We had a great time and it was a very productive trip. Eye opening for the Fiance & the fact that we got to actually see two weddings while in town was so beneficial. We are inviting 160 guests but I expect that we will have 125 to actually make it. This was kind of a fact finding trip for us to really see the things that matter to each of us & the things that don't.
ROYAL SONESTRA
Wyeth had not been very responsive in the weeks prior but I had already read that on the board here. I also chalked it up to being busy wedding season. In person she was very delightful & spent alot of time with us. The lobby is nice and jazz bar very nice. I loved the beautiful courtyard and the adjacent Fluer De Lis Suite. This venue captures the essence of what I really want, the courtyard wedding, with the indoor/outdoor reception setting and in the heart of the quarter. We saw the venue empty but were invited to come back on the next evening for a wedding with a similar guest count. Fiance did not think that courtyard could hold that many chairs & was pleasantly surprised when we got there & to see how everything was set up.
JAYWALKERS
Best part of being invited back for this wedding was the fact that we got to see the band that they chose & they were great. We sat in the jazz club next to the courtyard & had drinks during the wedding. We saw the band when they arrived before the wedding was over.They came dressed in matching pants, white shirts, and vests & they had a female Grand Marshal of some sort who was dancing in the street with the band really getting the guests hyped before the bride & groom came out to join everyone & start the second line ! I have seen pictures of other bands that show up in street clothes or just looking too casual for my taste. I realized how important this is to me in addition to them being a great band musically.
FEDERAL BALLROOM
Fiance liked this place, loved the large windows & the fact that they have a room to hold the ceremony in case of rain ( We were thinking of Jackson Square or the Pharmacy Courtyard for ceremony). However, I think it seems too far from either of those venues to second line. If it rains & we will have to have the ceremony there it won't matter because the second line would be cancelled too. She really sold him on the amount of food that you seem to get for the money & emphasized that appetizers are passed all night. I have read good things on here about their preferred Caterer Capdebosque, but we did not think to schedule a tasting with them & I wished we had. It's kind of too ballroomish for me and I really want to be in the quarter.
MUSEE CONTI WAX MUSEUM
We saw this venue early in the morning. I admit I had mixed feelings initially. Fiance really liked it from jump. But I really think it was Beth that he really liked best. She was in process of getting ready for a wedding while we were touring, so we got a chance to see how well she juggles everything on wedding day. There are parts of the place that could use a little updating which is what I initially noticed, but the upstairs room has a lot of character with the wood floors, the wood beams and the exposed brick. The museum aspect is very original & we both think since ALL of our guests are from OOT this will be an interesting venue. I like the fact that it is in the quarter & close to Bourbon. It was also great that we came back to this venue later that night just before a wedding being held there. All of the things that I had noticed before faded to black. I am sure it was because it was darker inside but also because it was set up/decorated and we could actually see how everything comes together in person & not just in pictures.
BELLA BLOOMS
This was an unexpected interaction. Since we had a tasting scheduled an hour before the wedding started we actually got to watch them setting up and to see the things they had done on the tables. Fiance made a contact & was very blunt asking specifics regarding costs of this & that which allowed us to determine if they were in our price range. We were both impressed with the work & the prices.
NEW ORLEANS CATERING
We were both blown away with the taste and quality of the food. Sabine has been very responsive to my calls and emails. We loved everything they placed in front of us. In fact, the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding is making me rethink the size of cake I need to order because I think many people will like this more than wedding cake.LOL
PHARMACY MUSEUM
We were both kind of disappointed in the courtyard. It just didn't seem to be very well maintained. Especially in comparison to the Royal Sonestra that we had previously seen. The fountain was not clean AT ALL & we were confused because we are seeing it in the height of wedding season & thinking it should be kept up better than this? It made me wonder how many ceremonies are actually held here. The bathrooms for guests also were not in the best shape. The event coordinator was not very responsive either. Initially she was on vacation but when she did return & sent me an email with rate info, she never responded to my reply with additional questions that I had. I even told her when we were coming from OOT & never heard back . We ended up just showing up & telling the clerk we needed to see the courtyard for an upcoming wedding to avoid the entry fee.
HAYDELS BAKERY
Their cakes are very beautiful.
Fiance did not like the fact that they couldn't make his grooms cake exactly the way he wanted it. Also they require your two bottom layers to be almond white (it holds up best for decorating) and we just didn't like the taste of it very much & that we be the majority that would be served to guests.
GAMBINOS BAKERY
We both loved the taste of the cake we ate. The big plus was they showed Fiance a photo of a grooms cake that was EXACTLY what he wanted. We had an appointment with another person so the lady that we met with that day seemed a little rushed to me, but all in all, we were satisfied with what they offered. I may end of trying Royal Cakery or Flour Power on our next visit since this is something that you can wait on. I have read good things about those vendors here on this board. We will most likely get the grooms cake from Gambinos though.
SOUTHERN CANDYMAKERS
After trying what seems like every different praline in the French Quarter, we both agreed these tasted the best to us. We want to give these as wedding favors with
our wedding seal on them. The young lady we spoke with was very helpful and responsive showing us the different options and sizes available for this type of wedding favor & they do this often.
STUDIO VIEUX CARRE PHOTOGRAPHER
Fiance set up this visit. We were instructed to call Sunday morning for a meeting sometime Sunday afternoon. Since they had a wedding on Saturday. We called when we got up before checking out of our hotel & left message. Never got a response. We went to brunch & waited, still not response & we had to get home. We still have not gotten a phone call or email since last week. They were probably exhausted from the wedding the night before, but a return call to say perhaps another time would have been nice since we hung around waiting for a call back & left later than we would have had to.
JACKSON SQUARE
Fiance does not like this as ceremony location after looking at it from a wedding standpoint so I am trying to compromise somehow. I don't agree, but he thinks its too public & the square is too busy for him. I want a location we can both be happy with, but we were both disappointed in the Pharmacy Courtyard so we are still trying to pick a ceremony location for approx 125. We are not Catholic so that eliminates so many churches and we want to be in/nearest to the quarter.
There are several other places that were very nice but just not in our budget. Fiance likes the idea of having the ceremony in one place & second lining to the reception site because our parents aunts & uncles are elderly & we want them to experience that right after the wedding and not too late into the evening.
We still don't have a viable ceremony only location yet. But the venue next to the Musee Conti should be up and running by July & we will make another trip to check it out. I am really hoping that it is exactly what we are looking for & that it will be a possible option for us. The problem we are having is finding places that don't require you to have your reception there as well.
Do any of you have any other ideas for a ceremony only location for 125 in very near the quarter( indoor or outdoor) close enough to second line to the Musee Conti or the Federal Ballroom ?
Thoughts ? Questions ? Comments ?