Happy Thanksgiving Week! Jack and I are flying to New Orleans to celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends. What better way to do this than with a traditional, classic, festive Nola wedding?!
Theresa & Nick’s weddings in the Southern French Creole City were so full of classic Southern charm that we couldn’t wipe our smiles from our faces. The day was filled with classy, proper attire, an ornate Cathedral ceremony, the quintessential Brass Band Parade, oysters, and fancy parasols.
Oh, the food! The couple provided their guests various Southern treats, including pralines and beignets. They also served three beautifully decorated cakes.
I hope that when we arrive today, we will be treated to the festive flavors and joy captured by Arte de vie.
Our Love Story
We met via a mutual acquaintance. I DIDN’T KNOW ANYONE when I moved from Louisiana to New York and started a new job. I was happy to accept an invitation to Happy Hour at a coworker’s house. I met her college friends, and there was he. We talked all night and had an instant connection. He asked me for my number, and although he said “Hi Meghan” when he texted to meet again the next day, and not Maggie LOL LOL, our relationship was inseparable.
Maggie had been away on business when we were supposed to move in. I was able, therefore, to conceal the ring behind folded sweatshirts on the top shelf of the closet. Maggie returned from her business trip a few weeks later and was settling in. I saw her pull down the sweatshirts out of the closet. I became panicked. I asked her to stop digging in my sweatshirts and what she was searching for. Then I blurted out, “I have a ring”. She was probably confused because I had just yelled at her to go through my things, and now I was shouting about the ring. She turned around, and I pulled the bag from behind my sweatshirt. Then, I gave her the call. Both of us cried. The proposal was neither the one I had planned nor the one she expected, but it was perfect. I would advise anyone planning to propose to go with it. No proposal is ever perfect.
Dress & Attire
When choosing our outfit, I decided romantic and classic. I chose a fitted full lace dress with a low back and a slightly off-the-shoulder. When selecting my gown, I kept Nick in mind. I decided my shift to make him as happy as I was. He is a simple, traditional man.
My bridesmaids chose cranberry, as that is the closest color to white. My three sisters all wore blush. All dresses had the same fabric and were made from the same color. We wanted to be consistent in our outfits and ensure we looked good. I had cranberry lipstick and cranberry and pink pops in my bouquet.
Nick chose a classic tux by Hugo Boss, as we knew this brand would suit him. He chose a navy tuxedo with a black lapel. The groomsmen all wore black tuxedos so that he could stand out from the rest.
The Flowers
My bridesmaids’ bouquets were loose, garden-like, with all-green leaves, including variegated pittosporum, bay laurel, Gunny, and seeded eucalyptus. I wanted my flowers to stand out so that only mine had color and everyone else was greenery. The bridesmaid dresses were both blush and burgundy, so all bouquets had hand-dyed silk bows in these colors.
I spent a lot of money on flowers because my guests needed to be surrounded by beauty.
The Venue & Style
We wanted to have a Fall Wedding because the temperatures are more relaxed. We liked the rich berry shades: blueberry, cranberry, and greenery. We enjoyed our wedding to be classic and southern. We are classic in taste and wanted our guests to have a southern wedding experience.
Nick chose the location. We figured I would prefer most of the “little” things, so we thought this was his choice. The Board of Trade’s history and age made it stand out. The classical elegance of the building and its story were both appealing to us.
The family heirlooms
I wore the blushing veil my three older sisters wore when they married before me.
I also made my mother’s wedding gown into a cocktail and wore it to my wedding rehearsal. The bodice and sleeves were hand-beaded in lace and pearls. I removed the skirt and sleeves but left the beadwork intact on the bodice. We added a zipper-exposed and slender dress for a modern but classic look.
The Band
For us, the band was most important. It is the band that gets your party going and where you create memories to last a lifetime. We had Rockin’ Dupsie perform at our reception. He was a jazz performer. It was like a concert, with everyone on chairs and standing around the stage.
The Cake
I wanted a naked layer cake with berries on the outside. We met at the center for a naked cake with berries around the edges. We ended up with three cakes. We chose a traditional vanilla buttercream cake for the wedding, a chocolate cake for the groom, and a surprise cake replicating our dog since she would be traveling with us.
We wanted to give everyone a local sweet dish as a favor. New Orleans is famous for its desserts like King Cakes, Pralines Rom, Candy, Beignets, and Pecan Pies.
