10 Things to know before Proposing in New Orleans
Everything You Need to Know to Propose in New Orleans
How to navigate New Orleans’ peculiarities for your Surprise Proposal
New Orleans is unlike any other city in the United States. It’s why so many people choose to propose in New Orleans. But also why it’s important to know what you’re getting into (or hire someone to help who does!) before planning a trip here. New Orleans has some eccentricities that you’ll definitely want to take into consideration before choosing when you want to visit.
Here’s a list of 10 important things to know before proposing in New Orleans from a New Orleans native and New Orleans’ only local Surprise Proposal Expert!
1.Weather
I could literally write an entire blog post just about New Orleans’ weather. But here’s the cliff notes:
Summer lasts for 6 months. We have a rainy season where it rains every. single. day. Even in winter it’s humid AF. Oh, and let’s not forget Hurricane season!
In other places, Wedding Season starts in June. Here? It’s starting to wrap up. Summer starts creeping in sometime in May and doesn’t start creeping out until October. September might be Fall elsewhere but here it’s still very much summer. The highs won’t be in the triple digits like in August but you’ll still see plenty of 90 degree days.
Summer is also the rainy season! July and August tend to be wet wet with a shower every day, usually in the afternoon. We see lots of street flooding and sometimes power outages if the storm is bad enough. But when it isn’t raining it’s sooo humid which is what drives the heat indexes over 100 some summer days (and makes winter days feel so much colder… that and the lack of insulation in these old houses). Rainy season also coincides with Hurricane Season. We always have to be prepared to evacuate or batten down the hatches with a couple of days notice. It makes the term “rainy day fund” take on a whole new meaning.
The upside of summer? It’s the slow season so you’ll find it easier to get dinner reservations and the music venues won’t be so packed. Hotel rooms are often cheaper in the summer too (and you can get the most of those rooftop pools!). Some classic New Orleans restaurants even offer summertime specials where you can get a 3-course meal on the cheap. If you’re traveling on a budget, hitting New Orleans in the summer isn’t a bad idea.
Just remember that if you are planning your surprise proposal outside there’s a good chance you’ll be sweaty. So team up with a pro who can get you into and out of your moment as quickly as possible while preserving all the good feels.
2. Permits and Permissions
Proposing in a fancy hotel lobby decorated for Christmas or on a restaurant’s rooftop overlooking the city or in a well-known park all seem like excellent proposal ideas. However, all of those ideas would require either a permit or renting space from the venue.
New Orleans requires permits for professional photography in all of its parks- but it really only enforces that in a couple of them (I’ve been kicked out of exactly 2 parks for not having a permit). So make sure you have all of the necessary permits before your proposal so you don’t get stopped in the middle of it.
Many hotels require photographers to pay hourly to use their space- even if the client is renting a room there. The Roosevelt has a stunning Christmas display in its lobby but it is a no pro photo zone. And the Rooftop bar that overlooks the city at the top of the Pontchartrain Hotel requires you to rent the entire bar out to propose there. Yikes!
Talk to a local who knows great public alternatives to expensive, privately owned venues and knows sneaky work arounds to places that require a permit (wink wink, it’s me! I do!)
3. Carnival Season
Everybody knows Mardi Gras is huge in New Orleans. And while Mardi Gras is technically just one debaucherous Tuesday, Carnival Season starts 6-8 weeks before Fat Tuesday. Yep- New Orleans celebrates Carnival starting on Twelfth Night, January 6th, and ending on Mardi Gras Day (which changes every year but is always 40 days before Easter Sunday).
During Carnival season you can expect lots of parades, parties, and opportunities to wear a costume. But with all of that revelry comes some hurdles to pulling off a Surprise Proposal.
Parades cause street closures and loads of traffic. Sometimes cars aren’t even allowed to drive through parts of the French Quarter and sometimes areas of the city are not accessible at all! Parking gets more difficult and parking lots hike up their rates. You’ll also see a significant hike in hotel rates and a drop in hotel availability.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit during Carnival Season. It’s a spectacle I think everyone should experience at least once in their life (Mardi Gras Day is pure magic and Proposals during Carnival are extra sparkly). But be prepared to work around whatever throw-down is happening in the city.
4. Festival Season
Yep, you read that right. Following Carnival Season is Festival Season!
It’s mainly in that little 6-8 week sliver of Spring we get but spills over into early Summer. There’s French Quarter Festival, Jazz Fest, The Creole Tomato Festival, Satchmo Summer Fest, Essence Fest, and the list goes on and on. New Orleans really knows how to throw a party and these festivals are beloved events that people return to attend every year.
But they come with some of the same hurdles as Carnival Season: traffic, limited/expensive parking, limited/expensive lodging, difficulty making restaurant reservations etc.
Spring is my favorite time of year here and I LOVE a Spring Surprise Proposal in New Orleans. So if you’re planning on visiting then, make sure you get insight on what’s going on where and plan your Proposal accordingly. Coming to attend a Festival is a great cover for a visit, too! Not that you ever really need an excuse to come to New Orleans.
5. AirBnB
Speaking of limited and expensive lodging, I cannot stress enough how much Airbnb has hurt New Orleans. 85% of Airbnb’s in New Orleans are owned by out-of-state investors and a startling few people own a startling large number of properties.
This has artificially driven up property values which has driven up real estate sale AND rental rates. As the number of available units has dwindled due to short term rentals, the price of what’s left has gone up, pushing people out of their neighborhoods and into neighboring cities.
The Faubourg Treme, a historically Black neighborhood, is now made up of nearly 50% airbnbs. And the majority of them are not even legally permitted. While the city requires the owner to live on-site as a way to cut down on whole-home STRs, it does little to no enforcing of the law. Entire blocks in many neighborhoods are nothing but STRs. I personally watched neighbors leave my beloved neighborhood one by one as rent became prohibitively expensive (and owners evicted long-term tenants to turn their unit into an STR). One by one, every vacated home turned into an STR.
I got priced out of my neighborhood after Ida collapsed the ceiling of my rental of 7 years and the rental market was extremely small and way overpriced. Now I live further away from the City which makes riding my bike into the Quarter for Surprise Proposals impossible.
You don’t have to take my word for it, though. Check out this article in The Guardian.
When looking for a place to stay in New Orleans, give preference to the many, many hotels. You don’t have to stay at a characterless behemoth like the Hilton, either. There are a TON of boutique hotels with all different kinds of vibes in all different neighborhoods. There are also legal Bed and Breakfasts that have been in operation since long before AirBnB came along. I’d be happy to recommend spots to stay!
**steps off soapbox**
6. So. Many. Events.
New Orleans throws a party like no other- making it the perfect place to pop the question then celebrate your engagement! We go big for a lot of events; not just Mardi Gras. Easter brings The Big Gay Easter parade to the Quarter, June has the Pride celebration, September brings Southern Decadence, we have fireworks on the fourth of July and New Years, and Halloween is basically Mardi Gras Jr. (Oh yeah, and there’s The Day of the Dead the very next day). Plus there’s Tales of The Cocktail, the Red Dress Run, Hogs for the Cause, Voodoo Fest, the Running of the Bulls… and so many other big events.
It’s good to know what’s going on in town when you plan your trip so you can plan your Surprise Proposal in the right location. For instance, much of City Park is closed off for Voodoo Fest at the end of October plus getting there and parking is a nightmare. Get you a Proposal Planner who has all this insider info so you don’t end up running into unnecessary stress. Or worse, an unavailable proposal location.
The upside of having so many big events? When people are all concentrated in one area of the city, other areas are damn near deserted making it possible to have a near-private proposal in locations that are normally full of people.
7. French Quarter Logistics
The French Quarter is one of my favorite places to capture Surprise Proposals. It really feels like taking a step back in time when you walk down cobblestoned alleys or past 200 year old houses. But it presents a number of logistical challenges that you’ll want to keep in mind.
Driving in the quarter when there is an event going on is often nearly impossible. Parking can be hard to find and super expensive during events. But that’s ok! There are plenty of other ways to get around. Pedicabs, catching an Uber and getting dropped off on the edge of the quarter, taking the streetcar, and also hoofing it are all options!
The French Quarter is small and easy to walk around. If you plan on staying in the Quarter, you don’t really need a car to get around (unless you plan on taking a trip down to the swamp and even then tour companies run shuttle vans). But if you do end up driving in the Quarter (or anywhere, really), pay attention to one way streets! The city is FULL of them (since it was built before cars and thus, narrow streets). If you don’t see a sign, check out which way the cars are parked. If they’re all facing towards you, that’s usually a dead giveaway that you’re going the wrong way.
Oh yeah, and make sure you are always legally parked. Our meter maids don’t play!
8. Ooooo That Smell!
Look, it’s hot here. There are a ton of restaurants and nightclubs all crammed into a small area and people are allowed to drink in the street. There’s trash- a lot of it. And more drunk people than there are bathrooms. You get where this is going.
I’ll accompany people on photo sessions just about anywhere in the Quarter but Bourbon street is almost always a no-go. Why? It’s crowded, it’s loud, and it stinks!
Aside from Bourbon, there are random blocks in the quarter known for smelling a bit off. And there’s a super popular bridge in City Park that people like to propose on that is now situated next to some sort of sewage situation and it is no longer pleasant.
Lean on your Surprise Proposal Planner to guide you to locations that smell of gardenias and jasmine instead of party funk… or worse.
9. Don’t Get Hustled!
New Orleans is full of extremely talented artists, musicians, and street performers. You can buy original pieces of artwork down on Jackson Square, you can watch a loud mime juggle swords in front of the cathedral, you can listen to Jazz bands parked outside of the grocery store, and oftentimes see a random second line going by.
But alongside all of that entertainment is a lot of opportunity to get hustled.
We’ve got plenty of folks with their standard scams that any local can spot from a mile away- the “I bet I can tell you where you got ‘dem shoes” guys, the “I’m issuing you a citation for not having enough fun” guys, the guys that will try to sell you local magazines you that they picked up for free at a coffee shop (and so can you), and the guys that will try to sell you mardi gras beads they picked up off the street (ew).
Keep cash on you to tip performers that you see (also most of them have Venmo info by their tip bucket!). But if a random person approaches you my advice is to just keep walking. While I respect the hustle (to an extent), you don’t want to feel like you got scammed while celebrating your engagement.
10. Be a New Orleanian.
We are a unique breed. We weather storms like no other, we dance in the street for almost any reason, we pronounce words all kind of weird ways, and most of us have entire closets full of costumes. To close this marathon typing session out, here’s some tips to feel a little more like you’re one of us.
If you’re coming during a costuming holiday (which is pretty much all of them) bring a costume! If you have the time, make it yourself and win extra cool points.
Only wear Mardi Gras beads during Carnival.
It’s pronounced “New Or-lins” not “n’awlins” not “New Or-leens” and definitely not “New Or-lee-ins”.
If someone says “how you doin” when they pass you on the street either say it back or say “alright”. Don’t ignore them! It’s a friendly thing we do down here and is considered rude to not respond. Same thing with “good morning” and “good evening”.
If someone calls you baby, it’s a term of endearment.
Don’t drink the hand grenades. Just don’t. Do drink water. LOTS of it.
Don’t ask locals about Katrina.
Always keep your wits about you when you’re walking around. Take a cab or uber at night whenever possible and stick to populated areas.
The best fried chicken is 100% at gas stations and the best Po-Boys are 100% at corner stores.
Don’t eat king cake outside of Carnival season! It’s bad luck! But do eat it during Carnival Season. Eat as much of it as you possibly can. Yes, it’s that good.
Only eat raw oysters in months that end in R (and even then, only the cold months out of those). Try them chargrilled or fried any other time!
After eating crawfish, don’t touch your face or body ANYWHERE before you wash your hands. Twice. And don’t worry when they still smell like crawfish after. It just be like that.
Don’t wear black to Cafe Du Monde. You’ll thank me later.
Tip your bartender. ALWAYS. Even for water and sodas.
Tip your server. Even for to-go orders.
Tip your uber driver. Tip the street performers. Tip the doordash driver. And always, always, always tip the band.
Whew! That was long-winded! But after 36 years in New Orleans (and 15 years working as a photographer!) I know a lot about this city and I want you to have the absolute best time when you visit here. This city is some kind of magic and knowing the ropes will help you get the most out of your stay.
I’ll give you even more insight specific to your proposal and desires for your trip to New Orleans when we plan your big moment!