Weddings by Corine

Degas House New Orleans Wedding Photographer | Alexa & Mel

by Corine

Corine was amazing! Even with things outside out of the realm of photography, she was super helpful (like bustling my dress!). She kept the schedule in perfect time. She was the wedding coordinator I didn’t hire (and I mean that in the best possible way!). Mel and I loved her, Lauren, and our videographer Tim, so much, we took a picture with the three of them before they left!

Married: February 11, 2023
Getting Ready: Degas House New Orleans
Ceremony: Jesuit Chapel
Reception:Degas House New Orleans
Videographer: Dyle Films
Florist: Blooms Botanica
Bakery: Charisma Cake
Hair: Verde Beauty Salon
Makeup: Verde Beauty Salon
Brides Gown Designer: Essence of Australia
Bridal Boutique: The Bridal Boutique by MaeMe

How did you meet?
We met in the fall of 2013 at a Jesuit High School football game. We were 13 years old and in the eighth grade. A mutual friend introduced us. We were friends all throughout high school and started dating when we were 17, senior year.
Include a little bit about yourselves. What do you do?
Alexa: I was born and raised in New Orleans and attended St. Mary’s Dominican High School. I graduated high school in 2018 and graduated LSU in December 2022. I majored in Microbiology and minored in Painting and Drawing. I currently work as an optometric technician in an eye clinic in Baton Rouge. In the fall of 2023, I will be attending Kentucky College of Optometry. Some of my hobbies include painting, reading, and traveling. I also share a passion for animals (especially exotics!) with Mel.

Mel: My family moved to New Orleans when I was very young. I attended Jesuit High School and LSU graduating in 2018 and spring of 2022. I now work for an engineering design firm in Baton Rouge. On the weekends I enjoy hunting, fishing, and spending time with friends.
what is your favorite thing about each other? Share a personal story.
Alexa: My favorite thing about Mel is his nature of supporting and helping others and me. In my junior year of high school, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Mel and I weren’t dating at the time (in fact, we were casually dating other people), but we were close friends. One night, my mom was sick and my grandfather and I brought her to the ER. Knowing Mel always stayed up to odd hours, I texted him to see if he was up while I stayed in the waiting room. His very first concern was that I was alone and needed someone there with me. Even though I wasn’t his girlfriend, it was 2:00 in the morning, and I was 20 minutes away from his house on a school night, he still wanted to drive over just for me. I knew then he was more special to me than I ever thought.

My favorite thing about Alexa, aside from how good she is to me, is the way she smiles. She’s always smiling and laughing at things. Although it’s not a super heartfelt story like Alexa wrote, one of my favorite stories is of Alexa in the snow in Washington. We went on a hike and every corner she would get more and more excited. I especially love the photo I have of her holding this huge snowball that she had made. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile.
How did the proposal go? Who proposed to who, were you surprised?
Mel: I got the idea to propose well before the day actually came. My grandmother offered a ring that she had to propose with, but I knew it would not be Alexa’s favorite. Out of the kindness of my grandmother’s heart, she let me trade her ring and get one custom made just for Alexa that I knew she would love. I held onto the ring all the way from June to October 30th when I proposed. I thought the proposal went very well. Alexa’s friends helped me out a lot and we the key to it’s success. For weeks, they talked Alexa into going out to take group pictures with all of her roommates. We told her that we would also take couples photos while we were out there just for fun. When it was out turn to get up and take pictures, I was able to get down on one knee and pop the question. She never suspected a thing.

Alexa: I was very caught off guard! Between my friends and Mel, I was convinced he would propose during our upcoming trip to Seattle. When he got down on one knee, it did not immediately register he was trying to propose. I thought he was trying to tie his shoe, but he was wearing cowboy boots… My first words were, “what are you doing?” It took me seeing the ring to understand he was proposing!
Where was your ceremony held and why did you pick this site?
We chose Jesuit High School’s Chapel, Chapel of the North American Martyrs, since we both had a connection to the school. Whether it was for school, events, or dances, we both spent many hours at Jesuit. Also, the church is beautiful with a long aisle 🙂
How did the proposal go? Who proposed to who, were you surprised?
Mel: I got the idea to propose well before the day actually came. My grandmother offered a ring that she had to propose with, but I knew it would not be Alexa’s favorite. Out of the kindness of my grandmother’s heart, she let me trade her ring and get one custom-made just for Alexa that I knew she would love. I held onto the ring all the way from June to October 30th when I proposed. I thought the proposal went very well. Alexa’s friends helped me out a lot and we the key to it’s success. For weeks, they talked Alexa into going out to take group pictures with all of her roommates. We told her that we would also take couples photos while we were out there just for fun. When it was out turn to get up and take pictures, I was able to get down on one knee and pop the question. She never suspected a thing.

Alexa: I was very caught off guard! Between my friends and Mel, I was convinced he would propose during our upcoming trip to Seattle. When he got down on one knee, it did not immediately register he was trying to propose. I thought he was trying to tie his shoe, but he was wearing cowboy boots… My first words were, “what are you doing?” It took me seeing the ring to understand he was proposing!
Where was your Reception held and why did you pick this site?
We had our reception at the Degas House and Museum. We both really liked the old New Orleans-styled homes and atmosphere.

Alexa: I loved that we could do the “dressing of the bride.” My bridesmaids and I slept in the Estelle Suite the night before the wedding. That morning, we were brought snacks and other light foods while the hair/makeup artists came there to get his ready. Mel and I slept in that room the night of the wedding, Since everything was in one place, I didn’t have to worry about moving around or checking into a hotel. As an artist, I also appreciated the connection with Edgar Degas.
Pick one moment in the day that was your favorite thing?
Alexa: My favorite part was dancing with Mel and my bridesmaids! Even though I ripped a hole in my armpit, it was freezing cold, and I had the bottom of my dress fairly muddy, I was so happy it didn’t matter! I loved singing and dancing to the music and enjoying the evening. As a second favorite moment, I loved getting dressed with my bridesmaids. It was fun watching them put together their looks. I thought it was funny that they each had a part in getting me dressed (putting my jewelry on, buttoning my sleeves, putting on perfume, etc.)

Mel: I really appreciated the end of the wedding when everyone else had gone home. I got to spend a little time with some of my closest friends and just enjoy the time with them.
Did it really go by as quickly as everyone says?
YES! Although getting ready felt fairly slow, the actual ceremony and reception went by very fast.
What was the inspiration behind picking the color palette and decor that you picked?
We are really looking forward to our honeymoon to Alaska so we used its natural beauty as inspiration. For our theme on The Knot’s website, we found a winter-y forest. So we continued it by using moody colors like dark greens, blues, and some dark reds. Our wedding cake had a rustic feel and the groom’s cake was a tree stump.
When you first saw the groom, what were you thinking/feeling?
First thought: Holy crap, we’re getting married finally, woohoo!!
Second thought: Why da hek does he look like a serious statue?? He’s either trying really hard to not cry or he’s really nervous. (It was the latter!)
When you first saw the bride, what were you thinking/feeling?
I was just thinking how beautiful she looked and how it was taking her so long to get down the aisle.
Who was your baker, what was the flavor of your cake? Was it delicious?!
Alexa: Charisma Cakes (i.e. my family friend, Nicole Hernandez) baked our cakes as our wedding gift. She has made me many birthday cakes and other things over the years, so it was only fitting she made our wedding cakes.
For our wedding cake, we had 2 tiers of almond wedding cake and 2 tiers of chocolate cake with praline icing. For the grooms cake, we had red velvet.
Did you do a first look? If so how did you feel about it? If not, do you wish you had?
We did not do a first look. We both wanted to stay traditional and have the first time we see each other was walking down the aisle. We are glad we did that.

Alexa did do an impromptu first look with her dad which was sweet.
Did you have a coordinator or did you plan everything yourself? If you didn’t have a coordinator any advice for brides planning their own wedding?
We did not have a wedding coordinator. The best advice we could give is to book things as early as you can. Give yourself at minimum a year to plan. We were never stressed when planning the wedding but we gave ourselves enough time that we didn’t need to rush.
What was your first dance song? Why this song?
Our first song was “Whenever We’re Alone” by Brantley Gilbert. We chose it because it was a soft intimate song that we both love and not many other people knew about it. When dancing to it, it really did feel like everyone else dissolved away and we were dancing alone.
Band or DJ? Did they rock it?
DJ, sorta? We made our own playlist on Spotify and Alexa’s step-uncle manned it on his computer at the Degas House. He did an awesome job feeling out the vibe and queuing specific songs.
We want to hear YOUR advice for future brides or grooms?
Keep track of how much money you owe and to who! With so many vendors with deposits, due dates, and contracts, it can be really easy to confuse the details and forget to pay something or lose a phone number or forget to respond to an email. Keep a list organizing EVERYTHING.
We work really hard to help come up with a timeline and plan for the portrait list to make sure you are getting the most out of your day. How useful was this for you?
This was really helpful. I could tell respective family members to be in certain places for pictures. I also didn’t have to worry about forgetting to take pictures in certain combinations of people or in certain areas.