Jackson Square Ceremony

aj3583

Hey there!

Does anyone have any advice on doing a ceremony outside in Jackson Square? Here are some of my questions:

* Did you have chairs rented and delivered? If so, how long did the rental company need to set up and tear down the chairs? How many chairs did you have?

* Did you need to hire a coordinator to make sure this went smoothly? If so, who, when, cost etc?

* Did you do programs, and if so where did you display them and how?

* What was your rain back up plan?

* How did your bridal party enter the ceremony?

* How did the bride arrive at the ceremony?

Thank you so much!

MMLM2012

- We rented from YourEventDelivered. Our ceremony was at 2pm. They arrived at 1pm, set up in 30 mins, and took everything away by 3pm. They also provided a small sound system so we could have a mic and people could hear, which I would recommend.
- They only allow 100 chairs, max.
- A coordinator would probably be nice; we didn't have one and it was completely fine. No problems.
- We had programs passed out by an usher in a basket; personally I felt like they were a waste, most people didn't take one or threw it out almost immediately... But you could always place them on the chairs or something, too, if you really want them.
- Our rain back up plan was to have our ceremony at the reception venue (the Wax museum was very accomodating to this) (also- it rained ALL morning but I held out and it cleared right before!! Stressful but it was so amazing that it worked out).
- My husband waited with the officiant at the fountain. I entered through the side gates and had my bridal party shield me, then we all stayed hidden behind the statue in the center until we walked down the aisle, towards the fountain.
- Also we didn't have any decorations and I thought it was lovely without. But if you google image search you can find some beautiful set ups people have tried if you want ideas.

I LOVED getting married there! But be warned- there will be lots of people watching/taking pics. No one was rude to us or got in the way of any of our pictures and we had absolutely no problems, but you should be prepared as it is a public place!

aj3583

Thank you so much for the info, that is so helpful!

I am glad ot hear that the chairs were set up and taken down that quickly, I was worried about that! 

How did you coordinate with YourEventDelivered? Did you have to have someone meet the people and tell them where to set up? I am thinking this is where a coordinator would come in handy; I don't see how I could personally meet them there prior to the ceremony...how did you arange this?

Did you do any kind of rehearsal run through with the bridal party the night before? 

Also, did you have any issues with the guests knowing where to go? We are having a lot of people in from out of town and aren't familiar with the area...did you need any kind of signage? 

Thanks again - I'm sure I will think of more questions but I really appreciate it!

MMLM2012

We did not have a coordinator and had absolutely no problems with the chair set up. In fact, I basically didn't even know they existed the day of! I'm pretty sure they do it all the time, and know where to go/what to do, so unless you are doing something unique it works out just fine. We had no one there to greet them and there were no issues.

We did a rehearsal the afternoon before, there were a ton of people around but I got lots of congrats and it was quick and easy. 

All of our guests were out of town as well. We included a map with the invite, on the website, and in the welcome letter that pointed to the fountain. No one had any issues. I'm pretty sure even if someone entered from the wrong gate it is pretty obvious where to go. We also had ushers around to help people. We didn't use any sigs.

Ask away, I had a million questions that I never ended up getting answered and I was a little worried before hand, but everything went wonderfully. So, I'm happy to help. 

alyss21mom

We did have a planner and she arranged everything so I don't know how long things took.  We had chairs, a sound system which I reccomend.
No programs, no aisle runner.  I know we hired someone to clean up - it was a small amount and that way we were sure to get the deposit back. 

The back up plan was to have the ceremony at the reception site - Pat O's on the River.  It was sprinkling that day and I understand they had chairs set up at both places.  Fourtunately the weather cleared in time and we were able to have the ceremony at Jackson Sq and 2nd lined to Pat O's.  Hope that helps.

n Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_jackson-square-ceremony-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:84Discussion:1611c427-a809-4dee-975d-6ea916fada92Post:fe3e51e0-9042-40c4-b78e-9663c599aaf2">Jackson Square Ceremony</a>:
[QUOTE]Hey there! Does anyone have any advice on doing a ceremony outside in Jackson Square? Here are some of my questions: * Did you have chairs rented and delivered? If so, how long did the rental company need to set up and tear down the chairs? How many chairs did you have? * Did you need to hire a coordinator to make sure this went smoothly? If so, who, when, cost etc? * Did you do programs, and if so where did you display them and how? * What was your rain back up plan? * How did your bridal party enter the ceremony? * How did the bride arrive at the ceremony? Thank you so much!
Posted by aj3583[/QUOTE]

nikkiandringo

This sounds lovely! 

May I be so bold as to ask the prices? I asked a similar question about eloping to NOLA, and this sounds like it might be a real option! 

JMosleyDVM

For pricing, just google Jackson Square and there's a website that talks all about Jackson Square and specific link about weddings.  I am getting married there in March, but my fiance' handled the deposits for all that so I honestly can't remember.  I do remember thinking it wasn't too bad though! 

Have fun eloping in Nola... it's a wonderful city! I miss not living there. 

JMosleyDVM

For pricing, just google Jackson Square and there's a website that talks all about Jackson Square and specific link about weddings.  I am getting married there in March, but my fiance' handled the deposits for all that so I honestly can't remember.  I do remember thinking it wasn't too bad though! 

Have fun eloping in Nola... it's a wonderful city! I miss not living there.