30 am section of the Communication course Mass Media, but still they didn't talk to each other at all. John sat two rows in front of Monica. Monica remembers John giving a very interesting presentation about video games in class, and she noticed he was chatty and silly. John remembers Monica talked all about The Wire, her favorite show (then and now).

PART ONE: Pre-History

A year passed, and again they were unintentionally taking a class together (now fall 2012). One day, someone sent an email to everyone in the class with a question about the homework. Monica, feeling generous, pressed "reply all" with the answer. Then John responded, only to Monica, with a follow up question about the homework and a, "hey, we should be friends," complete with a smiley emoticon. Monica, charmed, amused, and slightly confused, agreed. After emailing back and forth a few times, they had a dinner "date" (not an actual date because John still had a girlfriend) at the luxurious Mabee Dining Hall at Trinity.During the dinner, their connection was palpable. Both had been searching for someone who shared their love and obsession with popular culture, but it was something so much more than that. Monica found someone who would listen to her ramble and offer thoughtful questions and opinions; she remembers being stunned by the honest and real way John thought about life. John found someone he found fascinatingly talkative and charming. He remembers thinking she was really cute. They both felt very intrigued, and so they made plans to eat dinner together once a week.Their friendship continued to grow as they saw they could discuss anything, and by the end of the year they considered themselves best friends. They began hosting a segment called "Review Corner" on Studio21 in which they discussed any movies or TV shows or comics they'd been consuming. Unlike previous segments, this one was groundbreaking for the fact that they never wrote a script (previously required for all segments). Instead, they would agree on a specific topic and then simply voice their thoughts in a flowing conversation. They discussed movies, music, TV shows, comics, podcasts, and video games. (Famous episode: they discussed the film Django Unchained, which John loved and Monica hated.) Their chemistry was clear--so still in the air there lingered a distinct confusion; was John into Monica? Did Monica like like John?

PART TWO: They Meet and It's Fire, Baby

Junior year began, and John had broken up with his girlfriend over the summer. Monica realized how suspiciously happy and excited this development made her (which was admittedly selfish). Faster than you could say, "Jimmy Cagney," John asked her to dinner. They walked to Broadway through the University of the Incarnate Word campus. After crossing back over the Sky Bridge, John confessed his feelings with a nervous, "Would it be bad if I liked you?" Monica responded with an equally nervous, "No, because I like you too." Their first official date was to a hot dog restaurant, and afterwards they watched one of Monica's favorite movies, Seven Psychopaths, and shared their first kiss.

​PART THREE: They Confess Their Feelings Because They're Both Nerdy, Hopeless Romantics 

It took two months for them to graduate to the more intense and weighty, "I love you," and three months for them to realize they had eerily similar life goals: a big, loving family; a life in San Antonio; many nights spent watching movies and TV; constant and effortless communication; to be a steadfast and devoted spouse.Over their time together, Monica and John have made it through a lot of big changes.1) Monica graduated a semester early and left for DFW for six months;2) John graduated and got hired as a software engineer by H-E-B, San Antonio's leading grocery store;3) Monica earned her Master's of Arts in Teaching and got hired by SAISD as an 8th grade U.S. History teacher at Tafolla Middle School;4) they adopted Blaize Adobo and Matilda Maganda, two former stray dogs turned spoiled house pets;5) Monica changed her hairstyle/-color at least six times;6) John got new glasses and started wearing cardigans (but then he stopped and instead fell in love with quirky printed socks).Monica and John have loved each other for 3 years and 7 months, but it is their greatest dream and joy to continue to do so for the remainder of their lives! They are so excited to welcome you to the Alamo City, the oldest city in Texas and the place they have called home for six years. They are thrilled to have you with them to celebrate!

​PART FOUR: Love Is in the Air

Our Story

Details

Photos

Pinning down one reason why I wanted Reece to be my best man is almost impossible: he's incredibly talented and an absolute creative. I'm totally not biased by his interest and engagement in almost every subculture, media, art, hobby that I'm interested in. He's constantly and consistently funny and super fun to be around. On top of all that, he's a nice guy that's always been there to help and wants what's best for people.Okay, his website (can't link it here due to faint hearts) is actually the only reason he's my best man. It's the most over-engineered website ever. Beware: it's not for the faint of heart. Or for colt fans.Reece and I met my first semester at Trinity. He lived 2 floors above me in the not-so-immaculate halls of Beze. I had a TON of classes with Reece in both Communication and Computer Science track and, in one shape or another, lived close or with him in the coming years. We've done hackathons together (there was one time where I slept on some free t-shirts outside the California Memorial Stadium in 30 degree weather), played A LOT of games (just one more turn of Civilization led to a lot of really late nights), invented dumb startups (in our heads), raged about politics (#freewilly), watched a lot of stuff (Rogue One &gt; All Star Wars - except Empires), and eaten a lot of great food over the years (like Taco Cabana, McDonald's, Panda Express).With college over, Reece and I still play games and I can't wait to do that for many more years. Reece is one of the most creative and intelligent person I know and am glad to have him as one of my best man. If nothing else, we've still got that startup thing to do someday. Fun fact: Reece created the best movie remix project where he turned The Hangover into this intense 21-like blackjack heist movie. Trailer remixes can be the laziest projects ever but man, his was awesome.Photo fact: Professional Overwatch players.

Reece McDonald

Natsy remains my oldest friend in this world, primarily (but not exclusively) due to her being my older sister. Ever since I was a wee tot, Natsy has been making me laugh (video evidence: a home video entitled "Natalie and Monica Christmas 1993). She and I have been competitive for a good deal of our lives, but ever since we both graduated high school, we've realized we are distinct humans who can be cool in our own ways. Little did we know we would both dream of helping the world through the education and inspiration of youth! Natsy is hilarious, wicked smart (emphasis on wicked), and the most passionate person about PEOPLE I've ever known. (I secretly still want to be her...) She is a #BadGirl who does it well.

Natalie "Natsy" Clifford

Alfredo is the most OG person on this list though not in any way implying he's someone of similarity to an original gangster or just a plain gangster or even any kind of tough, badass dude; he's one of my oldest friends. We've been friends since 6th grade when we were only wee lads in Team U at Cobb Middle School. Even though I was the one that had one and/or both parts of the program, Alfredo and I were both in the Gifted &amp; Talented program in our school and we quickly became friends. Our shared interest in Math, Science, school in general, people of the opposite sex, Avatar: The Last Airbender, girls, video games, Magic: The Gathering, and various crushes really brought us closer over the years.Though we were separated in college due to his attendance of a pretty small, private, little known school to study some lib arts crap (rocket science at UT), we stayed in touch and have only become closer friends. Yes, some part due to our continued interest in the aforementioned gender but now through other reasons as well. We're doing lots of stuff with our lives now that we're adults (though it certainly feels like we're still just winging it) and having a friend that you feel comfortable with and that's always there for you through all the ups and downs of life has been great. He's one of the most genuine and caring person I know. I'm glad to have him as one of my best man and I look forward to hearing about Alfredo's life throughout the years. I hope that he stays one of my OG-est friends. Fun fact: Alfredo owns a truck that, for one reason or another, has been stolen 3 times. One time even happened while he was visiting me and they found his truck a few days later on a pile of cinderblocks. Sorry about that again, buddy. I won't be recommending that hotel again.Photo fact: Soldier embracing his son after returning from war (1978).

Alfredo Montes

Reese and I have a past dating back to 1998, when I fell in love with her cute li'l fingers and toes the first time I met her at the hospital. Our friendship has only grown since that day! Reese has grown from a silly, cute li'l gal to a silly, bombshell gorgeous woman. I've always admired her tenacity, her creativity and her devotion to her family, and I've so enjoyed her silly voices, our shared membership in BachelorNation, and our love of vintage clothes. We are both a little too spunky for our own good, but our strength in our beliefs is a great quality we share! Reese is becoming such a magnificent woman!

Theresa "Reese" Clifford

Jo-Zee and I have known each other since the first day of freshman year at Trinity (well, really before the first day, since we were on the same hall). At first, we didn't know what to think of each other, but in a few short weeks we were fast friends! I love talking through things with Josie; she's thoughtful, speaks her mind, and always offers great advice. One of our forever-favorite topics to discuss is "boys"--we've both seen each other into (and out of) numerous college relationships, and I've been so glad to have Josie as a wingwoman and bestfriend (one word) as we have searched for love. Josie is an amazing teacher (we earned our Masters in Teaching together) and a solid friend!

Josie "Jo" Hammons

Every single person on this page is, to me, a brother. Daniel does have the pleasure of being the only one, after the wedding, that I can constantly refer to as brother without it being just a little weird. I never imagined that I'd have a Man of Steel loving, Batman vs Superman loving, Suicide Squad loving brother. Passion is one thing that the Cliffords share and Daniel has this in spades. I'm always happy to hear about his stories about his friends (they're weird and hilarious), some new album that he found at a thrift store (did I mention Daniel loves music? Oh god he does) or just whatever shenanigan is going on his life. I'm excited to be his brother and for him to be one of my groomsman. Here's to sharing more holidays, going to Denton (but seriously, you guys go to Denton way too much) and just generally being a nuisance to the rest of the family.Fun fact: You probably can't beat Daniel when it comes to random facts about pop culture.Fun fact #2: Daniel is 1 of 2 Daniel's on this list.Photo fact: My glasses are way cooler.

Daniel Clifford

I've known my future sister for a few years, and I loved her the second I met her! Angela is incredibly precocious and smart for her age; I'm so excited to see if  becomes an astronomer, a mathematician, a writer, or whatever else she could do! She attends Alexander Hamilton Middle School, so when John and I introduced her to the eponymous musical, she was doubly entranced (and in case you're wondering, she is GREAT to have on road trips because she sings her heart out!).  We have already shared so many laughs (mostly we just laugh at John). I'm so excited to be her big sister!

Angela Mikaela "Hamilton" Mendiola

Patrick is one of the most thoughtful, kind, charming people that I know. Kind of a difficult sentence to follow up but trust me, it's harder trying to be as cool as him all four years we roomed together in high school. He's the closest I'll ever come to having a twin: we're both Filipinos, we have the same birthday, we are dating school teachers who majored in history, plus we're both funny. Well, I think I'm funny. Monica, you know I love you but meeting Patrick may be the best thing that happened to me in college. Top 5, at least. There are too many late night bunk bed talks, intimate (platonic) moments and general life experiences to share in this one page but he's a wonderful friend who I need to do a better job of keeping in touch with. Regardless, I will always consider him one of my best friends.Fun fact: We once set off the fire alarm in Beze and Herndon Dorm Halls because we were cooking pork chop at midnight. Everyone had to leave their rooms. Good times. Oh, also, we covered the entrance to the lounge area with stacks of chairs.Photo fact: Emily, sorry again for those bricks!

Patrick Cruz

To be honest (not that the rest of the bios have been lies - well, maybe the one about liking Alfredo), I've known George for a few years now but didn't really get to know him until just the past couple of years. I'm glad that the magic of HEB (shop now for some sweet deals) extends a vast area - it gives me the gift of a salary every week and the gift of being close friends with George. It wasn't until our internship in the Rasmussen Polls' office did we form a bond. Since then, we've been playing board games, playing vidja games, making fun of our entire team at HEB, eating out way too much and just hanging out in general. Oh, have I mentioned Brandon Sanderson? Because George is probably my favorite person because of his love for the series of books set in the Cosmere universe. If there was one thing I unequivocally, unilaterally, universally loved (sorry Monica, sorry family), it would be the Cosmere. Anyways, there's a lot of books left to read (maybe Winds of Winter will even come out before I die) and I look forward to spinning theories and chatting with George all about it in the coming years.Fun fact: George owns a board game that costs $400 and weighs 17 pounds. It is also the coolest thing ever. Photo fact: This is on the day of my graduation. I have a different haircut now.

George Warren

Kimmie and I met our sophomore year of college and our friendship grew when we lived together our junior year! We quickly came to value each others' honesty and commitment to being tactful, kind, and considerate of others. Plus, we both like horribly stupid jokes and being totally silly. Of course, she is also a member of BachelorNation,  but through this we've had so many good discussions about feminism and popular culture. I'm so grateful to have a friend whose opinion I so respect! I have always admired her personal courage and her determination to help others. She has an absolutely beautiful soul.

Kimberly Taylor

Daniel is the newest member of the boy band titled Mendiola Groosman. For creating the world-renowned icons for our work team's application, he earned a special place in my heart but he's solidified his place by his love for all things internet: from the memes, the YouTube drama, the latest political thing and what's trending on twitter. He's always quick with a smile or a laugh and is so culturally in touch that I really just keep him around so I can stay on top of the world's latest and greatest. My wallet is significantly lighter due to Daniel's constant prodding and excitement about the newest gear (wow, camera lenses are expensive), the newest game (though this one might be just as much my own fault) and yet another computer to build (it's a serious problem). I think it'll be a long time till my wallet gets a reprieve from Daniel and I wouldn't want it any other way.Fun fact: Daniel has a SICK YouTube channel with a sock monkey headphone unboxing that slays. Smash that like button, y'all.Photo fact: I was making eggnog so I missed the photo! D'oy!

Daniel Carroll

Leah and I have known each other since freshman year, but it wasn't until further into our college careers that we became really good friends! Thanks to mutual interests of TigerTV (our campus TV network),The Bachelor, and education (we both earned our Masters in Teaching), I now consider Leah one of my dearest friends. She is beautiful, poised, ridiculously smart, and an impressive leader. One of my favorite things about Leah is her joyful laugh, which you can hear from the floor above or from down the street. Thankfully, we have a similar sense of humor, so we laugh often when we're together!

Leah Hoffpauir

Christina and I met through Studio21, the same campus TV show that brought John and I together! We share so many common interests in the realm of TV,  movies, games, and comics. I have always admired Christina for being one of the coolest girls I've ever met--from her fountain pen collection to her amazing documentary about a violin shop, Christina is eclectic, creative, and colorful. Yet I especially love being her friend because she is fiercely loyal and has a wonderful heart!

Christina Moore

Reid will forever be first in my heart due to the bond we forged in the fiery intensity of the challenges of Honor Bound. The scavenger hunt/Olympic contest on the grounds of Trinity would have netted us $500 dollars but we got cheated out of the grand prize. Since those bitter days, our friendship has been as solid as my hatred for losing. We lived together for 3 years in college and were consistently computer buddies. We had our laptops/desktops next to each other: sharing internet events (Twitch plays Pokemon is a once in a lifetime phenomenon), blaring out music (I never knew Taylor Swift could be so enjoyable), watching videos together (we both stayed up one time due to projects and ended up watching both The Road and Requiem for a Dream--not the nicest of movies) and generally just being goofsters and gaffsters. I cannot begin to recount everything we've done together. There was that millionth time he drove me somewhere, that hundredth time we ate out, that thousandth time we watched The Office (he's seen it a billion times by himself) and those few times where we had serious conversations about life and all that. Okay, I guess I could begin to recount everything we've done together but I'm hoping that there will be plenty more of memories to come.Fun fact: Reid is a professional frisbee player. And yes, I taught him everything.Photo fact: A photo in our Sunday Best.

Reid Bacon

Blaize was just a wee pup (7 pounds!) when we found him outside the Blanco location of Sonic. He walked right up to Monica and climbed into her lap! We took Blaize to the Humane Society, intending to surrender him, but as they couldn't take him, we ended up falling in love with him and deciding to keep him. Blaize is the funniest member of our family and loves to party.Fun fact: Monica actually wrote this bio.Photo fact: I've never seen a cooler creature than Blaize with a tie.

Blaize Adobo

Matilda Maganda Clifford Mendiola, a rat terrier mix, was found as a stray in San Antonio and brought to Animal Care Services, who thought she was a male beagle (what?). She had a hernia and was so scared. San Antonio Pets Alive! saved her and that's where we met her. She quickly charmed us with her boisterousness and loving nature, so right then and there we decided to adopt her! We named her Matilda and we gave her the second name "Maganda," which in Tagalog means beautiful. Matilda is a sweet girl who loves everyone she meets! Her ears flop as she runs, she doesn't like to go pee, and she has been a most patient older sister to Blaize.

Matilda "Tilda" Mendiola

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

We have not reserved hotel blocks, but please consider these recommendations, or check out San Antonio AirBnB!

On the western edge of downtown, this hotel is located in El Mercado, the historic Market Square, which has a lot of cool shops and great TexMex!

Courtyard Marriott Downtown/Market Square

This hotel has been around for over 100 years and is named after Davey Crockett, who famously died at the Alamo. This is fitting because this hotel is, as advertised, just 18 steps from the Alamo itself! Thus it is right in the heart of downtown San Antonio and located near lots of other cool stuff, including the Riverwalk. It's also dog and cat friendly!

Crockett Hotel

Another historic hotel, the Menger is famous for a number of reasons. Monica has partaken of the illustrious Menger Brunch, which is legendarily extravagant. The Menger Bar is also famous for being a location at which Teddy Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders in advance of the Spanish-American War (it's one of the Top 10 Most Historic Bars in the United States!).Also: a block of rooms has been reserved here. Follow this link: <a href="https://reservations.mengerhotel.com/75799?groupID=1966611" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://reservations.mengerhotel.com/75799?groupID%3D1966611&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494717007940000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGIQNRKo1741jPQyPDg2pK3sYlY_w">https://reservations.mengerhotel.com/75799?groupID=1966611</a>

The Historic Menger Hotel

This hotel is located on Cesar E Chavez Boulevard, the same street off which both John and Monica work every day! It's right off the highway.

La Quinta Inn and Suites: San Antonio Downtown

Travel

The Pearl is a local hot spot here in San Antonio. Shops, restaurants, and more line the streets of this urban gem! On Saturdays and Sundays, the Pearl hosts a farmer's market that sprawls over several streets. Organic foods, candles, dog treats--you can find anything here! Our personal favorite is the crepe stand.As for restaurants at the Pearl, check out The Granary 'Cue &amp; Brew! It's where we went for our first anniversary, after Monica's graduation, and after we got engaged.

The Farmer's Market at the Pearl Brewery

Trinity University, our alma mater, is a beautiful campus nestled just north of downtown San Antonio. Trinity was founded in 1869 as the combination of three separate schools of higher education, hence the name, 'Trinity.' We have so many happy memories from this lovely place! Stop by the library, check out the fountain, and walk past the Center for Science and Innovation.Monica graduated with her Bachelor's in History and Communication in December 2014 and her Masters of Arts in Teaching in May 2016, and John graduated with his Bachelor's in Computer Science and Communication in May 2015.

Trinity University

The West Side of San Antonio is a historic part of the city that celebrates the rich Hispanic heritage of our city. Murals are everywhere on the West Side, sometimes referred to as El Hueso. A beautiful mural greets you as you drive over the Guadalupe Bridge with the words, "Bienvenidos al West Side!" Monica teaches at Fidel Tafolla Middle School, which is here on the West Side next to Sidney Lanier High School.

Murals on the West Side

A must see if you've never been to San Antonio, the River Walk is made up of shops and restaurants along the San Antonio River, which winds its way through the city. You can find all varieties of cuisines here--Tex Mex, of course, but also Asian, American, and Italian to name a few!

The San Antonio River Walk

The Tower of the Americas, located in HemisFair Park, was completed in advance of the the World's Fair in 1968. It remains the tallest building in the city! Inside there's a restaurant, a bar, and an observation deck.

Tower of the Americas

The Missions are amazingly beautiful and tell the story of the origin of our city--San Antonio is named after the very first mission, Mission San Antonio, known to many as the Alamo. But many don't know that there are a number of other missions throughout downtown and the south side of San Antonio. The Queen of the Missions, Mission San Jose, is the most impressive.

Monica & John Wendell

Monica & John Wendell

Photos