Wedding at Messina’s at the Terminal
Melissa and Dino
This couple’s style perfectly fit the restored classic art deco appearance of the atrium at Lakefront Airport’s Messina’s at the Terminal wedding and event space. This is a great venue to photograph a wedding in, as it’s beautiful, spacious, and also has a balcony that wraps all the way around the space (perfect for elevated shots like this, and for placing a couple of remote flashes where they’ll be both effective and safely out of the way).
Mojeaux provided the entertainment for the reception, and were awesome as usual.
I loved how the classic art deco façade of Lakefront Airport’s Terminal Building and the antique Rolls Royce was perfectly matched with the style of this couple’s wedding and their personalities.
The timing of these kinds of portraits is crucial, especially in a case like this where we only had 15 minutes or so of daylight to work with after the ceremony. One issue that often comes up is that well-meaning guests, not aware of these time constraints, will line up and want to greet and congratulate the newly married couple, putting the couple in the awkward position of having to prematurely excuse themselves to head out for pictures, or run the risk of losing the little bit of daylight left. So, in this situation, it’s best to have a plan in place with your wedding coordinator and/or the venue staff to immediately whisk the two of you away for the portraits, and then you can greet your guests in a more relaxed manner after you return and make your official entrance into the reception.
Here’s what the bride had to say after the wedding:
Michael is wonderful to work with from start to finish. He does a fabulous job of getting all of the important shots at your wedding. He was like a photo ninja, you didn’t even know he was there capturing everything! Even after my wedding, he continued to provide excellent customer service with my photobook and any other photography needs. He goes above and beyond to satisfy you. Thanks Michael, I will recommend you to everyone!!
About the Lakefront Airport Terminal Building
New Orleans Lakefront Airport’s Terminal Building was built in the 1930s, designed by the same architect responsible for the Louisiana State Capitol Building. Sadly, in the 1960s, in a move to make the building suitable for a dual use as a cold war nuclear fallout shelter, a thick layer of concrete was added to the walls, with most of the art deco elements, murals, windows, etc. being covered up, turning the structure into a relatively plain and sterile-looking concrete box.
But thankfully, those in charge of the project at the time recognized the beauty and architectural significance of the Terminal Building, and in a truly remarkable display of foresight, took steps to preserve and protect those elements as much as possible during their work, which greatly facilitated the efforts decades later to restore the building to be closer to its original appearance.
Today, with the much larger New Orleans International Airport now handling pretty much all airline traffic into the city, New Orleans Lakefront Airport serves primarily general aviation, private pilots, flight training, corporate transportation, and charter flights, with the terminal building being home to various government offices, a restaurant, and being able to host events such as weddings.
