Tuesday, September 27, 2011

A NOLA Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend was Kelly, one of my best friends, and Will's wedding in the Big Easy. It was a whirlwind trip to say the least (we were there for less than 48 hours), but we made the best of every minute!

Brent and I got down there around 3pm, just in time to get ready for the cocktail hour before rehearsal began. The entire weekend (rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception) was held at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. This is my absolute FAVORITE hotel in New Orleans, provided you're not staying at one of the ultra luxury places like: Loews, W, The Roosevelt, or Ritz-Carleton. It sits right in the heart of the French Quarter, and backs up to Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral.

The rehearsal went smoothly, and Kelly had some amazing wedding attendants to work with at the hotel. The rehearsal dinner was fabulous. 100% authentic Cajun cuisine...yes, please! Complete with a super sweet slideshow and video presentation put together by Kelly's mom, several heartfelt (and silly) speeches by family and friends, Brent and Will's dad forming a lasting friendship after just two hours (hilarious), and a few (too many) drinks at my FAVORITE bar Pirate's Alley...it was a great night!

The next morning, I went on a wonderful run along the Mississippi River and down Canal Street. After that, I met up with Kelly and all the bridesmaids in her suite, we ate breakfast, gossiped, talked about the craziness of the night before, and got Kelly even more excited about her big day! We all split up after that to take showers and buy champagne and snacks to hold us over while getting ready. A few of us got our hair done, and most everyone got their makeup done. I must say, we were quite the pretty wedding party. :)

Finally, when everyone was ready and after Kelly and Will had done their "first look," we went out to Royal St to take some super fun pics. Then it was time for the wedding. With it being in New Orleans and set up around a pool, it was a miracle that no one either fell or was pushed into the pool. Success! The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, complete with Kelly's sister, Casie, singing a slightly altered version of "Marry Me" by Train. Amazing!! And the ceremony...let's just say, it was an AWESOME party!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Stoffel!! Y'all sure know how to have a good time and make sure everyone else around you does, too. :)

At the rehearsal dinner

The beautiful couple!

Love these two Rhodes' ladies!

I love this girl!

And I love this place!

Another DIY wedding creation :)

For some reason I felt like wearing this around all day...

We love you, Kelly & Will!

Beer bottles as center pieces...LOVE it!


My friend and fellow blogger Andrea and me!

Kelly & Will dancing the night away!

Such a fun wedding weekend!! Love you two, and wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

1 comment:

  1. Looks like an awesome weekend! You and the hubby are such a cute couple:-)

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