1. Real Weddings

Lise & Chris: A Destination Wedding in Darrow, LA

It took several months of phone calls, chats, and run-ins for Lise and Chris to actually go out on a first date, But once they finally went out to din

It took several months of phone calls, chats, and run-ins for Lise and Chris to actually go out on a first date, But once they finally went out to dinner together at a New York City restaurant, that was it, they’ve been together ever since. The Bride Lise Coston, 32, pediatric occupational therapist The Groom Chris Fogg, 42, music producer The Date May 18 Two years after their first date, Chris proposed at a restaurant around the corner from Lise’s apartment. The couple then started planning a destination wedding in New Orleans, the city where Lise’s family is from. Instead of Saturday night, they set the date for a Friday so that guests could make a long weekend out of the event.

Custom-embroidered tablecloths covered the long dinner table, and simple arrangements of white flowers were dotted down the center. A place card held down by a stone marked each guest’s spot.
To welcome guests to the city, Lise and Chris put New Orleans-themed goodie bags in everyone’s hotel rooms. The welcome bags even included Hubig’s Pies, which Lise’s mom used to eat as a child.
Lise and Chris were married in the same church as Lise’s parents in Paincourtville, Louisiana. Murals covered the ceiling and walls of the church, which had been built in 1840.
Lise carried a petite bouquet of lily of the valley, since it’s the month of May’s flower. The stems were wrapped with her late grandmother’s handkerchief in her memory.
For their coconut wedding cake, Lise and Chris chose the baker who used to make Lise’s cousins’ birthday cakes when they were growing up. The best part about the vintage cake-topper Lise found on eBay? The bride is wearing a lace dress like Lise’s!
With a family-feast style reception in mind, the couple decided to seat all their guests at one long table on the lawn in front of the Houmas House, beneath the oak trees.
The couple hired an artist, Alvin Batiste from Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to capture the evening in a painting.
In honor of the New Orleans wedding tradition, Chris and Lise arranged for a second line band parade, and danced beneath a parasol at the reception.
Candles and lanterns lit the outdoor reception space as the sun went down.