Weird Elopement Photographer at your Service

Matt and Vero tie the knot in a unique ceremony at the tree of life

Elopements have been one of my favorite things to capture for a long time now. I love the sweet simplicity of a New Orleans park elopement ceremony. There’s no glitz or glamour, just pure love shared with the closest of friends and family (or sometimes no one but the couple!). I often leave an elopement feeling like I have a few new friends. For Matt and Vero’s elopement, I arrived at the ceremony feeling like they were already old friends.

Matt and Vero are musicians from Montreal, Canada. Matt has been visiting New Orleans since before Hurricane Katrina and has lifelong bonds with a number of people who live here. Matt and Vero have toured together a lot in their relationship and it made sense for them to take their wedding ceremony on the road. And when considering locations to travel to, no other city made more sense than New Orleans.

They ended up on the road more than they had bargained for! With their flight canceled a week before their departure, they decided to make the multi-day drive South. But what awaited them wasn’t just a wedding- it was also carnival! They planned their ceremony for the Saturday following Fat Tuesday and scheduled their arrival nearly a week prior to that so they could really soak up le bon temps.

When we had a video chat a few weeks before they were set to leave, I felt like I’d known them for years. We fell into an easy rhythm together, laughing while we worked out the details of their elopement. Before we ended the call, they asked if there was anything I recommended they check out while they were in town.

“Well…” I said. “How would you like to march in a vegetable parade?” They ecstatically agreed and I was thrilled to usher them into their first walk in a Mardi Gras parade! I could tell they would fit right into my misfit group of garden buddies.

I met Matt and Vero for the first time on Lundi Gras when they were dressed as carrots and I was dressed as celery! That might be the best first interaction with an elopement couple I’ve ever had. We were all smiles on the route that day (even though they were trying to hide their poor, pale, canadian selves from the relentless sun). It was the first time I had paraded with Krewe Dité as well as the first time walking in a krewe since the beforetimes. Having Matt and Vero along for the ride made an already wonderful day extra special.

I didn’t see them again until they arrived at the Tree of Life for their elopement. Matt stepped out of the car sparkling as the setting sun hit his sequin tailcoat and Vero’s face glinted with silver streaks across her cheeks. They looked incredible and I may have been a bit giddy to see them. What’s more is that it was a devastatingly beautiful spring evening at the tree of life and NOBODY WAS AROUND. I would have expected it to be packed with tourists and locals alike. But we had the tree all to ourselves. Pure magic.

Their ceremony was officiated by an old friend and they said their own vows which were equal parts heartfelt and hilarious (my favorite kind!). The ring bearer was a friendly dog named Bodie and the guests were the officiant’s wife and one other couple (all of whom looked equally dazzling as the couple).

After they said their “I-do’s”, they played a song to share a first dance with their friends. It was “Avalon” by Roxy Music and it set the mood perfectly. While I was framing a shot with a branch of a tree, I heard a sniffle behind me. I turned to see my assistant wiping a tear from his eye. That summed up the feeling that evening perfectly.

We capped off the night with some portraits before saying a reluctant goodbye. They invited me to their crawfish boil reception and I very much wanted to go! Alas, it had been a double header that day with a proposal in the morning AND I had to get my assistant back across town. I’ll take a rain check on that boil for when they return for Krewe Dité next year. :)

Here’s a selection of Matt and Vero’s New Orleans Elopement Photography.

Want to plan your own elopement? Start here!