Mather and Paul held a domestic destination wedding in New Orleans!! What a fun place to say I do – the music, the culture, the food, the nightlife and sightseeing for guests – what doesn’t New Orleans have for a destination wedding?!?! This bride and groom knew it would be just perfect! Why? Because they love the city! “Simply put – New Orleans is our favorite city in the U.S. We couldn’t imagine any place more perfect for us to host our friends and family for a straight up celebration in honor of our wedding day. We were originally considering wine country in Northern California, where my folks have a place, but we quickly realized that it wouldn’t be as conducive to the chaos we hoped would ensue … That and we didn’t want any one family to feel the burden of having visitors all weekend, and thought it would be more fun if everyone had a weekend away – especially in the Big Easy.”
“When we visited NOLA a few years ago for New Years’s Eve, we fell in love with it and even mused about moving there. But because we live in NYC and our families hail from California and Michigan, respectively, it seemed like the ideal destination wedding spot, no passport required. Also, my late mother was from Memphis, TN and had attended Tulane University, as did my father (although they didn’t meet there). So, New Orleans has always had a very special place in my heart … and once we learned about the wedding traditions down there – like the second line parade and the reception-style party – we were sold!”
Mather shared with us the idea behind the ombre palette. “I basically live for all things rainbow and multicolored … so I’d always been very considerate of both: a) how to exhibit as many colors as possible (in a classy way, of course) and also b) how to avoid having a very matchy-matchy wedding where the invite colors matched the bridesmaids dresses, which also matched the table linens – kill me now! Purple is my favorite color, second only to sparkle, and thus I wanted that to have as much of a presence as possible – but also while surrounded by other warm, bright and pop-y colors! To have each bridesmaid individualized with a different color bouquet was key to me – especially because it served the big, ombre look overall. And then having that match on the tables was epic! Truly, I never thought I would care so much about flowers or a color scheme … but I am SO glad I put as much time and energy into my flowers and decor as I did, because looking back on the pictures, they are SUCH a highlight!”
We love the pops of color with the bouquets set against the black bridesmaid dresses! A great way to weave in bright color and still give your gals a dress they can wear again!
Favorite moment from the day for this bride? “Our vows – 100%. My husband and I are both known for being a little last minute … so needless to say, we hadn’t really written out our vows prior to the big day. In fact, I was still constructing mine during my hair and make-up, and got all emotional, etc. So by the time I was standing there, giving mine, and then more importantly, hearing Paul’s … I was beside myself. Paul’s words were more beautiful than I could have ever anticipated and I think we both basically blacked out. I think about those moments every single day and feel excited and energized to live and renew them every single day.”
The reception tables were flanked with pops of color too and ombre rainbow-like centerpieces accented with lots of sparkle and bling!
Mirrored vases and candles everywhere lit up this otherwise very modern event space.
Beads, masks, slogans and props decked out the photo booth in colors reflecting the Big Easy.
Guests were asked to leave advice for both the bride and groom on notecards matching the rest of their paper goods.
A purple ombre wedding cake rounded out the decor and incorporated the bride’s favorite color.
Music was also a big part of this night – as was the dancing!
We asked Mather for advice for future destination couples. “Wedding wise? Don’t let the details drive you crazy … get a GOOD planner … and just make it about the pure joy and celebration of the day and have the BEST TIME EVER. Oh, and don’t accidentally give a 20 minute speech at the end of the night before singing “All I want for Christmas” on stage in front of everyone. In general? Just make sure the person you’re with everyday is the one who makes you feel that excitement and electricity of a first crush every day – and who can make you smile and laugh more than anyone else. And then remember those moments of your vows and keep those at the top of mind everyday.” Love this advice!!
And what NOLA wedding is complete without a trolley (and a sparkler sendoff of course)?!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Meg Baisden Photography
Wedding Vendors: Event Planner: Sapphire Events, Floral Designer: Bee’s Wedding and Event Design, Reception Venue: Eiffel Society, Invitation Designer: Folio, Cinema and Video: Bella Productions, Other: Plum Pretty Sugar, Cake Designer: Gambino’s Bakery, Band: Bobby J and Stuff Like That, Band: Tulane Brass Band, Ceremony Location: MICO PRODUCTIONS, Lighting: Luminous Events of New Orleans, LLC, Linens and Coverings: Perrier Party Rentals, Equipment Rentals: Southern Hospitality Event Rentals, Makeup Artist: Kiss and Makeup Beauty Services, Transportation: American Luxury Limo, Transportation: Capital City Trolleys, Photo Booth Equipment: Nola Booth HD
