Leslie and Shane’s editorial inspired wedding at Margaret Place in New Orleans truly was a vision! This modern but approachable wedding was adorned in lux details, all while remaining approachable and light hearted! With Margaret Place being a venue that marries both modern luxury and classic New Orleans charm, this venue was the perfect backdrop for a couple who’s vision was to stylized but also relaxed wedding day!

Lux black, white and gold wedding details

Leslie chose a really refined and modern color palette for their springtime wedding at Margaret Place – drawing inspiration from both hard metals and lush foliage, you the color palette had notes of black, white, gold and of course greens from all of the beautiful florals and natural foliage present in New Orleans. While vibrant color may be “in” right now for weddings, there was something so sophisticated and timeless about Leslie’s bridesmaids being dressed in black. It truly leant itself to a modern editorial vibe!

Bridal Portraits at Margaret Place

One of my absolute favorite things about working at Margaret Place is who clean cut the bridal suite is. With light and neutral wall paper, this room is perfect for getting ready photos, especially of brides! If you are looking for a sleek, editorial and modern look for your bridal portraits, the bridal suite at Margaret Place is unmatched. It also gets the perfect amount of natural light, making the images look studio quality!

Bride’s first look with Dad

One element that was super important to be woven into Shane and Leslie’s wedding day was family. They both had multiple important family members present this day, and it was apparently how much they love their families.

Leslie’s first look with her dad was incredibly emotional. You can see on his face how excited he is for this day and seeing Leslie for the first time.

Both Shane and Leslie also took a notable amount of time to pull together meaningful gifts for their parents and each other.

First look at Margaret Place

Once Leslie and Shane were both completely ready, we did a first look on the balcony of Margaret Place overlooking the courtyard. This is a perfect spot for a first look here on this property because of the lighting, but also the privacy!

Editorial Inspired Wedding Portraits in New Orleans

Over the last year or so, I’ve really started leaning into more editorial style portraits and images. A lot of times when people think of “editorial” they think of images that are hyper-curated or designed. And while that is definitely a part of the editorial world, the editorial perspective I bring to portrait portions of the day is “how can I make this image as clean and compelling as possible.” For me, that means free of distracting elements, clean lines, etc in order to communicate the emotion of the moment. I want the *feeling* of the photo to be evident. These photos of Shane and Leslie meet that criteria!

Courtyard Wedding Ceremony at Margaret Place

The ceremony portion of the day was held in the courtyard of Margaret Place. The couple chose to use the covered pool as their ceremony alter, and I actually really loved this ceremony set up and use of space! It was engulfed by the natural foliage that is present in this spot, and was a beautiful backdrop for this intimate and emotional wedding ceremony!

When Shane saw Leslie walking down the aisle, tears were flowing freely from his eyes. It was a beautiful moment to witness!

New Orleans Second Line Band – a Wedding Tradition

What would a wedding in New Orleans be without a second line band? This was a treat for Leslie and Shane’s guests, as most of them are from out of state! The couple had many blocks of parading with Knockaz Brass Band!

Luxurious Reception Details at Margaret Place

Quite honestly one of my favorite elements of this day to document was the reception flip – the florals, by Root Floral Design, were absolutely stunning. They were simple, modern, and almost monochromatic, with white being the primary hue of this design. However, the elegant white paired with the natural foliage of Margaret Place made for stunning tablescape designs!

New Orleans Wedding Traditions

Rumor has it that if you bury a bottle of bourbon at the side of your wedding 30 days prior to the event, you’ll have good weather and no rain on your wedding day! Well thankfully Leslie and Shane did this tradition because not only was it rain-free on their wedding day, it also was just a beautiful day overall and not terribly hot! When you get married in May in New Orleans, you run the risk of having heat indexes of 90 degrees or hotter! Thankfully this day was a beautiful 80 degrees, with a breeze, and cooled down even more after sunset. I was so thankful that they buried the bourbon, and may start suggesting it to all of my couples! The best part is … once you dig it up, you can drink it on the spot!

Bride cuts hair at Wedding Reception

Now, as if this day didn’t already have enough unique elements, Leslie decided to take it one step further and do something super drastic – cut her hair! She and her bridesmaids went up to the bridal suite in the middle of the reception to give her hair a chop. And get this – the bridesmaid who cut her hair isn’t even a hairstylist! Talk about trust in your people! This was such a fun element to document, and Leslie’s hair turned out fabulous!

Shane’s reaction to seeing Leslie’s new hair cut for the first time!

Leslie’s Mom’s reaction to seeing her hair cut!

An Epic Dance Party Reception at Margaret Place

The night continued on with most guests staying and dancing all the way until the very end! To round out the night completely, Leslie and Shane exited with an infamous sparkler tunnel exit!

Vendors who made this day possible:

Coordinator: Rachel Stokes, Uncommon Camelia @theuncommoncamellia
Catering: Jaques-Imo’s @jacquesimos.cafe
Florals: Root Floral Design @rootfloraldesign
HMU: Lauren Rodgers @chopitlikeits_hottt
Dress: Maggie Louise @maggielouisebridal
Venue: Margaret Place @margaretplacehotel
Second Shooter: Ashley Biltz

Loved being a part of this wedding and working at Margaret Place! Interested in having me shoot your wedding at Margaret Place? Click here to reach out!