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Travel Logistics & Hotels

Getting Here

Fly into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) — it's the closest airport and only about 20 minutes from the Lower Garden District, where our venue and the hotels listed below are all located. Rideshare (Uber/Lyft), taxis, and car services are all readily available curbside at the airport.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Where to stay

Since our wedding falls on New Year's Eve — one of the busiest nights in New Orleans — and most hotels in the area are on the smaller side and require guaranteed room blocks, we haven't reserved a block at any single hotel. Instead, we've put together a list of recommended hotels below, all within a 10-minute walk of the venue. We'd suggest booking early, as rooms fill up fast for the holiday!

Hotel Saint Vincent

The Blackbird Hotel

The Garden District Hotel

Henry Howard Hotel

A Note on Airbnbs

New Orleans recently tightened its short-term rental rules, so there are fewer Airbnbs available than you might expect. That said, the Lower Garden District is right in the heart of the action, close to the venue and surrounded by great restaurants, bars, and walkable streets. If you'd rather have your own place and happen to find an available rental in the neighborhood, go for it!

Travel

A few photos of us, family, and friends!

Photos

Q + A

Dress Code

Things to Do in New Orleans

Whether you're arriving early or staying after the celebration, New Orleans is a city that rewards exploration. Here are some of our favorite spots to help you experience the magic of the Big Easy.

Step into this intimate, storied venue in the French Quarter for an unforgettable live jazz experience. The shows are short but powerful, and the atmosphere is pure New Orleans. Note: Reservations fill up quickly, so book in advance through their website to guarantee your spot.

Preservation Hall

Go behind the scenes where the famous Mardi Gras floats are created. This colorful warehouse tour offers a fascinating look at the artistry and tradition behind Carnival, complete with king cake samples and photo ops with elaborate props.

Mardi Gras World

Grab a drink at one of the oldest bars in America, housed in a dark, candlelit building that dates back to the 1700s. Order the famous purple drink (a Voodoo Daiquiri) and soak in the atmospheric, historic vibe.

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

The National WWII Museum is one of the top attractions in the country and reason alone to visit New Orleans. The museum spans a massive seven-acre campus in the Warehouse District, filled with immersive exhibits, historic aircraft, tanks, and a 4D theater experience. It has a special connection to New Orleans: the Higgins landing boats that were essential to the D-Day invasion were designed and built right here in the city. Plan to spend at least half a day, and buy your tickets in advance.

The National WWII Museum

The Sazerac cocktail was born in New Orleans in the 1850s when a Creole pharmacist named Antoine Peychaud started mixing brandy with his secret bitters for friends at his Royal Street apothecary. It's now the official cocktail of the city, and the Sazerac House is a free, three-story museum and micro-distillery right at the corner of Canal and Magazine Street dedicated to that history. The museum walks you through it all with interactive exhibits, a working distillery, and complimentary tastings along the way. You can book a time slot online, and the whole experience takes about an hour.

The Sazerac House

Open since 1862, Café Du Monde is a New Orleans institution and your first mandatory stop in the French Quarter. The menu is beautifully simple: beignets (hot, pillowy squares of fried dough buried under powdered sugar) and café au lait (dark roast chicory coffee with steamed milk). There's almost always a line, it moves fast, and you will get powdered sugar on your clothes. It's worth it.

Café Du Monde

Jackson Square is the heart of the French Quarter, a lively open-air plaza anchored by the stunning St. Louis Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in the country. On any given day you'll find street musicians, tarot card readers, and local artists displaying their work along the iron fence. It's the perfect spot to grab a bench, people-watch, and soak in the atmosphere.

Jackson Square

Tucked under a canopy of massive live oaks at the far end of St. Charles Avenue, Audubon Park is one of the most beautiful green spaces in the city. It's perfect for a morning walk or jog, and the Audubon Zoo next door is home to Louisiana alligators, a swamp exhibit, and a lazy river. Take the St. Charles streetcar to get there and enjoy the ride past the Garden District mansions along the way.

Audubon Park

Tucked away on Chartres Street in the French Quarter, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is housed in the building that once belonged to America's first licensed pharmacist. The collection is equal parts fascinating and unsettling, with antique surgical tools, jars of leeches, and old patent medicines. It's a quick visit but a memorable one, and a fun connection to the Peychaud's bitters story you'll learn about at the Sazerac House.

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

Things to Do

New Orleans is a city with its own language. Street names ignore every rule of French, English, and common sense. The food has words you've never seen before. And locals have a way of saying things that'll leave you nodding politely while understanding nothing. Consider this your cheat sheet. NEW ORLEANS - First things first. It's pronounced &lt;NEW OR-linz&gt;, or if you're feeling relaxed, &lt;NEW AW-linz&gt;. Some locals even land on something like &lt;NAW-linz&gt;. What you must never, ever say is &lt;new or-LEENZ&gt;. BEIGNET - Pronounced &lt;ben-YAY&gt;. A pillowy, deep-fried square of dough buried under an avalanche of powdered sugar. Café Du Monde in the French Quarter is the most famous spot for them. There is no graceful way to eat one. BOURBON STREET - Locals say &lt;BUR-bin&gt;, not &lt;BUR-bon&gt; like the whiskey. It's the most famous (and loudest) street in the Quarter. Worth a walk-through for the experience, but know that most locals spend their time elsewhere. CARONDELET STREET - Pronounced &lt;ka-'ron-da-LET&gt;, not &lt;ka-'ron-da-LAY&gt;. CRAWFISH - Not "crayfish." Not "crawdads." In New Orleans, they're crawfish. To eat one, twist the tail from the head, pinch the tail to push the meat out, and if you're feeling brave, suck the head. That's where the flavor is. DRESSED - When ordering a po-boy, "dressed" indicates lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise, on it. ESPLANADE - Walkway. The street name is pronounced &lt;es'-pla-NADE&gt;, and the last syllable rhymes with "raid", not "rod". ÉTOUFFÉE - Pronounced &lt;AY-too-fay&gt;. A rich, roux-based stew of crawfish or shrimp smothered in seasoned sauce and served over rice. The word means "smothered" in French, which tells you everything you need to know. If you see it on a menu, order it. FAUBOURG - Pronounced &lt;FO-borg&gt;. It means "neighborhood," as in Faubourg Marigny or Faubourg Tremé. You'll see it on maps and street signs, and now you'll know what it means. GRIS-GRIS - Pronounced &lt;GREE-GREE&gt;. Noun, A (voodoo) spell. Can be applied for nefarious purposes ("to put a gris-gris on someone"), or as a force to ward off evil, like wearing a gris-gris bag (the folks at the Voodoo Shop on Dumaine will make one to order for about $20). LAGNIAPPE - Pronounced &lt;LAN-yap&gt;. A little something extra. Lagniappe is when your butcher gives you a pound and two ounces of hot sausage but only charges you for a pound, or when the waiter at your favorite restaurant brings you an extra dessert or something, and doesn't charge you. MARDI GRAS - This grand pre-Lenten celebration for which New Orleans is famous is pronounced &lt;MAR-dee GRAW&gt;. MARIGNY - Pronounced &lt;MAR-ih-nee&gt;, emphasis on the first syllable. The Faubourg Marigny is the colorful, artsy neighborhood just downriver from the French Quarter, full of live music venues, quirky bars, and Victorian shotgun houses. Even with lots of practice, Brittany still can't nail this one...just ask her yourself. METAIRIE - Pronounced &lt;MET-uh-ree&gt;. This is the large suburb just west of New Orleans, in Jefferson Parish. You've probably already driven through it from the airport without realizing it. MILAN STREET - Pronounced &lt;MY-lan&gt;. Nothing quippy here to say. NEUTRAL GROUND - The grassy or cement strip in the middle of the road. The terms "median" and/or "island" are never used in New Orleans. PO-BOY - The quintessential New Orleans sandwich, served on crispy French bread that shatters when you bite into it. Fillings range from fried shrimp and oysters to roast beef swimming in gravy. Order it "dressed" (see above) unless you want it plain. The name supposedly comes from the "poor boys" — striking streetcar workers who were fed free sandwiches during a 1929 labor dispute. QUARTER - As in the French Quarter — the iconic, centuries-old neighborhood along the Mississippi River known for its wrought-iron balconies, jazz clubs, and yes, Bourbon Street. If someone says "I'm heading to the Quarter," they mean the French Quarter. No further clarification needed. SHOTGUN HOUSE - A long, narrow house where all the rooms are lined up one behind the other with no hallway. The name comes from the idea that you could fire a shotgun through the front door and the bullet would travel clean out the back without hitting a wall. You'll see hundreds of them. They're impossible to miss. TCHOUPITOULAS STREET - Pronounced &lt;'chop-a-TOO-las&gt;. It's easier to pronounce than to spell. Spelling "Tchoupitoulas" is the true test of a native; if New Orleans was a country at war, you'd ask a guy to spell this to make sure he was on your side, just like in all the old WWII movies.

Brittany & Corey

Brittany & Corey

B&C

Wedding Day