Weddings Get Creative LOVE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
by Sue Strachan
Opposite: A beautifully candlelit wedding cake at Courtyard on the Ridge. 40
WEDDINGS ARE STILL HAPPENING, but in different ways due to the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While big weddings won’t be happening for a while, vendors are getting creative on how to help the couple and their families celebrate this joyous day. FLEXIBILITY AND THE RISE OF THE MICRO-WEDDING “Definitely smaller weddings,” says Bill Laderer, about what his clients are doing. Laderer is chef and owner at Courtyard on the Ridge, an event space in Harahan, and he also does off-premise catering and event planning as Bill Laderer Catering and Special Events. “Some are upgrading what they are ordering, as they don’t have as many guests,” he says. Laderer, who makes all of the cuisine from scratch, has seen, for example, couples ordering a lobster mac and cheese instead of shrimp mac and cheese. Other favorite items are the beef tenderloin with cremini mushrooms and a port demi-glace and profiteroles with foie gras piped inside, paired with a red wine. Like most of the wedding industry, Laderer is dealing with clients changing their plans to a later date, or just going ahead with the original date. Erin Steen, owner of Compass Point Events, says “We’ve had to adjust dates two, three or four times.” But, “It isn’t easy to organize again,” she says, pointing out that new dates don’t always work because it can be hard to reschedule other vendors—photographers, church,
I n side N ew Orl ean s
limousines, and musicians—that have to also be available on the replacement date. Derek Sagona, owner of Celebrity Limousine, a family-owned business since 1986, says that like most vendors, they are willing to work with couples on new dates and budgets, offering different package deals. Celebrity is known for its limousines and vintage Rolls Royces. “People want traditional,” he says. And while the company doesn’t have vans or buses, they have business relationships with other companies that do—and vice versa, as Celebrity can loan them their limos and cars. In addition to weddings, Sagona says they have been doing birthday parties during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wants to do something for Carnival, like “turning a limousine into a parade float” for people to use during the season and on Mardi Gras. “Micro-wedding” is a term that has popped up since the COVID-19 pandemic started, says Steen of Compass Point Events, “We have done several micro-weddings outdoors.” Her venue, located in Algiers Point, has a beautiful oak-tree canopied outdoor space in addition to its main house and guest cottages. “There’s plenty of room to social distance,” she continues, “Our staff wears masks and gloves” and the venue provides masks and lots of hand sanitizer stations. Steen has been in the wedding business for more than 37 years and has never seen anything to affect weddings as much as the COVID-19 pandemic. “I try to calm couples’ fears and practice the most important lesson I have taken away from this: flexibility.”
