Abita Quail Farm

ished they could have lasted forever as those were the two best days of my life. To be with family and friends to celebrate these most important days, the Abita Quail Farm is the only place to go! When I was seeking out a wedding venue 10 years ago I was put off with how impersonal the town I used to be from had become. Born and raised in Louisiana and now an adult living 1000 miles away, I sought a place where I would feel at home and not like a tourist. So I called the owner John and set up my entire reception over the phone. I flew in a few weeks prior for my shower and saw for the first time the Music Room where both of my parties were held. I chose to have them during the afternoon to take advantage of the gorgeous stained glass and white heavenly interior. Besides the natural beauty of this room overlooking a large pond, owner/executive chef Jane went above and beyond to meet my one request which was to have a sugar free dessert for my guests who are diabetic. John didn't want to promise what might have been impossible; however while driving in for the wedding John called to say Jane had perfected her own original sugar free cheesecake and offered it for those guests. I was so grateful as 10 years ago there were no desserts commercially available and Jane certainly came thru with truly the best cheesecake so good you couldn’t tell it's sugar free. All of my guests ran to it over my wedding cake! Ten years later she did the same and again my guests raved about the cheesecake over our anniversary cake. Jane's talents shined with all of the food she prepared for both parties and again my guests are still raving about the food. Both times we made our grand entrance where my husband and I kicked off the festivities with a Quail Farm tradition, by lighting the main show piece, a roasted suckling pig, which my husband lit on fire then carved to reveal it stuffed with delicious jambalaya in front of all our guests. In addition they also had a crape table where each serving was flambéed. John and Jane's staff were so courteous especially his assistant who would give me cues as to when it would be best to dance, make a toast, cut the cake, make our grand entrance or exit as we did for the wedding. A new concrete boardwalk surrounds part of the pond replacing the wooden decking they had 10 years ago. Still a wonderful spot to take pictures and entertain guest with a peek into Louisiana's natural wildlife and nature at its best. I truly hope John, Jane, and staff of the Abita Quail Farm know they will always have a place in my heart as they supported my biggest transitions in life so far: growing from a young La girl into a dedicated wife thankful to have married the husband of my dreams. Thank you again for welcoming us and our guests to your home; as the venue is on their homestead surrounded by pastures and the beautiful pond as you arrive.

d go over there a couple of months before our wedding to look around again and figure out how we might decorate the ballroom, and found the grass had not been mowed recently, but it looked better for our event, I think... can't honestly say I was inspecting the lawn on my wedding day!) The owners, John and Jane, were polite and helpful, especially when the road to the venue was flooded the day before the wedding (due to Hurricane Isaac) when we went there to decorate... I called John and he came out and led me around a different route to get there where I didn't run into any standing water. He did ask us for the gratuity twice before the event (we paid it the day before), which I didn't really like because I thought the gratuity should have been paid after the event... a gratuity, after all, should be based on how well you like their food and service, which we couldn't know until the event actually took place). Our guest list ended up being quite a few guests short because of Hurricane Isaac, and we thought it would have been nice if they had given us a little break in the price under the circumstances, but they didn't. We ended up paying about $1300.00 for people who didn't show, and they didn't seem to be concerned about that. They did extend our reception's end time by 30 min when we were late arriving, which was nice. So all in all, it was a nice place with friendly staff and good food. I would recommend it, just try to avoid scheduling your wedding during hurricane season!