NOLA iii | The Wedding

One of the most awesome things about Jesse and me is that neither of us take a long time to get ready. I take more time than he does, because I clean (and moisturize) as I go. Neither of us have complex hair, wear make up, or sport accessories. It occurs to me we must be aesthetically boring to the casual observer. But when it comes to getting ready to go out, nobody does it better. We took our time getting ready for the wedding. I even chose to sport a few bracelets. Still we were ready with more than a half hour to spare.

Jesse in his suit.
We got it at a really good price at H&M.
It's not tailored or anything, but I like the way it looked.

Me in my dress. This is a rarity, although I did wear one for my birthday. I now own two dresses. This picture is from the courtyard at the W French Quarter.

We saw the bride and bridesmaids as we left. Tab was in good spirits, which was great. I rarely get to see brides this close to the big moment. I assumed they were generally hysterical - either with relief or with apprehension. But Tab was just Tab. And that made me happy.

The venue was three blocks away at Latrobe's, and yet we still managed to not find it on our first try. We weren't far off course and got to see more historic buildings along the extra block we took. Being as dressed as we were, we surely looked to be the historical types. Latrobe's was brilliant. I'd say it was built to host weddings. It had a good mix of strength (exposed building materials) and warmth (soft
colors). The staff was mostly attentive and the food was delicious.

I don't have any decent pictures of the actual ceremony and I blame Jesse. I followed his seating suggestion, which put us too far back. Also the lighting was as soft as candlelight, which sent my camera into panic mode. Trust me when I say it was lovely. The cake was also lovely and was one of my favorite parts. Later I learned most of it was cardboard. Before then though I took a lot of pictures of it.

Jesse & I at the wedding.

The reception was nothing short of grand. Jesse and I were seated with people we knew, so there were no awkward seating moments. We had plenty of wine, and were seated nearest to the bar in the event we needed more. And we had Jesse -- who it turns out we needed to keep us all safe. Julie and I were having a lovely conversation about something or other when Jesse (seated on my other side) jumped to his feet. I looked at him and saw he was looking at the bread basket placed in front of me. It was on fire. Turns out the waiter moved one candle away from the basket, but not the other. Julie and I never noticed and the napkin caught fire. Jesse put out, the offending basket was removed, and our next batch had a smoky flavor.

Ashes on the table after the great bread basket fire of '09

Our seats near the bar turned out to be perfect for a wedding surprise for the newlyweds. A friend of theirs brought in an amazing street performer who sang for them. I don't remember his name and I only remember a few of the words he sang. But his voice made me feel love, and I cried. It was beautiful. I hope (if you're ever in New Orleans) you see him and have the opportunity to listen to him.




After that were speeches from Maid of Honor Abby and Best Man Stephen. Then we danced, and we drank. It's been a long time since I was with Tab & Abby and while both had divided attention, it was fantastic for us to be together again. It was even more fantastic that it was to celebrate Tab & Mike's wedding. In a word: happiness.