One of my favorite aspects of a wedding is florals. From dreamy bouquets to elaborate ceremony displays, they capture the feel of the day with colorful palettes and pairings you may not have thought of. For this couple, the bride being a florist herself certainly helped bring this magical floral display to life, created by her work-family, Fleur. The couple said I Do at Maxwell Mansion surrounded by their families and friends and planned by Estera Events. A day full of love, celebrations, and a beautiful tablescape, all captured by Clary Pfeiffer Photography! Take a look!
From the Bride…I proposed to Stephen in the middle of the hottest August day I’ve ever experienced while in New Orleans. I had a whole day planned that culminated with, what I thought would be, a romantic proposal under a 100-year-old live oak in City Park. It was 100 degrees outside with 70% humidity. The ground was so muddy I almost lost a shoe as I insisted we slog through the waterlogged grass to the lake edge so that we could sit on a secluded bench. Stephen knew something was up, but also knew not to complain about the heat and the walking and let me get whatever I had planned out of my system.
And it was perfect. The Singing Oak in City Park is strung with large, hidden wind chimes that create a soft, tinkling song when the breeze blows across Big Lake. I asked Stephen if he wanted to keep going on these kinds of adventures with me for the rest of our lives, and proposed with a custom gold band engraved with the first line from the original Legend of Zelda: “It’s dangerous to go alone.”
We were so focused on making our wedding day as fun as possible for our guests, planning the ceremony stayed on the back-burner for some time. If it had been up to Stephen, the ceremony itself would only have been 5 minutes long so as to not cut into the time people could be eating and drinking! I wrote my vows the morning before. In typical Stephen fashion, he had written his MONTHS in advance, with plenty of time to proofread and edit.
But what I’ve heard from our guests consistently over the past year was how much they loved our ceremony. That our vows were personal and raw, honest, and relatable. I had no idea that so many of our guests were crying through the entire thing. Our family and friends wanted to hear the truth about our seven-year relationship, about how we came to be standing in front of them, and how we were entering our marriage as a team who still wanted to work together on so many things.
OK BUT THE FLOWERS. My incredible friends and work-family from Fleur created one of the most ethereal, dreamy, altar set-ups I have ever seen. Their work floored me throughout the entire day: from my DREAM PALETTE Bridal bouquet, to the most festive, lush, boat-loads of flower centerpieces which made the tents look like “that dinner party scene from Chocolat” (direct quote from a guest). The texture and warmness of the flowers paired with the eclectic blue glassware and vintage chinoiserie plates created a feast for the eyes, set under intimate bistro lighting. We wanted our guests to feel like they were already all friends at long feasting tables, of course with plenty of wine easily within reach.
Photography: Clary Pfeiffer Photography | Videographer: Vanilla Video | Event Planning: Estera Events | Floral Design: Fleur | Wedding Dress: Elizabeth Dye | Cake: Momofuku Milk Bar | Stationery: Crum & Co | DJ: Bryen Hall | Suit: Indochino | Venue: Maxwell House | Bridal Store: honey bridal | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Chicago Vintage Weddings