Elevated Backyard Wedding with Vibrant Florals

The New Orleans area has a unique beauty that’s ideal for a backyard wedding. I love photographing the Spanish moss hanging from oaks around historic architecture. It’s a romantic setting for a celebration like Bonnie and Chris’s. They got married at a family home that was as special to them as a guest. Their photos preserve the generations of joy present at their wedding day.

A Beautifully Designed Backyard Wedding

Bonnie and Chris’s backyard wedding is a great example of how you can get married at home and have an elegantly designed event. Their florals were stunning! Blue, pink, white, and red blooms decorated the house, ceremony site, and reception tent. Around the ceremony site, the floral installation incorporated Spanish moss and palmetto branches to seamlessly blend the wedding flowers with the natural environment.

This wedding balanced beautiful event design with a laid back feeling. Weddings don’t have to be super formal to feel special. It just requires thinking through the details. The decor and beautiful house went a long way to setting the stage for a relaxed, joyful wedding day that felt unlike any other.

Wedding Photos with a Sense of Place

Chris and Bonnie held their backyard wedding at a house with generations of family history. Bonnie’s great grandfather built it in the 1930s. At the time of the wedding, Bonnie’s grandmother owned it. She said the wedding might be the last big event at the property while it was still in the family. 

Before the wedding, Bonnie and Chris told me, “The place is almost as important as the people, in terms of photos.” I made sure to include aspects of the architecture in the wedding photos. The house itself is a mix of Spanish mission style and Art Deco details. I loved taking the time to photograph the wedding dress in the arched doorway and the flowers on the mantle of the incredible fireplace.

For the backyard wedding ceremony, Bonnie and Chris tied the knot under a cluster of oak trees over 500 years old. It was pretty magical to see multiple generations of the family gathered under the oak branches and Spanish moss. Across the lawn, kids took turns swinging on ropes while their parents chatted. 

Getting married at home is a great way to create an indoor/outdoor celebration. That’s just what Bonnie and Chris did. After the outdoor ceremony, people wandered in and out of the house with their drinks. The tall doors opened wide to the tile patio. For dinner, everyone headed to a tent set up on the sprawling lawn. 

Photos Focused on Family and Connection

With their backyard wedding, Bonnie and Chris blended their two families, including Chris’s daughters and Bonnie’s sons. Bonnie referred to them as “a modern Brady Bunch.” Their kids, ranging in age from 2.5 to 14 years, made up their wedding party. 

Instead of trying to get the kids to pose for portraits, Chris and Bonnie asked that we take “a much more candid approach” to photos. It worked out really well! You get a sense of the family dynamics in a homey environment. For Chris and Bonnie’s portraits, we took some romantic portraits, but we also preserved how family-focused the event was.

Bonnie and Chris were so happy with their wedding photos! Here’s what Bonnie shared: “Ali is amazing!!! She captured our wedding so beautifully, I can’t say enough nice things about working with her. She is a pleasure to work with and managed to get great pictures of all four of our children together, which is no small feat with a 3 year old! Truly, she is wonderful and her work is beautiful.”

Are you planning a backyard wedding in the New Orleans area? I’d love to photograph it! I’m a New Orleans wedding photographer. I’ll preserve your day with an intentional, easy going experience. Get in touch!

Thank you to the New Orleans wedding vendors who made this backyard wedding so amazing.
Photographer: Alyssa Fisher Photography
Hair and Makeup Artist: H2O Salon & Spa
Dress Designer and Bridal Boutique: Tadashi Shoji from Bloomingdales
Suit Designer: Ralph Lauren
Florals: Moonbeam Fleurs
Decor Rental: Party Rentals Delivered
Cake: Selected and designed by Chris with cheese from St. James Cheese Company
Caterer: Farrell Harrison from Plates Restaurant and Bar
Band: Harry Hardin and the Electric Yat Quartet