Il Mercato

We could not possibly have been happier in choosing II Mercato for our wedding. Working with Hailey, Melanie, and the rest of their team was a breeze, as they were extremely accommodating in the run up to our day. The catering was outstanding (especially the passed appetizer options) and the entire crew there was so dedicated to making it as easy and efficient a process as possible -- both during our wedding and in preparation. They created a beautiful space and a wonderful experience for us and our guests, and we'd recommend them to anyone looking for a wedding (or other event) venue in New Orleans. Photos courtesy of Hannah Pickle.

My wife and I adored our ceremony and reception at Il Mercato. The coordinators were thorough, communicative, understanding, unshakable by all the surprise day-of commotion, and honest. The staff and venue were fantastic—everyone had a stupendous time. The courtyard was gorgeous and the food dynamite. Melanie, Hailey, and Mariah specifically were awesome. Thanks so much!!

Our wedding reception at Il Mercato was an absolute dream! The venue was gorgeous, and our guests couldn’t stop raving about the food and decor—many said it was the best wedding they’d ever been to! The team at Il Mercato and Joel Catering were incredibly attentive and made sure every detail was covered. My husband and I loved that we got to enjoy a private meal together before our grand entrance, which was such a special moment. We’re so grateful for the incredible experience they provided and highly recommend them to any couple looking for a timeless and romantic wedding venue in New Orleans.

My son and new daughter-in-law were married at Il Mercado in March. This was the most perfect event I could have ever imagined. Ambience was absolutely 10 stars. Food was absolutely 10 stars. Service was absolutely 10 stars. Staff was absolutely 10 stars. Thank you for everything that you do.

Got married here and it was amazing. Venue is beautiful, food by Joel catering was amazing and everyone was super helpful. We did ceremony and reception here and the venue was amazing even had a great weather contingency plan. They worked with us and helped us have the best night ever

Picking Il Mercato for our wedding venue was one of the easiest choices we made during our wedding planning. All aspects of the venue is beautiful, it speaks for itself. Our favorite area was the library room where the main bar was, it's such a unique area! We toured the venue with Melanie Mims and then after booking, we worked directly with her throughout. She was incredibly helpful with all the questions that we had. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend the tasting event, so we had to schedule a private tasting... however I think this worked out in our favor as it was more intimate. At our tasting, they even created the specialty cocktail we wanted at the wedding to sample! Picking the food from their vast menu was the more difficult choice, but WOW our food was amazing. It tasted exactly the same the day of our wedding as it did at the tasting. Knowing how good the drink we sampled was and the food, I did the Bee's Knees without sampling as my specialty drink and it was both tasty and gorgeous and they incorporated lavender flowers into the ice cube! Tiffany took over after the tasting to coordinate and she was friendly and organized! All of the staff here are incredible. Everything went seamlessly! There is no other place in New Orleans that will give you the beauty AND the food.

One of our fave venues to decorate, Il Mercato has the most gorgeous courtyard and interiors. Their staff is always amazing and working with their team is a dream.

I got married at Il Mercato on Valentine's Day 2020. The venue is beautiful; however, it was not worth the terrible service and communication we endured throughout the wedding planning process. I was initially intrigued by the fine cuisine Joel Catering offered. This was one of the most important aspects of my wedding, as my now husband and I are very tough critics when it comes to gastronomy. Joel Catering is wonderful, but this same service is not translated to the actual venue. Joel Catering offers their services at a plethora of locations throughout the New Orleans area, and I strongly recommend you explore these other options. My family and I attended a tasting September 2019 and Annie “finally found us” 2 hours into the event with a glass of wine in her hand to discuss wedding details. This is definitely not the element of professionalism I expect from any business, especially one where you are spending a small fortune. Additionally, you MUST (not contractually required, but strongly recommended) hire a wedding planning service because without this, you will NOT receive a response to phone calls or emails. If the element of surprise is important to you as a bride, this is not the venue for you. Guests may arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony and the bride may arrive only 30 minutes (~1hr before the ceremony) before the guests. This left very little time for pictures at the venue prior to the ceremony and most of my guests were able to see me before I walked down the aisle. We were fortunate to have a wonderful wedding planning team and photographer that eased my frustrations, but all of these displeasures (plus more) provided unanticipated and challenging obstacles for the one of the most special and important days of my life. In hindsight, I definitely would have traded a little bit of charm and ambiance for better customer service.

My son and new daughter-in-law were married at Il Mercado in March. This was the most perfect event I could have ever imagined. Ambience was absolutely 10 stars. Food was absolutely 10 stars. Service was absolutely 10 stars. Staff was absolutely 10 stars. Thank you for everything that you do.

I'm a wedding planner from out of state, so I was definitely nervous about working in a new venue. Annie and her team had great communication up to the event. The wait staff and bar staff were THE nicest and most genuine venue/catering staff I have ever worked with, and by far most delicious and high quality wedding food I have had to date. Highly recommend!

il Mercato is a beautiful venue and a wonderful event space. We planned our daughter's wedding from afar and chose this space for her destination wedding. New Orleans has something for everyone and provides a great backdrop for entertainment for all pre and post wedding festivities. The venue is quite beautiful and has a great deal of Spanish rustic charm. From the stucco fireplace as the focal point of the court year to the dark wooden beams adorning the high ceilings of the main hall, this places oozes with plenty of charm. The food and beverage service were both amazing. Joel, il Mercado's caterer, provides a fine spread with some of the most delicious wedding food we've ever eaten. All wait staff on the wedding day were accommodating and efficiently helpful. It was perhaps one of the most perfect days and certainly one of the nicest weddings we've ever attended, much less paid for. So why three stars? I've gone back and forth on this rating because the food was wonderful and the wedding was beautiful. But we are out of towners and relied heavily on the information and communication from il Mercado folks to make this event a success. To that end, we found il Mercado to be slow in communication and at times, less than accommodating to our needs. We wrote a big check to make this wedding happen and felt that the contact people for the venue should have been more communicative and helpful with some of our needs. Here are a few things to consider when choosing il Mercado: 1. The bridal party is not allowed to arrive at the venue more than 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. This means that the bridal party could not get dressed or ready on site. For this, we had to book a place nearby for hair and make up. An added expense to an already hefty price tag. 2. Outdoor lighting is not included and neither is a tent in the event of inclement weather. A venue offering both an indoor/outdoor space should really have such things on sight and available. 3. Communication is key and this was perhaps the greatest source of frustration. Response to e-mails was slow and in some cases, not at all. Being from out of town, there were some things we didn't know and therefore, questions would pop up. Timely responses were hit and miss. 4. All vendors used during the event must be licensed and insured. This is reasonable however, since we were doing some things ourselves, like flowers, we were not informed until the weekend before the wedding that certain decorations could not be used unless we hired a licensed/insured person to install them. We opted to forego the decorations that required a licensed/insured installer but on the day of the event, we were informed of further restrictions that we were not aware of until the last minute. Although we understand the policy, the communication of it was ill timed at best and added to the stress of an already hectic day. In conclusion, the key to a successful wedding at il Mercado is having a good wedding planner, which we had in spades. It was the planner that made it happen, much more so than the il Mercado business personnel themselves.