New Orleans: Part 2

Saturday night in New Orleans- it just conjures up images of partying on Bourbon street, doesn't it? My Saturday night consisted of the wedding and boy, was it a blast. We Southerners really know how to throw a party, and weddings are our specialty.

The ceremony was held at St. Mary's, a beautiful old church in the French Quarter. It's an old Ursuline convent that has been around since 1845! The church has served various communities, particularly Italian immigrants, within New Orleans and has been perfectly preserved.

St. Mary's in the French Quarter.

The courtyard of the hotel where we all stayed, decorated for the reception. Look at all those candles! I'm in love. 

A real roasted Cuban pig- it may look gross but it tasted sooo good.

My first time trying oysters! This guy spent all night shucking oysters, and they were surprisingly better than I expected. 

The beautiful bride and groom. 

Dancing with the mother of the bride; her moves put me to shame!

I loved that the bride switched into a short Anthropologie dress for the reception, but still kept the bridal feel. 

Three generations; I'm glad I was able to spend so much time with my mom and grandmother!

Dress, Antonio Melani. Heels, Calvin Klein. 

Yeah you make we wanna shout! Nothing gets 50+ people out on the dance floor like a classic. Nashville-based Ocean Street performed all the songs for the reception, and they were great! 

All photos with watermark via Austin Scott Photography. 

I had a blast in New Orleans, between the rehearsal dinner, exploring the Garden District and the French Quarter, an amazing wedding ceremony and reception, and getting to finally return to the city where I spent so much of my childhood. This last picture pretty much sums up my weekend; spending time with amazing people that I haven't seen in forever and dancing the night away to all the perfect wedding songs (I actually love going to weddings, it's an excuse to dress up and act a little silly where no one can judge your dance moves!). I can't wait to go back to New Orleans! 

New Orleans: Part 1

I'm delving into the past for blog posts, as I'm feeling very uninspired lately. So, now is the perfect time to blog about my trip to New Orleans!

I spent a lot of time in New Orleans growing up, as my grandparents were living there and we made the short flight from Dallas to see them several times a year. I have always loved the city, but I hadn't been back since my grandparents moved when I was in the third grade, just a few months before Katrina, save for a cruise we took out of New Orleans a couple years ago, but we were only there for a few hours after we docked. So, this was my first real trip back to NOLA in almost ten years.

The purpose of my weekend jaunt was to attend the wedding of a family friend. Her parents are very good friends with my grandparents, and actually lived across the street from them. Although she's a few years older we spent a lot of time together when I was younger. So, when we received the invitation for her wedding, I knew I wanted to go. I'll always take an excuse to travel!

My mom, grandmother, and I all met up in Dallas, then flew to New Orleans the next day (LGA to DFW, DFW to NOLA, NOLA to DFW, and DFW to LGA all in 5 days!). We checked into our hotel on Bourbon, where the reception would be held, and immediately had to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

The view from our hotel room.

Dress, Prabal Gurung for Target. Shoes, Betsey Johnson. Necklace, Sam Moon. 

I didn't get any pictures of the dinner, but it was held at a fabulous French restaurant in the quarter, where I was served a full plate of crème brûlée for desert! If your'e wondering how I could get away with no tights and short sleeves in November, it's because NOLA was still hovering around 75 degrees at night. Much, much better than New York at the time.

Saturday was for exploring, as we had plenty of time to kill before the ceremony and reception. First stop, of course, was breakfast and beignets. The famous Cafe du Monde was PACKED as usual, but we found a more delicious and significantly less crowded beignet spot down the street.

New Orleans Famous Beignets and Cafe, check it out if you're ever in the city!

Part 2 featuring the wedding will come tomorrow, stay tuned and laissez les bon temps rouler!!