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Wedded Bliss
Local contest winners have the wedding of their dreams
By Kandace
Power Graves
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| Andrew
Michael Bradford and his bride, Elizabeth, in a limousine
after their wedding at St. Patrick's Church. |
| Photo
by Jeff Pounds Photography |
Four years after a blind date
in college brought them together, Elizabeth Scott Wade and Andrew
Michael Bradford were married Sept. 6. They celebrated the occasion
with a reception for several hundred friends at a romantic location
in the French Quarter -- compliments of The Partners, New Orleans
Premier wedding professionals, and Gambit Weekly.
Gambit readers chose Elizabeth and Andrew from among finalists
who registered this summer to win a free wedding reception worth
more than $36,000. In addition to supplies and services, The
Partners planned and executed everything for the wedding couple.
"It was wonderful," says Elizabeth, who resigned her hotel
management job as the wedding approached. "It was more than
we could ever imagine. I was a little nervous, not knowing what
was really going to happen (because the wedding and reception
had been planned so quickly -- in a little over two months),
but I trusted all the people involved, because I'd seen their
work. I'd also heard a lot about them through people who have
gotten married."
Since returning from a weeklong honeymoon in Italy, she's
spent a lot of time writing thank-you notes and fielding compliments
and inquiries about details of the wedding from some of the
400 guests who attended. It started with the custom invitations
from Scriptura (5423 Magazine St., 897-1555; 328 Chartres
St., 299-1234; Lakeside Shopping Center, 3301 Veterans Memorial
Blvd., Metairie, 219-1113), which were handcrafted in the store
and finished with a wax seal. "They were very special," Elizabeth
says. "Lots of people have asked me about them because they're
not the usual."
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| A young
wedding guest looks longingly at a whimsical cake decorated
with flowers and surrounded by blooms at the wedding reception.
|
| Photo
by Jeff Pounds Photography |
Photographer Jeff Pounds of Jeff Pounds Photography
(891-8888; jeffpounds.com),
known for candid personality shots, took photographs at both
the wedding ceremony at St. Patrick's Church and the reception
at LaTrobe's on Royal (403 Royal St., 299-0601). The
decor was enhanced by Perrier Party Rentals (109 Industrial
Ave., Jefferson, 834-8570) and Urban Earth (1528 Jackson
Ave., 524-0100; www.urbanearthflowers.com)
floral creations. The food and wedding cake were catered by
Joel (3930 Euphrosine St., 827-2400). To add ambience
and fun to the reception, New Orleans Music Events (1523
Dublin St., 866-8821; www.nomusicevents.com)
brought in the party band, Obsession.
"Everything was perfect," the bride says. At the church ceremony,
the couple traveled to the reception in a limo from London
Livery Ltd. (771 S. Prieur St., 586-0700 or 915-2292).
"We felt like royalty," she says. "The limo was beautiful and
we had a police escort, it was wonderful." By the time they entered
the reception, they were overwhelmed by what The Partners had
done.
"Everything looked beautiful," Elizabeth says. "I didn't expect
it. Urban Earth had a curtain of flowers, candles and lamps
with little flowers, things people had never seen before. And
the tables were really pretty."
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| Elizabeth
and Andrew take the dancefloor for a traditional bride-and-groom
dance at their reception at LaTrobe's on Royal.
|
| Photo
by Jeff Pounds Photography |
Although she didn't have a chance to eat much that night, Elizabeth
says Joel put together a couple of boxes filled with all the
offerings for the bride and groom to take with them and enjoy
later.
"The food at the reception was fabulous," she says. "Everybody
keeps telling me how wonderful it was. My parents say people
have been calling them over the past several weeks saying it
was the best food they've ever had at a wedding." There was
seared tuna, beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, oysters, appetizers,
side dishes and more, plus a wedding cake with white chocolate
and strawberries.
"When we walked into LaTrobe's that night ... it was unbelievable,"
Elizabeth remembers. "It was enchanting. It is a beautiful building
and for parties, it has different rooms and a courtyard area.
A lot of people haven't really heard of that place yet, and
everybody was just saying 'Whoa. Where has this place been hiding?'"
To help her remember the day, Jeff Pounds recorded it all
on film and she and Wade, an assistant project manager at Broadmoor
Construction, have an album with about 100 photographs in it as
part of the giveaway.
"Jeff Pounds was the greatest," the bride says. "He made it
perfect. We wanted the candid shots. We really wanted to capture
people's emotions without them realizing the camera was there.
I think he did that."
Visit joels.com
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