Katie & Dylan | The Audubon Tea Room

Katie and Dylan were married in a dusk ceremony at Audubon Park, with a reception following at the Audubon Tea Room. Katie is probably the most relaxed and calm bride I have worked with. She was so sweet, and I knew the first time I met her that she would be able to truly enjoy her wedding day. I didn’t end up meeting Dylan until their wedding rehearsal. He showed up wearing a white tux with hearts all over it, calling himself the King of Hearts. I was wondering how Katie would react. When she showed up and saw him dressed like that, she just smiled and laughed! These two really are the perfect complement to each other, and seem to have so much fun together. 

The ceremony was officiated by Katie’s childhood pastor, and I love when a couple is able to use an officiant that knows them and makes the ceremony personal. The couple was announced into the reception by two of Dylan’s cousins, which was another personal touch.

Everyone had a great time dancing all night in the courtyard behind the Tea Room. Towards the end of the night, Pizza Delicious delivered some pizzas, and that was a big hit. For their exit, Dylan had reserved an Uber Black. When the car didn’t show, despite me calling numerous times that night, I ordered them another Uber. Their second Uber arrived, and although I can’t remember the exact model, it was ridiculously tiny and not at all a wedding exit car. Katie and Dylan thought it was hilarious, and piled into the back of the car with a leftover box of Pizza Delicious. Katie’s mom told me it was perfectly unperfect, just the way they liked things! And their original Uber did show up, just as they were driving away! 

Congratulations to Dylan and Katie! 

Vendor Credits

Coordination & Styling | Satchel Planning & Design

Photography | Love is Rad

Prep Location | Air BnB

Officiant | Burt Palmer

Ceremony Venue | Audubon Park

Ceremony Music | Nola Wedding Belles

Reception Venue | Audubon Tea Room

Videography | Nathan Willis Wedding Film

Florist & Candles | Leaf + Petal/House of Modern Vintage Nola

Cake | Pure Cake

Band | Crescent City Soul Band

Rentals | Event Rental

Transportation Companies | Alert Transportation

Hair | St. Pierre Salon

Makeup | Katie Malone

Ashley & Kahlil | Il Mercato, New Orleans, Louisiana

Ashley & Kahlil’s Il Mercato wedding was one of the highlights of my 2016.  After booking over the phone, we met for the first time on a rainy day walk through at Il Mercato, and later in the year met up for drinks at the Ace Hotel.  I got along immediately with these two, but I imagine most people do.  They are easily one of the friendliest and nicest couples I have had the pleasure of working with.  

On their wedding day, they both stayed relaxed and calm, despite the added stress of possibly having to move their ceremony inside due to rain.  Thankfully, the rain finally cleared, and it turned into a beautiful September evening—Ashely & Kahlil were able to have their ceremony outdoors in the courtyard followed by a second line around the Garden District. I don’t always tear up at ceremonies but I did at this one, because the ceremony was so genuine, and it was clear how perfect these two are for each other.   

Il Mercato was decorated simply by candlelight with naturally styled white and green flowers by Leaf + Petal Nola.  A focal point was the beautiful (and yummy) wedding cake by Sucre. The reception was a blast—the bride and groom were on the dance floor all night long with Geaux Live DJ, along with all of their guests.  To me, this is what makes an amazing wedding—a couple so happy to be together and getting married, and a really fun party with all their friends and family! 

Vendor Love: 

Event Production & Styling | Satchel Planning & Design

Photography | Love is Rad

Venue | Il Mercato New Orleans

Wedding Prep | Ace Hotel New Orleans

Wedding Cake | Sucre

Florist | Leaf + Petal Nola

DJ | Geaux LIve DJ

Second Line Band | Young Pinstripes 

Hair & Makeup | Flawless Bride

Videography | 63 Films

Wedding Vendor Tipping Etiquette

Should we and how much should we tip are questions we get all the time!  Wedding tipping etiquette can be extremely confusing, and most online articles regurgitate the same outdated themes. The simple answer is you should tip anyone who gave you excellent personal service throughout your wedding planning or on your wedding day.  Below are some general guidelines to help you determine who, and how much, to tip. 

Do I tip someone who owns their own business?

If they provided great personal service, then yes.  You can find tons of articles that tell you it isn’t appropriate to tip someone who owns their own business, but that rule is overly generalized. In some cases, it makes sense--no, you don’t need to tip the owner of the rental company that employs 50-100 people, you’ve never met before, and they don't know your name or that your wedding is even happening.  However, the photographer that works for himself and has been lugging around camera gear in New Orleans' heat for 12 hours has provided a personal service to you, so yes, it is appropriate to tip them if you were pleased with the service. A large portion of your wedding vendors are likely small business owners intimately and personally involved in making your day special, so by all means tip them if you feel they are deserving! 

How much do I tip?

A general guideline for tipping is 20% of the cost of services, and that number holds true for vendors such as your hair and makeup artists, transportation drivers, etc.  Practically, however, if you tipped every vendor 20% the cost of their services, that could push you way over your wedding budget. Here are some additional tipping suggestions: 

“Large teams” (4+) catering/bartending/valet staff/large bands: $20-50 per person
“Small teams” (1-3) photographers, catering managers, on-site coordinators, live event artists, planners, florists, bakers, designers, smaller bands/musicians: $100-200 per person
“Manual labor” those setting up tables/chairs/lighting, etc.: $20-50 per person
“Deliveries” those dropping off cake or floral arrangements, etc.: $5-15 per person

Do I tip vendors if gratuity was included in the contracted price?

Yes, because a lot of the time the contracted gratuity is not being passed down to the employees.  So just because the limousine company added in gratuity doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tip the driver if he was on time, professional, and treated you and your bridal party like royalty. 

Tips on Tipping:

Work tips into your budget at the very beginning of the planning process. This will make parting with the money less painful, and insure that you won’t spend the money by the time your wedding day is here.  

Before your wedding day, figure out who and how many people you need to tip, get the cash, and place in envelopes with the vendors’ names on them.  If you are tipping a large group of people, such as the catering staff, you will want to find out how many will be working your event to come up with your total.  Don’t forget to give the tips to your planner or onsite coordinator before your wedding day, so they can distribute to the vendors you might not see.

Also consider a “general tipping” envelope filled with fives and tens to hand to your planner to pass out as warranted (and return whatever is leftover) when you don’t know the exact number of people who may be dropping by throughout the day with deliveries, helping with set-up, etc. 

In sum, while tips are never expected or required, they are always appreciated and appropriate for any vendor working to make your day great.  While this article is meant to help with tipping guidelines/amounts, of course whatever you can personally afford is the right amount for you. If that amount is zero, a thank you note or glowing review is a great way to let your vendors know you appreciated all the hard work!  

Sophie & Ben | The Chicory, New Orleans, LA

A client asked me the other day what I thought made a good wedding.  I think a great band makes a great party, but I really think the couple being as happy as Sophie & Ben were all day long makes a great wedding!  I'm so grateful Sophie chose me to help with her wedding, because I gained a great friend. Ben is a lucky guy! Scroll down to see all the beautiful photos by Anna Laine Photography and to read my Q & A with the bride! 

Q. How did you two meet? 

A. A mutual friend invited me to Ben's housewarming party; we hit it off right away! 

Q. Tell us about the engagement: 

A. He proposed to me with his grandmother's diamond, in the same spot in New Orleans that his grandfather proposed to his grandmother. 

Q. What was your favorite part of the planning process? 

A. Meeting with my florist and coming up with the overall design of the wedding and decorations with her and Josie. It all felt so real at that point. 

Q. Favorite moment of the wedding day? 

A. The dancing! We had an incredible band, and the dance floor was so alive. I loved dancing with my friends and family and  celebrating the joy! 

Q. Any advice to other brides? 

A. Just remember to relax -- the little details can seem stressful at times, but it is all for the fun in the end! And that's the best part of having a wedding planner; the whole process becomes much less stressful!

Our amazing team of vendors: 

Planning, Styling, and Design | Satchel Planning & Design 

Photography | Anna Laine Photography 

Bridal Prep | Loews Hotel New Orleans 

First Look Photos | New Orleans City Park 

Ceremony & Reception Venue | The Chicory 

Florals & Decor | Leaf + Petal Nola 

Cakes | Sugar Melts Nola

Transportation | American Luxury Limo 

Ceremony, Reception, & Second Line Band | The Essentials 

Annik & Jose | Traditional New Orleans Wedding at the Windsor Court Hotel

Annik and I hit it off right away. I think our first meeting at La Madeleine lasted three hours, and our other meetings just as long, with either coffee or wine.  We talked about the wedding, of course, but also tons of other topics we ended up having in common! 

I loved everything about Annik’s style, from her classic color scheme, to the attention to details, and what I would consider a super traditional yet simple wedding.  Annik chose the classic Windsor Court Hotel for her bridal prep and reception, and a formal Catholic wedding ceremony at St. Mary’s Assumption uptown.  There was no bridal party, so the focus was solely on her and her groom, Jose.  Instead of a bouquet, she carried a rosary.  All of this was captured beautifully by Hannah Mulligan Photography. 

One of my favorite details was her gorgeous gown, which was actually worn by her mother, and her classic veil.  The morning started out rainy, and by the time the afternoon ceremony was over, the rain cleared and the winds picked up, perfect conditions for her bridal veil blowing in the wind as they got into the vintage Rolls Royce to head to the reception. 

This wedding made me a fan of afternoon receptions.  It was small and intimate, with music by Robin Barnes, and everyone had a great time visiting, eating, and dancing.  The afternoon sun looked beautiful streaming into the rooms at the Windsor Court.  Annik and Jose cut into an adorable tiny cake by Sucre, and guests were served tiny miniature cakes.  Like everything about this wedding, nothing was overdone, but classic and just right. Best wishes for the newlyweds and their new life together! 

Vendor Love: 
Coordination & Styling | Satchel Planning & Design
Photography | Hannah Mulligan Photography
Florals | Brady LeBlanc
Bridal Prep | Windsor Court Hotel
Ceremony | St. Mary’s Assumption
Reception | Windsor Court Hotel
Bridal Gown | Vintage
Cake | Sucre
Ceremony Music | Robin Barnes
Transportation | A Regal Limousine