Justin and Aubrey, alongside their daughter and closest family members and friends, held a stunning DIY wedding at the historical Mazant in the Bywater of New Orleans. While this was a DIY wedding, there were so many choices the couple made to make DIYing successful!
A New Orleans Wedding at the Mazant
First and foremost, the choice to get married at the Mazant made this intimate DIY wedding a breeze, especially since Aubrey and Justin (and all of their people!) traveled to New Orleans for this wedding. Because the Mazant can host up to 18 overnight guests, it’s the perfect spot to pick for an intimate New Orleans destination wedding. Both inside and out of the Mazant are breathtaking, and need little decor to make it feel special.
The couple had a DIY intimate dinner set up in the back courtyard that was so colorful and cute! The florals were actually done by Aubrey’s grandmother, and the tablescape was set up by another family member as well. When I saw this set up, I couldn’t believe it was DIY!
Bride getting ready with her daughter
Maybe it’s because I’m expecting my own little girl, but this part of the day, when Aubrey and her daughter got ready together for her wedding, was one of my favorite parts of this intimate wedding. Having these moments captured together are invaluable.
Intimate Wedding Ceremony at the Mazant
For Justin and Aubrey’s ceremony, they hosted it in the yard of the Mazant where the live Oak Tree lives. It’s a massive one, and makes for a beautiful backdrop for a ceremony. The arch and florals were also DIY by Aubrey’s family. I loved these colorful details!
Laidback Wedding Reception at the Mazant
After the ceremony, Justin and Aubrey surprised their guests with an appearance by a New Orleans Second Line band, Young Fellaz! These guys are impressive, especially because it was so hot this day! You can tell they work incredibly hard.
Elysian catered the couples’ dinner and cocktail hour, which featured New Orleans favorites like oysters and beignets!
This backyard DIY intimate dinner set up in the courtyard of the Mazant was stunning!
Wedding Portraits in the Bywater
One other element that made this day perfect is the fact that the Mazant is located in the historic Bywater of New Orleans. This is one of the most colorful neighhorhoods of New Orleans, and makes for an easy place for scenic wedding portraits without having to walk too far! Justin and Aubrey also booked a collection with me that included Polaroids, which I think look extra perfect in the part of New Orleans!
Tips for a Successful DIY Wedding in New Orleans
As you can see from above, Justin and Aubrey’s DIY wedding at the Mazant is a textbook example of a perfect DIY wedding. In summary, here are the elements that I feel make it the perfect example!
- Venue Choice – like mentioned at the start, the fact that they chose a venue that they could also stay in during their time here in New Orleans made doing a DIY wedding much easier. There isn’t a worry about transporting things back and forth to different locations, and also not a time sensitive need to get everything cleaned up after the fact. The Mazant is a perfect choice for a small, DIY wedding like this!
- Intimate Guest List – because the guest list remained around 30 people in total, this made DIY much more feasible!
- Talented family members and friends – this one is a luxury, but because the couple had friends and family that had talents, it worked for them to take on some of these tasks!
- And lastly.. Justin and Aubrey are very laidback – because Justin and Aubrey’s main priority was to be together with each other and their favorite people, there wasn’t a lot of stress of the micro details of the day. This is ultimately my #1 suggestion for folks considering doing a DIY wedding or not – are you ok with things not being 100% perfect? Are you ok with taking on some of the details of the day? Is your day of schedule/plans set up for success? If so, then a DIY wedding may be a great option for you!
Interested in seeing another intimate DIY New Orleans wedding? Check this brunch themed wedding at the Tigermen’s Den out!
