New Orleans has a long history of hosting world-renowned artists. It’s also a place that is dear to Alex and Isatu’s hearts. A New Orleans wedding felt like the perfect way to share the city with their friends and family. Their Degas House wedding was a celebration of New Orleans music and history in one of the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods.

A Degas House Wedding 

You might have guessed from the name that the Degas House was home to the French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas in the 1870’s. The venue’s classic Creole aesthetic is everything you’d expect from a historic New Orleans home. The rooms are even named for members of the Degas family. 

A Degas House wedding can be an immersive experience. It hosts a popular brunch in the courtyard, so it’s well-equipped to cater with Creole-inspired fare. If you want to live your full Degas fantasy, you can even book a group drawing class to entertain your guests during your wedding week.

Since the Degas House is a bed and breakfast, you can book accommodations for the weekend of your wedding. It makes getting ready all the easier. The suites are beautifully decorated in a French-inspired style with gilded mirrors and four-poster beds. If getting ready photos are important to you, it’s definitely worth looking into a room.

When I moved to New Orleans, I knew I wanted to photograph a Degas House wedding. As a little girl, I was a ballerina, and I decorated my room with prints of Degas’ famous ballerina paintings. My connection to this venue feels personal in a way that makes it a joy to photograph there.

A Degas House wedding is the perfect venue to bring guests from out of town. Esplanade Ridge, where it’s located, is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city. Oak trees and lush plants shade the wide street lined by historic homes. The venue is under two miles from the French Quarter and Marigny. It’s just far enough away from the center of New Orleans nightlife to feel more intimate without losing the city’s unique charm.

Alex and Isatu’s Intentional Approach

Alex and Isatu’s journey to their Degas House wedding shows what thoughtful and intentional people they are. They met in the Peace Corps and currently live in Southern California. Alex works in public health, and Isatu is studying to become a nurse. When you’re around them, you can feel how vibrant and deep this couple is. I was lucky enough to take their engagement photos in Big Sur. It’s been a beautiful experience documenting their love on two coasts!

Like many couples, Alex and Isatu had to reschedule their wedding due to COVID. They didn’t let the June heat dampen their celebrations, though! Their friends and family were more than ready to gather with a collective sense of enjoyment and more than a little relief. 

Throughout the wedding day, Alex and Isatu incorporated traditions that worked for them and put their own twists on others. They walked each other down the aisle for the ceremony. It felt very true to them and their journey. 

Isatu also chose a stunning but unconventional dress. The golden brown of the dress and sheer cape looked so beautiful against her skin. Even though it wasn’t a traditional wedding gown, it felt just right on her.

After the ceremony, Alex and Isatu led their guests on a long second line. This favorite New Orleans wedding tradition involves a couple leading their guests through the streets with a brass band. The brass band played as the guests danced through the neighborhood and into cocktail hour. Everyone enjoyed this quintessentially New Orleans experience!

Alex and Isatu put so much trust in me to document their wedding truthfully. As someone in an interracial marriage, I know the importance of having a photographer who understands how to photograph and edit different skin tones. I appreciate that Alex and Isatu trusted in my dedication to creating images in which they both look as vibrant as they do in person.

Are you looking for a photographer for your Degas House wedding? I would love to help tell your story with intimate and honest images. Let’s chat!

Thank you to the vendors who made Alex and Isatu’s Degas House wedding possible:

Brass band: Knockaz Brass Band

Bakery: Lady B’s Cakes

Florist: Leaf and Petal

Pedicab: Need a Ride New Orleans

Alex’s suit: Bindle & Keep

Venue and catering: Degas House