Stunning architecture, rich culture and the food (oh the food…) make New Orleans a perennial top spot for southern destination weddings, but let’s be honest – every bride also wants a FOMO-inducing moment that makes her day stand apart. From private Cajun dance lessons to some of the most beautiful balconies for vows or swoon-worthy first look photos, and more… here are a few of the quintessentially New Orleans experiences that can be arranged for weddings at any of the J Collection of historic French Quarter hotels.
Perfect your Cajun Two-Step and hit the floor with a couples first dance that brings the room to their feet with private lessons at Hotel Mazarin, complete with the sounds of one of the local bands who play at the hotels 21st Amendment prohibition-themed bar…one of the only bars in the French Quarter with nightly live jazz.
Due to the permitting and orchestration needed to execute a colorful Second Line following the wedding ceremony, the tradition generally requires months of planning. Couples with this last-minute request can skip to the head of the line at Melrose Mansion or Bourbon Orleans Hotel where a bandleader is on staff and able to navigate and deliver the French Quarter Second Line of their dreams in half the time.
Take your pick of incredible sky-high settings for once in a lifetime vows and first-look photos; home to the oldest and most grand ballroom in New Orleans, the Bourbon Orleans offers turnkey wedding and elopement packages set on a romantic balcony with vistas of the historic St. Louis Cathedral; Hotel Mazarin is a surprisingly sophisticated setting for nuptials, overlooking Bourbon Street with exchanges set on the balcony of their luxurious Fleur de Lis Suite complete with officiant and seating for 16; or tucked away in plain sight just a block off Bourbon Street, the Audubon Cottages are a unique, private enclave of seven cottages with intimate, semi-tropical landscaped courtyards, brilliant blooms and picturesque balconies.
Announce your new life together in lights with a custom fireworks display at Nottoway Plantation & Resort. The largest antebellum mansion in the South, Nottoway is a spectacular setting for a fairy-tale wedding, who’s sheer elegance and grandeur could only be matched by one thing – a dazzling choreographed fireworks display, lighting up the sky above the Mississippi River.
Line up a curated experience of NOLA cocktail culture with bespoke tastings of classic Crescent City elixirs in the historic settings of their origin. The master mixologists of 21st Amendment at La Louisiane can stir up the classic De La Louisiane, first created on site in 1937. At the Bourbon O Bar, enjoy the French Quarter signature – the Ramos Gin Fizz, at the home of its proper rebirth, which happened in recent years with the reintroduction after nearly 100 years of the original technique of shaking the frothy specialty for six minutes before serving.
