New Orleans Wedding // Nick + Thi
Thi Dao and Nick Barnhill made a weekend getaway out of their New Orleans wedding. "We wanted our family and friends to experience the city's culture through the local expressions and establishments," Thi says. The festivities started with an intimate ceremony in a 19th-century courtyard at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, which had exposed brick, vintage street lights, palmettos and growing vines. The couple added to the natural décor with a circular bohemian wedding arch and arrangements of ivory and pink blooms. "It felt fairy-tale-like," Thi says. She and Nick marched through the French Quarter in a traditional second line before their reception at a Victorian-style rental home. Chefs from local restaurants catered the dinner, and guests sat at tables decorated with pink centerpieces. Other accents included a greenery wall with roses and a neon sign, as well as a personalized modern acrylic sign. Thi wore a romantic formfitting gown with nude undertones, embroidered lace and off-the-shoulder sleeves. She styled her hair in loose waves and carried a pink bouquet. Nick's classic navy tuxedo was amped up with a bold bow tie.
Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
A: Inspired by New Orleans culture we wanted our family and friends to experience the city's culture through the local expressions and establishments. We exchanged vows in this 19th century courtyard in a museum, marched through the French Quarter with Kinfolk Brass Band and had chefs from local restaurants cook dinner in our kitchen. We focused on creating an intimate setting for our family and friends. Every decision we made created something that felt and looked like us. We skipped many of the wedding customs but the ones we included played a special part in our day.
Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
A: New Orleans Pharmacy Museum features a stunning 19th century courtyard with exposed brick, vintage street lights, palmettos and growing vines. We fell in love with the ceremony space. It's such a beautiful space that we didn't feel a need to do much to elevate the space. We had neutral florals by Antigua Floral and staged candlelight and chandeliers display over the fountain from Firefly Ambiance. Nick and I were taken back when we stepped into the finished courtyard. It was so romantic and intimate. It felt fairy tale-like. Our reception was no different. It was held in this stunning, well curated Victorian style home. So many inspirations came from Instagram. We found most, if not all, of our vendors through this platform.
Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
A: Natural and garden inspired collection of ivory and pink blooms with subtle hints of bolder florals. Antigua Floral created so many beautiful pieces that really transformed the spaces. Sarah and her team decorated the archway with ivory roses, these gorgeous floor arrangements for aisle markers, a greenery wall for our neon sign, and so many other pieces. She even made me two bouquets!
Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
A: One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the rehearsal dinner. We held our rehearsal dinner in this beautiful, historic Victorian home where our families and us stayed. All of our friends were housed in homes unique to New Orleans–shotgun, double gallery, and creole cottages. The dinner was an ode to my parents. The Rising Dragon Dance team kicked off dinner with a performance, and the chefs of Maypop cooked a heavily Vietnamese influenced dinner right in our kitchen. We loved having the chefs of Maypop and Coquette create these elaborate multi-course dinners right in our kitchen.
Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
A: I knew the Tara Lauren gown was the one when I tried it on at the Lovely Bride store in Dallas. It embodied a romantic and fresh aesthetic with nude undertones, embroidered lace and off the shoulder sleeves. I accessorized with BHLDN drop earrings, bone colored Raye heels, and a Tony Federici blusher veil for dramatic flair. I often wear my hair in loose waves so I wanted a glammed-up version of my signature waves and dewy, bronzed skin with glam lashes. The groom wore a navy Ted Baker tuxedo with a bold bow tie fusing timeless and modern for an eye-catching ensemble. The groomsmen (our brothers and fathers) wore classic black tuxedos.
Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A: How did you meet? Through mutual friends. A typical lovers success story - so many laughs, comforts, and sides of goofy. Tell us about the proposal. We had a weekend getaway planned at a ranch an hour south of Abilene, Rancho Loma. We spent the day exploring town visiting the other businesses the owners started to reinvigorate this town. After our excursion, we decided to rest before dinner. I learned later that Nick wanted to walk the ranch grounds and propose under a large oak tree. Instead, I had other plans in mind; I took a four hour nap. While I slept the afternoon away, Nick was nervously running through his plans. When I woke up, Nick asked me to get ready for dinner then we would take a walk. He has never had much feedback on my style choices but on this particular night, he asked me to change three times. We walked throughout the ranch as the sun was setting. As it was getting dark, he paused for a second and pulled down on one knee. Thank goodness it was dark outside because I was balling my eyes out while hysterically laughing like a psycho. Of course, I said yes. But we still talk about my reaction which was priceless and so unexpected.
Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
A: Walking down the aisle with my father and seeing all the people that I loved looking back at me, then seeing Nick at the end of the aisle emotional. It was so important to me to have an intimate wedding with our family and closest friends.
Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
A: Your day should feel like you. It's okay to listen to advice from your loved ones but don't forget this is about celebrating you and your lover. I think for those of us who are more non-traditional it's important to incorporate your personality, instead of following tradition. Lastly, remember not to sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff. You want to be able to think back on your day and remember all the merriment, not unnecessary stress. (This goes for wedding planning and marriage.) I recommend investing in an event planner and leaving it to the professionals to sweat the small (and big) stuff.
Venue: Pharmacy Museum and local Airbnb
Photographer: Freckled Fox Photography
Planner: Poshed & Peachy
Florals: Antiqua Floral
Wedding Gown Designer: Tara Lauren
Makeup: Cris Michelle
Hair Stylist: Ali Vasquez
Music: Nola String Quartet + Kinfolk Brass Band
Caterer: Coquette
