Wedding during French Quarter Festival?

jubara12

My fiance and I are trying to figure out a date for our small wedding in New Orleans. Everyone is an out of towner, so we want them to really have a chance to see what the city has to offer, but I also don't want them to have to pay a lot more because its a big festival weekend. Any thoughts, advice? Should we go for it or not?

aimeerobichaux

We tried staying away from all festivals just because of the cost of a lot of different vendors.. (hotels, florists and even the band) but if you or your guest don't mind paying a little more then it would be great having it during then, so they could experience that also )

jubara12

Thanks Aimee! That would definitely sway our decision if vendors charge more during those times. 

scowie15

I'm getting married during a Jazz Fest weekend and everyone from hotels to limos and even bands wanted to charge me more because of it.  

louisianablue

I don't think the French Quarter Festival is such a big deal that people will charge more for the timing.  There are always things going on in New Orleans.  I would just take care to avoid things like Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Sugar Bowl, but otherwise I think the pricing will generally be the same.  I don't think people from out of town go out of their way to attend the French Quarter Festival, so it shouldn't affect things like hotel rates.

GeauxWed

I would also consider the price of plane tickets for your guests that weekend.   I know that on festival weekends sometimes the prices go way up! 

Csmoke

Louisianablue is wrong about French Quarter fest being a local event. Last year 550,000 people attended the event. It's 3rd in tourist events for the city after Mardigras and Jazzfest. 

Vendors such as bands or florists have to charge more for FQ fest because they incur extra costs. Parking rates skyrocket during FQ fest $20 parking rates go to over $120. Royal street is wall to wall people. You can barely walk down it. A florist or band can not drive down the streets like they normally would. They have to park in expensive parking and hire extra hands to hand wheel their equipment to the venue. They have to do this at set up and at breakdown. 

If you want photos taken in the French Quarter it also won't happen. The streets are too busy to do so. 

A wedding at French Quarter Fest time is ok outside of the quarter inclose areas like the CBD, but avoid it in the quarter. 

jubara12

Thank you all so much for the advise! I think we are going to avoid the festival just to be safe. I'd hate to have my guests incur additional costs because we chose to have it during a festival weekend. Thanks again!

silverspark7

I would not plan it during FQF.  It would be a nightmare logistically if you planned to have anything even remotely close to the FQ.  As a local, if I'm not planning to go to FQF, I steer clear.

guswoman

Contact the Convention Bureau. They can tell you about any events going on for the weekends you are interested in, and what their effect may be on your planning. Just because there is no major national event, you could still run in to problems.

For example, we originally booked April 5th because there were no major events. Turns out Wrestlemania was that weekend. Who still cares about Wrestlemania, right?? Apparently everybody. Motels in METAIRIE were asking upwards of $200 for room block prices. We couldn't even get any hotels in the quarter or garden district to give us rooms at any price, all sold out.

Lesson learned. We had to pay transfer fees to get everything moved, but Leslie at the convention bureau worked with me (free of charge) to make sure we picked a weekend that wouldn't give us trouble. 

I highly recommend contacting them.

fam1820

I saw a wedding second line through bourbon street last year at the French Quarter fest. It was epic. But, parking in the quarter that weekend was terrible.