Elegant wedding held on the serene waterways of Southwestern Louisiana

Little did the teachers at Virginia Commonwealth University realise when they introduced Corey and Michele and suggested they make art together, that the creative collaboration would continue into a marriage. But happily, it did, and after Corey’s perfectly simple at-home proposal, the pair began to plan a bayou wedding, which took its cue from the natural hues and textures of its location. Exquisitely captured by New Orleans wedding photographer LANCE NICOLL, the bride – who wore her mother’s beautifully restored gown – arrived at the embankment ceremony by boat and proceeded down a 450 ft pier to the strains of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ played on a cello. For added authenticity, the vows had an unexpected guest – an alligator kept popping its head out to see what all the fuss was about!

“Michele grew up surrounded by the plentiful serene waterways in Southwestern Louisiana, and we wanted this to be a recurring theme during our special day that tied the ceremony to the reception. We wanted a Louisiana wedding that felt like an extension of the natural surrounding area. The original inspiration came from the Louisiana Gulf Oyster. We drew heavily on its shades of grey and pearly iridescence, with hints of colour, that shone throughout the wedding. Michele recorded video footage of the Tchefuncte River, where she spent her childhood exploring its waterways. The video collage was projected on our iridescent wedding cake during the reception and helped tie in water elements that existed throughout the day, including a flowing oyster garland that acted as the long dinner table centrepiece.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds took a boat just for two to the reception. “The peace, solitude, and the beauty of the water melted away all the stress from the day,” they remember. “A lot of elements of the wedding are produced to create beauty for the guests, or for the photographs. Make sure to create beauty just for yourself as well.”

A huge thank you to New Orleans wedding photographer LANCE NICOLL for sharing this beautiful wedding with us today which also features in Issue 19 of MAGNOLIA ROUGE MAGAZINE. Lance is a wedding photographer you must check-out if you are getting married in Louisiana, his background in editorial photography and traditional fine arts translates into incredible wedding photos. Be sure to check-out this New Orleans wedding inspiration full of history and charm… you can also see more of Lance's work in our Vendor Guide.