When Will and Chris reached out to me and shared their vision for their wedding at Capulet and then told me they were planning an entire wedding weekend, I knew right away their celebration was going to be different from previous weddings I’ve photographed.
As a New Orleans wedding photographer, I love being surprised by the couples I work with, especially when they have a unique plan for their celebration.
Keep reading for more info on planning a wedding at Capulet in New Orleans, plus take a behind–the-lens look at Chris and Will’s vibrant and joyful wedding here!
Planning a Capulet New Orleans Wedding
Capulet New Orleans is a chic wedding venue in the Bywater neighborhood. Here you’ll find a wedding venue serving up delicious food in a modern industrial setting with pared-down decor and a breathtaking rooftop perfect for a dreamy sunset ceremony. Sometimes from the rooftop, you can even hear a riverboat or band in the distance.
The venue also has an open floor plan that provides you with plenty of space for a seated dinner and dancing, and they definitely don’t cut corners on reception fare either!
You’ll find Capulet just 10 blocks away from the iconic French Quarter, making it easy for you and your guests can enjoy this part of the city if you’d like to as part of your celebration.
Capulet has space for up to 250 guests and an amazing staff that will work alongside you to ensure your wedding aligns perfectly with your vision and goes off without a hitch. Plus, they have an incredible in-house catering team who can conjure up pretty much anything your heart desires!
This venue is the perfect spot for either a reception, ceremony, or both, and the views alone are reason enough to book this stunning New Orleans wedding venue!
Why You Should Plan a Wedding Weekend
There are so many great reasons to plan an entire wedding weekend (especially in New Orleans). Here are just a few:
More time with your guests
Your wedding day goes by so fast, no matter how much you try and slow it down. With a wedding weekend, you won’t have to worry about hastily greeting and chatting briefly with everyone.
Instead, you can spend time with your nearest and dearest and create lasting memories together with everyone. For instance, you can have a welcome dinner with everyone, a farewell brunch or dinner, a cookout, etc. With a wedding weekend, there are so many more ways to spend meaningful time together.
Unique activities
With a whole weekend ahead of you, you’ll be able to add in more activities to your itinerary, such as spending time by the pool, enjoying a group tour of New Orleans, or trying local cuisine and drinks in the city. The good news? You can add in anything that you and your partner want to do to your itinerary – the sky is the limit!
A wedding that feels like a vacation
Extending the celebration allows you to relax a bit more and not cram everything into a tight timeline. Anything else that you want to add during your wedding weekend can be optional for your guests to create a more laid-back environment for everyone. Remember, you don’t have to schedule something for every minute of your wedding weekend.
Where should you plan a wedding weekend in New Orleans?
My answer? Derbes Mansion. Derbes Mansion, formerly known as Benachi House, is a large, historic property featuring several guest rooms and a beautiful, spacious outdoor area.
It’s an 1858 Greek Revival manor that has been beautifully maintained to preserve its history and grandeur, and it still maintains many of its original features. They have incredible amenities and accommodations that you and your guests will love!
An Unforgettable New Orleans Wedding Weekend at Capulet and Derbes Mansion
Chris and Will planned an epic wedding weekend in New Orleans, and I’m not exaggerating when I say they are two of my favorite human beings! I left their wedding weekend feeling like I was a part of their families, and it was genuinely one of my favorite wedding celebrations I have ever been a part of.
Their wedding weekend also made me realize how truly special it is to spend more than just one day with your favorite people by your side. By dedicating an entire weekend to your wedding, you get to cherish more quality time together and also create meaningful memories on one of the most important days of your life.
Chris and Will’s wedding day
Chris and Will’s wedding weekend was an absolute blast for everyone who was a part of it! Some of the highlights included their ceremony at Capulet, a fun second-line after-party parade, and spending the entire weekend together at Derbes Mansion.
Their wedding day started with a heartfelt ceremony at Capulet, which, while New Orleans as a whole is very queer-wedding affirming, Capulet really stands out as a venue that is celebratory of queer weddings.
An added bonus? Their in-house food is also fantastic. Speaking of food, I also have to mention Will and Chris’s cake. Their peanut butter chocolate cake was literally one of the best wedding cakes I’ve ever had – I’m still thinking about it!
After their wedding, they also had an evening second line to their afterparty location, The Black Dog. Inside The Black Dog, Will and Chris had an iconic end to their wedding day with a shot of Malort, a Chicago-based spirit (where the couple lives).
Wedding weekend at Derbes Mansion
The next day was spent at Derbes Mansion, which is the perfect place to host wedding weekends as they have a pool, a kitchen space, spacious accommodations for you and your guests, washers and dryers, ice machines, communal spaces, plenty of seating, and so much more!
To wrap up their wedding weekend, Chris and Will planned a poolside hang with their loved ones with a delicious crawfish boil.
It was so evident to me after spending the weekend with these two that both of their families and friends love them so much. Love was everywhere you looked, and it was not lost on me the weight of being invited to be a part of such a special day.
Ready to Plan a New Orleans Wedding at Capulet?
I hope you found all of this info about Capulet in New Orleans helpful. Capulet is such a unique wedding venue – no two celebrations here ever look the same.
Can you tell that I love photographing heartfelt weddings and elopements? I’m a New Orleans wedding photographer specializing in documenting intimate celebrations on film. Inquire with me about your wedding date here, or go here to learn more about my wedding photography services!
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