Melanie and Ben hosted their wedding at the Audubon Tea Room in New Orleans. Personal touches made this day truly memorable and unique to Melanie and Ben. Their winter wedding photos are full of light and joy. They tell the story of a connection-filled day celebrating two well-loved people.

Creative Winter Wedding Photos 

When we started planning Melanie and Ben’s winter wedding photos, Melanie shared that she was “anti-wedding and marriage until [she] met Ben.” They originally envisioned a casual backyard celebration, but they ended up loving their celebration at the Audubon Tea Room. Their photos reflect all the ways they personalized their day to make it exactly the experience they wanted instead of a generic event.

Melanie and Ben wanted creative photos that reflected their relationships. They mentioned several times throughout the day how incredible it was to have their friends and family all together in one space. I felt like it truly honored their loving relationship fully. These winter wedding photos portray so much intimacy and joy. It was an honor to document these moments.

The portraits of Melanie and Ben in the garden are especially breathtaking. I love the way ethereal light shines through the oak trees. It gives you the sense of an ephemeral moment captured for generations to treasure. The dappled light, lush plants, and wrought iron all give it such a sense of place, too.

A Brunch Wedding at the Audubon Tea Room

For their deeply personal wedding day, Melanie and Ben chose the Audubon Tea Room. It ended up being an ideal spot to host their brunch wedding. Both Melanie and Ben are doctoral students in Biology, so the zoo was a celebration of their love of animals and nature.

Many of these winter wedding photos were taken in the gardens at the Audubon Tea Room. You can only do ceremonies in the zoo itself after it closes for the day. The gardens are a beautiful, more private feeling space for daytime weddings. 

Overall, the Audubon Tea Room is a great New Orleans wedding venue for people looking for flex space. This venue is big with capacity for up to 750 guests. The rental fee starts at $5,000 in peak season and $2,500 for off-peak season. Additionally, there’s a $10,000 food and beverage minimum. Having an inclusive venue like this minimizes the number of vendors you need to coordinate and makes a wedding day more laidback. It was a good fit for the experience Melanie and Ben wanted to create.

Nontraditional Touches for Melanie and Ben’s Wedding

In some ways, Melanie and Ben stuck to some wedding conventions. For example, they hosted their celebration at a wedding venue with a full guest count. There were a few key ways in which they really made the day their own, though. Those nontraditional parts of their wedding really give their photos a unique quality.

The first, and perhaps most stunning, of these choices was Melanie’s dress. She didn’t restrict her search to bridal gowns and ended up finding this gorgeous ice blue dress. The beaded and embroidered overlay blended perfectly into the gardens in these winter wedding photos. Melanie’s pearl gloves brought a touch of elegance, too. So many guests commented on how “Melanie” the dress was! What more could you want from your wedding outfit? 

As much as I loved Melanie’s wedding dress, my favorite part of this wedding day was the time everything took place. Because they had a morning wedding, light infused every part of the day. As a natural light photographer, being able to photograph with so much daylight was a treat. This was especially true in the getting ready space. Since I was there starting at 8 am, there was so much light in the room. It elevated the getting ready photos in a way that lower light later in the day couldn’t.  

Would you like to see more winter wedding photos in New Orleans? Check out this colorful garden wedding and this Hotel Peter and Paul wedding!

Thank you to the vendors who helped make this winter wedding so memorable:
Venue: Audubon Tea Room
Coordination: Uncommon Camellia
Photography: Olivia Yuen 
Second Line: Kinfolk Brass Band
HMUA: Glam NOLA LLC
Florals: Crystal Vase