I met Victoria that afternoon at an Airbnb to start with some pre-ceremony photos of her and her bridesmaids getting ready. When I arrived, I realized something kind of funny—the Airbnb was actually the home of a childhood friend of mine. His parents now rent out the bottom half of the house, and honestly, it’s a great setup for wedding prep.

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It’s right outside the CBD and has this beautiful courtyard tucked in the back that works perfectly for bridal portraits. Quiet, good light, lots of greenery. As a New Orleans wedding photographer, I’m always paying attention to locations like that because they make getting ready photos feel relaxed and natural instead of cramped and rushed.

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While I was with Victoria, my second shooter went to meet Ben and the groomsmen. Ben had brought old Polaroids as gifts for everyone, which was already a cool idea, but then they decided to recreate the photos for portraits. Stuff like that is always fun to photograph because it feels personal. Not staged in a wedding-blog kind of way. Just real friends having a good time together.

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The ceremony and reception took place at Paradigm Gardens. Paradigm is one of the more unique venues for New Orleans weddings. It’s an all outdoor garden venue right in the middle of the city, but once you’re inside it feels completely separated from everything around it. Plants everywhere, open air, string lights hanging overhead. And yes—baby goats.

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The ceremony itself felt really intimate. People spread throughout the garden, soft light coming through the trees, everyone fully locked into the moment. That’s one of the things I love about New Orleans wedding photography at places like Paradigm Gardens. The venue already has so much atmosphere that you can focus more on moments and less on forcing things.

As the night went on, the reception picked up and the dance floor got going. People wandered through the garden with drinks, danced under the lights, and just enjoyed the night. It had that feeling I always hope for at weddings—where no one is worried about being perfect and everyone is just fully there.

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As a wedding photographer in New Orleans, those are always the weddings that stick with me most. The personal details. The weird little connections. The moments that weren’t planned but somehow become the thing you remember later.