We were married in the church I attended while growing up. Many family members participated in the readings and my uncle sang parts of the mass. Julie recommended a wonderful limo company, which took Steve and I to our photo locations and our guests back to the Westin.
A few hours later, we reunited with our guests at cocktail hour. My family is from Louisiana, so we worked with Julie to include some New Orleans cuisine. My family went crazy over the Cajun crawfish. We also had several food stations and hors d’oeuvres, including eggplant rollatini, a carving station with leg of lamb and prime rib, a mashed potato bar, and more. We also had signature cocktails: The Manhattan Mule (vodka, lime juice, cucumber, ginger beer) and the Big Red Bubbly (hibiscus infused vodka, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and Prosecco).
Our ballroom was decorated like a garden. To complement our bridal party colors, navy napkins adorned the white tables and silver bows were tied to the backs of the chairs. Our centerpieces were filled with lots of greenery and white and champagne colored roses, surrounded by votive candles.
We wanted a fun party vibe for our reception, with cross-generational music that would get everybody dancing. Damien, the band manager, and the 11-piece band, played off the crowd wonderfully, and even had friends and family whom I have never seen on a dance floor, front and center!
