Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met through mutual friends at a bar in New York shortly after we both moved there after college. We started dating thinking it might just be a summer fling, but fell in love as we got to know each other better. Our first place together was a 200 square foot studio apartment on the corner of an incredibly loud avenue in the East Village, so we know we can do anything together! We adopted our beloved cat Vita, supported each other through our respective graduate degrees, and made a home in New Orleans starting in 2016. Our family has grown since our wedding to include a sweet Boston Terrier, Monk, and since the pandemic, have decided to intentionally split our time between homes in New York and New Orleans, to be close to friends and family in each city. When we aren’t watching our cat torture our puppy by keeping her tail just out of his reach, we love cooking with friends, reading, and enjoying nature. Prior to the pandemic, we were lucky enough to travel regularly to Olivia’s family’s home in Italy, and hope to be back there again as soon as it’s safe for everyone.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
New Orleans has a real wedding industry, and especially has a bunch of amazing venues which mostly cater to destination wedding style events. These are perfect for visitors since they often offer food, entertainment, and beverages on-site, however, we were really particular about wanting to bring our own food, music, and beverages from specific vendors in our city, and so ended up choosing a private location as well a Sophie Berard to capture our day. A family friend generously offered her incredible home and studio space for us to get married in; it was the most incredible wedding gift we could have imagined to get married in a unique space, tucked away in a residential neighborhood near City Park. We couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect into being for our celebration.
Tell us about your outfits!
Jaclyn is a talented sewist, and appreciates fine tailoring and high design. None of the specifically “bridal” options felt right, but when she found an Oscar de la Renta dress online, white with floral embroidery, it felt like a perfect fit with our “secret garden” style wedding location. New Orleans in the fall can be 100 degrees or freezing, so it was a perfect weight, a lightweight wool. The tea length was the right choice for our outdoor wedding. Jaclyn also found a perfect pair of vintage Christian Louboutin heels in green and red to match the embroidery from The RealReal.
Olivia wanted to wear a white suit however, struggled to find an elegant option that didn’t feel like a business suit in another color. She discovered London-based queer tailor Thomas Thomas after their participation in London Queer Fashion Week. Olivia’s dad is from England, so it was a special treat to wear a suit crafted in London for the wedding. The suit was made of a eucalyptus-based rayon to be as cool as possible, and paired with a dove grey silk shirt. She wore shoes purchased at the Ferragamo outlet outside of Florence, Italy.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The most important thing for us was to ensure that everyone we celebrated with enjoyed themselves, and for those who traveled to the wedding, felt appreciated and recognized as an essential part of our family and support system. We both have family and friends across the country and world, and it was such a special thing to gather those people together! We were even more grateful for that opportunity in retrospect, given that we got married less than six months before the COVID-19 shutdown.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Poems! Jaclyn is a poet and Olivia is an enthusiastic appreciator, so we incorporated poems read by close friends into our ceremony and had them printed and displayed before and after. We also used a copy of Jane Hirshfield’s “A Blessing for Wedding” as a kind of guest book, asking for people to sign in the margins of a large-format print of the poem.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during Covid?
Make sure you think about how you are going to spend time with your spouse right before the wedding and even during it. It’s an insane whirlwind of juggling logistics and the desire to spend time with cherished visiting friends and family, but I am really grateful that our wonderful wedding planners built in time for us to have quiet moments together before, during, and after the ceremony to really appreciate this huge celebration with one another.
Photographer : Sophie Berard @sberardweddings | Ceremony and Reception Location : Camp Abundance | Celebrant : A friend of the couple | Entertainment : DJ Yeskateyes - Pinettes @yeskateyes @originalpinettes | Design, Styling + Planning : The Smaller Orchid @thesmallerorchid, @clarkandkellyneworleans | Coordination + Planning : BKco @beccakellyco, @clarkandkellyneworleans | Ceremony Space : See Hear Productions | Flora, Flower Crown + Pocket Square : Pistil + Stamen @pistil_and_stamen | Makeup : Stephanie Blanchard @flybeautybysteph | Hair : Danielle Torres | Catering + Beverages : Calcasieu, Two Girls One Shuck, St James Cheese Co + Frencheeze @stjameschees @frencheezetruck | Cake : Chasing Wang @chasingwang | Stationery : Darling and Pearl @darlingandpearl | Rentals : Distressed Rentals, Yur Event Rentals + SOHO Event Rentals @distressedrentals @eventswithsoho | Getting Ready Location : Maison De Luz | Outfits : Jaclyn - Oscar de la Renta via Moda Operandi + Olivia - ThomasThomas London @t_h_o_m_a_s_t_h_o_m_a_s_| Rings : Jaclyn - Engagement ring - heirloom from Olivia’s Grandmother + Wedding Bands - Friend and Company @friendandcompany | Shoes : Jaclyn - Christian Louboutin from The RealReal + Olivia - Salvatore Ferragamo