Help me make my perfect vendor list?

coolcatclaire

I have a list of the vendors I think I'd like ideally, and some I'm considering and some I haven't figured out at all.  What do you think?  Who are you using or considering?  I'm sure there's lots of stuff out there I don't know about.

Ceremony: St. Louis Cathedral but if that's too complicated, then a courtyard (Mazarin?)
Reception: Latrobes or a photogenic ballroom (Royal Sonesta, Loews, Bourbon Orleans?)
Combined: do it all at NOMA?
Menu: like a chef's tasting menu of several different items instead of buffet (anyone done that?)
Band or DJ:??
Flowers: Bella Blooms or Bee's seem to do the kind of elaborate flowers I like
Cake: Individual mini cakes?  Not sure who could do this for me
Photographer: edgy and modern-- any suggestions? want a very editorial look and lots of b&w
Video: Love everything I've seen from Dyle!
Planner: Someone who gets my vibe and can make this come together
Rehearsal Dinner: an interesting menu & vibe totally different from the wedding.  Maybe Muriels with a tea leaf reader and funky vintage vibe?

Queen Jane

I highly recommend Carolyn Arthur at All About Events for coordination. She's a Nola native with tons of knowledge, very into the event and music scene and spent several years working in LA. She's got a lot to offer. Photog, we used Ardent Studio and were very pleased.

kiermart

Hey here are some suggestions; Planner posh productions Photography krisliz photography Rehearsal dinner the foundry Bakery flour power, haydels, gambinos

louisianablue

It looks like you're off to a great start.  Just a couple of things to keep in mind:

Ceremony/Reception: You need to be Catholic to get married at the St. Louis Cathedral and do pre-cana before the wedding.  If you're having over 150 guests, I don't think you will fit at the Hotel Mazarin.  While they have a lovely courtyard, the fountain will prevent you from seating that many guests.  You might want to consider having your reception at the Audubon Tea Room or one of the venues at City Park.  NOMA might also be a great option for you, but I'm not sure how it would work if they need to change over the room for a seated dinner.  I think you would be sized out of the Bourbon Orleans, but it's certainly worth looking into the other ballrooms.  Most weddings in New Orleans are done buffet styles, so you'll probably either need to hire a planner who can do the legwork for you or get on the phone to figure out which venues you will actually fit in.  A seated dinner for 150+ will rule out many of the venues in the French Quarter.

Photographer:  I used Maile Lani, who has a very dreamy, vintage aesthetic.  Based on what you've described, I would definitely suggest looking at Mark Eric Photography, Courtney Dellafiora locally.

Planner: I also used Carolyn Arthurs from All About Events to coordinate my wedding, but you may also want to consider Wink Event Planning,Tying the Knot or Get Polished.  It sounds like you're planning a pretty elaborate wedding.

Cake: Not sure if they do individual cakes, but I loved my cake Flour Power.  I also considered Melissa's FIne Pastries, who can probably accommodate your request.

NikNik2013

I'm using Bella Blooms and Dee is amazing! I was afraid I would not be able to afford her.  She gives lots of options and stayed within my budget, and I didn't feel like I was "settling". When the pomananders are $65.00 each, she gave me an option to use crystal balls that she has with flowers on top instead, and they will be just as beautiful!

Haydel's for my bakery
BNM photography bnmphotoblog.com

carolemb

You may want to check out Dark Roux Photography. They seem edgy and very modern.
Good luck planning!

Brooke4377

I too, am doing the Cathedral and then Bourbon Orleans, so I would definitely look into that combo!  You would be fine at that ballroom- I think they can do seated receptions up to 150 or maybe a little more (I'm doing around 120 and am worried it will look kind of empty) and they can do buffet up to 300 I think.  Prices are reasonable and totally negotiable, and it's so close to the Cathedral I definitely recommend!

For the Cathedral you will want to call soon to see if anything near your chosen date is available- it fills fast! 

I have no advice on the other things, sorry!  We aren't doing videography and have a family photographer, and I just don't think I need a planner since I'm local.  Good luck!!

ChrissyBeachBride

Sorry, I've got nothing... LOL but boy do I love your idea for Muriel's!  I hope you don't mind if I try something like that too.

egm900

Muriel's upstairs room is gorgeous.  The only problem with the Cathedral is that it fills up extremely fast, I called them last June (2011) and the only reason I got an evening slot before December 2012 was because someone cancelled.  Immaculate Conception (aka Jesuit church) is very pretty and close to the Quarter, if you can't get the Cathedral.  They tend to book fast as well, although not as bad as the Cathedral.  They also have their calendar online, so you can check your date before you even contact them.  

I assume you want an evening wedding if you're considering NOMA (they only host events after they close).  Last I knew, it was $7000 just to rent the building, because of all the art work, their insurance raises the price.  Brennan's can easily cater there because they have the cafe in the museum, although they also have a list of caterers they prefer.  As PP said, I would also look at City Park venues and Audubon.  They both have excellent catering on-site.  Audubon also seems to charge less for their bar packages than everyone else I looked at.  Latrobe's also books fast for evening events, almost as quickly as the Cathedral.

Brooke4377

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_help-me-make-my-perfect-vendor-list?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:11782538-0450-4ffe-8f91-1ecd5a93baf2Post:6d83abb5-e3f8-4b6d-bf9f-7260ccfa3a32">Re: Help me make my perfect vendor list?</a>:
[QUOTE]Muriel's upstairs room is gorgeous.  The only problem with the Cathedral is that it fills up extremely fast, I called them last June (2011) and the only reason I got an evening slot before December 2012 was because someone cancelled.  Immaculate Conception (aka Jesuit church) is very pretty and close to the Quarter, if you can't get the Cathedral.  They tend to book fast as well, although not as bad as the Cathedral.  They also have their calendar online, so you can check your date before you even contact them.   I assume you want an evening wedding if you're considering NOMA (they only host events after they close).  Last I knew, it was $7000 just to rent the building, because of all the art work, their insurance raises the price.  Brennan's can easily cater there because they have the cafe in the museum, although they also have a list of caterers they prefer.  As PP said, I would also look at City Park venues and Audubon.  They both have excellent catering on-site.  Audubon also seems to charge less for their bar packages than everyone else I looked at.  Latrobe's also books fast for evening events, almost as quickly as the Cathedral.
Posted by egm900[/QUOTE]



In terms of this it really depends on how flexible you are with your date and time.  I found the above to be true for Saturday 7 pm only.  If you are willing to do ANY other time you will have many choices; they do weddings 6 days a week at 1 ,3, 5 and 7 so lots of options!  We chose Friday, as we are doing a cruise honeymoon leaving Sunday and didn't want to feel rushed right after the wedding.  We also wanted daylight for pictures so we chose a 3 pm, but there were plenty of 7 pm slots open still on Fridays for the entire fall.  (we were calling in the end of February 2012 inquiring about October and November 2012 so only 8 months ahead!).  Of course if you have your heart set on a Saturday in September at 7 pm, yes, you may wait two years :)

coolcatclaire

Wow, thanks for all the input!  I've got a lot to work with here.  The cathedral, latrobes and NOMA are highest on my list to call so I can nail the major thing down (like my date!) so I can start making other decisions.  Thanks everyone!

coolcatclaire

NikNik2013 thanks for the photography recommendation.  I've spent hours looking at the site!