Concerns

emuni04

Okay, I need some reassurance here.

I am getting married in less than 3 weeks at the Musee Conti, (wedding ceremony and reception are both taking place here), and have my room blocks reserved at the Dauphine Orleans and the Holiday Inn Chateau LeMoyne. My fiance and I live in Thibodaux, but our families are from the Midwest.

Over the weekend, there was a senseless murder virtually right in front of our hotels, (at the corner of Dauphine and Iberville). This is very upsetting to me as a bride bringing in 130 friends and family unfamiliar with the area. I have been in tears about this all morning and honestly would cancel my entire wedding at this point if it was realistically feasible and get married elsewhere in the city.

I realize that one murder is perhaps nothing to get upset over and I'm not trying to scare anyone, but my concern is that I have family and friends that will likely be drinking all weekend long. How can I not worry about them getting into a situation where they will be putting themselves at danger?

I'm not trying to put NOLA in a bad light, because I think this city is great and I absolutely love it, (which is why I wanted to get married here), but I am really upset right now. Have any other NOLA brides dealt with these concerns? This is all so upsetting to me, and at this point I feel helpless...

meredithcheek

hi there -

i thought the same thing this morning when i saw there was a shooting in the 100 block of Bourbon St.  the exact location of my rehearsal dinner at Bourbon House.  i'm from New Orleans so i think i've learned to accept these things, although a tough pill to swallow.  you need to remember these shootings are not targeted at tourists but are as a result of senseless criminals getting into fights and settling them with guns.  i think these situations are more frequent that innocent visitors being targeted.  i would stress to your guests the need to stay in well lit areas with lots of foot traffic, otherwise a cheap cab back to the hotel is best.  also, the police are very present in the quarter which will hopefully help your guests feel safer.  i know its upsetting but i wouldn't question your choice of having your wedding in new orleans.  good luck with your wedding, my wedding is one week after yours!

hollybee92

I was actually in the city Saturday night, and unfortunately, those things will happen in larger cities (especially NOLA). We visit all the timie, so please don't let one senseless act of crime deter you or your guests from all the city has to offer!

zoopsiedaisy

I would provide your guests with that information, give them a "curfew" guideline of when they should consider getting to their hotels.  I have found that the Quarter past 1:00 a.m. is not where I would like to be.  I am so sorry that this has happened.  It has been a concern of mine as well since I started planning my wedding back in March.  I am putting a little DIY business card in my OOT guest gift boxes that has the phone numbers of the hotel, a contact person from the area and knows it well to ask questions if they need help, and a couple of cab company numbers as well.  I also found a good blurb on the NOLA welcome site that tells you safety tips that I'm putting in too.  Your wedding will be wonderful!  Concentrate on that and enjoy it!!  I hope this helps!

emuni04

Thanks, ladies! I realize that this is a bigger city and crimes happen, (to be fair, we live in Thibodaux now for work, but are from the Chicago area originally so are familiar with crime). I think what upsets me so much is that this is a tourist area, and I feel like this area is supposed to be well monitored and safe. I also heard about the shooting on the 100 block of Bourbon this morning on WDSU.

What upset me so much with this particular murder was that the guy killed was a Marine coming back from the Marine Corps Ball.....he was defending his wife, who some guy was heckling -- a situation many of us have probably been in before. My fiance and I talked about it at lunch and we are considering the option of giving our friends and family little cards with important phone numbers in the welcome bags as well, but want to do so in a tactful way without scaring them.

Thanks, ladies! I'm trying to not freak out too much, but obviously I don't want to worry about my guests being hurt in senseless acts like the ones that took place this weekend....I guess we just have to remind people to be smart and be aware of their surroundings

meganfauer

I can tell you one thing it will make it safer for when you come. I had the same thing happen 1 1/2 years ago. I got married at Broussard's on Conti and in 2009 there was a senseless murder 3 blocks away on Conti and had ALOT of out of towners coming into town. 1st thing i did was NOT TELL THE TOURISTS ABOUT IT AND FREAK THEM OUT. Tell them to be safe as this is a big city but they do not need to know the specifics of the murder in front of their hotel and 2 in my situation it was amazing how many police on horses there were all over the city due to this act. When something bad happens they put more police out there. YOu will be just fine. do not freak out!

kwasik

I am getting married at Latrobe's next month and all of my guests are staying at the Monteleone, just two blocks away. I was thinking of hiring a detail cop to hang around Royal Street for when guests leave our wedding and return to the hotel since a lot of people will be on foot (our wedding ends around 10:30).  I haven't fully investigated the idea (i.e., how much it would cost) but maybe that is an option for you since the Wax Museum is not too far from your hotels.

zoopsiedaisy

I just heard on the news that police say that the most dangerous time in the Quarter is between midnight and 6:00 a.m.  I don't think that the cards will scare them or telling them about this weekend will scare them.  You will just be giving them all the information they need to be safe.  

mromag1

I work in the quarter and this weekend was insane with the amount of people.  Bourbon Street was packed with people for Halloween, the Saints/Steelers game, and Voodoo Fest. This year seemed to have alot of strange people who came in.   Our crime rate usually goes up on weekends when major events are happening.  

To put your mind at ease I did see a lot of police cars, police, and police on horse back over the weekend.  Police are stationed on ever turn for each down Canal Street.  I walked with my Fi from Harrah's to Bourbon and was impressed with the response times of the cops and the police presence (on friday night)  

Tell your guests to be safe and if they go out to be in groups.  

emuni04

Thanks! I definitely feel reassured and it helps me to know that others share my concerns. I also had a co-worker tell me that this weekend was unusually crazy in the FQ and on Bourbon -- even more so than during past Halloweens and Voodoofests.

I definitely think that I will include a card with numbers for cabs, etc. I am not going to say anything about past crime because I don't want to freak anyone out, but it will make me feel better to know that I've at least done something to help keep my guests SMART and safe.

whereyat

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_concerns?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:b6c603d4-769f-47f6-a9c9-bb775efca3d6Post:6486e173-21b7-42ed-83ee-394760e9f2a4">Re: Concerns</a>:
[QUOTE]I can tell you one thing it will make it safer for when you come. I had the same thing happen 1 1/2 years ago. I got married at Broussard's on Conti and in 2009 there was a senseless murder 3 blocks away on Conti and had ALOT of out of towners coming into town. 1st thing i did was NOT TELL THE TOURISTS ABOUT IT AND FREAK THEM OUT. Tell them to be safe as this is a big city but they do not need to know the specifics of the murder in front of their hotel and 2 in my situation it was amazing how many police on horses there were all over the city due to this act. When something bad happens they put more police out there. YOu will be just fine. do not freak out!
Posted by meganfauer[/QUOTE]

THIS.

In regards to the shooting that actually happened, obvs I don't have all the details or was there BUT......

It doesn't matter that he was "coming back from the Marine Corps ball."  Marine events = lots of testosterone (trust me I've been to them!) and he had prob been drinking, so you can't make that equivalent to a "guest at a wedding" where the vibe is Very different.  Know what I mean? If anyone's SO is in the armed services you know what I mean....a Marine event does not approximate a wedding, people are more "riled up"/testosterone....I've lived on several bases, trust me.
 
It *seemed* what happened (again, I obviously wasn't there) is that someone was heckling them (wrong), and then the Marine got in his face and was aggressive (ALSO wrong).  In that situation, you IGNORE heckling, do not engage people like that.  He wasn't "defending," he was putting them in a dangerous situation.  Seriously, if someone's obnoxious, just KEEP WALKING, people!  You're not in a battle!
(Feel free to correct me if I have the facts incorrect about this, however my main point, is still true).

So again, I don't think you can compare this situation to your wedding.  I dunno does that make sense?  Just take a deep breath, relax, your guests will be fine. If you know someone who is an angry/aggressive drunk, maybe "assign" someone to them to make sure they don't get out of hand....otherwise, seriously you'll be fine and have a great wedding!

And as a P.S. before I get flamed, I have the upmost respect for ppl who sacrifice their lives in the service, I certainly couldn't do it, I just think you Cannot compare this situation to a "guest coming back from a wedding."  I think if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about (ex. songs are sung about your wife cheating on you while you're away, etc....not really a "wedding/relaxed/romantic" vibe if ya know what I mean).