Photo: Greer Gattuso, http://www.greergattuso.com1/38I was raised in California, but born in New Orleans—and the Big Easy has always been a special place for me and my family. It was the perfect location for my wedding as we had guests coming from East and West coasts, as well as Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We wanted them to feel the soul of New Orleans—the food, the music, the revelry, and the Southern hospitality—and we hoped to convey this from the start with our invitation suite by Alexa Pulitzer.
Photo: Greer Gattuso2/38Our wedding weekend began on Thursday night with a cocktail party uptown on Audubon Place. I wore a jacquard Stella McCartney dress in gold paired with Oscar de la Renta mules and antique Venetian glass earrings.
Photo: Greer Gattuso3/38On my wrist was a gift from my dad—18-karat gold doubloons (large coins thrown from floats during Mardi Gras) from the Rex Organization. He has been collectsing them every year since the day I was born. He turned the doubloons into a charm bracelet and gave it to me on my 18th birthday.
Photo: Greer Gattuso4/38Interrupted during a quiet moment with Keith’s adorable niece. She had many, many questions about her flower girl duties.
Photo: Greer Gattuso5/38Later in the night, the party hosts brought out costumes for us to put on. We danced to the band while they played “Chapel of Love.” Because what would a party in New Orleans be without some sort of costume?
Photo: Greer Gattuso6/38I knew I wanted to get married at Longue Vue House and Gardens from the moment I drove down the driveway. I had always imagined a wedding with an overgrown garden feel to it and was inspired by the home in Great Expectations: unfussy natural floral arrangements, antique urns as vases, smilax-adorned French chandeliers, candelabras covered in vines, and outdoor furniture.
Photo: Greer Gattuso7/38A detail of the Chinese rice wall coverings that were originally used in Ellen Biddle Shipman’s dining room at Beekman Place in New York City.
Photo: Greer Gattuso8/38I wasn’t drawn to the silhouette of my Oscar de la Renta dress initially, but rather its luxurious baroque fabric. The fabric reminded me of the old-world opulence of New Orleans. I worked with my best friend and bridesmaid, Cynthia Smith of Cynthia Cook Brides, who encouraged me to cut a V in the neck of the dress and voila! It suddenly suited our venue perfectly.
Photo: Greer Gattuso9/38My mother in a gold Oscar de la Renta dress zipping me up at our apartment in the Pontalba Building in the French Quarter—the oldest apartments in the United States.
Photo: Greer Gattuso10/38I kept it simple and wore diamond stud earrings to not take away from the drama of the dress.
Photo: Greer Gattuso11/38The basket setting of my engagement reminds me of a traditional New Orleans crown.
Photo: Greer Gattuso12/38My heels were Chanel—a tribute to the fact that this was where I had been working when I first met Keith.
Photo: Greer Gattuso13/38All dressed and descending the stairs at Longue Vue House and Gardens to find my soon-to-be husband. We did have a “first look” but it was in private, without photographs.
Photo: Greer Gattuso14/38The bouquet was composed of peonies, anemone, flannel flower, champagne roses, and foraged greenery.
Photo: Greer Gattuso15/38My beautiful bridesmaids helping me keep my dress white and fresh prior to the ceremony. Their dresses were Jill Jill Stuart.
Photo: Greer Gattuso17/38My handsome groom. His suit is custom made by Beckett and Robb in San Francisco. He was adamant about having suspenders. He loves putting them to use on the dance floor.
Photo: Greer Gattuso19/38Kelly Lenard of Interwine designed the shape of the arch to mimic the growth of the oak trees in the backdrop. She was able to include elements foraged from the property as well as fillers from a wedding guest’s nearby farm.
Photo: Greer Gattuso20/38We waited until the very last minute to do our 4-year-old flower girl’s hair and put on her white dress. Her wreath is made of astrantia and waxflower. As predicted, her hair didn’t hold, but it didn't matter because she looked adorable anyway.
Photo: Greer Gattuso21/38Our sweet flower girl, Alix, wearing ballet slippers and holding a basket of Spanish moss with rose petals.
Photo: Greer Gattuso22/38Walking down the aisle with my dad and the smallest members of the bridal party.
Photo: Greer Gattuso23/38Our wedding planner, Anna LeCorgne Schaefer of An.gle Events, was instrumental in bringing our overgrown garden wedding to life. She knows everyone in town, and more importantly, everyone in town knows her!
Photo: Greer Gattuso24/38My godfather, Hugh Palmer Lambert, aiding us in the exchange of our rings and vows.
Photo: Greer Gattuso25/38The kiss!
Photo: Greer Gattuso26/38After our first kiss, a traditional New Orleans second line band paraded us over to cocktails. A clarinet and sousaphone played “When the Saints Go Marching In” as we made our way there carrying custom feathered umbrellas while guests waved handkerchiefs in the air.
Photo: Greer Gattuso27/38Our wedding cake among the boxwoods. If you look closely at the balcony, you can spot our tarot card reader on the right.
Photo: Greer Gattuso28/38I drew inspiration from the Vogue photo shoot of Kate Moss’s wedding and our photographer Greer Gattuso did a wonderful job executing what I was going for.
Photo: Greer Gattuso29/38Posing for a portrait after the ceremony.
Photo: Greer Gattuso30/38In addition to my bridesmaids, I had my garden fairies, Farrell Crowley in Brock Collection and Montana Coady in Nina Ricci, to greet guests and pass out programs. I felt surrounded by friendship and love throughout the weekend, and this photo is the perfect example of that.
Photo: Greer Gattuso31/38A portrait of all of Keith’s groomsmen. His dad served as the best man.
Photo: Greer Gattuso32/38We envisioned the tent to be an extension of the house but with a comfortable garden feel. Hanging from the tent were antique chandeliers and on every table were candelabras, both decorated with smilax.
Photo: Greer Gattuso34/38Another view of our tablescapes.
Photo: Greer Gattuso35/38Our wedding cake was a cream frosting with a buttercream filling. The cake was kept simple and elegant, inspired by the vines that ran up the venue’s walls, over garden gates, and pathways.
Photo: Greer Gattuso36/38For dinner, guests dined on cochon de last, duck confit, and a Southern classic—shrimp and grits.
Photo: Greer Gattuso37/38We actually cut our cake before the guests walked into the tent so that we could spend our entire evening dancing. A family friend caught us in the act and and toasted to us, “May you always have dessert before dinner!” I’ll always cherish those little moments.
Photo: Greer Gattuso38/38Dancing with my husband!
