Jennifer H.
Yelp
We used the French Quarter Wedding Chapel for our wedding on October 6th 2018. We were coming from out of town and having someone local to help with planning was going to be a great asset, or so we thought. I first contacted Lou Ann to book our date in May, at which point we booked a date and paid our deposit.
On their website they made it seem as though using their company would make planning an easy experience. I reached out multiple times for advice on possible venues, hotels or informal reception sites and was never given any suggestions.
I personally found a venue (The Old Coffee Pot) and reached out to confirm a second line would be possible from there for the ceremony. We would then parade up to The Hotel Monteleone (where the carousel bar is located).
In August, we requested that a violinist learn two specific songs for our wedding. We were told it would be an additional cost, to which we agreed - having our songs played was worth it.
We also asked for a pedi-cab during the second line parade so that our wheelchair-bound uncle would be able to ride along.
The day before our wedding I asked if there was anything we should meet about or if everything was good to go. We were told we could stop by the chapel and meet with Rev. Tony. When arrived at the venue, Rev. Tony told us that there was a miscommunication. Despite the texts, emails and me confirming our venue, they had our second line parade scheduled from their chapel, NOT from The Old Coffee Pot.
I asked what our options were and he said we had to get married at their chapel. We were also told that we had a harpist instead of the violinist we had been promised. On top of all of this, our requested songs were not played during our ceremony. We were incredibly disappointed to not have our songs, especially because we were still charged for them.
Due to an error on their part, I found out the day before my wedding that I was not only going to lose the deposit, but also that I would not be able to get married at the venue I had been dreaming of for the last several months. This was heartbreaking and emotionally distressing during a time that should have been the happiest week of my life. An apology was never offered for any of these mishaps.
We figured out a solution on our own, asking if we could get married at The Old Coffee Pot and then walk up to the chapel and start the parade. They obliged, but this also meant after my ceremony, everyone had to run up 6 blocks to the chapel to have our official license signed and start our parade.
The pedi-cab never showed up for the parade, another cost that was never reimbursed.
On 11/26/18 we still had not received our marriage license from the state of Louisiana (we were told to wait 6-8 weeks) so I called the parish to check on the status. We needed the official license to be able to add me to my husband's insurance policy and I booked flights assuming I would have changed my name by the time we would be flying, but was unable to do so without our license. When I called the parish I was told that The French Quarter Wedding Chapel had not turned in our marriage license to be processed until November 15th (40 DAYS AFTER THE WEDDING BEFORE THEY SUBMITTED). I was very upset that they held onto my paperwork for so long. I sent a text message to Rev. Tony about it and he called the next day after a second text message. He said the state always blames him for turning them in late when they are running behind and that if they received it two weeks ago I should have my license soon. Lou Ann in the background said they could call the licensing office and see if they would expedite it. We received our official license on 12/24/18, 80 days after our wedding!
I did not review the French Quarter Wedding Chapel immediately following all of the mishaps because I wanted time to digest the events. We live in New Bern, NC and hurricane Florence flooded our home on 9/15/18 (less than a month before we were headed to get married).
Losing our home, our pictures and having something so traumatic happen 21 days before heading to get married was definitely a shock, and I wanted to reflect on everything before leaving a review that may have been unfair due to my circumstances. Now that I have had time to think and consider the review, I believe it is a true representation of their planning for our day went and wanted to outline the potential for stressful mishaps for future couples.
The positives I can comment on: Spending time with our family and friends and marrying the man who has been my best friend and hero during the hardest time was absolutely amazing. I can also say that the videographer, photographer and second line parade band were PERFECT!