Southern Oaks Plantation Archives

Engagement Session | New Orleans Photographers | Amanda and Brian

by Roddy | Sep 20, 2016 | Engagements, Southern Oaks Plantation

Engagement Session in New Orleans

When the chemistry is right, you know it. And since chemistry class at Clemson University is where Amanda and Brian became lab partners, it seemed destiny that they would eventually become partners in life. The couple has known each other for ten years, but took their sweet time becoming a couple as each thought the other was clueless about their developing feelings. They were both wrong about that, but so right for each other.

After graduating from Clemson, Brian stayed on for another year, while Amanda ended up in Tennessee. They played cat and mouse for a while, stopping in to see each other while in town visiting “friends.” When Brian finally faced moving again in order to begin his residency, he figured it was time to make his commitment to Amanda known. But as the poet Robert Burns once said, “The best laid schemes ‘o mice an’ men.” Or in Brian’s case, the best laid plans of dog and man.

For Brian’s engagement surprise, he enlisted the aid of their trusty dog, Parker. While Amanda readied herself for their evening out (having been left notes by Brian of what to do and wear), Brian gave Parker two long-stemmed roses to carry to her. Unfortunately, Parker, a big black lab, was afraid of Yuengling, the cat, and as luck would have it, Yuengling managed to scare Parker enough so that by the time he reached Amanda’s side, he had bitten through the stems of the roses, and they now drooped by his head. Somehow, though, amid a shaking dog, hissing cat, and a less-than-happy Brian, a ring was produced and Amanda said, “yes.”
Brian’s residency brought him to New Orleans, where he and Amanda both really wanted to be, so while she teaches chemistry at Patrick Taylor Academy, he’s in his second year of orthopedic surgery residency at Ochsner.
When not eating wings and drinking beer while watching football, Amanda and Brian like to cook, go camping, and go to the many festivals in and around New Orleans.

To celebrate their engagement and upcoming wedding, they took some photos around town. Parker got in on the action when they posed in front of Max Bernardi’s mural, which was done for the Audubon Zoo Louisiana Swamp Exhibit. Later that evening, they shared some private moments in the park where moonlight shown through the moss-covered oaks and reflected off of the still water of the Hyams Fountain.

This month they will be married at the gorgeous Southern Oaks Plantation where true New Orleans charm abounds.

Southern Oaks Wedding | New Orleans Photographers | Sarah and Ronald

by Roddy | Dec 28, 2015 | Southern Oaks Plantation, Weddings

Ceremony: Southern Oaks Wedding

When I think of a Southern Oaks wedding, I think how of majestic oaks and tall Greek Ionic style columns of Southern Oaks Plantation, where creating magic is an everyday occurrence, Sarah and Ronald said “I do” on the great mansion’s steps under a starlit sky. Before the ceremony, Sarah’s mother and her maid of honor helped her with the jewelry she’d chosen for her special day to accent the elegant lace, trumpet-style gown she was wearing. Its deep V-back, delicate buttons, and beading at the waist were a show-stopper on the already lovely bride. Sarah also shared a few precious minutes with her father who had difficulty containing his pride as he held his daughter in his arms. Ronald had some help of his own from his best man before presenting himself on the grand porch of the plantation to await his bride’s arrival.

When it was time for that important walk up the aisle, the bride and her father made their way up the candlelit sidewalk adorned with rose petals and lined with twinkling shrubs. At the end of the ceremony, when Ronald finally heard those longed-for words, “You may kiss your bride,” fireworks went off, literally, making a memorial moment even more memorable.

Reception: Southern Oaks Plantation Wedding

At the reception, Sarah and Ronald hammed it up for their guests with a bit of cake-in-your-face fun. Later, under a canopy of Spanish moss, the couple had some private time to soak in the ambiance of the plantation’s garden with the fountain as their background music. The torches were burning brightly when one of the plantation’s stable guests decided to make an appearance in one of the wedding photos, giving the bride and groom even more to smile about as they began their new life together.

Southern Oaks wedding | New Orleans Photographers | Robbie and Matt

by Roddy | Oct 8, 2015 | Southern Oaks Plantation, Weddings

Bride Prep/Groom Prep: French Quarter New Orleans

Robbie and Matt are the kind of couple I think everyone aspires to be like. They’re fun, laid back, know how to have a good time, but most of all, you can really tell how much they love each other. Matt proposed to Robbie in March of 2014 in the mountains of Colorado, at the “highest elevation fine-dining restaurant in America,” reachable exclusively by snow-coach. Their engagement was nothing short of extravagant and their wedding was equally as tasteful.

Southern Oaks Wedding

With eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen, Robbie and Matt had a serious entourage on their big day. The bridesmaids wore gorgeous turquoise dresses and the groomsmen kept it simple and classy with black tuxes and black ties. Their wedding took place at Southern Oaks Plantation, which is truly one of the most beautiful venues I’ve seen. The ceremony was outside after the sun went down. Lit by sparkling Christmas lights and glowing lanterns, the atmosphere was incredibly romantic and picturesque. The evening was made even more idyllic with a New Orleans brass band and a horse drawn chariot. What more could you want in a wedding? This was like a fairy tale. The reception was no less exciting, the perfect night for the perfect day. I think I saw some of the craziest dance moves of my life that night.
Congratulations Robbie and Matt! You two are the best!