Victoria and Jonathan
Wedding at The Greenwood in Covington

This wonderful couple’s wedding ceremony and reception were both held at The Greenwood in Covington, Louisiana (the venue was known as Vintage Court at the time, but has since been purchased by the Southern Hotel and renamed The Greenwood). The history of The Greenwood’s beautiful property on the northshore dates back to the late 1800s as a convent founded by Benedictine nuns.

We started out with coverage of the bride getting ready at the family’s home near Slidell, where after getting into her dress she also had an emotional first look with her father, before heading over to Covington.

Victoria and Jonathan shared a beautiful first look, which enabled us to get all of our formal group photographs done before the ceremony, as well as some portraits of the bride and groom. The ceremony, officiated by John Wondergem, was held on the brick-paved patio in front of the instantly recognizable massive and sprawling oak tree that the venue is so well-known for. The outdoor reception took place on the other side of the venue, with entertainment provided by DJ Sierra Collins. Tanya Mohler and Elaine Prest created the beautiful cake and flowers, respectively.

At the end of the night, the couple was given a fabulous send-off through a shower of bubbles!

Catching a special moment

One of my favorite shots from this wedding was actually captured during the frenzy of pre-wedding preparations at her parent’s house. The bride paused for a few minutes to catch her breath and read a beautiful letter her groom had written for her, an emotional moment that I quietly and discretely captured in this classic and timeless black and white photograph.

This is a great example of how a significant portion of the craft of wedding photography consists of observation, simply listening and watching in order to be aware of what’s possibly about to happen. This enables me to start thinking about how I want to compose the shot so that I’m more prepared for the moment when it occurs. Of course, photographers often don’t have this luxury, as moments during the wedding day often unfold suddenly and unexpectedly. But whenever there’s an opportunity to know something is coming and put some thought as to how I want to document it, I take full advantage.

In this case, as I was shooting details and prep, I overheard the bride tell her mom she would be reading the groom’s letter soon, and I took note of where she set the letter and the gift bag down, assuming that she would return to this spot to read it. I usually take a hands-off approach and just let things naturally happen, but if absolutely needed, I would have suggested a better spot for this. However, after a quick evaluation, I decided this sitting room that the bride had chosen, with some soft natural light coming in through the windows, would be perfect, and I did not interfere.

The benefit of modern mirrorless cameras

This is also one of those times when I was especially thankful for the capabilities of the modern and professional camera equipment I work with, in particular, the fast lenses that give me the ability to shoot in modest lighting conditions without having to use flash, and the silent shutter feature of my Sony cameras. Though I’m sure the bride knew I was there off to the side photographing her reading the letter, the lack of the click-click-click of a camera shutter and repeated flashes of light enabled her to be fully engrossed in this special moment and not be distracted by me.

Historic Northshore Wedding Venue

The history of this property on the northshore dates back to the late 1800s as St. Gertrude Convent, founded by Benedictine nuns. After falling into disuse, it was renovated and opened as Vintage Court, a beautiful and unique wedding and event venue that featured both indoor and outdoor event space, with distinctive architecture and a beautiful natural setting.

Further changes came to Vintage Court in mid-2023, when the venue was purchased by the owners of the Southern Hotel, and has now reopened under its new name of The Greenwood.

While New Orleans wedding venues may get more of the attention, the northshore has some amazing venues of its own, such as the Fleur de Lis Event Center, The Greystone, Annadele’s Plantation, the Southern Hotel, and the Abita Quail Farm.