Stefan and Hawley: Getting Married in New Orleans
An Intimate Wedding at Hotel St. Vincent
Stefan and Hawley tie the knot with their closest people in the New Orleans Garden District
One day when I am old and too busted to pick up a camera, I will look back on every small wedding in New Orleans that I photographed and Stefan and Hawley’s will bring a smile to my face (which will look decades younger thanks to diligent sunscreen use- I’ve said it and so it is 🙃).
It had everything I could possibly love about a small wedding day: fantastic people, gorgeous location, a short but sweet second line, a killer wedding planning team, and not an ounce of stress. I mean it. None. This couple was so laid back and their day was a reflection of their personalities.
Well, there was that moment I accidentally almost kicked the groom’s parents off the elevator but I swear I didn’t know and they cut the line! 😅 But that was just a momentary oops and all was forgiven. The rest of the day was smooth sailing.
I was really bummed I couldn’t join Stefan and Hawley when they came into town for their venue walkthrough due to my packed proposal schedule. Hotel St Vincent is a relatively new hotel and event venue in New Orleans and the photos I had seen online were STUN-NING! It has art deco styling with vibrant jewel tones and I am here for it. The last time I had been there, the building was a hostel housing young travelers. Long before that, it was an orphanage. The transformation to what it is now is very impressive.
A venue walkthrough is nice but I honestly don’t need one. I come prepared to every wedding with the equipment necessary to take stunning photos in any environment. I do like it when couples or planners consult me about the right time of day or spot in the venue for the best light. But ultimately I’ll get great shots no matter what. The venues for this wedding ended up actually having really difficult lighting. But as you’ll see that didn’t end up being an issue.
I met with the couple for coffee after their walkthrough and we had a great time getting to know each other and chatting wedding details. When Stefan first contacted me about shooting their wedding he said one of the reasons they were drawn to my work is because it included mixed-raced couples. He had told me that he was very dark and she was very, well, not haha. I was both shocked and not to hear that he didn’t see a lot of local photographers with diversity in their couples. And, worse, he had seen plenty who could not properly expose a photo that included both light and dark skin.
That is honestly very confusing to me because weddings always have extremes in light and dark- hello? White dresses and black suits? Just gotta make sure you have the most even exposure you can, use off camera flash for fill in those dark areas, and if anything gets blown out you pull it back in post. (I am probably making that sound so easy but it really is for me? I guess that’s what shooting weddings for 15 years will do for ya).
Aaaanyway, we got on like gangbusters and I was thrilled they chose me for their day. The plan was to get ready and do a first look at Hotel St Vincent, followed by a ceremony on the terrace, a chill cocktail hour, a second line, and then a reception at a small restaurant called Mister Mao further into the garden district. I hadn’t even heard of it to be honest but the photos showed a colorful interior that also sported a tropical, Cuban art deco vibe similar to Hotel St Vincent. I was PUMPED to work with these backdrops!
The wedding was planned for early April and I crossed my fingers for a nice, cool spring day. Hopefully one that wasn’t too humid since Hawley has a head of wild, curly red hair. They live in Canada and I can only guess it’s not nearly as humid up there. I can only imagine how curly hair reacts to a sudden shot of deep south humidity!
A few days before the wedding, I got an email from the couple’s day-of coordinator, Alicia from Pennywell Events. I am going to be super candid here- I am both thrilled and nervous when a couple has a day-of-coordinator. I am thrilled because the day should run smoother. But I am nervous because I have worked with a lot of coordinators that just really weren’t very good. The ones that can never be found. The ones that are more concerned with tradition or propriety than what the couple wants. The ones with overly-complicated timelines in 8 point font that are impossible to read. The ones who try to direct photography without any actual photography knowledge. The ones who pile extra tasks on me that are not even remotely my job.
I could go on.
But I opened the email and was immediately relieved to see her thorough and easy-to-read timeline. She dropped me a text the night before so I’d have her number as well. I felt pretty confident that this was going to be a wonderful experience all around. And I was right!
There was a lot of rain on the forecast leading up to the wedding and I was really hoping the weather gods would shine on us. They could move the ceremony inside but the second line was happening (light) rain or shine and I would hate to not be able to shoot it. Plus I wanted to utilize the super cool exterior of the building for portraits! We ended up getting lucky and the tiny bit of rain in the morning ended and lead us into a partly cloudy, cool-ish day.
I met Hawley and her sister/officiant, Caroline, in Hawley’s hotel room. We could look over the balcony directly onto the terrace where her mom was setting up the floral for the ceremony. Her mom did all of the floral herself and WOW. I was floored! It was all brightly colored tropical flowers with monstera leaves and other greenery I never see in wedding arrangements. I caught a candid photo of her mom attaching birds of paradise to a gold arch on the terrace before she looked up and saw us spying.
Hawley was so giggly. She was relaxed and excited and so chill and really did not seem to have a care in the world. The weather ended up being fine (I was still hoping for some clouds for the 2 pm ceremony but I would settle for it just not raining), everything and everyone they needed was there or coming soon, and she was about to marry her long-time partner in a gorgeous New Orleans hotel with her sister presiding. Like really. Who could ask for more?
I propped open the balcony door with a marble topped table to use some natural light for the detail shots. The hotel suit was unfortunately small and dark but I did the most I could with it! I was climbing on chairs and bending myself around couches. Hawley was watching me and said “you really ARE a physical photographer!” It’s true. I somehow manage to turn into some mix of gumby and sonic the hedgehog when I shoot weddings. I blame the adrenaline!
Hawley’s side-swept hair made her look like an even prettier version of Natasha Lyonne (without the cigarettes and questionable history, of course). She said she made the unfortunate decision to have bangs cut not long before the wedding (this is generally inadvisable, folks!) but she was pleased with how it ended up looking. I loved it! It was very unique, unlike most wedding hairstyles I’ve seen. And most importantly, it suited her.
I scoped out a first look location while she got into her vintage-styled beaded gown. It fit in with the overall vibe of the hotel right down to the jewel-toned green shoes. I was kind of finding myself as giddy as Hawley! Not only was her giggling pretty infectious but all of the elements they had planned were ones I would absolutely have chosen for my own wedding. I was LUH-VING IT!
I found Stefan downstairs in the bar waiting for me to position him for their first look. I spotted him at a table but he was completely backlit and in that light his suit looked brown. For a moment I was like… wait… brown? There’s no way he’s wearing a brown suit! But as I got closer and I could see him better I saw that he was, in fact, not wearing a brown suit. It was that same deep green as Hawley’s shoes and I went from momentary panic to “YASSS QUEEN!” in about .02 seconds. I gave him the rundown of the plan and his sister, Anishka, joined us soon after to put on his boutineer. Which was, predictably, cool AF. If I ever tie the knot, I’m flying Hawley’s mom in to do my floral, too!
I hid Stefan on the front porch while I went to get Hawley into place. The location they wanted to use required a bit of finessing to not spoil the surprise. But this wasn’t my first rodeo and I quickly figured out how to do it.
I thought Hawley was giggly before but after Stefan set his eyes on her, the laughter escalated and didn’t stop the rest of the day. They were just so delightful to be around. Even though it was warmer and sunnier than I would have liked and I could not drink enough water (shoutout to my favorite assistant, Victoria, for shoving a water bottle in my face every chance she got) I was having a great time working with the two of them. The hotel was giving Wes Anderson (with more racial diversity, of course) before the Wes Anderson tiktok trend (kind of a bummer because I could have made a great reel!). I felt free to be my weirdo self and they were down to get in as many locations in the hotel as we could with the time we had. I tried to get them to be serious for a few photos and it just didn’t work. These two could not keep a straight face for longer than half a second.
I would’ve loved to have had hours to explore that hotel with them. Preferably without anyone else around wandering into our shots. But, alas, there was not only another wedding happening in another part of the hotel but we didn’t actually have all day to spend on portraits. So I cut them loose after a few interesting stairwell shots and joined Alicia and the guests on the terrace for the ceremony. The clouds were coming and going and I really hoped they’d stick around for the ceremony. One part because I can’t wear a hat while I’m shooting and I don’t particularly like direct sun on my face. And the more important part- I didn’t want our couple getting blinded while they said their vows.
As the processional started, the clouds were hanging around. I was SO stoked! But then as Stefan walked the aisle (and his guests literally cheered, there was so much love for this couple there!), it was as if his smile brought the sun out. It gradually appeared the closer he got to the altar like there was a light tech in the sky with a follow spot. I had really hoped for shade for Hawley’s walk down the aisle! The clouds didn’t lend a hand but she didn’t seem to mind. I had to do some quick setting changes as she moved from the shade of the building into the full sun of the terrace. But this is why you hire yourselves an experienced pro, kids.
Hawley wrote out her vows while Stefan shot from the hip. They were both heartfelt and humorous and Stefan’s were delivered as if he had written them out and then memorized them by heart. Perhaps he did. Or perhaps the way he feels about Hawley is so unwavering he could deliver a speech like that at any moment of any day. I hope that he delivers it again and again for the rest of their happy lives together.
A cocktail hour immediately followed the ceremony and everyone adjourned to the shady end of the terrace. It gave us a perfect opportunity for a receiving line style photo op! Guests grabbed their champagne, the couple did a toast, and then folks got in line (it was more of a joyful cluster, really) to take turns having their photo taken with the newlyweds. It was a spur of the moment idea that I had and it’s something I highly recommend you work into your timeline if photos with your guests is important to you. It’s a great way to make sure everyone is in photos and also you get to say hi to everyone!
We rolled from the cocktail hour into the world’s shortest second line. We only went a few blocks so I worked hard to make sure I got enough shots. The best moment was when we saw another wedding second line coming down the street towards us! They didn’t meet in the middle for a Westside Story style showdown but both groups were tickled by it.
The parade ended at Coliseum Square where a bus was waiting to take everyone to Mr. Mao. But before everyone piled on, I grabbed the couple and said I wanted to get a group photo. It took a bit of hollering to get everyone’s attention (I really need some sort of pocket megaphone for moments like this) but I was able to wrangle them for the perfect shot as the sun set behind them all.
They all climbed onto the bus while I walked back to the hotel catching my breath while looking through photos. It was another winner!
The photos I saw of Mr. Mao before the wedding gave it a spacious, well lit feel. I quickly discovered that neither of those things were true. Alicia gave me the lay of the land and I had to think fast to figure out how I would pump some light into the lounge for the couple’s first dance. On-camera flash is far too limiting and bouncing off of the dark wood ceiling wasn’t an option. There wasn’t room for a soft box diffuser either!
The couple waited outside, happy for a brief rest before their entrance, while I dashed around setting up lights.I put one flash on a lightstand with a dome diffuser, raised it high, and pointed it at the light colored wall so it would bounce light into the room. Then I tossed a warm gel on a second flash and wedged it into a support beam that would be behind the couple during their dance. I really love adding backlight to first dance photos. It gives them more dimension and can also help light guests that are watching from a dark venue.
I fired off a few shots then gave Alicia the go-ahead for the couple to enter.
Those two had clearly been practicing! They had all kinds of moves (was that a Texas Tommy I saw, Stefan??) and laughed the whole time. I had my lights balanced perfectly and the images looked incredible straight out of camera. You would never know we were in a tiny, cramped, dark room!
I moved the light stand to the dining room after the first dance so I could use it to light the cake cutting as well as the room in general. Twilight was fully over at that point and there was next to no light in there. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at the photos. 😁 My ability to light a scene like that so effortlessly cemented my skill in the eyes of Alicia and thrilled the couple! Stefan said he figured that venue was going to be pretty much a write-off for photos with it being so small and dark. He didn’t know he’d hired an off-camera-flash wizard!
I rarely stick around after my time is done at a wedding. I’m usually too tired and hungry to stay behind and chat. But Mr. Mao had prepared dinner for Alicia, Alison, and me so I sat with them in the lounge while the wedding had its sit-down dinner in the other room.
It didn’t take long to figure out that the three of us were kindred spirits. And the food was INCREDIBLE! Unlike any wedding food I’d ever been served before. I stayed for an extra hour eating, chatting, having rainbow-layered cake from Debbie Does Doberge, and basking in the joy of a job well done.
This may very well be my longest blog post ever. But it was a day worthy of the words! Small weddings in New Orleans are not all created equal. With the wrong planner (or no planner at all!) even the most micro of weddings can be chaotic. Between the chillest of couples, the sweetest of guests, and the powerhouse Pennywell team this was one of the easiest, most successful wedding days I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of.
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