Luxury wedding planner + designer based in New Orleans. Personalizing traditional, yet custom + timeless, yet modern weddings. Named Martha Stewart’s Top Planner 2014
I was that little girl who dreamed about her wedding since she knew what weddings were! I remember the princess Halloween costume that evolved into a bride the next year, then a dead bride the following. I always doodled wedding dresses, bouquets and the occasional groom, all while dreaming of what my wedding day would be like! I’ve always been in love with love! I could partly attribute that to the fact that I’ve been in love with my now-husband since I was 14 years old! And there was no one more supportive of me when I turned my love of weddings into a career and started Elyse Jennings Wedding!
Many years (and other bride’s weddings) later, of course my childhood wedding plans had changed. But I was finally getting to be the bride and Jack and I were finally going to make our relationship official after 11 years of dating! So with a pencil, paper, and Pinterest, we started cataloguing things that would portray our love story and ways to add those details to our wedding day!
After endearingly being called “Fancy Skansi” for years by Jack’s friends, I knew that we wanted the wedding to feel glamorous and elegant, yet naturally effortless and organic at the same time! So we planned a formal affair among the oaks of Stella Plantation!
I hope you enjoy our wedding as much as we enjoyed living every moment! XOXO
We chose some romantic elements that we would carry throughout the event, and since I’ve signed all of my letters to Jack with “xoxo” for years, we fell in love with the idea of having “xoxo” accents throughout the design! As guests were first introduced to the wedding through the Save the Dates, they noticed my hand written “xoxo” at the top. We then commissioned one of the best local calligraphers to design our “xoxo” logo which we used as a dance floor vinyl, had laser cut for our wedding cake topper, gold foiled on our napkins, and printed on our koozies! We even used “elysexoxojack” as our wedding hashtag! Then to really add glamour, we accented with gold leafing- starting with the invitations and continuing on our cake, the cake wall, gift tags, thanks you notes, and even the leaves in our wedding bouquets and boutonnieres!
We really enjoyed showering our bridal party with unique gifts of gratitude! My bridesmaids received gold names bracelets that I ordered from my own handwriting! It was so fun to see them discover the bracelets on the stems of each of their bouquets! The groomsmen were gifted hanging garment bags with their monograms to carry their suits on wedding day!
But one of my favorite golden moments happened at our rehearsal dinner during my dad’s toast to us. After telling Jack how important it is to be a strong patriarch and role model to his future children, my dad gave Jack my late grandfather’s gold Rolex to wear on wedding day as his something borrowed! Dad said, “I would like you to wear it this weekend so that her grandfather can be a part of his granddaughter’s wedding in spirit. Keep it on your wrist so he can feel your pulse quicken as you watch Elyse walk up the aisle in her beautiful wedding dress.” I swear there was not a dry eye in the room!
And after our first look, I surprised Jack with an oversized card just like the ones that I used to make for him when we were 14! Added gold leaf to this one though!
As the guests arrived at Stella Plantation for our wedding ceremony, they were greeted by my 6 honorary bridesmaids at our confetti bar! They were instructed to make their own mix of colored confetti to toss at us as we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife! The immediate families were given wedding bells to ring after our kiss, and my sorority sisters were each handed a Killarney rose- Delta Zeta’s signature flower! After my dad and I’s long walk down the aisle, the ceremony began with an original ode to love by my aunt. This was followed by the reading of the poem “Love” by Roy Croft, a poem that was read every preference night in DZ, by my maid of honor, and a contemporary version of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” sung by a dear friend. Thank goodness I had gifted Jack a “Mr.” hanky because I needed it a few times myself! As we walked back down the aisle with confetti fluttering, I remember thinking that this dream moment couldn’t be real life
Our guest book was a nod to the hopeless romantic in each of us! Like the Parisian Love Lock bridge, we asked guests to sign and add their well wishes for our relationship to a pad lock, then lock in their love by attaching it to a trellis- which we continue to enjoy in our landscaping in our backyard!
The cocktail party started at our champagne table with rows of pre poured champagne, each glass adorned with either a gold pom, a rock candy stick, or a rim of edible gold sugar! Our family and friends would continue to enjoy cocktails outside the tent by the glow of our candle walls.
As cocktail hour came to an end, the drapes of the tent were pulled back to reveal the reception inside. A golden draped tent with 13 different crystal chandeliers added the perfect backdrop and lighting for the perfect night! Our tables were a mix of round and square tables, our chairs were a mix of gold chiavari, gold estate, and ghost chairs, and our three different linen styles added different navy textures to the room! Our centerpieces included tall and lush arrangements in cut glass vases, custom table top chandeliers, and three lower lush arrangements in cut glass vases- all accented by smaller bud vase arrangements and a mix of silver and gold stemmed mercury glass candles, chalices, and votives! The whole room twinkled!
Our cakes also added some wow factor! The wedding cake was a four tier fondant cake accented with gold leafing and topped with our xoxo wooden cake topper! It sat upon a gold bar cart- a gift from my aunts for my bridal shower- with candles on the bottom shelf and on the floor around the base! The backdrop was a custom painted and gold leafed wall by our florist that framed the cake perfectly! After we cut our cake, we asked the ladies of the bridal party to join us for the cake pulls- a Southern tradition where each girl pulls a charm out of the cake that will predict their fate (next to be married, next to have a baby, etc)! The groom’s cake was 4 stacked king cakes, a New Orleans delicacy, with a fleur de lis topper and purple, green, and gold Mardi Gras beads laid on the table!
Our incredible candle and lighting guru’s, Lisa and Jason of Luminous Events, with our incredible floral geniuses, Eric and Carolyn of Bee’s Weddings and Events!
With Jack being a fantastic chef, we wanted to let our guests take home a little love from our kitchen! For our favors, we bottled Jack’s homemade hot sauce and accompanied it with a little book of his favorite recipes!
Then in true dramatic fashion, we ended the night with fireworks to celebrate not only our love, but all of the love that surrounds us each and every day! A truly magical ending to the most incredible weekend of our lives and the perfect start to our forever!
Planning and Design | Elyse Jennings Weddings
Photographer | Greer Gattuso Photography
Ceremony + Reception Venue | Stella Plantation
Florist | Bee’s Wedding and Event Floral Designs
Videographer | Bride Film
Rentals | Perrier Party Rentals
Vintage Rentals | Distressed Rentals & Revivals
Candles and Lighting | Luminous Events
Catering | New Orleans Catering
Bakery | Royal Cakery
Ceremony Musicians | New Orleans Finest Musicians
Officiant | Rev. Johnny Adams
Band | Groovy 7
Hair Stylist | Hair by Ginger
Make Up | Ashley Sievert Beauty
Transportation | Hotard Coaches, Inc. + Bonomolo Limousines
Wedding Morning Location | Loft 523
Bridal Gown | Ines Di Santo
Bridal Salon | Ivory Bridal Atelier
Bride’s Veil | Wedding Belles
Bride’s Earrings | Kendra Scott Jewelry
Bride’s Shoes | Jimmy Choo
Bride’s Robe | Flora Nikrooz
Menswear | Express
Bridesmaid Dresses | Adrianna Papell + Badgley Mischka
Save the Dates + Invitations | Tupelo Honey Design
Calligraphy and Signage | Ebb and Flow Ink
Tinsel Stirrers | Em for Marvelous
Cake Topper | My Girl Josephine
Bouquet Ribbon | Frou Frou Chic
Name Bracelets | Yvonne Boutique
Monogram Garment Bags | Monkey See Boutique
Dance Floor Decal | Off the Wall Expression
Confetti | Inside My Nest
Custom Cups and Napkins | For Your Party
Koozies | Discount Mugs
This bride brought a little color into our lives when she asked Bee’s and I for a Bollywood meets Anthropologie dinner party! She wanted to line her tables with saris that she purchased in India, use her family’s heirloom silver as centerpiece vases, incorporate fruits in her florals, and accent with jewel tones galore! I just love the way that their lively personalities were captured through Reggie Campbell’s film, even in these chic black and whites!
Let these photos take you on their colorful adventure down the aisle!
P.S. Dancing to a Nola street band is now a must in my book! Please send us your photos if you try it out for yourself!
Planning and Design | Tying the Knot Wedding Coordination
Photography | Reggie Campbell
Ceremony and Reception Venue | Galvez
Florist | Bee’s Floral Design
Rentals | Event Rental
Cake | Royal Cakery
Hair & Make Up | Fifi Mahony’s
DJ | Omega Sound
Second Line Band | Eddie Selby
Ahh! Finally I have one of my favorite shoots live on the blog! It’s about that that I share this rose gold beauty with you!
I designed the shoot with the idea of “ART” in mind! I imagined the groom to be a painter and the bride to own a gallery- which is how they may have met and fell in love! Their wedding of course would have plenty of artistic touches- from the water color invitations, to the impressionistic color palate in lush, loose flowers, to the entrance of their dinner designed as an art gallery with floral “paintings” on display as the guests wander through! Everything would take a slightly more creative approach than the traditional wedding, so we brought in many rose gold accents: the rosy engagement ring, rose colored mercury glass vases, and even a stunning blush Monique Lhuillier wedding gown! I wanted to bring so much movement, femininity and color into the day for our phenomenal photographer Greer to capture!
Enjoy!
Planning and Design | Tying the Knot Wedding Coordination
Photography | Greer Gattuso Photography
Venue | Houmas House
Rentals | Event Rental & Mrs. Vintage
Dress | Candy by Monique Lhuillier
Veil | Twigs & Honey
Engagement Ring | Laurie Sarah Designs
Groom’s Attire | Luca Falcone
Florist | Bee’s Weddings and Events
Candle Decor | Luminous Events
Models | Ali Vasquez & Joe Rotolo
Cake | Frosted Fantasies
Hair | Ginger Dickey
Make Up | Ashley Sievert
Paper Products | Val Marie Paper
On the most gorgeous grounds of Houmas House Plantation, this bubbly little couple from New York tied the knot! They were the kind of couple that I will always keep in touch with- so thoughtful, so sincere, and so in love! At the end of our initial consultation, the bride “went to the restroom” and came back with champagne to toast to our planning partnership! A new bride and bubbly?! I was hooked!
When we started the design process, her vision was an Elegant Swamp Theme! Sounded like a contradiction at first, but then our team and I knew just what to do! And we loved designing something different- organic and glamorous! Turned out to be the perfect combination and Southern Weddings Blog loved it and featured it, too! See their national post here!
Welcome to our elegant swamp!
Lori and Ryan’s (sweet, sweet) Testimonial:
“The first – and best- decision I made in planning our wedding. I cannot sing Elyse’s praises enough, and shiver at the thought of doing it all without her. For starters, we live in NYC, so her knowledge of the New Orleans area and local vendors was invaluable. As far as her vision and design – she is a gifted and creative designer, but also a great listener and puts her brides’ wishes first. Whereas others (even my MOH) laughed when I said I wanted a “sophisticated swamp” theme, Elyse saw it as an opportunity and came back with the most elegant, southern-Louisiana-glam design I could have possibly dreamed of!
As a planner, she has a tireless work ethic, was always three steps ahead and thinks of EVERYTHING. She is very responsive to emails/calls/texts (which trust me, is a HUGE deal), and could teach Martha Stewart a thing or two about organization. Not to mention, she radiates a reassuring confidence and calming presence that just wraps you up like a big, fluffy towel right out of the dryer. I think one of the most helpful things to me was her decisiveness- and ability to help ME make decisions. No problem was ever too small or too complicated, and she never looked down on me like I was a silly girl (although I know I was at times!). I can’t emphasize enough how awesome it was to have someone who could relate to me, and treated every question I had as a valid concern. She never forced her opinion on me, but helped me think things through and make choices that I could feel amazing about.
Most importantly, she is clearly passionate about her job, and even more so about her brides. Her enthusiasm for weddings, design, and marriage is infectious, and even though I knew she was busy planning dozens of other weddings, I never once felt like I was anything other than special. She was my advocate and ally when dealing with vendors or feuding family members, and made every element of our wedding day come together in the most seamless way imaginable. I was able to just sit back and enjoy my big day because Elyse had made sure everything was taken care of before hand, and she and her amazing team took on the day with the precision and efficiency of a SWAT team. I would have paid her three times as much for the peace of mind that came with having her on my side, and even my 75-year-old father, who doesn’t compliment anyone, was still bragging six weeks later at Christmas about what an amazing job Elyse did.
I could go on and on about Elyse and Tying the Knot Weddings, but to sum it up – I doubt that many brides can say they feel as blessed to have met their coordinator as I do, and that they were sad the wedding was over because it meant not getting to talk to their coordinator regularly anymore. I didn’t know Elyse before I hired her, and odds are that I’ll never see her in person again, but I feel like she made such a difference in my wedding experience that I will always be indebted to her, and will definitely think of her as a friend – not just a coordinator. Book her NOW if you can, it will be the second best choice (after saying ‘yes,’ of course!) you’ll make!”
Planning and Design | Tying the Knot Wedding Coordination
Photography | Mark Eric
Ceremony and Reception Venue |Houmas House
Florist | Bee’s Wedding and Floral Design
Candle Decor | Luminous Events
Bakery | Royal Cakery
Band | Rockin’ Dopsie
Linens | La Tavola and Event Rental
Hair and Make Up | Kiss and Makeup
Transportation | Hotard
Second Line Band | Smitty Dee’s
I figured that you loved the Callie and Wes’s wedding so much from the Love and Lavender feature, that you just had to see more! Ask and you shall receive!
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Pure art, this dress!
And I can’t even explain to you how perfectly this bride was poured into it! It was one of those make-you-gasp kind of moments when she walked in the room! No wonder she had her man in tears when she walked down the aisle!
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Oh man… What a dress!!
This one goes out to all you lovers of classic, timeless, and elegant beauty! This stunning bride had one of the most gorgeous weddings in one of the most iconic buildings that we have to offer in LA- the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge! It was the kind of wedding that you look back at in 50 years and still love every single thing about it!
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