WEDDING BLOG

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to great an indoor garden that’s just as gorgeous as an outdoor one, we’ve found the answer with Caitlin and Brooks’ New Orleans wedding at The Chicory! After finding and booking the industrial venue on a FaceTime chat with their planner, Elyse Jennings Weddings, the couple knew they wanted to keep the industrial, old-world feel while infusing their chic, modern style. Their solution was a floral-forward design created and executed by the talented Bella Blooms Floral — and the result was mind-blowing! From top to bottom, the industrial space was filled with over-the-top pink, white, and red blooms, accented with lush greenery and a sea of candlelight. As for their personal style, Caitlin looked stunning in a lace and tulle Galia Lahav ballgown and Brooks kept it classic in a handsome, custom tux from Knot Standard. This New Orleans wedding truly paid homage to the romance of the city, and Greer Gattuso Photography captured it all beautifully!

The Couple:

Caitlin and Brooks

The Wedding:

The Chicory, New Orleans, Louisiana

When we started planning, we agreed that we both really cared about all our guests having a great time, and we wanted everyone to feel the true New Orleans spirit from beginning to end. So, the music, food, and venue were all key. We love a good party, so we wanted to make sure that our wedding was nothing less than an over-the-top entertaining weekend!

We had just chosen our wedding planner, Elyse Jennings, and we quickly realized that the window for ideal weather in NOLA is very small, and venues were booking up quickly. Without hesitation, my amazing mother-in-law flew to New Orleans immediately to meet with Elyse and find a venue. They actually FaceTimed me while touring each venue — gotta love modern technology! The Chicory was the third venue they visited and, as soon as they walked in, we all knew it was the one. The exposed brick, wood floors, gas lanterns, and the iconic New Orleans wrap around balcony added up to just everything we wanted. In a way, it reminded us of our Brooklyn apartment so we knew that the venue would be perfect. As soon as we saw the huge staircase in the entrance, my mind started racing with different ideas on how we could decorate it.

We worked hard to make sure that vibe of our wedding stayed true to New Orleans, but with a New York flair. We wanted a romantic, elegant, chic, and fun wedding weekend with great music and great food. We brought all of our friends and family to New Orleans from New York and Texas, so we wanted them to experience the amazing culture of the city.

Our best wedding planning advice is to stop and take it all in. Really. Take a moment (or a few) to yourself and think about all of the love and happiness that is surrounding you and your fiance. It’s such a special time in your life that you want to look back on with gratitude. Also, hire a good wedding planner that understands your vision! It takes so much off of your plate so that you can enjoy being engaged!

Once we chose the venue, we started working on the flowers and color scheme. The venue had exposed brick, dark wood floors and copper gas lanterns throughout. I wanted to make sure the flowers and accessories made sense in that environment. My wedding planner, Elyse, and I sat down with our florist, Bella Blooms, and went through different flowers and color choices. I knew that I wanted lush greenery with overgrown, but still pretty, florals that were full of texture. We chose dark greens, neutrals, blush, rose, peach, burgundy and gold hardware. We wanted the ceremony to feel different so we kept the ceremony green, white and blush, only.

The whole day was amazing, but we will never forget the Second Line Parade! In classic New Orleans tradition, a brass band led our wedding party and all our guests through the streets of New Orleans, celebrating. Words can’t describe the fun we had dancing and singing in the street with all of our closest friends and family!

Congratulations to Caitlin and Brooks, and a big thanks to Greer Gattuso Photography for sharing this New Orleans wedding at The Chicory with Junebug! Looking for more floral-forward wedding inspiration? The floral design in this Cavalli Estate Cape Town wedding will blow your mind!