Luxury wedding planner + designer based in New Orleans. Personalizing traditional, yet custom + timeless, yet modern weddings. Named Martha Stewart’s Top Planner 2014
This blushing brunette is the twin sister of the beautiful blonde in our last post! We were so honored to help both twins plan their weddings, along with their cousin Ellie from the post before! We figured we’d share the whole family one right after the other so you can watch all of the little kids in their bridal party grow up!
Mackenzie and JP’s wedding was a Fall fairytale! The weather was perfect, the settings were gorgeous, and they danced and danced under the stars at the reception! This post will feature even more fashion and even more love!
I could not love this white on white bridesmaids trend any more!
Could they not be any cuter?
How about this for the first thing the guests see?
Oh, and they were also greeted with cocktails that had the couple’s initials on them! Both luxurious and delicious!
See what I mean by dancing under the stars? Festoon lighting adding that extra romantic ambiance! Floral fountains as the reception centerpiece. Twinkling lights in all the surrounding bushes. Pretty spectacular indoor outdoor feel!
When JP busted out the moves in a choreographed little number for his bride (with a few of his groomsmen in on the choreo), I think the whole venue’s heart melted while smiling from ear to ear!
Planning and Design | Elyse Jennings Weddings
Photography | Caitlin B Photography
Videography | Nathan Willis Wedding Films
Ceremony Venue | St. Peter Catholic Church
Reception Venue and Catering| Southern Hotel
Florist | Bella Blooms Floral
Rentals | Yur Event Rentals
Courtyard Lounges + Wood Tables | Eros
Linens | Custom made
Candles, Lounges, + Wood Highboys| Luminous Events
Bakery | Zoe’s Bakery
Band | Tyler Kinchen and The Right Pieces
Photobooth | GoGo Booth
Makeup | Abby Manuel
Hair | Courtney Graham Studio
Ceremony Music | Michelle Richards
Transportation | Limousine Livery
Stationery + Monogram Design | The Queen Bee
Programs | Scriptura
Cups | Party Cup Express
Acrylic Signage | Paper and Pine Co.
Wedding Dress | Monique Lhuillier
Bridal Dress Salon | I Do Bridal Couture
Wedding Shoes | Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaids’ Dresses | Badgley Mischka
Groom & Groomsmen’s Tuxedos | The Black Tux
A timeless wedding full of high fashion!
Krewe du Loupe was that wedding you’ll look back on in 20 years and still love every single detail! The one where the lace wedding dress breaks the internet! The one fit for a royal couple, but with the most down to earth, genuine and in love bride and groom. It was sheer perfection, oozing fashion and dripping in florals and candles!
Scroll down to see and be prepared to bookmark, pin photos, and get inspired!
Obsessed with this watercolor of the reception venue that both got the guests excited and became a treasured keepsake for the couple!
And talk about a warm welcome to the hotel for the guests- just in time to for the Mardi Gras season, too!
These Marchesa bridesmaids dresses added texture and whimsy, which perfectly mimicked the loose florals of the reception. Traditional meets garden style is our favorite style!
Olivia’s family is blessed with like 2,624 adorable cousins, nieces and nephews! All of which stood in the wedding as junior bridesmaids, junior groomsmen, ring bearers and flower girls! They added so much energy and excitement to the day, and many precious photo ops!
This window in the Windsor Court Presidential Suite is what wedding dressing dreams are made of!
I just love St. Mary’s Italian Church and how you get the grandeur and architecture of a giant church, but the intimacy and coziness for 300 guests!
I always design for the guest experience. For the WOW factor. To set your wedding apart from all other weddings.
Everyone else passes champagne on arrival, well let’s add cotton candy!
Everyone sees this walkway tent just as a rain protector, let’s add a lush canopy of greens, vintage chandeliers, and a whole floral arch. Impress them from the jump and give them an area to take a thousand pictures in!
The reception tent at Ursuline Convent offers a blank canvas where every wedding can make the space their own. This adjective that we used to build the design was polished and formal, whimsical and romantic, loose but structured. I’d say our team nailed it!
These oatmeal colored velvet linens offered a neutral color with a wintery feel!
I see your hedge walls and raise them with twinkle lights!
My new favorite Photo Booth backdrop!
The wedding ended with a bang like only New Orleanians know how!
Planning and Design | Elyse Jennings Weddings
Photography | Greer Gattuso
Videography | Nathan Willis Wedding Films
Bride’s Dressing Location | Windsor Court Hotel
Groom’s Dressing Location | Hotel Provincial
Ceremony Venue | St. Mary’s Italian Church
Reception Venue| Old Ursuline Convent Museum
Catering| Ralph Brennan Catering
Oysters | Deanie’s Seafood
Cotton Candy | Poof
Florist | Bella Blooms Floral
Rentals, Chandeliers, + Tents| Perrier Party Rentals
Lounges + Wood Tables | Eros
Linens | Nuage Designs
Bakery | Zoe’s Bakery
Band | The Phunky Monkeys
Photobooth | GoGo Booth
Makeup | Abby Manuel and Jessica Carnley
Hair | Mercer Studio
Ceremony Music | New Orleans Classical and Jazz
Transportation | Limousine Livery
Save the Dates | Gem Printing
Invitations | Scriptura
Custom Watercolor Paintings| Lauren Bordelon
Cups | Party Cup Express
Acrylic Signage | Paper and Pine Co.
Wedding Dress | Monique Lhuillier
Bridal Dress Salon | I Do Bridal Couture
Wedding Shoes | Dee Keller
Bridesmaids’ Dresses | Marchesa
Groom & Groomsmen’s Tuxedos | Formal Connection
Rings | Rothschild Diamond
If I can describe this wedding in one sentence, I would call it the classic-meets-over-the-top extravaganza so filled with love and fun that I dare you not to smile while scrolling! Challenge accepted?
Ellie and Alexander (or Big Al as everyone calls him) had a wedding fit for royals, but they couldn’t have been more down to earth! It would win the award for the biggest bridal party, the most flowers and flickering candles, the tallest cake, and the most packed dance floor! I’d say that’s a celebration, wouldn’t you? See for yourself and I hope you enjoy as much as we did playing a part in it!
Ashley was the lead event planner for this wedding for Elyse Jennings Weddings and managed the giant bridal party and a few load in curveballs with ease!
This family is filled with cousins who just love one another! The girls doted on Ellie all day long and just had to check on her before she walked down the aisle!
Holy Name of Jesus in New Orleans has the most splendid architecture and we complemented it with columns of candles down the aisle from Luminous Events and lush florals at the entrance of the aisle and the altar from Bella Blooms Floral.
Guests followed the florals right into the New Orleans Country Club, where they were greeted with champagne before stepping onto a floral draped dance floor! Walk in, get a drink in your hand, and get to dancing- sounds like the Nola way to party!
One of my favorite design elements is giving guests an instagram worthy backdrop to say we were here and we love the couple! And loving the neon sign trend which can hang up in your house for many years after!
This towering wedding cake was the center of the grand ballroom! Too tall to even cut while maintaining a pretty presentation, this stunning faux cake from Chasing Wang allowed for grandeur and functionality!
Phunky Monkeys looking fresh as always in one of their 10 outfit choices, which allows them to always blend in or stand out with the decor!
See what I mean?! The Alford’s were here! #HappilyEverAlford
Planning and Design | Elyse Jennings Weddings
Photography | Pure 7 Studios
Videography | Nathan Willis Wedding Films
Dressing Location | Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
Ceremony Venue | Holy Name of Jesus Church
Reception Venue and Catering | New Orleans Country Club
Florist | Bella Blooms Floral
Stage and Dancefloor | Event Rental
Chairs | Party Rentals Delivered
Lounges | Distressed Rentals & Revival
Linens | Nuage Designs
Candles, Champagne Walls, Hedges, Neon Sign | Luminous Events
Bakery | Chasing Wang
Band | The Phunky Monkeys
DJ | DJ Nitro of Stereo by Default
Photobooth | Boogie Booth
Makeup | Bleu, a Blowdry Bar
Hair | Heather Hintz
Stationery | Frill Seekers Gifts
Ceremony Music | New Orleans Classical and Jazz
Transportation | American Luxury Limousines
Transportation | Big Easy Limos
Wedding Dress | Romona Keveza
Bridal Dress Salon | Wedding Belles
Bridesmaids’ Dress | Monique Lhuillier
Groom and Groomsmen’s Tuxedos | The Black Tux
[love story from their Brides Magazine feature]
Though Lizzy and Chandler first met in calculus class at the University of Georgia in 2007, they didn’t start dating until after graduation. “We were on campus for a football game, and spotted one another at Chandler’s old fraternity house,” Lizzy remembers. “We reminisced about the class and realized we were both living in Atlanta. The rest is history!” Flash forward four years to Thanksgiving, when Chandler joined Lizzy’s family in New Orleans. “I had a full agenda planned, including a trip to the WWII museum,” Lizzy says. “My father, who passed away when I was a freshman in college, fought in the war as a Lieutenant in the First Marine Corp Division, and is featured in the exhibit. I wanted to share this with Chandler because he’d never met my dad.” After touring the museum, Chandler suggested that the pair grab a drink before heading home for dinner. “I wanted a nap, but Chandler was persistent—and then my friends started texting me to meet them for a drink, too,” Lizzy recalls. She started to get suspicious, especially because Chandler was wearing a jacket in the 80-degree heat. He won out, and as the couple crossed Jackson Square, Chandler got down on one knee.
Lizzy grew up in New Orleans, and after a proposal like that, there was no question about where the pair would tie the knot. “We wanted our guests to enjoy the New Orleans culture we love so much,” says the bride. They filled their big day with romance— from floating candles and a flickering fireplace to the lace sleeves on Lizzy’s wedding gown—and added fun details like a second line band, boozy snowballs, late-night Mardi Gras masks, and hand grenades. Photographed by Greer Gattuso and planned by Elyse Jennings Weddings, this wedding (with a holiday twist!) is one you don’t want to miss. Keep reading for more!
The bride’s classic bouquet combined peonies, gardenias, ranunculus, patience garden roses, dusty miller, and silver dollar eucalyptus. The bride attached a locket full of photos of her father to the stems, and wore his Purple Heart in the lining of her dress.
Arrangements of white blooms flanked the altar, where the couple exchanged traditional vows. Says Lizzy, “I would have been way too emotional reciting our own vows. Instead, we wrote them to one another in letters, and exchanged them during our first look.”
After their kiss, Lizzy and Chandler grabbed umbrellas and led their guests through the streets of New Orleans to their reception. “The energy and excitement was incredible,” Lizzy remembers.
Upon arrival at Il Mercato, guests found antique lounge furniture arranged around an outdoor fireplace. Hundreds of votive candles floated from the ceiling in glass orbs, which added a feeling of enchantment to the space.
Layered textures created a soft, romantic setting for the reception. Gold metal platforms held roses, peonies, and greenery high above guests’ heads. White linens were topped with gold-rimmed chargers and plates, with ranunculus and tea roses tucked into gold mercury glass compotes.
A canopy of hydrangeas, roses, and peonies was suspended above the dramatic cake display. The six tiers featured three flavors: White chocolate raspberry, lemon poppy seed, and chocolate raspberry. “Chandler doesn’t love cake, so we also had boozy Louisiana Snowballs,” says Lizzy.
The bar offered four signature cocktails by Grand Bevy, a nod to the couple’s love of making craft cocktails at home. One even featured their combined monogram in foam at the top—talk about a cool personalization idea!
Thousands of candles glowed from every imaginable surface, creating a warm, inviting, and totally magical setting for Chandler and Lizzy’s celebration.
Late-night, the reception turned into a Mardi Gras party. The couple threw beads, and guests donned sequined masks. Waiters passed Hand Grenades, a French Quarter specialty that combines melon liqueur with gin, vodka, and rum.
As the night came to a close, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” poured out of the speakers. Says Lizzy, “Chandler was, by far, my best Christmas gift! We kept pinching one another throughout the day, reminding us to stop for a moment and soak it all in.”
Planning and Design | Elyse Jennings Weddings
Photography | Greer Gattuso
Videography | Bride Film
Ceremony Venue | Trinity Episcopal Church
Reception Venue | Il Mercato
Florist | Bella Blooms Floral
Rentals | Event Rental
Rentals | Perrier Party Rentals
Lounges | Distressed Rentals + Revival
Linens | Nuage Designs
Candles + Bars | Luminous Events
Lighting | See Hear Productions
Tent | Gulf Coast Tents
Bakery | Melissa’s Fine Pastries
Catering | Joel Catering & Special Events
Speciality Beverages | The Grand Bevy
Snoballs | Plum Street Snoballs
Band | Az IzZ
Live Painter | Harvie Oil Paintings
Makeup | Ashley Sievert Beauty
Hair | Hair by Nicole Leigh
Wedding Dress | Monique Lhuillier
Bride’s Shoes | Jimmy Choo
Bridesmaids’ Dresses | Monique Lhuillier
Groom + Groomsmen’s Attire | Knot Standard
Second Line | Kinfolk Brass Band & Frenchmen Street Productions
Ceremony Music | New Orleans Classical and Jazz
Transportation | Hotard Coaches and Big Easy Limos
Second Line Drinks | Brady’s Wine Warehouse
Pedicabs | Bike Taxi Unlimited
Stationery + Monogram Design | Scriptura
Calligraphy | Ragan House Lettering
Vinyl Bar Signage | Uptown Graphics
Second Lind Handkerchiefs | Backyard Printing
Cups + Napkins | ForYourParty
