Welch Photography & Video – Page 3 – New Orleans Wedding Photography & Video

Jordin & Alex | Southern Oaks Plantation | New Orleans, LA | Wedding Photography

Jordin & Alex – November 15, 2014
Pre-ceremony – Marriot – Lakeway, Metairie, LA
Wedding & Reception – Southern Oaks Plantation, New Orleans, LA
Photography by – Robert & Lisa Welch

Southern Oaks is one of the most popular venues in New Orleans for weddings, and with good reason. The staff is excellent and the food is tasty. The setting is pretty stellar as well, with the beautiful plantation building and lovely yard featuring a majestic live oak tree. Every wedding we’ve done there has been superb, and Jordin & Ales’ wedding was no exception. I met Jordin at the Lakeway Marriot near the foot of the Causeway bridge in Metairie. This hotel is very nice for a getting ready location, (especially since it’s on the way to anywhere in New Orleans for us). There is plenty of room and they have a view of the lake that is fun for photos. Jordin had a fabulous crystal bouquet, we’ve been seeing more of these lately it seems. I guess brides like the idea of being able to keep their bouquet after the wedding.

At the ceremony, the bride came around in the wonderful horse drawn carriage they have, which always makes for a grand bridal entrance. The ceremony was topped of by some lovely photos of the newlyweds getting back in the carriage together. They had a wonderful time at the reception, their friends and family were in full party mode, and the fun didn’t stop until the evening was over.

Kat & Lash | St. Patrick’s Church, Calcasieu | New Orleans, LA | Wedding Photography

Kat & Lash – November 15, 2014
Pre-ceremony – The Roosevelt New Orleans
Wedding – St. Patrick’s Church, New Orleans, LA
Reception – Calcasieu – Private Dining by Chef Donald Link, New Orleans, LA
Photography by – Robert Welch

St. Patrick's Church wedding — St. Patrick’s Church wedding

Serenade for bride and groom by saxaphone

I was originally contacted by Kat to photograph her wedding to Lash. I didn’t have a lot of details or contact with them, just the basics on the ceremony and reception location. Her father followed up to book the wedding, which was to start with photos at the Roosevelt Hotel, followed by the ceremony at St. Patrick’s and reception at the very nice Calcasieu – Private Dining by Chef Donald Link. Beyond these few details, and the times, I had little info on what to expect, other than they would be traveling into town for the wedding. It turned out everyone was traveling to New Orleans, and from all over the world. Lash is from England, and he and Kat were staying in Florida with her parents, but others were traveling from Europe as well. It was a wonderful mix of people at their wedding, and New Orleans was just the perfect atmosphere for all the different people who attended. It is also a favorite city of the bride and groom, thus the reason they chose it for their special union.

St. Patrick’s is one of the more stunning churches to photograph, in my opinion. I love the fresco paintings, some of the more spectacular and colorful ones. They had some very nice moments in the ceremony, and I was a bit surprised to find out the groom was indeed Catholic, which I guess is not as uncommon in England as I had thought. We then went on to Calcasieu for the reception, which I was unfamiliar with. It’s upstairs in a rather non-descript part of what I guess is the warehouse district of New Orleans. It turns out this is exactly the part of New Orlenas that Kat and Lash love, the rather industrial part of town, if you will. They requested we go out on the street to take a few quick photos with the buildings in the background. Not typical of weddings, but fun none the less. They had Dr. Jazz to keep the atmosphere local for the reception, and of course the exquisite food by Chef Donald Link made the evening most enjoyable. It was a bit different experience, but I always enjoy the off the beaten path type weddings like this. It’s what makes New Orleans such a fabulous area to work in, no two weddings ever need to be the same here.

Of course, they finished out the evening with a second line dance around the restaurant, which was a new experience for many of the guests. It’s great to feel the excitement they have. The uniqueness of our local culture in this fabulous city always charms, and leaves our guests happy and wanting more.

Ingrid & Ryan | Rosy’s Jazz Hall | New Orleans, LA | Wedding Photograph

Ingrid & Ryan – November 14, 2014
Wedding & Reception – Rosy’s Jazz Hall, New Orleans, LA
Photography by – Robert Welch

Kissing outside Rosy's Jazz Hall — Kissing outside Rosy’s Jazz Hall

Ingrid and Ryan are very easy going people, nothing would keep them from enjoying themselves at their wedding. There were a few hiccups, but with their ‘slide on the ice’ demeanor, it all was good and was a terrifically fun evening for everyone. The bride got ready upstairs at Rosy’s Jazz Hall, where I went to get a few quick photos. She didn’t want a lot of fuss, so a quickly we were ready for the ceremony. They had their ceremony inside, which is a lovely location in the open arboretum area. The trees inside give the feeling of being outside. They were playful and fun loving through the ceremony, as well as the whole evening. We took a few quick photos upstairs, the doorway/balcony shot was one that Ingrid wanted, and then off to the first dance. After they had settled in a bit, we stepped outside quickly for a couple of shots in front of the building, which Ingrid had also wanted, as they love the feeling of the street and nightclub atmosphere. We finished up with a second line dance, naturally.

Patrice & Lamar | Rose & Botanical Garden | New Orleans, LA | Wedding Photography

Patrice & Lamar – November 8, 2014
Wedding – The Rose Garden, City Park, New Orleans, LA
Reception – Botanical Garden, City Park, New Orleans, LA
Photography by – Robert Welch

Bride’s Shoes

Wedding Rings

Bride getting ready

Bride with Veil

First Look

Bride and Groom portrait

Bridal Party

Bride portrait

Wedding ceremony in Rose Garden, City Park, New Orleans, LA

Botanical Garden Nightscape

Second Line Dance

When I first met Patrice & Lamar about their wedding, they were very particular about what they were looking for in their photography. It is really nice when working with someone who has a vision of what they want that matches your approach to what you do, and that was the case for us. They wanted a lot of photos capturing the important and memorable moments of their wedding, and that is exactly what I like to do. I was really looking forward to their wedding and it didn’t disappoint.

The first look was in the breezeway from the Rose Garden to the Pavilion of Two Sisters, and with the sun coming in behind them, I thought the photos came out really nice. Lamar was very emotional upon seeing his soon-to-be wife, and it was hard for him to hold back his emotions. It was a very sweet moment, and exactly what you want in a First Look, that opportunity for the couple to have that moment together, without all the other stuff going on to take away from the first occasion for them to greet each other. The photos also are a nice way to remember the moment, and treasure it.

The ceremony was held in the Rose Garden by the Shriever Fountain featuring “The Water Bearer” by sculpture Enrique Alferez. With the sun starting to wane in the sky, the setting was so picturesque, superb for the ceremony. We followed up with a few photos before going to the Botanical Garden for the reception. After they got settled to eat a little, we went by the fountain in front of the conservatory to get a couple of shots with the remaining light in the night sky, a beautiful deep blue was an awesome setting for a couple of quick shots before the first dance. The rest of the evening was a terrific party, these two sure know how to enjoy themselves, as did all their friends and family.

Tiffanie & Michael | Lakefront | Mandeville, LA | Wedding Engagement Photography

Tiffanie & Michael – Engagement photography
Lakefront, Mandeville, LA

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Engagement portraits on Lakefront in Mandeville, LA

I got a call one day earlier this year from Tiffanie. She had saw our sign on the highway in front of our house and inquired if I might be able to do a last minute engagement portrait. They were just in town for a few days, visiting Michael’s family, and had only the one opportunity to get some photos. It was a last minute idea which she had been having some trouble getting to happen until she happened upon our sign, and it worked out great. We had a blast, it was a great day and they were in terrific spirits. Of course, after the session, she got back in touch with me to book their wedding, which will be later this month here in Mandeville. Sometimes, things just work out when you least expect them, and I really enjoy times like that. It’s part of what makes life a joy to experience.

Hilary & Scott | St. Peter – Trinity Banquets | Covington – Slidell, LA | Wedding Photography

Hilary & Scott – November 1, 2014
Wedding Photography by Robert Welch
Wedding – Saint Peter Catholic Church, Covington, LA, Covington, LA
Reception – Trinity Banquets and Receptions, Slidell, LA

First dance at Trinity Banquets and Receptions

When I started my first year as a full time photographer (first full year was 2001), one of the first churches I photographed in was St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington, LA. I love the old wooden beams inside, it’s got a simple but beautiful construction. Many weddings at this church later, I got to photograph Hilary and Scott here, then off to Slidell for their reception at Trinity Banquets and Receptions, a hall that is under new ownership. Their wedding was simple and fun, their main desire was to enjoy the evening, and that was what everyone did. Not too fancy but with nice details, just enough to make for a memorable evening with friends and family.

Jennifer & David | Antebellum House | Slidell, LA | Wedding Photography

Jennifer & David – Oct. 25, 2014
Wedding Photography – Antebellum House, Slidell, LA

The Antebellum House, located off of Highway 190 in Slidell, is a different kind of wedding venue. It’s all under one roof, but has distinctly different areas for the reception and ceremony. They also have nice rooms for both the bride and groom to get ready. It’s a compact of highly efficient space, and allows for very easy weddings with little fuss. Jennifer and David are rather no-nonsense type people, just like to enjoy the company of family and friends, so the location suited them perfectly. We had a fabulous time with their wedding, and I was able to capture some really fun moments for them.

Hilary & Scott | Engagement Portraits | Mandeville, LA | Wedding Photography

Hilary & Scott – Engagement Portraits
Fontainbleau State Park, Mandeville, LA

Last summer, before their wedding in the fall, we did some wonderful portraits at Fontainbleau St. Park in Mandeville for Hilary and Scott. They were so easy to photography, fun and easy going. Their wedding was similarly enjoyable, and I’ll have photos of that posted soon. Stay tuned!

Jennifer & Brett | Holy Name of Mary and La Maison Creole | New Orleans, LA | Wedding Photography

Jennifer & Brett – October 18, 2014
Wedding – Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, New Orleans, LA
Reception – La Maison Creole, Harvey, LA

I did some bridal portraits for Jennifer at the church a month or so before the wedding. It was great to get some time for that at the church without having the schedule of the wedding day activities to limit our opportunity to have some fun and get some great photos. That is the challenge on the day of the wedding, there is so much going on and photos, while important, are not really the first concern. In Jennifer’s case, this church was significant to her as it’s the church she grew up in, and these photos have a lot of meaning for her.

For Jennifer and Brett, the wedding went very smoothly, though. I meet her at La Maison Creole where she was getting ready, and got her pre-ceremony photos there. Then the photos of Brett and the groomsmen at the church. After a beautiful ceremony, we got our family and bridal party photos, plus a few spectacular ones for the bride and groom of course. Then we headed over to the reception, which was a total kick. They have a lot of friends, and I think they were all there! I love a lively reception, and this one didn’t disappoint. Lot’s of dancing and cutting up on the floor, and a sparkler exit to end it all with. Some weddings are a lot of fun, some are even more than a lot. This one goes in the latter category.

Katie | City Park, NOMA | New Orleans, LA | Bridal Photography

Katie – Bridal Portrait Photography
City Park, NOMA Museum, New Orleans, LA

Katie and Shelby had a lovely wedding in early January at the Holy Name of Jesus church and the Rose Garden in New Orleans. I’ll be posting some photos from the wedding soon, but we had a wonderful bridal portrait session in City Park before the wedding. We started off with photos in from of the New Orleans Modern Art museum, then went over to the Pavillion of Two Sisters for more photos. This was a little before Christmas and they had some wonderful lighting decorations up, which added nicely to the photos there. They also had some fun lights in the Peristyle, so we finished up with a few photos there that I thought she would like. Katie was a lovely bride, and we had a great time getting some photos for her.

Amanda & Brennan | Fontainebleau State Park | Mandeville, LA | Engagement Photography

Engagement photos Fontainebleau State Park

Amanda & Brennan – Engagement Photography
Fontainebleau State Park, Mandeville, LA

We photographed Amanda and Brennan’s wedding in March of 2015 at Michabelle’s in Hammond, but back in the summer of 2014 we had photographed their engagement portraits at Fontainebleau State Park. They made a very hadnsome couple, and were a lot of fun to photograph. This is a favorite location for portraits with the beach and the oak trees giving the perfect setting. I always enjoy going there, as do the happy couple. On this particular day, we had a stellar sky at sunset to give for a very dramatic set of photos to end the session with. Stay tune for photos from their fabulous wedding to be posted soon.

Shatari & Joseph | Champagne Palace | New Orleans, LA | Wedding Photography

Shatari & Joseph – October 11, 2014
Pre-ceremony – Marriott Metairie at Lakeway
Wedding & Reception – The Champagne Palace, New Orleans, LA

The Champagne Palace is one of New Orleans premium locations for an all in one wedding experience. When Shatari & Joseph hired me to photograph their wedding there, I knew it would be a fun wedding, but had no idea just how fun it would be. The bridal prep was at the Marriott Metairie at Lakeway. This hotel has great rooms for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready in, as well as a terrific view of the Causeway and Lake Ponchartrain out the windows. I like to use those as backgrounds for photos of shoes, flowers and such. In this particular room, I felt the window had some interesting reflections and the sky was a rich blue, all of which gave an interesting view to take some photos of Shatari by the window.

At the ceremony, the light was just starting to fade, giving a very rich blue hue to the sky for the photos. After we got some portraits of the newlyweds, they went in for the dances and reception. The inside was wonderfully decorated, and the cake was a fantastic black & white layered tower with red roses to trim it out. After lot’s of fun on the dancefloor, the bridal party donned party masks and Mardi Gras Indians showed up to get the Second-line dance going. That ended the evening on a truly high note.