Rip Van Winkle Gardens Wedding | Susanne and Mickey

I have a gorgeous wedding to share with you today.  Susanne and Mickey were married at the ever-stunning Rip Van Winkle Gardens.  I actually met them for the first time on the wedding day and they were such a sweet, loving and absolutely fun couple to work with.  Their friends and family were equally as wonderful.  I had a great time and was honored to capture this special moment in their lives.

First, a special thanks to all the wonderful Vendors:

Hair and Makeup by Kiki’s Consulting

Flowers by Flower’s Etc

Dress by Allure

Cakes by Crystal Weddings

Catering by Brian Blanchard and iMonelli’s

Music by Bayou Katz

Planner/Coordinator – Melissa Bijeaux

 

Here’s their engagement story:

 ”Mickey and I met November 30, 2008 while I was studying for my very last nursing school test at Starbucks. He stopped by with my friend, Allison, who was going to study with me. Supposedly she was in the process of setting him up with one of our other friends he didn’t meet yet, but insisted to learn more about me after we met.
We met for the second time on December 11 at my graduation party, where he followed me around all night and finally asked me for my number. The next day he called and we went on our first date to Christmas in the Oaks. We also drove all over New Orleans looking at Christmas lights/decorations, and ended the night with pizza. It was the best date!
Our happily ever after was founded on March 22 after Mickey had a long and stressful 28 days straight of working at his family’s deli for Mardi Gras. We both took two days off together for a little R&R. Since it was a pretty day, I asked if we could ride our bikes to City Park, which was where our first date was. It was just another Tuesday to me and I was not expecting anything when we took a break at a bench I picked out while riding. While I was fanning myself in the 90 degree weather, it looked like Mickey had fallen off the bench onto his knee except their just happened to be a ring box in his hand and he was grinning from ear to ear. In complete shock, I didn’t know what was going on and kept responding “are you for real” and finally said yes! It was the perfect day and we had a ton of fun watching the bling sparkle in the sun on the ride back to the house as we made plans for our future together“

“Our vision for the wedding was traditional elegance. We wanted graceful, timeless beauty which was easly achieved with our amazing venue. Our favorite detail from the wedding was the crazy weather! It had rained since the moment we woke up off and on. Then, right when it was time to take pictures for the reveal, out came the sun, like God was shining down on our marriage. Although the sun was nearly blinding, the entire ceremony was absolutely breathtaking and walking down the aisle was nothing but magical. “

“A very special moment for Mickey and I was to have his grandmother there. It took a lot of hardwork from his aunt, cousin, and her sitters and we could not appreciate them more! “

The Reception:

“One of the most special moments from our wedding day was the surprise dance from the bride’s family and friends! My mawmaw has always said that she was going to dance at my wedding but I never expected that! It was a combination of all the songs my cousins and I used to dance to with her when we were little with rap songs thrown in, lol! The family had secret practices at a dance studio and taught my friends while we were doing the reveal! That was the best! I only wish I could have done it with them! Love you”

“The best advice I can give to future brides is to soak it all in and enjoy every second of the day because it feels like it’s over in the blink of an eye. You want it to be the best day of your life. And, one of the only ways that can help ensure this is to have a wedding planner. A great wedding planner can be affordable, even if your on a tight budget. They help make decisions and become a mediator between vendors. I could not imagine not having Melissa! She made everything come together without any worries.”