Livaudais Hall is a relatively new New Orleans wedding venue. The former church has been renovated and modernized with beautiful, warm wood details and an open floor plan. The combination of historic charm and contemporary details made Livaudais Hall a great small wedding venue for Han and Alyssa’s wedding.
Livaudais Hall
When you walk into Livaudais Hall, you can’t help stopping to take it all in. From the floor to the towering ceilings, every surface is either warm wood or creamy white. It feels simultaneously grand and approachable. Little details hint at the building’s history and give the venue character. The tall windows lining the building let in plenty of sunshine, while the three windows over the ceremony space keep it from getting shadowy. The Livaudais Hall balcony offers a bird’s-eye view of the ceremony and reception.
As beautiful as Livaudais Hall is in daytime, the wedding venue transforms at night with beautiful lighting and decor. Check out the light along the ceiling. The candles balanced out the overhead lighting to make the reception super inviting. Of course, having a spacious venue like this also means there’s plenty of room to dance! I really enjoyed lighting these nighttime reception photos.
If that interior design didn’t already give it away, you would see from Livaudais Hall’s exterior that it’s a former church. From 1875 to 2008, the building housed St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church. The current owner bought the property in 2017 and restored the sanctuary as an event space. Even though it has been modernized, the history is still very present.
The historic venue is located in Uptown New Orleans in a neighborhood locals call Central City. It’s only 15 minutes away from the French Quarter and even closer to the Warehouse and Garden Districts. There are lots of hotels and restaurants nearby. Livaudais Hall is just three blocks from Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, a corridor that has been attracting arts nonprofits and new restaurants in the past few years.
Film Photographer
Alyssa and Han chose to add film to their Livaudais Hall wedding photos. I love being a film photographer, so I’m always excited when clients choose to add it on to their packages. Film has a warm, timeless quality to it. These film wedding photos feel like the kind of thing they can share with generations to come.
Being a film photographer at a Livaudais Hall wedding is especially fun. The warmth and texture of the wood makes a beautiful backdrop. The tall windows let in so much sunlight too. It’s convenient for getting good close up portraits, and the windows create interesting patterns on the walls. In its own way, film photography conveys the feeling of the ceremony as much as the digital photos show what it really looked like.
Han and Alyssa’s Livaudais Hall Wedding
Like many of my 2021 and 2022 couples, Han and Alyssa got engaged early in the pandemic. I was lucky to be the New Orleans photographer they chose to do a FaceTime photoshoot. The sweet session was even featured in the New York Times! You can imagine how excited I was to work with them on their wedding day.
Han’s custom green suit set the tone for the whole Livaudais Hall event – classic and one-of-a-kind at the same time. As a nonbinary person, it was meaningful for Han to have a custom suit that was affirming. She worked with high school friend and designer Jacob Clayton to find just the right shade of green for this unique look.
Han and Alyssa’s florals made Livaudais Hall their own with their florals. Aside from Alyssa’s bouquet, Antigua Floral put together elegant arrangements for the ceremony and reception. The stands they chose gave the arrangements height and contained the ceremony space nicely. Some dark blooms greenery contrasted with the white and blush flowers, adding an unexpected and interesting touch.
Some of the amazing ceremony decor had deeper family connections too. The couple said “I do” on a rug that belonged to Han’s late grandmother. This detail was extra special for Han. Her grandmother was the first person to make her feel accepted for who she is. When Han’s grandmother used the phrase “One day, you and your wife,” it transformed the way Han imagined her future. Having her present at the ceremony via her rug meant a lot to Han.
In addition to the beautiful, sentimental details, Han and Alyssa made sure their wedding was a good party! Their DJ, Ann Glaviano, is a bit of a local legend for her retro dance parties. She spun vinyl from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, transporting the couple back to the Heatwave dance parties that they attended monthly pre-pandemic.
Would you like me to photograph your wedding at Livaudais Hall? Reach out to me. I can’t wait to hear about your plans!
Planning Spanish Oaks Events
Catering: Buddies
DJ: Ann Glaviano
Florals: Antigua Floral
Makeup: Verde Beauty
Dress: Wedding Belles
Suit: Custom suit by Jacob Clayton based out of Dallas, TX
