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Wedding during Mardi Gras/Carnival season....am I crazy? (long)

whereyatwhereyat
First Comment
in Louisiana-New Orleans
Hi y'all,

So just a quick background/some possibly relevant facts before my question (warning: long):

-My e-ring is currently being custom-made, which is very cool, but we won't have it for awhile, like prob not before January.
-My OH does not want to have a wedding during "official hurricane season" which is June-November.  We don't want to say we're engaged or concretely set a date, etc., until we have the ring and he's asked me. (Though I'm not saying that should be the case for all people, just us!). 

So with those 2 things in mind....it's now too soon (in my opinion) to have a wedding before June 2011, the start of the season.  It ends November 30, 2011. December 2011 is (I feel) a little too close to the holidays, 90% of our people are from OOT, I don't think they'd want to travel close to the holidays.
January 2012 is (in my opinion) too soon AFTER the holidays, and when ppl RSVP they'll be thinking "oof, holiday expenses coming up, can't travel."

Which brings us to...February 2012.  Which is...Mardi Gras/Carnival season! Yay!  Except...am I totally out of my mind for thinking of having a wedding then?

Mardi Gras "Day" is Tues (obvs) 2/21/12 (hey that's a cool date). The Saturdays in that month are: 2/11, 2/18, or 2/25. (Also 2/4, but that's the day before the Superbowl so I'm gonna keep that clear for the Saints Laughing tee hee).  I'm thinking "no" to 2/18 as that would be the night of Endymion/fun but crazy. Which leaves us with: 2/11 or 2/25-(after Mardi Gras).

Should we just have it the Saturday *after* Mardi Gras? Would that be a letdown?  Or on 2/11, even though there would be parades that night etc....?  Should we just avoid it all together and have it in March?

Thanks for your opinions - what an odd yet fun problem to have Smile .  Only in New Orleans! Tongue out

And yes I know it's far out to be thinking about this, but the date for Mardi Gras won't change so might as well figure it out now.....

Thanks y'all! Kiss
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Re: Wedding during Mardi Gras/Carnival season....am I crazy? (long)

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    NOLAbrideinDCNOLAbrideinDC
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Personally, i would skip February completly, but if i had to chose i would go with the 25th which i think would totally be fine. i would not do it on the 11th becuase the traffic would be a pain and I wonder if hotel costs would be high? Just my opinion. Good Luck! its going to be fantastic no matter what day you choose! Cool

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    acalloway75acalloway75
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I would either choose the weekend after or wait until March. I mean, what's another two weeks when you will be engaged almost a year and a half?

    We did our engagement party the weekend after mardi gras this past year and it really didn't seem like people were too tired, etc. I would just watch out for your out of town guests. If they come in for mardi gras will they still have time off to come in for your wedding?

    Also-if you decide to switch to March watch out for St. Patrick's Day festivals/parades ESPECIALLY is you're having your wedding in the quarter. There are always these small unannounced parade krewes around that time, but it is possible to avoid.

    I hope this helps!

    WHO DAT!
    Amy
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    MaddyA0710MaddyA0710 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I planned a wedding in may in new orleans. my vendors were not responsive for about 2 months there in between superbowl and mardi gras. They had to"prepare " for a month before and then  "recover" for a month after! Just something to consider.....
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    NatMarie2689NatMarie2689
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Well, being from new orleans and understanding the true chaos of Mardi Gras time, I would say wait until Mardi Gras is over.  If you have your ceremony during Mardi Gras season, it will be a nightmare to find parking since there are parades most nights.  Also, many vendors may be booked for Mardi Gras festivities, such as videographers, photographers, DJs, bands, etc.  I would wait till maybe March to have my wedding, and if you like Mardi Gras so much, why not incorporate some aspects of it into your wedding so that the carnival fun doesn't stop?

    Good luck!
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    amydave2011amydave2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    well, i'm scheduled to have my wedding in new orleans the first weekend of mardi gras next year -- feb 26th.  we've found scheduling to be quite easy since i think most people are scared of planning a wedding during mardi gras.  hence, all the photographers, videographers, florists, etc. are available.

    according to my fiance, who grew up in new orleans, the first weekend is more of "the locals" mardi gras and is not nearly as crazy as the second weekend on up to fat tuesday. our first choice, mind you, was march or april 2011, but everything was booked up at least 10 months out and we had decided to enjoy the engagement phase before getting into massive planning mode.

    personally, i'm thrilled that we're going end of february because the weather should be cooler.  plus, for our OOT guests (which is about 75%), they can get a flavor of mardi gras, see some local parades, etc.  yes, there's a little extra legwork to provide maps that take into account the parade routes and not all hotels were willing to discount, but it was worth it to me to have the venue and people involved that we wanted involved.  and i didn't want to wait an extra year!
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    cm10/10cm10/10 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'd wait until March.  Hotels and parking will be more expensive during MG and if your out of town guests aren't use to the situation, the FQ might be pretty shocking (and dirty) for them.  Plus, traffic is always a nightmare.  Good luck with your planning!
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    whereyatwhereyat
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks everyone!  Those are all good suggestions, they've given me a lot to think about. March might be a better choice then, though I would agree that the earlier in the Mardi Gras/Carnival season, the less tourists around...or maybe 2/25, the Saturday after Fat Tuesday...hmmm.

    Thanks again, y'all are very helpful! :-)
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    lbmsrlotrlbmsrlotr member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I, sort of, feel ur pain. My wedding is scheduled for the first Sunday of Jazzfest. Not as bad as Mardi Gras though. I would DEFINITELY wait until March. Besides, the weather in March is much nicer. Who doesn't love springtime in New Orleans when the azelias are in bloom? GOOD LUCK!

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    AlmostMrsStrongAlmostMrsStrong
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'd also wait until March and avoid February if at all possible.

    Although...I've been to a wedding during the first weekend of December, and it was absolutely lovely and not at all too close to the holidays. Also, November is normally very quiet in terms of hurricanes, so the second-to-last or last weekend would be a safe bet. I'm looking into the first weekend of November in 2012, myself.
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    sammyjamessammyjames
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    edited December 2011
    I agree with acalloway75 -- I would definitely wait until the week after or March.  In March, the weather is still cool and there's more sun, so it might be better anyway.  Just be careful about all the St. Patty's parades.
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    Kate504Kate504 member
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    edited December 2011
    I had this same problem too. I opted for January 14, 2012. Before Mardi Gras because a lot of my family love to attend the parades, maybe not during Saints season(our family are season ticket holders), not during Lent, Jazzfest, Sugar Bowl, etc....... It was hard because there is always something so something had to give and it was close to the holidays it was.
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    thielemmthielemm member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I don't know the dates, but I know that NOLA is host to the Women's Final 4 (which might be in March) that year. You just might want to check that out, too...

    I'm getting married in January, and we thought people would be hesitant to come right after the holidays, but we've gotten a lot more yeses than anticipated. Just might be something to consider.

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    janmlandryjanmlandry
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Since you have many out of town guests, I would get hotel rates for the weekends that you are considering for your wedding.  You may find that the hotels are more expensive during Mardi Gras because that's a popular tourism time.  You may want to contact the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to see what events are being held and what the occupancy percentage is in the local hotels.  Hope this helps, and good luck!
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    AlmostMrsStrongAlmostMrsStrong
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_wedding-during-mardi-grascarnival-seasonam-crazy-long?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:408c9dbe-3366-464c-ad69-4f8834c86cc5Post:b697d908-0bf4-4a58-b99a-614a9010b12f">Re: Wedding during Mardi Gras/Carnival season....am I crazy? (long)</a>:
    [QUOTE]Since you have many out of town guests, I would get hotel rates for the weekends that you are considering for your wedding. <strong> You may find that the hotels are more expensive during Mardi Gras because that's a popular tourism time.</strong>  You may want to contact the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to see what events are being held and what the occupancy percentage is in the local hotels.  Hope this helps, and good luck!
    Posted by janmlandry[/QUOTE]

    I totally forgot, but definitely this.
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    amydave2011amydave2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We actually found hotels to be more restrictive during Jazz Fest (3 night minimums most places) than the first weekend of Mardi Gras.
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