Rachel & Jimmy

Rachel & Jimmy’s wedding took place at Compass Point, a charming venue with a beautiful garden surrounded by Creole cottages.   Before their wedding, they welcomed guests into town with a private party at The Maison on the famous Frenchmen Street & also had a mehndi party where Rachel received her bridal henna.

The original plan for their wedding was for guests to 2nd line from their hotel onto the ferry & ride it across the Mississippi River where the brass band would then lead them the two blocks to their venue.  They would do the same to get back to their hotel at the end of the night.  Unfortunately, an issue with the ferries being completely down for an extended period of time (which turned into a major issue in the city), meant we had to go to plan B which was to bus guests across the river.  Guests gathered at the ferry terminal on the other side of the river & then proceeded to parade to the venue, a nod to the baraat of traditional Hindu weddings.  As guests mingled, Rachel changed into her wedding gown & their cultural mash up of a ceremony then began.

The bride’s side had been tipped off about the joota chupai tradition (taking the groom’s shoes & demanding a ransom) which turned into a hilarious experience they all loved!  This hard core joota chupai meant the groom didn’t get his shoes back until well into the cocktail hour, as the ladies were not giving up.  They even accused me of being on the groom’s side when I tried to convince them that we legitimately needed his shoes back for him to take photos in the garden.  ha ha!  These fierce negotiators were finally able to settle on terms & the reception proceeded to be an even more amazing & fun night, if you can believe it.

Following the wedding, Rachel & Jimmy got dressed back up for a shoot in the French Quarter (along with a few shots at Compass Point again) so make sure to check out the bottom of the gallery for those stunning shots as well!