As a New Orleans wedding photographer, there’s nothing I love more than a Pharmacy Museum wedding. I’ve always been drawn to this museum with its mysterious ambiance and quirky spaces. Once I found out it was a wedding venue, it went straight to the top of my photography bucket list. When Abi and Charles reached out about their Pharmacy Museum wedding, I knew it would be everything I dreamed of. Their unforgettable nighttime wedding didn’t disappoint!
The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
During Pharmacy Museum weddings, guests can explore the first floor. There’s time to grab stunning portraits amid the old objects and beautiful interior details. Your guests also will love wandering between rows of old objects, taking pictures and interacting. The Pharmacy Museum could even be a good spot to host a reception after a ceremony elsewhere.
The funky details and earth tones make film photography a perfect fit for a Pharmacy Museum wedding. At Charles and Abi’s wedding, I took some Polaroid portraits. I’m obsessed with the way the colors translate to film. The images of Abi and Charles, who have such modern styles, have a sense of timelessness among the museum’s antiques.
If you’re looking for a French Quarter wedding venue, the Pharmacy Museum is so unique. It has all the charm and conveniences of the French Quarter. Located just a few blocks from Jackson Square, the museum is surrounded by hotels, restaurants, and clubs. Music and amazing cocktails are everywhere. Still the museum is one of a kind among all the hotel and bar venues in the area.
Incredible Off-beat Details
If there’s one thing New Orleans knows how to do, it’s embrace its reputation for mystery with quirky decor and colonial architecture. The Pharmacy Museum stands in the middle of a row of storefronts with an old-school sign of a mortar and pestle hanging in front. Like so much of the French Quarter, it immediately makes you feel transported back in time.
That feeling continues inside where bottles and jars line shelves from floor to ceiling. Most are behind glass cases, but you can read the labels and a few signs that share information about the histories of the potions and powders. Among the bottles are tall glass containers with elaborate stoppers. Containers that look like oversized perfume bottles sit in front of an ancient mirror. A Pharmacy Museum wedding is full of opportunities for serious and silly portraits full of historic details.
Behind the museum, trees and lampposts line a narrow courtyard. The earthy brick adds to the lush natural feeling of the space. You can see the sky overhead, but buildings rise up on either side, giving the space a cozy, intimate feeling.
Charles and Abi’s Pharmacy Museum Wedding
You would never know it, but Charles and Abi actually planned their Pharmacy Museum wedding in under a month. I was seriously impressed that they worked with their community to put their wedding together so quickly but managed to pay attention to the details that mattered. Abi and Charles got what they wanted most – to be able to show up, get married after a long engagement, and enjoy their guests’ company.
The couple chose to have a nighttime wedding. This leant itself for a very romantic and mysterious vibe for the wedding. It really suited the Pharmacy Museum’s aesthetic, and the images are some of my absolute favorites.
Abi and Charles didn’t have to add much to the decor at the Pharmacy Museum. One thing they did add was an incredible floral installation. Instead of a traditional floral arch, their florist created a structure out of lush greenery, Spanish moss, and Mardi Gras beads. The mix of shiny beads and natural materials created cool textures and reflections. They also hung large bulbs overhead, creating a soft glow that helped light the couple during the ceremony.
The night ended with a second line, a New Orleans style wedding parade, through the streets of the French Quarter. Guests joined Abi and Charles in dancing down Bourbon Street accompanied by a brass band. It was a perfect way to end such a joyful night.
Would you like to see more nighttime wedding photos? Check out this candlelit micro wedding at the Ace Hotel!
Thank you to the vendors who made Abi and Charles’ wedding possible:
Venue: Pharmacy Museum
Florist: Blooms Botanica
Brass Band: Young Fellaz
Bar: Carmen’s Catering
Food: Pigeon
Coordinator: Down Annie Lane
