This Couple's Garden-Inspired Wedding in New Orleans, Louisiana, Ended With a Second-Line Parade

Kelly and Michael tied the knot in a romantic courtyard wedding ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton packed with pink-and-mauve flowers before celebrating with a seating dinner reception at The Jaxson and a festive second-line parade to cap off their celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lush flowers, glam metallics and ample personalization made the couple's New Orleans wedding an event to remember.  

"The theme of our wedding was modern, romantic, enchanting, timeless, and of course fun," explains Kelly. "The color palette I chose included mauve, ivory and blush tones that would fit our romantic and modern garden theme. We are both in love with New Orleans and we were very inspired by the amazing architecture, culture and free-spirited vibe of the city. We wanted our guests to feel like they were transported into a magical secret garden and also experience the magic of the city. With that being said, our ceremony being in one of the city's beautiful courtyards was non-negotiable for us. Both of our venues captured our vision perfectly! As part of our send-off, we had a traditional New Orleans second line which is a parade led by a brass band and everyone else follows behind dancing and singing along to the music. This was one of my favorite parts of the wedding. We got to laugh, sing, and dance through the French Quarter with all of our closest friends and family while passersby smiled and cheered us on. It was such a special moment for us and it ended the night on a high note."                

Flowers played a major role in bring Kelly and Michael's romantic pink-and-mauve wedding to life. "We had flowers everywhere," notes Kelly. "The florals were the center of our decor. They were in soft colors including ivory, mauve, wine and blush. They included roses, ranunculus, Queen Anne's lace, lisianthus, scabiosa, astilbe, olive branch, bay laurel and pampas grass." Kelly goes on to share that "for the ceremony space, the wrought iron gazebo at the Ritz-Carlton was decorated in blush and mauve florals cascading downwards on the sides along with lush greenery. My bouquet was an elegant and garden-inspired collection of ivory and neutral-toned florals with hints of mauve and wine-toned blooms. As for the reception tables, the arrangements had light blush and dusty rose blooms designed in a garden-inspired style. There were also blush tapered candles sticks that decorated clear glass footed candles holders that really gave the space a romantic vibe."

Not only was the second-line parade at the end of the night memorable, but Kelly and Michael look back fondly on all the musical elements from their New Orleans wedding. "We had so many amazing parts of our wedding but I would say that music was one of the most important parts of our day," says Kelly. "The music for our ceremony was provided by a singer who also plays the acoustic guitar. He sang an acoustic version of Sam Smith's 'Lay Me Down' as I walked down the aisle and I couldn't help but shed happy tears. This was a very special touch for us because he was a part of our proposal in Los Angeles. He also sang during the happy hour portion of the reception, for our first dance and for the father-daughter dance. He's amazing and it made our journey from proposal to wedding day come full circle. Additionally, we had an awesome DJ who we intentionally picked because he attended Michael's alma mater, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He had everyone on the dance floor all night and played many songs that were nostalgic of our college days. And our traditional New Orleans second line at the end of the night was I"so much fun and anyone passing by can join in on the fun. We knew that if we were going to bring all of our closest family and friends to our favorite city then we should make sure that they enjoyed a quintessential New Orleans parade!"

Something that was especially important to Kelly and Michael was selecting vendors intentionally and seeing to support underrepresented communities. Kelly shares that "another aspect that was important to us for our wedding day was seeking out Black and other peoples of color for our vendors. It has also been important for us to support Black- and people of color-owned businesses and our wedding was no different. 

Looking back on their beautiful wedding day, Kelly encourages current to-be-weds to remember "that this is a celebration of your love which is the only thing that matters. Do it your way! And on the day of your wedding let everything go. Let the stress of perfection go and enjoy your day. There will always be unforeseen circumstances leading up to the wedding and maybe even on your big day but find time to have fun! You only have a few hours so try and stay in the moment and don't let the day end without dancing until your feet hurt, eating good food, enjoying your guests, and kissing your partner. All will come together as it is meant to. Lastly, invest in photography and videography so that you can look back on your special day for years to come."