Josephine and Emilio:
Hotel Peter and Paul Wedding in New Orleans

This couple’s wedding took place at Hotel Peter & Paul. This is a truly unique and amazing venue located in the the Faubourg Marigny, a historic New Orleans neighborhood adjacent to the French Quarter. Formerly the Saints Peter and Paul Church and School, these neglected buildings had sat decommissioned since 2001. In 2014, it was purchased by its current owners. This group, which includes a resident of the area, lovingly restored, renovated, and repurposed into a gorgeous and unique hotel. It opened in 2018 and has consistently received rave reviews from guests who have stayed there.

This was my first time shooting at this relatively new wedding venue in New Orleans, and the weathered door in a little alcove at the front of the church caught my eye as soon as I arrived. I loved how the slight breeze blew the bride’s veil back just a bit for this shot!

First Look and Portraits

But we started out with a first look and portraits of the couple in the Piazza, between the main School House building (where most of the hotel rooms are located) and the Rectory/Church. With the position of the afternoon sun, the shade of the School House provided perfect light for us to work with in this area. That series of images illustrates one of my favorite ways to photograph a couple. I find an appropriate spot with a pleasing background and good light, and simply instruct them to walk toward me as they look at each other, talk, laugh, etc. It results in a much more natural look than a static pose would.

Ceremony

A Hotel Peter & Paul wedding will place primarily in the Church. I love when property developers put effort into preserving the patina and character of a space rather than just making it all look brand new again. Of course, with a historical church like this, there’s really no question about preserving it as much as possible, as surely no developer in their right mind would consider doing anything else. Felicity Church and Marigny Opera House are other good examples of this.

Reception

The couple’s reception took place in this beautiful building as well, with a cocktail hour outside in the adjacent Piazza to facilitate the staff flipping the space after the ceremony.

At the end of the night, the couple was given a send-off as they departed! The owners and management of Hotel Peter & Paul are very sensitive about respecting their neighbors, since this is primarily a residential area, so second line parades are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Because this particular wedding reception was ending at 10:00 on a Thursday night, a second line parade departing from the venue was not allowed, so instead the couple and their guests made their way several blocks away to The Friendly Bar, and started the second line from there.

The event was coordinated by Unique Weddings in New Orleans.

 

After the wedding, the bride’s mother had these nice words for me:

Fabulous experience with Michael Caswell Photography! He was a gentle presence throughout our daughter’s wedding and stayed to the bitter end! We are very happy with our sneak preview pics and can’t wait to see the rest! Totally recommend!

 

The bride had these nice words for me after the wedding:

Michael! Our photographer extraordinaire! We cannot even begin to express the joy and memories these photos are bringing back from our wedding day. We adore them! You did a phenomenal job. Thank you SO much!

 

About Hotel Peter and Paul

This couple’s fabulous event was my first time photographing a Hotel Peter & Paul wedding. It was wonderful to shoot at this unique hotel and venue. The Church has a hauntingly gorgeous aged look that photographs exceptionally well, especially when paired up with an immaculately dressed couple and beautiful floral decor. It’s a unique aesthetic for a wedding.

Originally Saints Peter & Paul Church and School, the property fell into disuse in 2001, but was purchased in 2014. The investment group included an actual resident of the neighborhood. The property was painstakingly renovated and transformed the neglected site into a top-notch and unique hotel. The Church, which is the main event space, was built in 1860. The Rectory (which now is home to The Elysian Bar as well as some guest rooms) was built in 1875. And the Convent (which now houses ice cream shop Sundae Best, and also a few guest rooms) in 1890. The main hotel building is the School House, which was built in 1900.