If weddings are a time of celebration, a New Orleans wedding is the celebration of the year. Michael and Mark fell in love in the Big Easy and wanted their wedding day to include everything that they love about their city: savory food, jovial music and their favorite people all in one room. Wild Wonder Photography was there as they got ready together and took an emotional walk down the aisle before tying the knot and celebrating in loud and festive New Orleans-style.
The Love Story
Michael and Mark met through work, but at the time, they were working for competing hotels. Mark worked at the Waldorf Astoria, and Michael worked at the Ritz-Carlton. And if it weren’t for the Super Bowl — the year of the famous power outage in New Orleans — it’s possible their paths might never have crossed.
To help hotels prepare for the influx of football fans and swarm of media that the Super Bowl brings, Disney Institute was brought in to host training classes on hospitality for area hotels. As luck would have it, the Waldorf Astoria sent Mark to the conference, and because Michael had a history of working for Disney, he was chosen to attend for the Ritz-Carlton. “We ended up being paired on a project together,” Michael says. “How serendipitous!”
The Ceremony
For their wedding, Michael and Mark wanted to create a magical experience that captured the essence of New Orleans for their out-of-town guests. As two non-traditionalists, Michael and Mark walked down the aisle hand-in-hand, wearing matching midnight navy tuxedos to a song from the movie “How To Train Your Dragon.” During their intimate ceremony, a nearby fountain was glowing with light from more than 50 ivory pillar candles, and round paper lanterns in blue, white and gold hung between lampposts, which served as a colorful, festive background as the grooms said “I do.”
The Party
Their reception was, as promised, a true New Orleans affair, filled with vibrant color, delicious food and plenty of dancing. Navy tablecloths with a champagne overlay covered the mix of small and large tables where guests enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres before a buffet-style dinner. The menu included delectable local fare such as crawfish beignets with a green onion aioli, andouille quesadillas, duck wontons with plum sauce and a carving station with beef tenderloin. And for dessert, a four-tiered wedding cake in four different flavors was decorated in white and navy layers with gold dusting and charming fondant navy bowties.
The grooms shared their first dance as a married couple to a beautiful mashup of Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” and Disney’s “When You Wish Upon a Star.” And as their wedding came to an end, guests visited the rainbow candy bar, which was stocked with Skittles, Gummy Bears, Mike and Ikes, Starburst and Lollipop, to fill favor bags to take home.
Team of Talents
Venue: The New Orleans Board of Trade
Photography: Wild Wonder Photography
Wedding Planner: Sapphire Events
Floral Design: Nola Flora
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas
Cake Design: The Sweet Life Bakery
Catering: Pigeon Caterers
Wedding Suit: Macys
Bridesmaids Dress: David's Bridal
Band: B Street Benny
Hair and Makeup: Taylor Rebnowe
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