A Black-Tie Wedding in New Orleans With a Love Shack Fancy-Inspired Floral Vision

Marissa and Herbert, who both grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, might have gone to rival high schools, but they ended up cheering for the same mascot when they both landed at Tulane University in New Orleans after graduation. They didn’t cross paths, however, until the end of their college careers, when he was a senior and she was a junior. “One of the things we love about our story is that while there were so many times we could have met, we didn’t until we were truly ready for each other,” she says. 

Ultimately, it was a ridiculously easy exam that finally brought them together. Marissa and Herbert had signed up for one of the biggest “joke” classes on the roster; for context, on their true-or-false midterm, every single answer was “true.” While studying for her “real” tests in the campus’ library a few hours later, she heard a guy on the other side of her cubicle laughing about the very same exam to the person on the other line. “Initially, I found this annoying, since you go to the quiet section of the library for a reason (silence),” says Marissa. “But I quickly realized it was ‘that cute guy Herbie Schwat’ talking on the phone.”

That night, when Marissa saw Herbert across the room at a party, she squared her shoulders, walked right up to him, and called him out for having a conversation in the library’s designated quiet space. “We ended up talking most of the night, and the next morning we ran into each other again getting brunch at Hillel. From there, we started hanging out constantly,” she says. “Two weeks after meeting, I asked Herb to dinner with my parents (admittedly after one too many happy hour drinks at the Boot, our college bar) and the rest is history.” A few months later, though, the real story came out: Herbert admitted that he had faked the call in the library to get Marissa’s attention. “Clearly, it worked,” she says, but maintains that timing was everything. “Our relationship has been so easy from the start, and I think the fact that we met at the perfect time played a huge role in that.” 

That initial phone call might have tricked Marissa, but Herbert’s proposal plan didn’t: When he asked her if she wanted to get dinner at the DC Wharf a few years later, she was instantly suspicious. “I had a strong feeling that he was either proposing that night or trying to trick me,” she says. “My hunch was right about the proposal happening that night, but Herb did manage to pull off quite a few amazing surprises throughout the evening.” A fake delayed dinner reservation resulted in the pair strolling along the wharf, where Herbert guided her to a blocked-off area at the end of the main dock. “We ended up in a beautiful, completely private area surrounded by water and views of the Washington monument in the distance,” she reflects. “He immediately dropped down on one knee and it was the most special, romantic moment.” 

It got better: One of Marissa’s favorite photographers was there to capture the surprise—and after she said yes, Herbert led her to another restaurant, where both of their families and closest friends were waiting to celebrate. “This is when I really started crying—because of the pandemic, I hadn’t seen my best friend, who lives in New York, or my brother, who lives in Houston, since before Covid, the longest I had ever gone without seeing either of them,” she says. “This was just the most special moment ever and I was so ecstatic that Herb had pulled it off.”

When they started wedding planning, they booked the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans well before it actually opened (“We just had a good feeling about it,” says the bride)—and Marissa actually made contact before the pair was even engaged. “Our first tour of the space was actually a hard-hat tour!” says the bride. “My husband always says that I am a girl who knows what she wants. Ultimately, we loved that the property combined an ultra lux, glam vibe with the feeling and culture of New Orleans that we love so much. We also liked the idea of having views of the Mississippi River on one side and the French Quarter on the other.”

The property set the tone for their “black-tie, garden-glam-meets-NOLA-fun” nuptials, which unfolded on November 5, 2022. “I wanted it to feel romantic and whimsical, but elevated and elegant; formal, but not stuffy. I wanted our guests to feel and experience the energy of New Orleans that we have fallen in love with over the years,” says Marissa. “There is just something so magical about the city—the culture, the food, the music—and I wanted our guests to feel that every step of the way.” The duo leaned on Elyse Jennings Weddings (hiring her was “undoubtedly the best decision we made in the entire wedding planning process,” she says) to weave that ethos into the event’s guest experience. The result? A celebration that brought forward the city’s most energetic elements (a brass band, a second line parade) and melded the pair’s backgrounds and aesthetics; the ceremony’s over-the-top floral chuppah, for example, fit what a close friend dubbed their “black-tie, Love Shack Fancy” vibe. See every lush, upbeat detail captured by Catherine Guidry Photography below.

Guests' introduction to New Orleans began with the pair’s invitation suite, which was designed by Juliana Cardoso of Ink + Nibs Studio. Several elements on the suite, including its border, reappeared on the big day (that motif was translated across the couple’s dance floor).

Juliana also designed the illustrated welcome bag inserts, which accompanied a slew of New Orleans, Maryland, and personal specialties, including hand-painted cookies by Iced Iced Amie (“They were made to look like our labradoodle, Luna, with Mardi Gras beads around her neck for a Nola twist,” says the bride), Zapp’s potato chips, Old Bay-potato chips (“To represent Maryland, where we both grew up!”), Albanese gummies (the bride’s favorite) and sea-salt dark chocolate caramels (Herb’s go-to!).

The bride and her 12 bridesmaids indulged in plenty of pampering on the morning of the wedding. “Every time me and my friends are in New Orleans, we do so much dancing and walking that we make it a point to get foot massages while we’re there—so I had a masseuse come to the bridal suite while we were getting ready,” she says. “The girls really loved it and it ensured they were ready to dance the night away! Another favorite moment from the day was blasting Taylor Swift and having a dance party on the bed—I truly felt like I was living my best life having so much fun with my best friends.”

“I never really pictured myself in a full lace dress, but no one does lace like Vera Wang,” says Marissa of her fitted wedding dress. When she revisited the gown at the atelier’s flagship store in New York City, she knew it was the one—but a suggestion from her mother really sealed the deal. “My mom felt like something was missing. She said, ‘I just wish it had some sparkle,’ and I said, ‘Mom, sparkle just wouldn’t work with lace like this,’” she explains. “Our bridal consultant then informed us that there actually was a version with Swarovski crystals subtly sewn into the gown. We excitedly asked her to bring it out and as soon as I put it on, we all got the chills. The crystals were the most perfect touch; they were so subtle, but when the light hit the dress at certain angles, it gave the dress the most amazing glow. What can I say? Sometimes the mother of the bride really knows best!”

The bride’s cathedral-length veil was also Vera Wang, complete with a lace border that matched the lace of her gown. “As soon as the bridal consultant at Vera put it on me, there was no going back,” she says. “I just loved the drama of it.” She completed her big-day look with her engagement ring, which was her late grandmother’s, diamond flower earrings from Tiny Jewel Box in Washington, D.C., and three pairs of shoes, “which my planner said was a record for her,” notes the bride. She walked down the aisle in white Aquazzura sandals, changed into Alexandre Birman block-heels for the reception, and then danced the night away in Alexandre Birman platforms.

The couple always knew they’d share a first look ahead of their ceremony. “We just really loved the idea of having a private moment for the two of us, and we didn’t want to go the entire day without seeing each other,” the bride says. They also used this moment to share hand-written vows, since Herbert—in a Tom Ford tuxedo with a black shawl collar and satin trim—was adamant about keeping their most intimate promises private. “Our vows were filled with so much raw emotion. It was like at that moment, after seven years together including two years engaged, we just felt so overcome with excitement that we were finally about to be husband and wife,” says Marissa. “It had been raining all day and the sky cleared just in time for us to have our first look outside, and then as the sun was setting, we raced upstairs to the observation deck on the roof, the only place in all of New Orleans with 360-degree views of the entire city and the Mississippi River, to take it all in before the ceremony. It was perfect.”

For the couple’s ceremony, held inside the property’s River Ballroom, Bella Blooms Floral created a chuppah beyond their wildest dreams. The structure featured a mix of color-blocked florals in pastel pinks and purples. “Dee of Bella Blooms and Elyse also had the brilliant idea to make the chuppah a subtle trapezoid shape, where the back legs were slightly narrower than the front legs,” explains the bride. “This made the chuppah appear twice as lush, because the flowers on the back legs were fully visible, rather than being hidden by the front ones, as they would have been with a normal, rectangular-shaped chuppah.”

Marissa and Herbert posed with their 24-member wedding party in the River Ballroom before guests filed in for the ceremony. The maid of honor (her best friend from college who she considers the sister she never had) and the rest of Marissa's bridesmaids chose their own dresses using the bride’s directions—blush or pink, preferably textured—as a guide. “I just liked the idea of my bridesmaids being able to spend whatever they felt comfortable with and find a dress that worked well for their body. The girls definitely understood the assignment, and the dresses looked gorgeous together and complemented the wedding aesthetic perfectly,” she says.  The groomsmen matched Herbert in black tuxedos with white tuxedo shirts, black studs, black bow ties, and black socks and shoes.

The wedding party’s florals were designed with intention. “I loved the idea of my bridesmaids having super-textured mono-botanical bouquets in light pink tones that complemented mine and the overall aesthetic,” says the bride; individual arrangements featured astilbe, wax flowers, bouvardias, and Nerine lilies. “All of the groomsmen had boutonnières that matched the flower-type of the bridesmaid that they walked down the aisle with,” notes Marissa.

After a private ketubah signing, the ceremony began. The groom entered the room as a string trio played Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” before switching to an instrumental iteration of Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” for the wedding party. The duo’s three flower girls, Herbert’s cousin’s daughters, brought a moment of sweet levity to the processional. We had decided that the flower girls would have flower crowns, but no bouquets so that they could all hold hands when walking down the aisle—but right as they were about to enter the ceremony, Kate, the 6-year-old, decided she had to enter before her sisters, which ultimately led to them walking down the aisle in a single file unplanned,” says Marissa. “It was such a cute, hilarious moment and the photos from that moment were adorable.”

When it was time for the bride’s debut, sounds of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” filled the space. “Both of my parents walked me down the aisle,” says Marissa. “In Jewish weddings, this is customary and symbolizes the balanced role both parents played in raising the bride. This was something I learned as I was collecting the Jewish tradition descriptions for our program and it really stuck with me.” The bride did, however, make a bit of this journey on her own. “My parents entered the room before me and waited for me to meet them at the end of the aisle,” she explains. “This allowed me to have a brief moment by myself to take everything in before officially entering the ceremony and becoming a wife, and it was a really powerful moment.” 

The couple’s traditional Jewish ceremony began just after sundown. “Standing together and holding hands under the chuppah with our parents on either side of us and our wedding party seated in the front row, Herb’s late grandfather’s tallit hanging above us and my late grandfather’s tallit wrapped around us, we felt like we were surrounded by so much love; it was just the two of us finally solidifying what had felt so right for so long,” says Marissa. “It was such a powerful, magical, indescribable feeling.” After sealing their union with a kiss, the joyful couple recessed back up the aisle to “Sign, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).”

After a food-focused cocktail hour that served up a mix of New Orleans staples—including mini fried chicken biscuits with hot honey butter, foie gras PB&J bites, jambalaya arancini, beef on crispy grits, and tuna tartare crisps—and plenty of tequila sodas with lime and jalapeño slices, guests found their seating assignments for dinner on a lavender-backed chart by Ink + Nibs Studio.

The newlyweds love hosting at home, so they wanted their event’s second act, held in the Four Seasons’ Plimsoll Ballroom, to feel like an intimate dining experience. “Despite being a nearly 300-person wedding, the reception somehow still managed to feel like a dreamy, ethereal dinner party (combined with an epic dance party, of course),” says the bride. “There is nothing we love more than being surrounded by our best friends, so we knew from the start of planning that we wanted a head table with our entire wedding party so we could be surrounded by our best friends all night long.” That head table needed to hold 45 people, but Elyse pulled it off. “This giant table somehow ended up managing to work perfectly with our floor plan, and it was so special being surrounded by all of our best friends (and so many flowers!) during this portion of the night—it was like the best dinner party ever.”

Marissa and Herbert continued their garden-glam aesthetic during the reception. A wavy floral garland in pastel shades added texture and dimension to the head table; other stations, a mix of squares and rounds, were topped with three different types of arrangements (low and lush, tall and stately, and smaller groupings of singular varieties). Linens also varied by table; some were topped with lilac coverlets, while others featured tulle. Taper and votive candles placed in textured crystal holders made the ballroom glow.

A dramatic floral-covered truss defined the stage, where clusters of color-blocked florals mimicked the ceremony’s chuppah and framed the pair’s band. “At one point, my dad joked that he wasn’t sure if this was a wedding or a music festival because we had so many different musicians throughout the weekend: a string trio at the ceremony, T-Ray the Violinist at the cocktail hour, The Phunky Monkeys at the reception, and then the Kinfolk Brass Band for our second line from the reception to the after-party,” explains the bride.

The band was positioned in front of a customized dance floor that utilized motifs seen on the pair’s invitation suite. “We had a dance floor wrap with our floral trumpet monogram in the center and a lavender border that mirrored the border used on our invitation,” says the bride. “Ink + Nibs Studio also created our menus, which had a floral border that matched the centerpiece flowers and calligraphy lettering that mirrored the rest of our paper.”

The couple shared their first dance to “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne—and following dinner, which gave guests their choice of lamb chops with chimichurri, seared red snapper (a classic New Orleans dish!), or a vegetable tian, they got everyone back out on the dance floor for the hora. “This kicked off the rest of the night in the most epic way possible. We danced harder than we’ve ever danced, we got lifted in chairs, I crowd surfed, there was an energy in the room that I’ve never felt in my life,” says the bride. “We’ve experienced a lot of horas, but we had truly never experienced anything like this. We were completely out of breath after, although that didn’t stop us from getting on stage to dance. We didn’t stop until it was time for the second line at the end of the night.”

Before they led guests on the second line parade, the couple cut their four-tiered wedding cake with ivory icing and hang-painted lavender florals, which perfectly complemented the reception decorations. The duo opted for a carrot cake (“Herb had very few requests for the wedding day and this was one of them!” says Marissa) and lemon cake with raspberry filling and fresh raspberries. “The wedding cake was so delicious, the Four Seasons brought leftovers to our room after the wedding and we literally ate it for breakfast every morning for the next four days,” says the bride. “It was just so good, we couldn’t get enough of it.”

To close out the night, Marissa (who changed into a Zimmermann mini dress) and Herbert led guests on a second line parade so they could “truly experience what makes New Orleans so special.” “A second line is a New Orleans wedding tradition that celebrates the beginning of a new life together. You have your own police escort and a brass band—it is literally a parade just for you and your guests, with onlookers cheering you on from the sidewalks,” says Marissa. “Parading down Canal Street and then Bourbon Street with nearly 300 people dancing and singing was the most surreal experience imaginable. We still have friends and family telling us how epic it was. One of my best friend’s brothers actually texted her saying, ‘Did Marissa and Herb’s wedding turn into a Broadway show?’”

The question made a lot of sense, says Marissa: “Part of the tradition is that the bride and groom hold umbrellas—with the band and all of our guests right behind us, with everyone swinging handkerchiefs, the photos truly do look like a scene out of a musical.”