STEFANIE + JOSEPH {DESTINATION NOLA}

In spring of 2008, fate brought Stefanie and Joseph together at a blood drive at the University of Florida where the two were freshman. “We often wonder about the pieces that needed to fall into place for us to both arrive at the door of the donation bus at the same time,” shares Stefanie. Stefanie had been turned away from the first bus she tried and Joseph had left his student ID in his dorm room. Fortunately, these little inconvenineces allowed them to wait together to be called and Joseph struck up a conversation. Five years later, Joseph proposed at the top of a lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. “It was absolutely perfect,” Stefanie shares.

The couple wed seven years after they first met in an intimate ceremony attended by 36 of their closest family and friends.  They chose New Orleans “because of the food, music and culture” stating “there isn’t another place on earth we would rather have been married or a single detail that we would have changed about the experience.”

photographer: WELCH PHOTOGRAPHY | ceremony + reception: THE CHICORY | florals : FAT CAT FLOWERS | rentals + candle decor: LUMINOUS EVENTS | bride’s gown: CICADA BRIDAL (Seattle) | bridesmaids gowns: “I DO” BRIDAL (Seattle) | menswear: EXPRESS MEN | bakery: BITTERSWEET CONFECTIONS | hair + makeup: GLAM NOLA | entertainment: PARTY-TYME PRODUCTIONS