Lori and Clayton:
Wedding at Le Musée de FPC and Slidell Reception
This Georgia couple had originally planned to have their wedding ceremony and reception at Le Musée de f.p.c. (the Free People of Color Museum), but COVID-19 restrictions prompted them to change their plans, with only the ceremony taking place at the museum, and the reception being moved to a rental lake house in Slidell. After the ceremony, we spent some time in and around the museum capturing some portraits of the newly married couple, such as the classic looking shot with the two of them sitting on antique chairs.
Then we headed to the lakefront vacation home for a casual reception.
This couple also decided to do a “day after” portrait session, because they also wanted some portraits in the French Quarter but this would have been logistically difficult (and stressful) for them to make happen on the wedding day.
In a perfect example of making lemonade from lemons, with bars in the French Quarter being shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were able to get some shots of the two of them dancing together on a nearly-empty Bourbon Street, which would normally be impossible!
The bride had these kind words for me after the wedding:
Words can’t explain how happy we are that we chose Michael Caswell Photography for our destination wedding in New Orleans. From the beginning, Michael was very prompt and thorough. My wedding was scheduled for April 2020 but postponed to October due to the pandemic. We did not think this wedding would take place this year however, it did. Two months before the wedding, we had to find another venue to host the reception due to COVID restrictions. Not knowing what to do, I reached out to Michael, and he immediately gave us a list of recommendations. Michael also kept us informed about the opening phases for the City of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Michael was very accommodating with all the changes made due to the pandemic.
Seeming that everything was on track for the big day, Hurricane Delta decided to hit Louisiana the same weekend of my big day! The wedding ceremony was to be outdoors in a museum’s courtyard and a backyard reception on Lake Pontchartrain. As you can imagine, I was nervous about the weather. Michael reassured that everything would be okay and was ready to accommodate any further changes. Luckily the weather was perfect on my big day! Being that we had two venues, Michael was with us all day. He felt like a part of the family. He captured so many beautiful moments from the wedding and reception. The sunset photos on the lake were amazing.
We even did a day after photo shoot the next morning in the French Quarter and those photos were also great. His versatility and style are exceptional! We were awed by how beautiful our photos looked. Michael’s style of photography tells a picturesque story and my photos are evidence of just that. He truly knows how to capture every moment regardless of how big or small. My photos vividly take you back to the exact moment during that day. We also received our pictures quickly in a few weeks. We were successfully able to have a small wedding safely during this COVID pandemic. It was already a challenge planning a wedding in New Orleans while living in Georgia, but the pandemic made things even more challenging. Michael helped us fulfill these challenges. I couldn’t imagine anyone else capturing my big day.
Michael is very personable and professional. He’s an excellent communicator and is ready to answer any questions you may have. He will try to accommodate your wishes. Michael is truly a stand-up guy and his work speaks for itself. I highly recommend Micahel Caswell not only for weddings but for ALL your photography needs! You won’t regret it!
About Le Musée de FPC
In addition to being an ideal venue for smaller weddings, the museum is also a wonderful educational resource for the countless contributions African-American have made to the city of New Orleans. A plaque in front of the museum reads:
Le Musee de f.p.c. is a historic house museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting the culture of free people of color in New Orleans and Louisiana dating back to their presence first documented here in 1722.
The house of classic Greek Italianate style was built in 1859 by developer Benjamin Rodriguez, who also built the house at 2306 Esplanade Avenue, the home of relatives of Edgar Degas, the artist, and while there is no record of free people of color ever having owned this house prior to the present ones, because of their dominance in the building trades and crafts, they likely contributed to its construction.
Afro New Orleanians have had am impactful presence in all of New Orleans. Their contributions are of immense historical significance to the vibrancy, architectural uniqueness and beauty of the city, but especially in this neighborhood. Here they touched every sphere of endeavor. Along with the building trades, they influenced music, the culinary arts, health care, education, decorative arts, politics, publishing and religion. Public records reflect that blacks have owned 80 percent of the property in the area bounded by Rampart Street, St. Bernard Avenue, Broad Street, and Orleans Avenue dating back to the Spanish Colonial days in the late 18th century.
