Grand Oaks Mansion—the only wedding venue in New Orleans with an indoor plantation garden, complete with huge oak trees dripping Spanish Moss! The greenery, intricate lighting, elegant foot bridges and romantic atmosphere capture the imagination!

Grand Oaks Mansion was also nothing less than a purely perfect venue for Lauren and Ryan’s wedding!

Let’s talk about Lauren and Ryan! Lauren is sweet and charming with a bubbly personality—she actually squealed with excitement when they exchanged their “I do’s” during the ceremony—and Ryan is a kind soul who carries an air of old southern gentleman about him. More than that, though, they both just ooze fun and playfulness—the reception snapshots and the “tattoo” of their faces Lauren gave Ryan show just how much fun everyone had with them. Our ab muscles definitely hurt after photographing this one!

We LOVED that Lauren had two dresses for the day—her wedding dress and party dress—both made by Yvonne LaFleur, a local New Orleans designer—were such different looks and nothing short of spectacular! Although we love to photograph our brides in their gowns, there is always something fun and carefree about photographing them in party dresses too!

As if the entire day wasn’t side-splitting enough, after Lauren and Ryan’s final exit down the sparkler aisle, they shared a final kiss of the night and then broke into an impromptu dance off.

Their entire day was relaxed and full of the best kind of love and laughter, just as weddings should be! We’d be lying if we said we didn’t love every moment of celebrating with these two!

If you were surprised with a proposal and some beautiful bling over the holidays and are thinking of getting married at Grand Oaks Mansion or somewhere else in New Orleans, we totally want to hear your story! Let’s chat about all the amazing wedding venues in New Orleans and how we can help to make your day as amazingly unforgettable as Lauren & Ryan’s!