We were planning a wedding in California for the summer of 2012 but once I hit the one year mark I realized I wasn’t having as much fun planning as I thought I would and was getting frustrated with family and friends. It was time to take charge and have fun again so we eloped! We didn’t tell anyone and it was fun having a secret that only the two of us knew, and I hate to admit it but it was kinda fun lying too!
So if anyone is thinking about eloping hopefully this will help! I couldn't be happier and do not regret doing it. But be prepared for disappointed friends and family haha! Ultimately, everyone was thrilled for us and shocked that we had the you know whats to do it!
Hotel: Prince Conti in the French Quarter……..A
Everyone at the hotel was very friendly. When booking the room online I added a note that we were visiting NOLA to elope and would appreciate their most romantic room – our first night there, they had a complimentary bottle of champagne sent to our room! So sweet! The room itself is what I expected, decent size, clean and in a great spot in the French Quarter. If we ever go back I would stay there again.
Mani/Pedi: Spa Aria at the Hotel Monteleone…..F
Everyone was nice but I don’t think the person doing my nails had any experience (or mini and pedis are done differently in the south!). The dead skin round my nails was not removed, cuticles were hardly pushed back and no drying fan so I had to walk back to my hotel in those flimsy flip flops and the poor girl was literally fanning my hands so they would dry! I got my toes painted, which there wasn’t a big selection of colors and a French on my hands. Okay, if you’re going to hand paint the white line on a French you better be good – I’m sure you know where I am going with this. Not only were the lines not even but she left polish underneath my nails! Mind blowing! I couldn’t even look at my nails, I just wanted to get out of there before I blew up. I’m a pretty relaxed person and don’t let things get to me but my nails were awful! My fabulous man ran to Walgreens and got me nail polish remover so I could at least remove the tons of paint I had under my nails. From faraway you couldn’t notice it, but that’s not the point. I didn’t get to relax and it was the first thing I did that day and it’s not the way you want to start your wedding day. I would NEVER recommend getting nails done here.
Hair & Makeup: Get Polished……..B-
Two ladies came to my hotel room (20 minutes late), one was actually the owner. I was prepared with magazine pages and knew what I wanted. My hair came out fabulous! Although my curls were stringy by the end of the night and I didn’t even do anything crazy to make it go flat (like dancing). My makeup on the other hand, I’m still not sure. The magazine pages I had were of models with natural color eye shadows and that dewy look and what I ended up with was black eyeliner and a silver smoky eye! My first reaction was “it’s a lot of makeup, can my eyes be not as dark?” She used some q-tips to rub over my eyes and when I looked in the mirror again it looked exactly the same and I told her that. She told me I must not be used to wearing makeup (which I am used to makeup) and that I have big eyes and need the eyeliner. I could tell she was getting annoyed with me and before I got annoyed, I paid them so I could work on my makeup myself. But because they ran late, my photographers showed up and I really only had time to wipe some of it off and apply my own lip gloss. I have to say though, that everyone who has seen my pictures has complimented my hair and makeup before I even tell them the story. I don’t think it looked bad, it’s just not what I asked for. It could have been worst so I wasn’t going to let it affect my big day! If I wasn’t eloping or had time I would have done a trail first. I wanted to use Just Face It but we had a miscommunication and I booked with Get Polished first.
Pressing Wedding Dress: One Cleaners….A+
Plane + satin dress= wrinkles! I knew I was going to have wrinkles no matter what I did. After researching online I came across One Cleaners – thank god! They were beyond fabulous and pressed my dress, groom shirt and suit in ONE DAY! And if you time it right they have a hotel drop off service.
Limo: Big Easy Limos…….A
I got a deal on living social for a stretch limo. I booked my date easily and they sent a white limo even though the deal was for a black one. They arrived ahead of time – great service.
Photographer: Dark Roux…A++++++++
These guys really made my wedding day fun! It’s a husband and wife team (hello 2 photographers for the price of one!). I love their style and they made us feel really comfortable. I couldn’t ask for anything more! What I love best about them is their style and ability to capture the moment. They knew we were first timers in NOLA so made all the suggestions on where to take pictures and even told us places we needed to visit before we left town. I even hired a friend of theirs to be my “day of assistant” and she was awesome too (wanted someone to carry my coat and makeup since it was just the two of us traveling I didn’t really have anyone to help out). I can’t even explain how great they were and booking them was probably the best decision I made! Here is a photo of us on their facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150436791563977&set=a.10150102430903977.268447.339408823976&type=3&theater
Chapel: French Quarter Wedding Chapel…….A++++++
No, a crazy cousin didn’t come bursting in to stop the wedding like they did on Big Easy Brides! Reverend Tony was great and really took the time to talk to us and share life advice. There was a violinist who played the wedding march which was romantic and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. He performed the ceremony just like I wanted. The chapel has a lot of charm and character and we got some really cool pictures. Reverend Tony felt like a parent and reminded us that we were there because we love each other, it was nice and sweet. He did a nice job of making me feel comfortable and relaxed right before I walked down the aisle. If you’re eloping or having a super small ceremony I would check it out and don’t let the show or other people’s thoughts influence you.
Reception/Dinner: Bombay Club…….A++++++
This place was great! Even if you’re not eloping and looking for a romantic dinner check this place out. Call ahead and make a reservation for their private tables for 2. They have these adorable tables that are enclosed on 3 sides by ceiling high walls with curtains draped at the opening and it’s a single table with a love seat. The service was great – food was even better! When dinner was done we moved to the bar to enjoy more drinks and live music. I loved it, perfect way to end the night.
Flowers: WaterMeNot on etsy.com……A+
I wanted to eliminate having has many vendors as possible to make it less stressful so I bought my bouquet and boutonniere on etsy.com from seller WaterMeNot. They were beautiful and really life like. When I got back from our trip I put them in a nice vase and given them to my mother.
Just some odd and ends:
- You do need to have a certified birth certificate for you and your groom. They make a copy of it so you get them back. (bring a pen, all they had were pencils and I felt weird filling out a formal document in pencil).
- If you are from out of state you and get married in less than 72 hours from when you get your marriage license, make sure your pastor/ravened/JP gives you a wavier form after they perform the ceremony to turn in with the rest of your marriage paperwork.
Hope this helps! Good luck!