Southern Oaks
Featured Venue
New Orleans, Louisiana
Southern Oaks is a fabulous New Orleans wedding venue that is always a pleasure to work at, and I’ve been photographing events at this popular and highly-regarded establishment on a regular basis for many years. Well-run, beautiful, and with impeccable service, it's considered by many to be the top venue in the city.
My first wedding at Southern Oaks was back in 2007 on a clear and crisp January afternoon for a family who I subsequently also photographed their other daughter's wedding the following year. Now, over 18 years later, I have more than 75 events at this location under my belt. As a result, I am exceedingly experienced with how events are run at Southern Oaks, and I am intimately familiar with how to capture beautiful photographs of celebrations at this top-notch New Orleans wedding venue.
Because I've worked at this location so many times, in every season, and for early afternoon, late afternoon, and nighttime ceremonies, I have experience here in just about any weather or lighting conditions. I even shot a wedding here once in dense fog!
A Photographer With Extensive Experience at Southern Oaks
Decor
The first thing to know about Southern Oaks is that it is already beautifully decorated, so that you can have your wedding here without spending anything on decorating. Or if you have a particular vision in mind, you can supplement the decor with lanterns, flowers, centerpieces, and so on. Some aspects of the venue's appearance have changed over the years, so in some of these photos you may notice these differences. And in some cases, elements pictured may be optional add-ons (such as the candles or lanterns around the fountain, or down the walkway).
Expertise & Service
As a photographer who has documented many weddings at Southern Oaks, I've consistently observed the efficiency, expertise, and attentiveness of the venue's ownership and staff over the years. They put a tremendous amount of effort and care into providing an outstanding experience for couples, their families, and their guests.
They also show great hospitality to vendors such as the wedding photographers and videographers, by setting aside time to provide a full meal. While this is greatly appreciated, it's also practical, as this takes place at the same time that the couple are having their private dinner, and while guests are eating as well, so there's not much going on. Giving us a place to sit, and bringing in an assortment of food items for us means that we can quickly eat, and be ready to get back to work as soon as the couple re-enters the reception.
The staff uses this meal time to also brief us on any further details that we'll need to know for the rest of the evening... the timing of the cake cutting, bouquet/garter toss, speeches, send-off, and so on.
Ceremony
Most Southern Oaks ceremonies take place on the front porch of the mansion, though occasionally (as an option for smaller guest counts) in the lawn area in front of the large oak tree. An indoor ceremony is an option in case of rain.
The venue has several different options for how the bride makes her entrance into the ceremony. The most popular choice is by horse-drawn carriage.
In a breathtaking moment that always impresses the wedding guests, appropriate music begins to play right on cue as the carriage with the bride (and usually her father), pulled by two majestic horses appears from the side of the home, proceeds down the driveway, and stops at the far end of the brick-paved aisle for them to step off. After some final straightening of the dress by the Southern Oaks staff who are waiting there to assist, they proceed down the aisle.
One reason why this is so popular is that it's something you really can't get at any other venue. Although there are companies that a couple can make arrangements with to supply a horse-drawn carriage for a wedding, for most venues, it's simply not practical to fully integrate it into the ceremony like this. I can actually only think of one wedding where this took place, and because the layout of the property restricted where the carriage could go and the place and the manner in which it dropped the bride off, it did not have nearly the same emotional impact as Southern Oaks' carefully choreographed entrance.
Another option is the venue's classic and elegant Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud limo, which brings the bride to the end of the aisle in a similar way.
Lastly, some brides prefer to keep it traditional and simple, and opt for their entrance to be similar to how the processional is for most weddings venues. In this case, the bride (along with the bridesmaids) leave through the back entrance of the venue, unseen by guests, and board a minibus, which takes them out the back exit of the parking lot and around the block to the front of the venue, where she remains hidden by the brick wall that runs along the front until she makes her entrance through the gate and down the aisle.
Conclusion of Ceremony
The end of a wedding ceremony at Southern Oaks is often quite a memorable event. When the ceremony is over, the couple will kiss and recess down the aisle. If the bride entered by way of the horse-drawn carriage, it will still be waiting down at the end of the aisle, for the couple to board and be brought back around to the front of the house. If not, they'll usually walk back down the aisle to the house, often with a brass band leading the way.
Either way, there will be a few moments of celebration with their guests, and to really get the party started, you also have the option of a full-blown fireworks show!
Formal Group Shots & Couple Portraits
Upon entering the venue after the ceremony, wedding party and family members are ushered into a space that is set aside for the formal group photographs, complete with its own bar and tray passes of food for these people to grab a bite to eat and a drink as I'm getting my lighting set up for the group shots, and as they are waiting for their group's turn to be photographed.
We also sometimes use the front steps for group shots, especially if it's a particularly large family or wedding party.
If the couple would like to go outside for some portraits of the two of them, in some cases (for instance, if we have a little bit of daylight left, and the couple really wants some natural light portraits), we may go out and do these photos at this time, but more often than not, we wait and sneak out right after the couple has had their private meal.
There are several great spots for these portraits around the grounds, with the most popular of these being the moss-covered swing hanging from the oak tree in the front. There are also the horse stables in the back, the lit "love" sign, and of course the classic shot on the front walkway with the fountain and mansion in the background.
We'll typically need about 20 minutes to do these pictures. Admittedly, it can be hard to pull yourself away from the reception for these, but in the end you'll be glad you did. It's usually best to try to plan for this to take place immediately after you eat, before you re-enter the reception. Otherwise, as the party ramps up, it becomes increasingly hard to be willing to step outside for a bit!
Reception & Add-On Amenities
Southern Oaks features a wide assortment of available add-ons for your reception such as the Cafe du Monde beignet food truck, oysters chargrilled on-site by Dragos, a snowball stand, and numerous others. Your host or hostess will keep the reception moving smoothly, ensuring the various things like cake cutting, bouquet/garter toss, speeches, and so on, all take place on schedule. The venue features an in-house DJ who always does a great job, and some Southern Oaks weddings also have a live band.
The Send-Off
When the celebration finally comes to a close, there are several great options for a send-off at Southern Oaks, which the venue staff will coordinate for you. In some cases, if the couple opted for a fireworks show, it can take place during this time (for instance, if it was still daylight at the conclusion of the ceremony). But the most impressive send-off of all is your own personal Mardi Gras parade!
