Nativity BVM Cathedral and Slavonian Lodge Wedding
– Katie and John Payton –

I enjoyed working with Katie & John Payton for their engagement portrait in Gulfport earlier this year, and been looking forward to their wedding in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with the ceremony being held at Cathedral of the Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary and the reception taking place at Slavonian Lodge.

Everyone got ready at the luxurious Beau Rivage Hotel located right on the beach. I photographed the stunningly beautiful bride by the large concrete staircase in front of the Hotel in Biloxi just before heading to the nearby Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for her wedding ceremony. The reception afterward took place at the spacious and elegant Slavonian Lodge.

A separate bridal portrait session a month or so before the wedding is a great idea if you want a wide variety of photographs of you in your dress in different settings. A bridal portrait session allows us to take our time capturing these images without the potentially stressful time pressure of the wedding day, and gives you the option of a framed enlargement to be on display at the reception. Alternatively, you can set aside some time on the wedding day itself to capture a few of these kinds of images at the hotel or the ceremony venue, as was the case with this series of images. But just be sure to allow enough padding in your planned schedule so that if the preparation phase runs long (as it often does), you still have sufficient time to capture these photographs.

Ceremony

We then headed to Cathedral of the Nativity BVM for the ceremony, which was officiated by Father Tommy Conway, a beloved figure in the south Mississippi Catholic community. I’ve photographed several wedding masses that he presided over, and always found him to be wonderful to work with. Any priest who tells the wedding photographer, “go wherever you’d like and do whatever you need to do” is going to get an A+ in my book (of course, even when I am given free reign at a church ceremony, I am still going to be respectful of the religious nature of the ceremony). He is a very kind person with a great sense of humor that instantly puts the bride and groom at ease, and makes for a special and memorable ceremony.

I loved the shot of the bride flashing a broad smile at her groom during the ceremony as gorgeous natural light streams in through the large windows. Often, during portions of the ceremony when the couple is not directly involved, such as when communion is being given to guests during mass, this can be a great time to get candid shots of the relaxed and at-ease bride and groom talking and smiling.

Reception

At the conclusion of the ceremony, we headed to the reception just a few miles away at the Slavonian Lodge, a very elegant and spacious venue. There, Musical Fantasty entertained, and Katie’s dad even got up on stage to sing Sweet Child ‘O Mine, which the crowd really enjoyed! The CA Video Productions crew was on hand to film the event, and were a pleasure to work with. The wonderful night was capped off with a sparkler departure!

I was proud that a collection of my images from this couple’s wedding were published in Premier Bride Mississippi Magazine.

Elegant Mississippi Gulf Coast Reception Venue

The Slavonian Lodge is truly a wonderful Gulf Coast wedding venue in Mississippi. It features very elegant decor, is quite spacious, and is run by genuinely nice people. A large stage can accommodate just about any band you could imagine. It’s also not too far from several popular churches, such as St. Michael’s (the Fisherman’s Church), and the Cathedral of the Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary, which is where their ceremony took place.

About Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral

This beautiful church dates back to the early 1900s, and has weathered many storms. Beloved priest Father Tommy Conway officiated the mass with his trademark mix of spirituality and humor. Though this wedding took place in Biloxi, more recently Father Conway has become the priest at St. Fabian Catholic Church in Hattiesburg, MS.

This couple’s reception was held at the nearby Slavonian Lodge, but Nativity BVM also has a very nice and spacious community center located directly behind the church which is a fantastic and convenient place for a reception.

Church community centers sometimes are fairly sparse and simple inside, but this space is easily on par with many dedicated commercial wedding and event spaces I’ve photographed at. I’ve shot several receptions here, and it’s obviously very convenient to the Cathedral, with no transportation being necessary after the ceremony. It also features a large stage, which is great if a band will be providing your celebration’s entertainment.