We have a super fun New Orleans wedding to share with you today! Tomas + Samantha wanted a unique, heartfelt and special event that reflected them as a couple… and they pulled it off in style. Make sure to read the brides feedback below for the inside scoop on the days fab details!
“It’s so hard to decide! Do I have to pick? :-) I’d have to say there were two favorite moments. My first was when the curtains opened and I walked down the aisle with my Mom and Dad, and saw my husband-to-be standing at the end in his Army Blues waiting for me. That moment was so beautiful as our string trio played and inch-by-inch I walked down seeing the faces of our closest family and friends illuminated only by candles and lanterns until I reached Tomas. Secondly, a very different favorite moment, was surprisingly how we ended our wedding in-fashion by parading the streets of the French Quarter at the stroke of midnight with the streets closed for us, our dancing shoes, my custom parasol, the truly inspiring Lagniappe Brass Band and the historic Golden Comanche Mardi Gras Tribe leading our guests to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
..Yes! I didn’t want to have a standard wedding where the venue planned everything as-usual. My poor Mom and Tomas traveled with me three times to New Orleans to go over all of the details and our DIY projects. Thankfully since it’s our favorite city, we were always up for an excuse to get down to NOLA. Here are a few of my DIY projects:
*Rather than a guest book, our nearest and dearest wrote us personalized anniversary letters to be opened on whichever anniversary date they chose. We found a great vintage box with an old chalkboard to write the directions to our guests and then I created our own personalized cards that read Monsieur and Madame Elfmont.
*Since I have a creative vision, but am not necessarily crafty, I used a lot of Etsy vendors to help bring my visions to life. For instance, I really don’t like when dinner tables are numbered (it feels awful to be at table 16, don’t you agree?) so rather than number tables, we had our favorite NOLA streets and places as table names (for example, St. Charles, Royal Street, the French Market). I also really want to incorporate our fur baby (French Bulldog named Tootsie) and love for animals into our evening so I transformed two Frenchie Ornaments into our Pie Toppers, and designed our To-Go Cups for the parade based on French Bulldogs kissing in the French Quarter.
*I also picked out the masks and crowns for every guest, and put together welcome bags with my family to include our New Orleans favorites like local chewy pralines and Zapp’s spicy cajun crawtator chips along with mardi gras beads, Advil and timelines I designed to help guests keep track of all of the weekend wedding festivities. Don’t think you can take on everything by yourself – it’s impossible – you need a handful of support for all of those personalized touches!
Something Old: My Mother gave me my Great-Grandmother’s beautiful diamond European Cut band from Scotland that is passed down to all the women in my family. It’s sentimental to me because I always remember my Grandmother wearing it as a child, and me of course trying it on even though it always slipped of my finger. My grandparents were my best friends growing up and since they passed before the wedding, having my grandma’s wedding band on throughout the day, and even now, reminds me that she’s always with me.
Something Blue: Royal Blue Badgley Mischka’s from Bloomingdales New York, a birthday gift from my Mom.
Something Borrowed: My best friend prior to Tomas was my Grandfather who has now passed. Tomas reminds me so much of him: a war hero, a true gentleman, someone who is always up for an adventure, and someone who knows that a scoop of ice cream is the best way to cheer me up. My Mom lent Tomas my Grandpa’s hankie.
Something New: Oh so many things. My two dresses, the Etsy “Mrs. Elfmont” hanger, my earrings and “I Theodora You” OPI nail lacquer…
..Don’t feel that you need to follow a rule book. It’s your day, so don’t hold back, sometimes the non-traditional aspects of the wedding are the best part! For instance, Tomas and I really do not like cake, and even though we were pressured to have one, we didn’t give in! Instead we had a pie table filled with some of our favorite pies like Key Lime, Sweet Potato Praline, Buttermilk Almond and Chocolate Bourbon. And since we were holding our wedding next to the place Banana’s Foster was invented, we only found it only fitting to also offer that to our guests.
We had a lot of music at our wedding – a string trio, traditional New Orleans brass, a DJ and even the Second Line parade. Let’s just say our guests were on their feet. No matter how classy your event, pass out some flip flops for your guests’ aching footsies.
And if it’s in your budget, a farewell brunch the next day is a great way to rehash great memories from the night before, catch up with guests you may have missed on the actual day-of, and most importantly finally relax with your new husband!” – Samantha, the bride
photography: Sparkle + Tumble Photography // venue: Latrobe’s On Royal , NOLA // flowers: Kim Starr Wise Floral Events // pies: Shake Sugary Bakery // wedding dresses: Casablanca Bridal // shoes: Badgley Mischka // tux: Suit Supply // bridesmaid dresses: ML Monique Lhuillier // lighting, design, decor: Luminous Events of New Orleans // videography: Contrast Films // ceremony music: New Orleans Finest // reception music: Lagniappe Brass Band // trolley: Capital City Trolleys // carriage: Mid City Carriages // handmade parasol: Bella Zahara // pie toppers: Stanley & Stewart // table tents and escort cards: Shanna Michele Designs // bridesmaid jewelry: Bijoux & Couture // stationary: Minted
