In 2003, Randy and Amy met each other in New York City and were engaged in February 2008. Amy, a New Orleans native, wanted to throw her wedding in her hometown to give all her guests a taste of what makes New Orleans so unique. Even though Randy and Amy didn’t have a theme per se, they wanted a modern black tie event with true New Orleans flare.
The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans..The Jewish wedding ceremony took place in the Grand Ballroom under a Chuppah made entirely of baby’s breath with Fiji mums running down the pillars. After the ceremony guests were escorted to the courtyard and Bienville Suites for the cocktail hour. A dinner reception followed in the Grand Ballroom. The venue was a perfect fit for Amy and Randy’s guests and added the unique French Quarter charm the couple were looking for.
The bride wore a strapless lace Pronovias gown that was fitted through the bodice and then flared into a chapel length train. Amy wore a short mantilla veil trimmed with alancon lace during the ceremony and for the reception, removed the veil and wore a white peony in her hair.
Randy wore a Ralph Lauren Black Label tuxedo and both he and his groomsmen wore long black ties. The bridesmaids wore tea-length, navy Jim Hjelm dresses made of satin-faced taffeta.
The flowers for Randy and Amy’s wedding day were designed by Ashley Bateman from NOLA Flora. Amy carried a bouquet of white peonies, cymbidium orchids and lilacs and the bridesmaids carried white hydrangea with white cymbidium orchids, while the groom and groomsmen wore matching cymbidium orchid boutonnieres. The reception featured four different styles of centerpieces, each with a different type of white flower arranged in modern, clear glass vases.
The Royal Sonesta developed a custom seated dinner menu for the reception. The first course was Mixed Greens with Spicy Pecans and Grilled Shrimp with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and the main entrée was a choice of Crabmeat Stuffed Gulf Fillet or Roasted Duck. Dessert was Wedding and Groom’s cake.
The wedding cake, a six-tier round cake with buttercream icing, was created by Melissa Samuels of Melissa’s Fine Pastries. The design on the cake was inspired by the lace of Amy’s wedding gown. The cake tiers were both traditional almond-flavored and chocolate cake. The groom’s cake was in the design of an antique hard suitcase with sticker of the places the couple has traveled together and their favorite sports teams.
After dinner, guests enjoyed dancing and the reception concluded with a Second Line around the ballroom and into the lobby of the hotel. Guests then showered Amy and Randy with white rose petals as they made their exit to Conti Street where a horse and carriage was waiting to take them on a tour of the French Quarter.
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