Renee & Richie

I love Renee & Richie’s style so the design for their wedding was really easy for me to put together, because we just “clicked”.  Since they aren’t big on flowers, I proposed doing a completely floral-free wedding where we would rely on fog effects & candles to set the mood.  To incorporate that within the bridal party, we had the bridesmaids carry incense burners with smoke coming out of them & Renee & Richie themselves carried in candles as they walked in together to be married on the 10th anniversary of their relationship.  They really wanted to engage their guests & include them in the union so we created interactive stations for the guests as they arrived.  This included paying respect to their deceased loved ones, warming the rings, taking a snapshot with a lit up “NOLA” sign & getting their candles to help light the way as the couple’s love spread as they walked up the aisle.  Their ceremony featured a local brass band playing New Orleans classics such as “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” by Louis Armstrong as they walked up the aisle, lighting the guest’s candles on either side.  Following their pronouncement as husband and wife, the band paraded them to their reception, right through New Orleans famous Jackson Square & into Muriel’s where a table is always kept set for their in-house ghost.

We incorporated some really fun elements such as the drink pouches with black bendy straws, printed with “Til Death Do Us Party”, for their 2nd line parade that led them from their ceremony location to their reception.  Another rockin’ touch was the neon “Til Death” sign that was featured both by the drinks & in the coffin shaped bookcase at the reception which also held glow sticks for the guests to party with & also use for the sendoff at the end of the night as they headed off to Bourbon Street to continue the celebration.

Tarot cards, specifically the Lovers (featured as skeletons in death), were used throughout the wedding from the invitations to the patches on their jackets & even signage at the ceremony & decor at the reception.   Guests enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres & more deep red colored drinks as they lounged in the Seance Room at Muriel’s having their tarot cards read before heading into the main reception room where tarot cards adored the tables & Renee & Richie made their appearance after she had changed into her second black sequin dress of the day.

Their black and gold marbled wedding cake continued the theme with red velvet & chocolate layers inside, which guests enjoyed along with a traditional New Orleans menu including shrimp etouffee, pork with local sugarcane apple glaze,Cajun fried turkey & southern greens.

For their reception playlist, the couple requested the DJ only play rap music & Richie & his fraternity brothers serenaded Renee with a traditional song from their Greek days.   Before donning the leather jackets they dressed up with patches after their engagement photos back home in the desert of Arizona, they got on the mic to thank guests for joining them for this celebration.  As if on cue, there was a large crash as a glass was accidentally dropped & shattered on the floor, an omen that had been foretold to them by a psychic that said his deceased grandmother would be with them & show her presence on their wedding day by breaking a glass (& something others knew nothing about)!  What a way to end this amazing wedding!

Join us in watching their design sketch for the ceremony fountain (the clear layers allow us to mix & match until we have their look just right) & their full wedding coverage below.