This wonderful couple's wedding took place at the elegant and historic Degas House on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans. It was a perfect, beautiful Autumn evening, and everyone had a great time!
Degas House does have a bridal suite available, which is where this bride got dressed. The beautiful light streaming in through the large windows was very helpful in capturing great photos of this portion of the day.
This ceremony was a great example of perfect light for an outdoor wedding, as it was scheduled to begin a little less than an hour before sunset.
Actually, the final half hour of daylight is really the best light, but when formal group shots are to take place outside after the ceremony, I like to leave a little light to work with for these photographs. While venue scheduling restraints and other logistical issues mean that not every wedding can have the luxury of starting the ceremony to occur in the best light, if other considerations allow, it's definitely an important factor.
This bride was herself an artist, so the Degas House, named for famed impressionist Edgar Degas, was a perfect venue choice for her wedding. The mansion was constructed in the 1850s as the Esplanade Ridge area was being developed, and Edgar Degas lived here for a few years in the 1870s.
Interestingly, though Degas House as we know the venue today consists of two side-by-side homes with a common courtyard, originally it was one single large house, with the original structure being split into two smaller homes in the 1920s, as the developer at the time believed two smaller homes would be more valuable in the housing market than one very large one.
One of the dilapidated homes was bought by current owner David Villarrubia in 1993, the other in 1995 after it was discovered that the two homes were originally one, and much effort was put into researching and restoring the homes to the appearance they would have had back during the time of the Degas visit.
Today, Degas House serves as a museum, bed and breakfast, and hosts weddings along with other special events.
The historical marker plaque in front of the location reads:
Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas – French “Impressionist” master whose mother and grandmother were born in New Orleans. Painted many famous subjects on a list here in 1872-1873 at Musson Home on Esplanade. His “Portrait of Estelle” bought by Delgado Museum.
Location: 2306 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119.
