Married: October 27, 2018
Bridal Prep: Loews Hotel
Ceremony & Reception: Chicory
Entertainment: The Wiseguys
Florist: Beth’s Flowers
Bakery: The Sweet Life Bakery
Hair: Lindsey Castay Garner
Makeup: Makeup by Meggan LLC
Brides Gown Designer: Justin Alexander
Bridesmaid Gown designer: Bill Levkoff
Bridal Boutique: Bliss Bridal
Tuxedos: Tuxedos to Geaux
Candles/Lighting Decor: Luminous Events of New Orleans
Photo Booth: Snap & Geaux – Julia Russell
Ceremony Music: Fine Arts Ensemble

How did you meet?
We met through mutual friends.

Include a little bit about yourselves. What do you do?
I am an assistant underwriter for an insurance brokerage and Chris is the general manager of Winston’s Pub in Old Metairie.

What is your favorite thing about each other? 
Our favorite thing about each other is that we are always laughing.

How did the proposal go? Who proposed to who, were you surprised?
Chris proposed to me at the beach on a 4th of July trip. It was just the two of us (like we both wanted – nothing big with lots of people). I was surprised because I thought it was going to be on another trip later that year. When he went to ask my Dad’s permission (there was a breakdown of communication mixed with nerves) and my Dad got confused and thought we were eloping and actually getting married on the beach lol (Chris still got the blessing). After we straightened that out, everything went great. We all still laugh about that.

Where was your ceremony & reception held and why did you pick this site?
Our ceremony was held on the rooftop of the Chicory in New Orleans. I picked this site because I wanted our ceremony and reception at the same location. I chose the rooftop because we both really wanted an outdoor ceremony. The reception was held on the second floor of the Chicory in their 3 main rooms. I chose this site because it met all of our needs from food to balconies to the space we needed. I knew the pictures here would be amazing.

What unique or special things did you do at the reception? 
Chris’s godmother rides in Muses every Mardi Gras and had decorated 2 shoes – bride & groom – for our engagement party that we loved so we incorporated those on the sign in table. The also surprised me with a live painter. My parents also had a unique portrait print of Chris and I made as a gift with the venue and wedding date.

Pick one moment in the day that was your favorite thing?
My favorite part of the day was our first look.

Did it really go by as quickly as everyone says?
Yes, it really does.

What was the inspiration behind picking the color palette and decor that you picked?
Chris really wanted grey suits so I thought the deep reds would go great with that. I love roses mixed with white and creams. I could not have been happier with how well everything went together.

From the Bride – When you first saw the groom, what were you thinking/feeling?
I cant wait to see him because I know my nerves will be instantly calmed.

From the groom – When you first saw the bride, what were you thinking/feeling?
That she looked the most beautiful.

Who was your baker, what was the flavor of your cake? Was it delicious?!
We used the Sweet Life Bakery. The wedding cake was almond with vanilla icing and fresh mixed berry filing. The groom’s cake was chocolate cake with homemade cookies and cream filing. This was probably one of my most favorite things in our wedding. The cakes were above and beyond what I expected. Absolutely LOVED both of them! and they tasted FABOULOUS!

Did you do a first look? If so how did you feel about it? If not, do you wish you had?
yes we did, this was my favorite part of the day. I think it makes the rest of the night better because you get a chance to get the nerves and most formal pictures out of the way before the ceremony starts.

id 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?
I planned everything myself (mostly because if you know me, you know I am a complete control freak!) I communicated directly with each and every vendor, which I preferred. My advice would be if you have the time (I had a long engagement) so I was able to spread out everything on my to do list. If I was planning a wedding in under a year, I would have hired a wedding coordinator. The Chicory does a great job of giving you a “day of” coordinator to make sure everything runs smoothly. Caroline was great!

What was your first dance song? Why this song?
Our first dance song was Ellie Goulding – How long will I love you. I have wanted this song as my wedding song since the first time I heard it years ago. And luckily, Chris loved it as much as I did.

Band or DJ? Did they rock it?
Band always! The Wiseguys were amazing! (which I already knew lol) So there was no stress or worries there!

We want to hear YOUR advice for future brides.
Take in each moment and don’t let other people stress you out. That much time with family gets to be a lot at times. Go with the flow and don’t sweat the small stuff – you won’t even notice the little things!

Anything else you want to say?
Thanks for everything!