Planning your wedding with the suggestions I have made in the last three posts hopefully has helped ease some stress and free up time for you two to just enjoy each other. And now for the final suggestions I have for you to help make your wedding special.
You have everything planned and set. Hotel and venue booked. Colors and decor decided. Band hired and permits obtained. Looks like your are ready to have some fun. That is the beauty of simplifying. Once you check into your hotel or B&B there are no worries. You gave cab, Uber and hotel transport information to your family and guests so they are set. All that is left to do is step outside and absorb the energy. Go have some fun! Book space at the Blue Nile for your friends and guests to hear some live music and guarantee entrance on a busy night on Frenchmen Street. Of course that should be AFTER you have a casual welcome party at a unique location like Parleaux Beer Lab in the Bywater. A casual, outdoor local brewery that also is kid friendly with pop-up eats. Call ahead, if there isn't a pop up scheduled see if they can hook you up. Or a formal dinner party at Arnauds, one of my very favorite restaurants and wedding venues in the city. Book an upstairs room for dinner and ask for access to the balcony. Another cool place in Bywater, an artist community, is Bacchanal Wine Bar. They have both indoor and outdoor areas that are very cool and relaxed with some great food. You can also opt for wine and cheese trays.
So we have covered the night before the wedding. Now lets talk about methods to remember this fun-filled, once-in-a-lifetime weekend. Your photography. Without question that is one of the important parts of your wedding planning. And yet sometimes left until last when the options are limited. What is it about your photographer that can make your wedding special? The connection you made. You have to be in sync. No wedding is turn and burn. Each is unique. While what occurs is planned, what happens outside the planned is what makes for the moments that bring to life the love you have for each other. And those that surround you. Choosing a photographer who you can relate to is so very important. They understand who you are and sees the connection. That is what makes for great, unscripted moments. When a bride and groom feel completely comfortable with their photographer they relax and forget he or she is even in the room. Same with family and guests. It is a balance that can take your photographs from being nice to being absolutely gorgeous. Loving someone's photography but not loving them is a bad combination.
Lastly, if you take nothing away from this four part series about How to Make Your Wedding Special than one thing let it be this. Don't stress over the little things. They just don't matter at the time. If the flowers are the wrong color, oh well, deal with it next week. If the food was cold or staff was rude deal with it next week. If the hotel is overbooked, take a deep breath and ask them to fix it. Most important is how you choose to handle complications as they arise. And they will. Aunt Sarah missed her flight and will be late arriving. The baby your brother insisted on bringing has colic. Hey, its life, nothing is perfect. What is perfect is the raw, emotional love we have for each other. Just remember that and everything else just doesn't matter.
Hugs to all you couples making the wonderful leap to marriage. And welcome to New Orleans to those of you who chose our awesome city for your most important day!
Call me for more information about the photography I offer. 504-920-8703. In the meantime enjoy some of these wedding portraits from past weddings and elopements.