There’s no way I could choose a “Top 3” from the venues that we work at regularly. There are just so many places that we love, not only for the obvious things like location, aesthetics, or food, but mostly for the people we meet along the way. We LOVE our vendor friends and would never be able to rank them, so this post is about our Top 3 “new to us” venues that we worked at in 2022.
Even after shooting weddings for over 14 years, there are still many venues in South Louisiana that I haven’t been to. One of the aspects that I love about this career is that it’s never the same. Even when working at the same venues over and over, it’s a new experience with a new couple each time! However, it’s still really fun to experience new venues, and I’ve been to some amazing ones this year! For today’s Wedding Wednesday post, I’m revisiting our top 3 favorite new (to us) venues from the 2022 wedding season!
1. LSU Botanic Gardens in Baton Rouge
Jessica and Jeff’s wedding at the LSU Botanic Gardens was an absolute dream – perfect weather, a gorgeous location, and the afternoon sunlight was perfection! There are so many things I love about this location. First is the variety of locations. Jessica and Jeff’s ceremony was held on the lawn in front of the Orangerie. This lush, green lawn is surrounded by lots of flowers and flowering bushes with the backdrop of the historic Orangerie building. Second, the gardens provide a ton of different locations for portraits which gave us plenty of variety for all everything we needed to photograph. I also loved how the cake and all of the food were set up in the Orangerie, which was situated away from the pavilion where the band was set up. This separation allowed for the guests to visit with each other without having to yell over the loud music and then head over to the pavilion for the party when they were ready. And lastly, I love how everything looked lit up at night. The lights in the pavilion, the bistro lights over the pathways and the warm glow in the background from the Orangerie – it was all so cozy and beautiful, even as the night got chilly when the sun went down.
To see more of Jessica and Jeff’s wedding at the LSU Botanic Gardens, visit the blog post here. Jessica’s bridal portraits were also taken at a brand new-to-me venue, Rosedown Plantation. You can check those out here.
2. Ducros Plantation in Schriever
I cannot believe that I had never shot a wedding at Ducros before this year. I’ve done bridal portraits and engagement portraits there several times, but Victoria and Evan’s wedding at Ducros was a first for me – and wow was it a ton of fun! The amazing thing about Ducros is that it’s an all-in-one location. Not only can you have the ceremony and reception here, but you can also get ready at Ducros. Victoria and her girls all got ready upstairs at the plantation while the ceremony was set up on the front lawn and the reception was set up in the backyard. Most of the reception was outdoors while all of the food was set up inside. The bar was set up inside as well but there was a window where guests could walk up and order their drinks without having to go inside. Not only is Ducros a beautiful backdrop for a Southern wedding, but Angela, the owner, is so kind and helpful – I love getting to spend time with her.
To see more from Victoria and Evan’s Ducros Plantation wedding, you can check out the blog post here. Not only was their wedding at the plantation, but we also did their engagement photos and Victoria’s bridal photos there as well!
3. Vintage Court in Covington
Last but certainly not least is Vintage Court located on the Northshore. Vintage Court has the most beautiful courtyard where Tina and Cory had their ceremony. The huge live oak that towers over the courtyard make a stunning backdrop for a wedding. This venue also has a ton of different portrait locations all over the property as well as 2 different options for indoor receptions. Vintage Court also has a new owner, Natasha, who is committed to working with her couples to make their wedding dreams come true. In addition to Vintage Court, I also got to experience Sleepy Lagoon Cottage, an Airbnb down the street from Vintage Court which was perfect for both Tina and Cory to get ready with their bridal party. There were some gorgeous portrait locations here as well!
Check out the post about Tina and Cory’s wedding to see more!
So there you have it – those are our favorite places that we worked that we had never been to before!
My #JHeylCouples truly are the best and I’m so blessed that I get to work with so many amazing people not only in 2022, but over the last 14+ years as well. Our 2023 wedding season will take us to many more new venues as well as some of our favorites and we can’t wait to document beautiful moments for our new couples! Stay tuned to see where we will be next!