Fairy-tale Wedding

On Friday, October 28th, 2022, Eric and I were married in New Orleans, Louisiana! We did it! I’m so happy! I have dreamed about this moment since I was a little girl. It was everything I could have hoped for. I always wanted a fairy-tale wedding. I imagined a horse-drawn carriage, a castle garden, and a white ballroom dress. Unfortunately, the carriage was out of our budget, but everything else was there! We chose an Antebellum Mansion with gorgeous grounds, lit up like a fairy-tale forest. But the best part was my handsome groom, dancing and laughing with me the whole time.

There were a few reasons why we married in New Orleans. The venue that I had my heart set on in Colorado was booked on weekends through November 2022 when I was looking back in September of 2021. A lot of it was Covid Backlog. And since we didn’t want to wait until 2023, we looked to New Orleans because Eric took me to the Voo Doo Music Festival in 2016 when we started dating. It was the catalyst of our relationship and an unforgettable experience. New Orleans has that magic to it that makes it unique. The city is incredibly old and full of history. And Halloween weekend is the best time of year in our opinion because the weather is not as hot and humid, and the night-time fog begins to roll in, creating the perfect atmosphere for a spooky celebration. And I also believe that there’s something about New Orleans where the veil between worlds feels thin. It’s mysterious and captivating.

We spent five days in New Orleans leading up to our big day. Most of the week, I was running around meeting vendors and getting my hair, nails, and makeup completed. I enjoyed a few touristy things, like the Creole Queen Riverboat tour and the Haunted History Ghost Tour, but boy it was a lot. Especially with the whole family in town and making sure everyone had what they needed. Booking restaurants was a bit of a pain when you realize that you’re rolling eight people deep. We failed to plan out dinner reservations ahead of time, although we were able to eat at many delicious places!

We held four wedding events including a Welcome Party at Pat O’Brien’s in their beautiful courtyard bar, the Wedding at Southern Oaks, after party – Halloween Themed around the entire French Quarter, and a Sunday Brunch at Arnaud’s for a smaller family gathering. At the end of it all, it felt like we went through a dream. And we’re so thankful for it. The love we felt from our family and friends filled our hearts, and we’ll cherish the memories forever.

Our wedding Style

Classic, Elegant, Romantic, Garden

• My friend Andrea Li created customized earrings for myself and all my bridesmaids!
• My dress was custom-made from DeeDee at The Wedding Seamstress.
• My tiara came from Eden Lux Bridal.
• Our ring suite came from Ken & Dana Design.
• Eric’s suit was tailor-made by Indochino.
• Live Wedding Painting by Wedding Painters Jaison & Stephanie

The Officiant

Many people choose an officiant recommended off the Knot, a religious pastor, or a family member. Eric and I knew that none of those options would fit the same as someone who has known us the entirety of our relationship and, more importantly, came to us as a friend that we made together. Enter our friend, Austin Duke. We met right around the same time that Eric and I officially started dating. All of us worked at the same company. We made fast friends with Austin, who I would describe as adventurous, quick-witted, and driven. He is the kind of friend that makes you laugh, listens well, and offers support and advice when needed. When we asked him to be the officiant at our wedding, he immediately said yes without question. And we are so thankful! He obtained his license requirements without delay, and a couple of months before the wedding he worked on the ceremony speech.

I didn’t cry during our wedding ceremony. I was on cloud 9. Eric was the one who was emotional at the altar! But as we were practicing with Austin, at home before the wedding, I definitely teared up at the beautiful speech he wrote for us. Austin got to the heart of our relationship, how we became a couple, our spiritual beliefs, and our love for each other. I appreciate every detail he included, listening to both of us as we talked. Thank you, Austin, so much for making our ceremony so perfect!

An added bonus, he chose to hold The Hobbit by JR Tolkein in his hand instead of a simple piece of paper hoping people would ask him what book it was afterwards! Haha.

Unity in Glass

Austin’s wedding gift to us was a Unity in Glass piece. For a while, Eric and I were not sure if or what we would do during our ceremony that might add a special touch to it. We were leaning towards Hand-Fasting, when Austin brought up the idea of the glass pouring. Eric and I were immediately drawn to the idea as it was a secular ceremony idea that was long-lasting, but also included art. With Unity in Glass, you pick out the colors of glass that you want and after the ceremony, ship it off to be blown into a vase, sculpture, ornament or whatever piece you choose. Our piece is estimated to be delivered in January, I suspect it will deliver while we are on our honeymoon. I can’t wait to see how it turned out!

Things learned

1. Reception Timing. Think about the number of your guests and the amount of time you have for your reception. Some venues come with a six hour reception. I wish ours did! Ours only came with three hours included in the price. We decided to purchase an additional hour for the reception at a hefty expense. And I’m glad we did. We had 130 guests and four hours still did not allow us to catch up with everyone we wanted. I think five hours might have been the perfect amount between a three and six-hour reception. Six hours would have been too long for sure. It’s cliche but weddings really do go by in a blur for the bride and groom. Which leads me to my second lesson learned:
2. Number of guests. I never thought that I would have a big wedding. Our guest count was fairly average for a wedding. Even with the additional hour for our reception and the welcome party and the after party events, 130 people was too much! There were several people that we didn’t get a chance to talk to, friends and family that Eric or I hadn’t seen in a long time. It’s a bit sad! With a smaller wedding, maybe 90-100 people, we could have had a more intimate party. By the way, our venue had capacity for up to 400 people!
3. Off season would have been better. If I could do it all over again, I might have shifted our wedding back another week to be the first weekend of November. It would have been a $4000 difference in the pricing of the venue because October is considered high season.
4. No Wedding Guilt. Although we spent a lot of money I think it was worth every penny. For several months leading up to the wedding I felt bad about the cost. Eric and I paid for and planning everything ourselves and we went big. Most of my friends had weddings for less than 20K, with two exceptions. Everyone has their own budget and plans when they start thinking about their wedding. Some people have more connections which allow them to get things or services from friends for lower cost or free. That was not our case. But everyone goes over budget. But no matter what your budget is, what matters is if you are happy and satisfied with the service and setting of your big day! Weddings are once in a lifetime events and they should be cherished.
5. Kindness pays. I doubt anyone who reads this post thinks of themselves as a Bride or Groomzilla. I don’t have that much reach. Ha. So maybe this doesn’t need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway. Be kind. Be patient. Yes, it’s your day, and you should get what you want. Your friends, family, and all your vendors want to make your wedding day the best day it can possibly be. Throughout my wedding planning process, and even prior to it, I’ve heard so many horror stories of screaming brides and grooms unleashing their fury, control, and drama. Sorry, but I can’t imagine being that self-centered. You only get one day to celebrate and be the center of attention, enjoy it! Don’t dwell on what went wrong.
   • At the end of the ceremony, our venue Southern Oaks presented us with a special fireworks show – FOR FREE. Eric and I were blown away because, like the vintage Bentley that I rode in, the fireworks were an extra expense. I don’t remember the exact cost, but adding fireworks to our wedding would have been around 1K. To receive them for free humbled us. When Eric and I asked some of the staff as to the reason why the owners did that for us, they said it was because they really enjoyed working with us on our wedding. We were polite towards the staff, flexible with the way the venue worked, and understanding towards the rules they asked us and our guests to follow. We were kind. They were fun people and the service was impeccable. I’m so happy we chose them as our venue. In the back of my mind was the acknowledgment that they deal with incredibly difficult couples every single weekend. Being kind is free and it makes the entire process better for everyone.

Happily Ever After