New Orleans 2023
Back in June, we went to New Orleans to celebrate Brad’s cousin’s wedding. We got there on a Friday and drove home on Sunday. It was a really quick trip, but the celebrations were lots of fun. However, New Orleans is not a place I am necessarily looking to go back to without a purpose, ha!
We stayed at the Omni Royal Orleans in the French Quarter. It was the main hotel that the wedding party was staying at as well. The hotel was in a great location, and the room was great for what we needed.
The hotel was really pretty and grand. The bride even took pictures there as well (more on that below). The pool was on the rooftop which Melody LOVED too. It had some great views.
When we arrived on Friday, we went to lunch with Brad’s parents as well as his brother’s group. This would be one of the few times we would eat just us since his parents were in the wedding itself. We went to a place called Curio. It was basically empty, but it was really great. We sat inside, upstairs. The girls loved walking outside on the patio though. It was a great view and made for some adorable pictures of the girls. I had the shrimp po-boy which was really good.
After lunch, we went back to the hotel to regroup and unpack. Brad’s parents had to get ready for the rehearsal, so we took the girls exploring a little bit. We got some ice cream and took pictures along the way. When we got back, we took a little bit of time to let the girls swim some.
For dinner it was just us and his brother’s group. His wife, Rebekah, recommended Felix’s. It had a small wait, but it moved really fast. We had a fun view of Bourbon street during our meal. The girls loved walked right outside the restaurant and getting beads. Our dinner was amazing. This was by far the best choice, and I would love to eat here again. I had the shrimp tacos. The sauce was a little spicy, but it was so tasty. I would love to recreate these tacos! Brad had the gumbo and he devoured it. He was still a bit hungry so he had what I could not eat. Then we headed down Bourbon street to simply say we did while on our way back to the hotel.
The next morning we were sure to go have beignets at Cafe de Monde. They did not disappoint although my child refused to eat them. Then we did a little bit of shopping with Brad’s parents.
A bit before lunch, we decided to let the girls swim. The wedding was not until 7, so we had plenty of time. And we wanted to try and eat a later lunch since dinner would also be late. The girls had a lot of fun, but Melody was not worn out enough to nap before the wedding unfortunately. We ended up eating our lunch at the pool bar. It was expensive and not as great as we likely could have found around town, but it was easy.
After the pool, we came back and rested before getting ready for family pictures. Brad’s mom bought the girls all matching dresses. Then she let each girl pick out their headband and shoes. Melody wanted her hair curly like her cousins. I tried my best, but it was simply wavy. I thought the pictures turned out beautiful. And honestly, I would have never known this cute little courtyard was there otherwise.
After pictures, we got situated and took the bus to the St. Louis Cathedral. I also made the girls some activity books to help pass the time. You can find them in my Etsy shop if you are interested!
After the wedding was over, we were in a Second Line heading to the reception on a riverboat! Melody LOVED this part of the wedding so much! It was a lot of fun, and we had a lot of beads to throw as well.
The reception was quite the party! I want to say it lasted around 3 hours. The girls were definitely DONE when the reception was over. Melody was literally being carried back to the hotel by Brad! The girls had so much fun dancing the night away. In full transparency, we did endure a few meltdowns likely due to how late it was and lack of sleep, but overall lots of fun was had! And the food was delicious too.
Departure day was pretty boring. We slept in, so we were some of the last ones to leave. Brad did wake up early enough to see his parents before they left. Overall the wedding was great, and we did have a lot of fun. However, New Orleans just isn’t my cup of tea. I know some people love it, and college Brittany would have. But mom-Brittany with a seven year old can pass on it now!
