Long reviews! May 18

We are from Cleveland and had 38 out of town guests with us.

First a tip on second line – if at all possible, do it! Everyone came up afterwards and said it was the coolest thing they had ever done.  We were like celebrities, and probably are all over social media without knowing it!

Second a tip on shoes – I bought beautiful Seychelles I Do shoes over a year ago, and then also bought white Croc sandals with a small heel for the second line.  My seamstress was awesome and put a few front bustle loops on my dress and made it work with either pair of shoes.  Well after a few days of walking all over the Quarter, the high heels were not an option.  I had pictures taken of them but never actually wore them, and nobody will ever know or care.

Dress and Bridesmaids dresses – from David’s Bridal in Ohio.  No issues ordering or receiving the dresses. One dress was sewn a little off around the waist, but in the end it was no big deal.  I had a local seamstress do my hem and bustle and add tulle straps. The bridesmaid’s dresses needed no alterations.

Groom’s suit – Italian Direct on Tchoupitoulas. I think it was a decent price for a very lightweight beige suit.  We bought it on a whim after visiting Lucy’s last November and I think it was perfect. The other men just wore suits they already owned.

Hotels – I went through a lot of trouble setting up blocks at La Quinta and Astor Crowne Plaza.  Nobody booked La Quinta and only 4 rooms were booked at Crowne Plaza.  Everyone found their own lodging elsewhere. We ended up staying at the Chateau Lemoyne along with some friends, my family got condos at Quarter House, other friends stayed at a B&B in the Marigny, and a few others found other hotels.  

Marriage License – we took the ferry to Algiers Point Courthouse. They were very busy with court that day, so it took about an hour to get finished. I felt like that was part of the wedding experience and I’m glad we went there.

Welcome party – Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar. Awesome food and environment, and our guests loved it. Close enough to the Quarter so easy for everyone to walk or get cabs. The full open bar was pricey so I limited it to beer, wine and margaritas. There were supposed to be signs telling guests what was free, but there weren’t. Also we didn’t get some of the food we were supposed to, and I was handed a bill that was more than expected at the end of the night.  I paid it to avoid a scene as we wanted to get out of there and head to Bourbon with our friends.  I’m in the process of working it out, and I don’t think it will be a problem getting a refund. To avoid issues, pay in advance! But I would host a party there again in a heartbeat because it was such a great time.

Hair and Makeup – Salon Diversions on Royal St in the Quarter. I loved my hair and makeup and it lasted all day and night. My mom, MOH and some guests also got their hair done and all looked fantastic.

Photographer – Sabree Hill.  I booked her very early because she was affordable and I loved the pictures on her website, but when we met with her I just knew she was going to be awesome to work with. She stopped traffic and shooed away photobombing drunk jerks and did whatever it took to get great pics.  Katy from Déjà vu on Dauphine and Conti allowed us to take pics on their balcony for free, so we ate and drank there several times as thanks.

Ceremony and Reception – Musee Conti Wax Museum. Can’t recommend this place enough.  Even though our group was small, the space was not overwhelming. We used their linens and candelabras so that was a huge time and money saver. Beth is amazing and took care of everything for us all night.

Caterer – Benedict’s.  Everything was delicious, and we ended up with a ton of food, which they bagged and boxed for my family to take back to their condos. I wish I had cut back a little. We did a lot of apps on display, ham, seafood gumbo and a pasta station. It didn’t sound like enough but it was too much.

Ceremony and Second Line band – Kinfolk. Fantastic, fun and professional. I can’t remember the prelude music but we used Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans and Give Me A Kiss to Build a Dream on for our processional songs and Hello Dolly for our recessional. They learned Hang on Sloopy for us as we are all Ohio State fans and alumni, and that got everyone going out in the street.  We booked them through White Oak Productions. Mimi was awesome helping us select a band, pick music, and handle the permit process. Beth had called for a pedicab for my parents but it didn’t show up so the policewoman following the parade put them in her squad car and they had a blast waving hankies out the windows. Thumbs up for NOPD!

Umbrellas – NOLA Umbrella Company / Lost and Found on Chartres.  I contacted Liz on Etsy and she had Lost and Found hold an umbrella for me, but when we got there we found others that we loved!

Flowers – Bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages from Christina O’Malley. Our flowers were beautiful. She also coordinated the rental and setup of a candle screen for the ceremony.

Minister – Jeffrey Holmes from Strange True Tours. We met him on a cemetery tour a few years ago, and then learned he was ordained and registered. So rather than hire a stranger, we hired him. Everyone loved him. He gave a brief history of the second line, made us laugh and made us cry, it was perfect. Our guests ran into him several times over the following days, and he stopped and gave them mini tours.

DJ – Harold from Crescent City DJ. He played most of what he was supposed to and took requests. I danced all night so I can’t complain. He also wasn’t one of those over the top types that would have made me cringe. My only concern is he brought an assistant without telling me and technically she should have been in our head count and I wasn’t ready with tips.

Cake – Cake Designs by Meg. Our cake was beautiful and delicious! I gave Meg some ideas and let her do her thing, and it was better than I could have dreamed. We had almond with caramel buttercream for our first bite and top layer. We also had chocolate with whipped ganache and never even saw it because it was gobbled up. Bought the cake stand for about $15 with a coupon at Hobby Lobby.