Janell and James:
Wedding in New Orleans at Southern Oaks

This Michigan celebrated their wedding with a wild party at Southern Oaks… the dress was breathtaking!

The corner window with a splash of sunlight coming in, along with an elevated shooting position on the stairs of the bride’s multi-floor suite at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel, provided a great setting to photograph this dress, by internationally-known Brides by Nona in Atlanta, Georgia. The talented designer of the dress was actually present at the wedding to assist the bride and tend to the dress.

The very long cape the bride wore made for an extremely impressive entrance to her wedding ceremony at Southern Oaks. At first glance, one would think this was a veil, but it actually rested on her shoulders rather than being in her hair. When spread out, it took up nearly the entire photography room at the venue, and I had to shoot with an extremely wide-angle lens just to capture it all!

The ceremony and reception both took place at Southern Oaks. Everyone in the wedding party wore white outfits, and most of the guests did as well. Combined with the bride’s gorgeous dress and very long cape made for a visually striking look for this Summer wedding. It’s usually considered a social faux pas at a wedding for any woman other than the bride to wear a white dress, but in this case it was a deliberate choice by the couple to encourage it. In fact, I think this was probably the first wedding I’ve ever done where the bridesmaids also wore white dresses!

Hair/Makeup: J Anthony Salon, Meka Milan, Beauty n Beats
Dress: Brides by Nona
Hairpiece: Su Reina Bridal
Cake: Royal Cakery
Flowers: Bella Blooms
Video: Bella Films