Wedding Date:  May 12, 2018
Bridal Prep:  Terrell House B&B
Ceremony Location:  St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian
Reception Location:  Il Mercato
Bakery: Bittersweet Confections
Video: Bella Productions
Entertainment: ELS Band
Brides Dress: Justin Alexander
Bridal Salon:  Town & Country Bridal
Tuxedos: Rome’s Tuxedos
Florist:  Bella Blooms
Live Painter:  Kelly Boyart
Candles/Lighting:
Hair:  Elissa Warriner
Makeup:  Ashley Sievert Beauty

How did you meet?
We met at a wedding of mutual friends in college 6 years ago! The girl was a sorority sister of mine and the groom, a childhood friend of Peter. We had no idea of each other but had been running around in similar friend groups for the last few years without ever meeting before!

Tell us a little about yourselves!
Peter and I both live in New Orleans, however peter has just accepted a job in Jackson, MS. He will be working as a transportation supervisor for a trucking company called First Fleet. I work as an ICU nurse at UMC in New Orleans, but am about to start anesthesia school at LSU at the end of May!

what is your favorite thing about each other? 
Our favorite story is probably the way we met, but in more detail, because it strikes much debate between Peter and I! The wedding we met at was held in Vicksburg, MS, Peter’s hometown. I had attended with several of my girlfriends, many from Vicksburg who had grown up with Peter. So naturally, Peter and his friends hung around us for the evening, catching up with one another. Peter claims that I was staring at him the entire evening, however to this day I don’t remember ever making note of him until later. (We met officially at the bar afterwards!) So the story goes that apparently, I was staring Peter down the entire evening until he got the courage to approach me at the bar and ask if he could get me a drink. When he came back with a Budweiser (gross!) his friends made so much fun of him, as I guess he was never the smoothest with the ladies. He made me laugh all night, I knew he was a keeper!

How did the proposal go? Who proposed to who, were you surprised?
Peter planned everything. We went to the French quarter to meet our friends for oyster fest out on the river. We got there before everyone, and it started to torrential downpour. We ran to Tujague’s to take cover and grab a drink while we waited for our friends to arrive…..who never came. Peter finally suggested after and hour of waiting and the weather had died down to go for a walk. We walked through Jackson Square and as we approached St. Louis Cathedral and the fountain, Peter got down on one knee and proposed. What made it all even more special was that our family and friends were watching from above at Tableau where we had the most fun post celebration. It was the best day!

Where was your ceremony held and why did you pick this site?
The ceremony was held at St. Charles Presbyterian Church. This church has been my family’s (Julie) church for several years, so not only is it gorgeous, but holds sentimental value as well.

Where was your Reception held and why did you pick this site?
The reception was held at Il Mercato. Are there reasons to not have it there?! The place is hands down amazing. The moment we saw it, we knew it had to be the place. My sister was married 2 years ago at the Roosevelt during Christmas, so we agreed to try to completely 180 the feel from her wedding. And it was absolutely breathtaking!! The flowers, the lights, the furniture/decor…the vendors could not have done a better job at making this place so magical!

What unique or special things did you do at the reception? (for example, ice sculptures, live painter, glow sticks, sun glasses, 2nd line band, mardi gras indians, memory table, the list goes on of fun things you may have done)
We had several special aspects to our reception! We had glow sticks for dancing, Kelly Boyett did a live painting, but our most favorite would have to be the boozy snowballs! Plum Street Snowballs did a set up where we had many selections of flavors that could be mixed with vodka or rum! They were a hit!!!

Did it really go by as quickly as everyone says?
Yes!!!!! We have been so sad it’s all over. No one truly prepares you for the excitement and buildup and then the whirlwind of the weekend flying by in an instant!! I think we spent it well though, dancing and laughing with all of our friends!

What was the inspiration behind picking the color palette and decor that you picked?
I honestly had no idea what to do until I took four of my friends to try on bridesmaids dresses. It just so happened that 3 of them had dresses on whose colors blended so beautifully together in 3 different dress styles. It combines a fig, dark purple with the light blushes and pinks. From there, I met with Dee at Bella Blooms and she put together the most beautiful arrangement of flowers based on the dresses!

From the Bride – When you first saw the groom, what were you thinking/feeling?
I was so nervous!! I don’t think I ever stopped shaking until after the ceremony was over. I couldn’t wait to hold him!

Who was your baker, what was the flavor of your cake? Was it delicious?!
Bittersweet confections! I think we had an almond flavor with vanilla icing? It was delicious! And we also had an awesome Old Miss grooms cake that looked amazinf!

Did you do a first look? If so how did you feel about it? If not, do you wish you had?
Yes and I am so glad we did! It took so much of the nervousness away from the day. My friends and peters get along well so it was great to be able to hang out with them and be goofy before the ceremony!

Did you have a coordinator or did you plan everything yourself? If you didn’t have a coordinator any advice for brides planning their own wedding?
We did most of the planning on our own but hired Brooke Casey for event management in order to fully take over the day of. She is amazing! Plan ahead and early if you don’t have one, it will relieve a lot of stress. And consult with people who have been through the planning before. We knew a lot of what we were doing from planning my sister’s wedding so soon prior.

What was your first dance song? Why this song?
Try Me by James Brown. Peter has grown up listening to funk, and he is a huge James Brown fan! He knows them all! Try Me is one of his most romantic, and the moment we heard it several years ago, we knew it was a special song between us. Never had another option!

Band or DJ? Did they rock it?
Band….ELS band!! Mrs. Elaine foster is the best!! Please recommend them, they keep everyone on the dance floor!!

We want to hear YOUR advice for future brides.
Enjoy every moment! And don’t get caught up in the craziness of planning. It’s so easy to get upset or stress about details that in the end take away from the true meaning of your wedding….the love of you and your groom!!

Anything else you want to say?
Thank you for everything!! We cannot wait to see the moments you captured! It was so easy to work with you, and we thank you for being a part of our special day! Eric is the best!!