Planning A Destination Wedding In New Orleans: A Step-By-Step Guide

New Orleans is a vibrant and captivating city, brimming with culture, music, cuisine, and nightlife. It's no wonder that it's a popular destination for weddings, with its enchanting atmosphere and timeless, European vibe. Planning a destination wedding in New Orleans requires careful consideration of timing. The busy season, particularly around Mardi Gras, can be challenging for finding affordable flights and accommodations, so booking well in advance is essential. However, the end of the calendar year offers a more relaxed atmosphere and pleasant weather, making it an ideal time to tie the knot in this captivating city.

When to visit: avoid Mardi Gras and other festivals, as well as the summer months

New Orleans is a fascinating city, full of culture, music, food, nightlife, shopping, and people-watching. It's a great destination for a wedding, but it's important to consider when to visit.

The busy season, especially around Mardi Gras and other festivals, can make it difficult to find affordable flights, hotels, or venues unless you book years in advance. The same goes for the summer months, which are hot, humid, and muggy—not ideal for bridal hair and makeup.

My recommendation is to consider having your New Orleans destination wedding towards the end of the calendar year. Wintertime weather in New Orleans is mild, especially given the city's location along the Gulf of Mexico.

If you're looking for a unique, culturally inspiring, and entertaining destination for your wedding, New Orleans is a great choice. The city's famous Second Line parade is a popular tradition during weddings, and the lively music and street parades will ensure your wedding is a memorable one.

Where to stay: New Orleans has hotels, venues and vendors to accommodate groups of 10 or more

New Orleans has hotels, venues and vendors to accommodate groups of 10 or more. The city is full of culture, music, food, nightlife, shopping, and people watching, making it a great destination for a wedding.

New Orleans is also known for its lively music, so any band you hire in the area will get the party started, sometimes even with a street parade! You can even enter your reception led by a full marching band.

New Orleans is nestled along the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, so the wintertime weather isn’t all that bad. However, summertime in New Orleans is hot, humid, and muggy, so it's not ideal for bridal hair and makeup.

If you're looking for help planning your wedding, New Orleans & Company (formerly the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau) is a non-profit organisation that can assist you in planning your wedding in the city. They offer a complimentary service to help couples plan a local or destination wedding in New Orleans.

What to do: New Orleans is known for its music, food, nightlife, shopping and people-watching

New Orleans is known for its music, food, nightlife, shopping and people-watching. The city is full of culture and is a fascinating place to visit. It's a great place to have a destination wedding, especially if you want to combine your wedding with a vacation for you and your guests.

New Orleans has a timeless, European vibe throughout the city and is incredibly picturesque. It's also known for its lively music scene, so you won't struggle to find a band to get the party started. You could even enter your reception led by a full marching band – that's SO New Orleans!

The city is also famous for its food and drink, so you and your guests will be well-fed. And if you're looking for some entertainment, New Orleans is the place for people-watching. You can also enjoy the nightlife and shopping the city has to offer.

If you're planning a destination wedding in New Orleans, it's important to consider when to visit. The busy season, especially around Mardi Gras and other festivals, can make it hard to find affordable flights, hotels or venues unless you book well in advance. The end of the calendar year is a good time to visit, as summertime in New Orleans is hot, humid and muggy – not ideal for bridal hair and makeup! But, as New Orleans is nestled along the Gulf of Mexico, the winter weather isn't too bad.

Planning: New Orleans & Company is a non-profit organisation that can help you plan your wedding

New Orleans & Company (formerly the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau) is a non-profit organisation that can help you plan your wedding. The company offers a complimentary service to help couples plan a local or destination wedding in New Orleans. The service has been recognised by The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame, winning four Best of Weddings awards from 2019-2022.

New Orleans is a fascinating city, full of culture, music, food, nightlife, shopping, and people-watching. It is a picturesque city with beautiful architecture and a timeless, European vibe. It is also known for its lively music scene, so any band you hire in the area will get the party started, sometimes even with a street parade.

New Orleans & Company can help you with contacting hotels, venues and vendors for your group accommodations. They can also provide advice on when to visit the city, as it can be hard to find affordable flights, hotels or venues during the busy season, especially around Mardi Gras and other festivals. The company recommends considering having your wedding towards the end of the calendar year, as the wintertime weather is mild and summertime is hot, humid, and muggy.

Legalities: there are certain legal requirements for getting married in New Orleans

There are certain legal requirements that must be met to get married in New Orleans. To obtain a Louisiana marriage license, you must be 18 years or older. If you are between 16 and 18, legal guardians must be present. For Louisiana residents, there is a 72-hour waiting period after receiving your license, however, judges of the First or Second City Courts can waive it. For non-Louisiana residents, the waiting period can be waived if the services will be performed in Orleans Parish by a registered Orleans officiant. You will need to bring a current driver's license, state-issued ID, or passport, as well as certified copies of both of your birth certificates and social security numbers. If either party has been previously married, a divorce decree and/or death certificate must be presented. Either the bride or groom must appear in person to apply. Louisiana is one of the three US states that allow couples to enter a covenant marriage. If a couple opts for this path, they must sign a Declaration of Intent that stipulates they will live together forever as partners and can only seek a divorce or legal separation under specific circumstances.

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