Happy Hump Day, pretties!  Today’s post is definitely something a little different from the norm around here, but I’m so excited to share the last of our wedding photos from our favorite part of the night: our second line.  If you’re not from the South or have never been to a New Orleans wedding, you’re probably thinking, huh?  But here goes.  At the end of our wedding reception, a five-piece jazz band and a sort of “ring leader” led Eric and I and our entire wedding out of the building and into the streets of New Orleans, escorted by a couple of New Orleans police.  As is tradition, Eric and I carried parasols while everyone else waved handkerchiefs to the music.  We paraded block after block from our wedding venue back to the hotel where we stayed with our entire wedding following behind, jazz music playing, and bystanders and tourists wishing us the best.  It was seriously the coolest part of the night, a memory that I’ll never forget, and something that I can’t believe we almost skipped.  (For some reason, I was really against having a second line, but after Eric’s parents witnessed a couple of them while visiting New Orleans, they convinced us that it was something worth reconsidering.  And I’m SO glad we did.)  And after all of the rain, thunder and lightning of the day, the weather finally let up just in time to keep our second line alive.

I decided about two days before the wedding that I wanted to find a second dress to change into, and this white maxi with sheer details (and pockets!) was the first dress I tried on at BCBG.  It fit like a glove right off the rack, and about halfway through our reception, I couldn’t wait to take off my heavy wedding dress (beautiful, but oh so heavy) and change into this one with these Yosi Samra flats.  It was definitely one of my better decisions, and something I’d recommend to any bride-to-be, whether she plans to parade her guests through the city with a jazz band or not.

I hope you guys have enjoyed following along on our wedding journey and recap over the last couple of months.  It’s been so much fun to look back at all of the photos, and if I have any advice for brides-to-be, it’s this:

• The invite list is up to you.  People are always gonna be weirdos who will ask if they can bring Uncle Ned’s third cousin twice removed, whatever that means.  Say yes or say no, but stick with your guns and then move on with your day.
• Don’t blow your budget on the flowers.  (Or do, if that’s what you wanna do.)  Everyone will tell you this, but it really is true.  I really wanted New Orleans musicians Tanya & Dorise to play our ceremony, so I cut way back on the flower budget and got all of them at Sam’s Club.  Seriously!  You can order packages or a la carte, and they’ll deliver them right to your venue or hotel the day before.  The bouquets were beautiful, and Tanya & Dorise were amazing.  Win-win.
• Eat the food.  I did, and that shit was bomb.
• Bring your dancing shoes.  No matter which wedding shoes you choose, by hour 6 or 7 of having them on, you’ll probably need a little relief.  (Unless of course you do your best footloose moves barefoot, in which case, party on, girl.)
• Don’t sweat the small stuff.  It stormed all day so our ceremony had to be moved indoors, a tie snafu botched some time set aside for family photos, and our transportation to the wedding ended up being pretty late, but in the end, none of that even mattered.  It’s your day with your new husband, so don’t let the little things get to you.
• If you’re getting married in New Orleans, say yes to the second line.  (And extra advice – do it from your reception to the after party so that everyone is good and warmed up.)

And in the end, just have fun because it’s rare that you’re ever surrounded by that many people who love and support you.  And it’s kind of the best.

xoxo

Photos thanks to Taylor Cole