Sandra and Will:
Wedding at St. Louis Cathedral and Court of Two Sisters
I don’t think you can get any more uniquely New Orleans than this New York couple’s fabulous wedding! Their ceremony took place in iconic St. Louis Cathedral, and featured an amazing array of music… members of the Rondalla Club of Los Angeles played the processional and recessional, a choir group sang several times, along with a number of soloists, and the groom, himself an accomplished and talented musician, took a seat at the piano with his bride at his side to play a piece during communion. Music played other prominent roles as well, with the ring bearer carrying the rings in an instrument case, and the groom’s wedding ring was hand-crafted out of special tonewoods by a musical instrument maker.
After some portraits around the French Quarter, we all regrouped at the Royal Frenchmen Hotel in the Marigny, where the couple had a truly unique first dance… right there on the sidewalk on Frenchmen Street, surrounded by friends and family, with the Treme Brass Band playing behind them. We then headed straight down Royal Street in an awesome second line parade, ending up at the famous Court of Two Sisters, where the reception was to take place in the spacious and beautiful courtyard.
There, Sandra & Will’s favorite New Orleans band, Tuba Skinny, provided the most authentic jazz music you’ll ever hear at a wedding reception, and Will pulled out his banjo ukelele to play a song he wrote for Sandra. Later, the Rondalla Club of LA also played a few pieces as guests engaged in some traditional Pilipino folk dances.
Hair/Makeup: Flawless Bride
Videographer: Willofilms
Cake: Swiss Confectionery
Coordinator: Emily Sullivan Events
The specific location of the second line shot here was on the the couple’s “wish list”. Ordinarily, given the dynamic and chaotic nature of wedding receptions, and especially second line parades through the French Quarter, specifically requested shots can sometimes be a tall order to fulfill. But in this case, they simply gave me a general request that I try to get a picture of them as they passed by a certain building along the planned route down Royal Street on the way to the reception at Court of Two Sisters. They weren’t sure of exactly where it was located, but they described it as a corner building, constructed of reddish bricks, with numerous large hanging plants prominently adorning the ornate wraparound balconies.
I knew exactly what building they were referring to, as it’s probably one of the most photographed spots in the French Quarter. While the name (the Miltenberger House) is not as recognizable as some other landmarks in New Orleans, it appears in B-roll footage of practically any TV show or sporting event filmed in the city, and is commonly the subject of stock photos as well, as it just screams “French Quarter!”
The now iconic building was constructed in 1838 by Marie Aimee Miltenberger, the widow of Dr. Christian Miltenberger, an immigrant from St. Dominigue. Because of his expertise in treating yellow fever, he was appointed by the mayor to supervise indigent health care, and also served as surgeon during the Battle of New Orleans. Though some sources incorrectly identify this building as having been “a gift to his wife”, Dr. Miltenberger actually died in 1829, nine years before the building was commissioned by his widow. Consisting of three residences (one for each of her children), it follows the common and familiar practice in the French Quarter of commercial space downstairs at street level, and residences upstairs.
