It’s always a treat when we get to feature a black tie wedding on Once Wed, so when Tec Petaja sent over this wedding…I couldn’t wait to share it with you. A little gold, sparkle, and a whole lot of fun! Randi and Pablo pulled together a team of some of our favorite creatives to make their black tie wedding a grand celebration. The bride, Randi, was kind enough to send over more details from their wedding…
After a ten-year long courtship that spanned three countries and eight cities, by the time our wedding rolled around, we were ready for a party. More than anything, we wanted the weekend to be larger than us – to be a true celebration for our family and friends, all 400 of whom had travelled long and far to be with us. With that in mind, we chose New Orleans as our destination city – an equal blend of Randi’s southern roots and Pablo’s foreign heritage (she’s from Austin, Texas, and he’s from Mexico City, Mexico by way of Germany and France). Luckily, we had eighteen months to assemble the most stellar wedding team in the universe and plan the best party of our lives.
The night began in the oldest Catholic church in the country, St. Louis’s Cathedral, with a mass lead by our dear friend, Father TJ Martinez, and the St. Louis Cathedral Boy’s Choir’s rendition of “How Great Thou Art.” We continued with a marching band-led second line parade through the streets of New Orleans to the old-school Antoines’ Restaurant. The reception began with a jazz band serenade, champagne and french fries (Randi’s favorite food), moved on to a six-course NOLA-inspired dinner, and ended with Knyght Rider’s rendition of the 1980s, festive dance moves and a glittered exit amongst our family and friends.
Although each detail of the night was truly important to us, a few will always stand out. Amongst the best: in honor of two of the most important women in my life, I carried each of my grandmother’s childhood charm bracelets with me on my bouquet; the ceremony was a blend of both English and Spanish, in a nod to our Mexican guests; my baby brother carried our Mother’s bouquet down the aisle in her honor, who we lost six weeks before the wedding; our godparents were each there to present the gifts of mass; Pablo and his best man (Diego, his brother) escorted their parents down the aisle; the “His” (Mexican wedding cookies)/”Her” (Round Rock donuts)/ ”Ours” (New Orleans pralines) party favors; and, of course, our first dance to “Faithfully” by Journey, the best band in the history of life.
In the end, the night was greater than we had planned, grander than we had hoped, and more than we could have asked, a true testament to the love we have for each other and the amazingness (and awesomeness) of our family and friends.
Photography: Tec Petaja // Event Design and Paper Goods: Bash, Please // Flowers: The Nouveau Romantics // Cinematography: Joel Serrato // Dress: Amsale Blue Label Bijou from Mia Bridal in Houston // Shoes: Jimmy Choo // Tuxedos: Perlis // Bridesmaid Dresses and Going Away Dress: Aidan Mattox for Neiman Marcus // Bridesmaid Shoes: Christian Louboutin
