Carrie & Chris chose the romantic & beautiful city of New Orleans, Louisiana to host their destination wedding.  The whole weekend I kept hearing their guests comment on how much fun they were having, showing off pictures on their i-phones of a parade they caught, telling stories of people they encountered in the French Quarter, music they heard, sites they saw, or the rich spicy food they got to devour.  Everyone was excited to be here and I don’t think they could have chosen a better location to bring all their family & friends together for their wedding celebration.
Their wedding was held at The Degas House, former home of the famous impressionist French painter, Edgar Degas.  Just being in this house, surrounded by his paintings & sketches is magical…and being part of a celebration of love between two people & their families, just made it even more magical.  The ceremony was held in the backyard of the Degas House, which ended with a New Orleans traditional second line parade led by the New Orleans brass band, the Storyville Stompers.  I loved that how as soon as the couple kissed and turned to walk down the aisle everyone was already waving their handkerchiefs (custom embroided with the couple’s name & wedding date).  Some New Orleans destination weddings I have photographed where there is a second line,  the out of town guests look around awkwardly not knowing what’s going on & trying to figure out what the handkerchiefs are for.  But these guests quickly picked up on the second line, and fit right in dancing along the band. After a traditional New Orleans Cajun buffet, cake & toasts in the parlor room, the guests mingled & danced as the band played into the night. Carrie was lucky to have her sister Melissa, who is a professional event planner and owner of Events by Design, help her plan this perfect wedding weekend. It surely was a destination wedding that will not be easily forgotten, and I’m so glad to have been able to be a part of it.
Play the slide show below to see Carrie & Chris’ picture preview from of their fabulous wedding at the Degas House.

Meg & Anda recently won a boudoir photo session that I donated to Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center Broads for Birth Control, Chicks for Choice
fundraiser.   I’m truly an advocate for their mission: to serve over 5,000 low-income and uninsured women and teens a year.  When I first moved to Denver, jobless and barely any belongings after escaping Hurricane Katrina, I had to rely on Denver’s community health centers.  They took great care of me, and I strongly believe everyone should have access to great health care when needed.

Anyway…I was very excited when Meg called me to set up her boudoir photo shoot.
She told me her best friend Anda wanted to share the session to celebrate their 40th birthdays & upcoming wedding anniversaries.  It sounded like a great reason to take some fun & sexy pictures, and they even got a hair & makeup session included with their package.  They certainly had a lot of fun at the photo shoot & we played around with different props & outfits.  Anda did some shots in her wedding lingerie, which I thought was a great idea, and will hopefully really surprise her husband (most of her pictures are reserved for his eyes only)!  We did the photo shoot at my home studio, which is more of a living/meeting space then studio, but it has been working great for boudoir sessions.  I just have to make sure my husband leaves for the day, and he certainly doesn’t mind the excuse to go out and play with the boys.

Today I booked another boudoir session – for a beautiful woman about to turn 60.  I love how more and more woman are opening up to the idea of sexy artistic images that will document this stage in their life.  Of course the (almost) 60yr. old woman remarked how much she wish she did this 20 yrs. ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if  40yr. Meg & Anda were wishing the same thing….but it’s always better now then never.  And really, the important thing is to love who you are now, celebrate life, celebrate yourself!   ….oh, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to spice up your love life either 

scenes around the French Quarter

On Friday I had an early morning meeting with a client in the beautiful courtyard of her hotel in the French Quarter. The weather was so warm & the air so inviting, that I decided to do some wandering around the French Market. I bought a handmade hair piece from an artist, then the breeze of the river enticed me for a walk along its levee.

Musicians on the Mississippi River

From there the smells of chicory coffee & the smiles of the giddy tourists guided me to the corner of Cafe du Monde.

Cafe du Monde

I then followed my ears to the beats of Young Fellaz Brass Band playing on Decauter St.. I danced a little, smiled a lot, took some shots (the camera type), tipped of course, and then went on my way to see what other surprises & entertainment awaited me in the French Quarter.

Young Fellaz Brass Band

I stopped at a Community Coffee for a cafe au lait & to spend a couple hours catching up on business.  An oyster po-boy for lunch, with a mocha almond ice cream daiquiri for dessert, mmm…yummy! Then time to walk it off with some window shopping on Royal St., where I found Tanner’s amazing paintings that are now added to my fine art wish list.  Below is a picture I took through the gallery’s window, be sure to check out their website to see some of his work.

New Orleans artist - Tanner

From there I headed to my favorite spot in the Quarter, Jackson Square.  I chatted with a few street artists in the square, particularly Sher Stewart, who greatly enjoyed talking to me about Denver. She doesn’t have a website or email, but was very happy to know that her picture would be shown on my blog on the internet, as she hopes it will bring more people to find & purchase from her in person.

New Orleans street artist in Jackson Square

Spring is a popular time of year for tourists & festivals in New Orleans.   The street artists, musicians, and horse buggy drivers take full advantage of the increase of people in town.  Musicians could be found on every street corner, including the unique sounds of The Jaded Optimists below.

Locals decorate their doors & homes in sometimes some quite unusual & unexpected ways.  And everywhere you turn in the French Quarter music is celebrated.  Below is the monthly line up at Balcony Music Club & one resident’s uniquely decorated doorway.

photography of the French Quarter

Pictures around the French Quarter in New Orleans

I finally headed back to my car, but not before one last detour. I walked past the R Bar & saw that they were hosting a free crawfish boil! So I decided I could hang around for another hour or so to take advantage of that. I took one more cafe break to catch up with some photo editing, then headed to the R Bar for a plate of hot boiled crawfish & an Abita beer. I don’t know if anything could have made this work day in the Quarter any better. Life is good.
To see more pictures of this stroll through the French Quarter, go to Nicole Nichols Photography Facebook Page.
Signed limited edition prints of my New Orleans fine art photography can also be purchased online.