Elms Mansion

riented and made sure our day went off without a hitch. The rehearsal and day of went incredibly well due to Judy's professionalism and eye for detail. Donna was personable and offered creative ideas and suggestions as I was telling her my plans because she knows the space and what works best for their events. She even offered suggestions on how to save money when selecting vendors and finalizing details for the second line. The Elms and their team offered such a high quality service. My guests had a blast and my husband, my family, and I were all worry free. I would highly suggest The Elms for any event.

ectic day for the bride and groom) was the way Judy gave us a few minutes to ourselves after the ceremony to have some champagne, grab a few quick bites, and look over the guests at our venue from the second floor. It felt so relaxing to watch as our guests had the time of their lives in NOLA! Thank you Judy and all your team!!

on was always there to help with anything as well. The night of the wedding went perfectly thanks to Mrs. Judy and the staff. They go above and beyond for you. And literally all of my guests are still talking about how delicious the food was!

the pictures are just beautiful. The food was amazing. The chef went above and beyond providing excellent hor d'oeuvres on top of the menu we selected. Judy and team were great to work with. I could not imagine a better venue or experience.

perfect and the outside courtyard looked like a dream with the strung lights and the chandelier underneath the gazebo. Not only was the venue beautiful, but the food....was AMAZING. The chef really out did himself with our food. We had so many hand passed appetizers, all with a unique taste and presentation. It was absolutely delicious! The reason I booked this venue was because I had walked past this venue on several occasions and saw so many beautiful weddings take place there. The Elm's Mansion definitely made all my wedding day dreams come true. It could not have been a more perfect day :)

lace I can't see why anyone would want to get married anywhere else!

entire planning process, for every random question (and there were many) I sent them, they responded immediately, all the while reassuring me that it was all going to be fantastic. And it was!! Our entire wedding and reception was flawless. The mansion and garden are just stunning. Our guests keep raving about it, saying it was the most beautiful location for a wedding. The food was exceptional, the servers so friendly and yet professional - everything was perfect. The value of their packages is absolutely amazing. There are other lovely venues around town, many of which are considerably more expensive and offer less, but The Elms' location on St. Charles Ave, centuries-old history, tasteful elegant decor and thorough events team are simply unmatched in my opinion. They quietly took care of every last detail and provided my husband and me with the most beautiful wedding imaginable.

s: They are terrible at communicating and explaining vague aspects of their contract. I could write a very long list about the ridiculous back and forth that went into our contract negotiations, but nobody wants to read that. Just, get everything in writing - TWICE - and make sure they stick to it. Worst Part: It had rained earlier the week of my wedding, and they asked if we wanted to rent a tent and we said no (as the forecast was looking fine for our date). Then, my now-husband walks by the venue earlier in the day and sees that the tent is up, even though it's 80+ degrees with no chance of rain. Knowing that I absolutely hated the idea of the tent, he knocked on the door and asked them to take it down. They said they could take down the covers, but had to leave the poles up for the bistro lighting we rented. This is completely untrue (as anybody can see from the photos of the venue). They blatantly disregarded our contract, lied to my husband's face, and there are hideous tent poles in all of my photos.

and garden are beautiful on their own but The Elms really knows how to make the house turn into magic! The service was amazing and the food was so fantastic! Judy and her team know exactly what they are doing and can make your event unforgettable! It will always be a very special place to my husband and I! If you are looking for the diamond of New Orleans you have found it!

was a combo Indian/Western/Bohemian affair. I had seen the Mansion online and immediately booked my date. Though I did go to New Orleans to visit a number of venues, my suspicions were right and The Elms was by far the standout in terms of beauty, affordable wedding packages and in house catering. It is a beautiful 1869 mansion with a gorgeous open outdoor courtyard, a stunning preserved interior and it is a National Historic Landmark. In terms of planning my wedding, Judy Fern, the Elms' event manager was a pleasure to work with. She answered all of my questions promptly and was a delight to work with on the day of the wedding. Since I had a destination wedding, I also hired a day of planner (Unique Weddings) to work with Judy, and they were flawless in their efforts. Everything went perfectly. The food was fantastic! I had a number of guests who told me that the food at the Elms was the best that they had the entire time they were in New Orleans. Yes, that good! The staff at the Elms were wonderful. I could go on and on. The ambience, the location, the food, the staff, the price, the entire experience at The Elms was all I could ask for in a wedding venue. Note that the mansion is on St. Charles and watching the trolleys pass by added to the NOLA experience. We had a second line with which the Kinfolk Brass Band came to The Elms and surprised our guests and then rode back with us in the charter buses to the French Quarter for our second line parade! It was all magical! In totality, I would recommend everyone get married at The Elms Mansion!

on our decision to get married there. The problems really boiled down to the “wedding planner” that the Elms bills as being inclusive to the cost of having a wedding there. When we first toured the Elms, we were assured that she would help us plan everything and eliminate the need to hire anyone outside of the Elms. In actuality, working with her was extremely stressful and left the impression that she did not care at all about us or our wedding. Our faith in her completely crumbled when we inadvertently discovered that the date of our wedding fell on the same weekend as the French Quarter Festival. As out-of-towners, we had no idea that the city’s population literally doubles over that weekend. We only found out about this problem when we began calling hotels around 8 months before the wedding to reserve blocks of rooms and hotel staff were literally laughing at us or gasping when we told them our date. Room rates were double the cost, and plane tickets were also much more expensive. Despite that we picked out our date a year and four months in advance, however, no one at the Elms, including our “planner,” bothered to alert us to our bad date. At best, this was negligence, at worst, a deliberate lack of information due to the fact that no one else would be ignorant enough to choose to get married on that weekend. When we brought this up, the Elms’ planner acted lackadaisical and surprised that this was an issue. Her solution was to suggest we change the date of our wedding, but at this point our stationary had already been printed and some guests had already bought plane tickets. The planner never apologized omitting this vital information, or took ownership of the fact that, as a so-called wedding planner, this is something that she absolutely should have mentioned. As we feared, the French Quarter festival did indeed wind up being a significant stumbling block for our wedding; several guests could not attend due to cost. The biggest issue turned out to be the tent, however. The days before our wedding forecasted awful weather, with a 90% chance of rain. Our ceremony, like all of those at the Elms, was to take place outdoors, so we told the Elms that we did indeed want the tent that they say they can arrange for a fee in their contract. But the planner got back to us and said there were no tents available in the entire city, due to the French Quarter Festival! We were utterly shocked that the Elms – a venue that literally has weddings every weekend – does not own its own tent. The Elms’ Saturday night min is 150 guests, but their indoor space cannot comfortably accommodate this number of people. They have no back-up plan for rain. In the end, guests were literally standing in the hallways during the ceremony. Worst of all, during the ceremony I saw my 88-year-old grandfather standing and peeping through a window in the other room, trying to get a view. This is not at all how I envisioned my wedding, and it remains a major regret for what should have been a perfect day. The Elms' space was absolutely stunning and the wait staff very friendly; we heard the food was great, too. As a wedding venue, the Elms could be absolutely unrivaled in New Orleans, but that would require hiring a new planner.

assic NOLA wedding, with the streetcar line running right by the home. We were married outside in the gazebo, and if there is inclement weather, they have a beautiful tent with chandeliers and lights. Judy, who worked with us from day one, was amazing. She guided us through the entire process, while still allowing for our own creativity. She was also there on the day of the wedding, so everything went PERFECTLY. I didn't have to worry about a thing. There are two areas for bars, so my guests never had to wait in a line. There are also two dance floors, one outside and one inside. Our 150 guests had plenty of room to spare. I am still hearing about how wonderful the food was!! I wish that we had eaten more of it, but we were sent home with a goody bag with food and champagne!! If we had to do it all over again, I would chose The Elms without a doubt!

helpful. We wanted our out of town guests to see the beautiful southern charm of the garden district (think big beautiful mansions and big mossy trees... it's gorgeous). Other venues nearby did not have the same quality when it came to the details. The food is incredible and menu selection was very easy (several customizable packages). Inside the mansion, the details are just impeccable! From the crown molding to the marble flooring, the fire places, the grand staircase, and the old wooden bar everything is simply gorgeous and truly requires no decorating! Last and certainly, not least the staff is incredibly helpful and attentive. I planned my wedding by myself with my family and bridesmaids all out of state. The onsite wedding coordinator indulged my every question and let me walk through the venue as many times as I needed in order to make wedding planning decisions. Judy (the onsite wedding coordinator) was very accommodating but let me know when how to make the logistics work best for the venue. It was a match made in heaven! Needless to say, I can't imagine having picked getting married else where although we did strongly consider other locations to save money. Go ahead and splurge and choose the Elm's mansion! It truly was the best decision and completely worth the investment!

ere for a February wedding. We were married in the gazebo and then had a flawless indoor/outdoor reception. The band, Refried Confuzion, was setup to play mostly outside, but at one point, they changed to brass instruments and processed inside the home and played in the back bar area (another option for a small band setup). The food was amazing. We had heard great things about the chef and he definitely lived up to his reputation. Judy, who worked with me throughout the whole process, was just great. I didn't have a wedding planner and definitely didn't need one. She had everything under control, kept me informed as we needed to make planning decisions, and was a pleasure to work with. I'd recommend the Elms to any bride looking for a perfect wedding venue in the heart of New Orleans.

tio and garden, the streetcar going by on St. Charles Avenue, lots of space for any size party, beautiful interior furnishings, ample street parking, a photo-ready gazebo, DELICIOUS food, courteous waitstaff, and years and years of experience running perfect events. Judy makes it easy to your all vendors to set up everything beforehand, and she's great to work with. She knows what special touches to add in order to up the "wow" factor at your event. We had many many people tell us it was the best wedding they had been to, and that it was the best food they'd ever had at a wedding. I'd recommend the Elms to every bride. My day was PERFECT!!

how off some of that classic New Orleans of long ago. Well, The Elms delivered and more! Our ceremony took place outside in the gazebo, which is situated on a beautiful garden patio, and the reception was held both inside and outside the mansion. The mansion is lit up at night and honestly all night long guests were telling us they felt like they had walked onto a movie set. The food (catered in house) was amazing. My new husband and I were taken upstairs a little after the ceremony and the coordinators had set up a small dinner (with champagne) for us. It was so appreciated because it allowed us a little bit of time to take in everything (we had a view to the party outside) and actually eat some food (which was scrumptious!) before the party went on. Judy (the in house coordinator) is a dream to deal with. She is so personable and quick to respond to any and all questions. She made sure we were taken care of the whole evening. Just can't say enough about the venue and the staff. It was a dream location. Definite recommend!!!

the court yard is absolutely beautiful. The stone is even enough for people to dance the day away (unlike a lot of cobble stone courtyards throughout New Orleans). My guests were able to walk around the gorgeous Garden District after and before the wedding, and were able to ride the street car from the ceremony to the Elms Mansion which they all loved. Judy was great, so helpful the whole way through, easy to get in contact with, and great on email. Judy is really adamant about it being the bride’s day and what the bride and groom want and she really catered to us. The servers were fantastic, they were right there every time I turned around. Not to mention it is one of the most fascinating and gorgeous homes I have ever been in. Lastly the food was amazing. People are still raving about the food. It was so much more food than I ever expected and the food was the best wedding food I have ever had. Most of the venues that cook their food in house generally use staple frozen items that are not very good, not Elm's mansion. Their food is fresh and delicious and very New Orleans style. I would more than recommend Elms Mansion to any bride.

t have much opportunity to eat at the wedding, nor were we ever offered a tasting prior). The serving and grounds staff are outstanding. Cons: Everything else. There are plenty of other places in New Orleans that are beautiful with delicious food. If I had the chance to do my wedding all over again, I wouldn't entertain the thought of selecting Elms Mansion as our venue for even a moment. I would choose Chuckie Cheese or the bowling alley before Elms, since they would probably at least treat me like a person. While the support staff are incredible, the management is abysmal. Summary: The Elms Mansion is probably the perfect venue for extremely traditional weddings, hands-off brides, or New Orleans debutantes with unlimited budgets, well known families, and prima donna personalities. I would strongly urge anyone else to run away. Your venue should *never* treat you the way we were continually treated, especially not a venue that prides itself on 40+ years of hosting special events. Please review the details and avoid making the same mistake we did. Your Elms wedding will be beautiful, but it will always be about *them,* not *you.* I can practically guarantee that your Elms Mansion wedding will be breathtakingly beautiful and that the food will be delicious. However, before choosing Elms, be prepared to get *every* detail in writing, be ready to justify and defend your decisions, and prepare for months and months of hassle and inadequate communication. If you still choose to move forward with Elms, I'm certain you'll be pleased with the final result, but the ends might not justify the means. *****Update:***** I did speak with the Elms Mansion via email, as they contacted me after seeing this review. They were well aware of my concerns both during the planning and after the wedding. While the Elms Mansion considers excellent service to be everything getting done, I consider it to be much more than simply finishing everything ("Obviously we are very concerned about this because I'm not aware that anything did not get accomplished for your wedding," said Elms. They are "sincerely sorry that you feel you had a poor experience," which is about as much of a non-apology apology that there can be. I'm sincerely sorry the Elms was so difficult to deal with, so I suppose it balances out). I stand by my original review and am happy to answer any questions other couples may have about this venue. You may also wish to review my longer review on some of the other travel and wedding sites, which provides full details and photos when possible. The Elms has still failed to address any of my specific concerns, which is neither surprising nor unusual. As I said, for some couples, the Elms will undoubtedly be a beautiful and pre-packaged venue. Unfortunately, we were not one of those couples, and it showed.

of the most unstressful experience. How many brides say their wedding day was exactly how they dreamed? Well I can say it was all that AND MORE and i give that credit to the amazing staff of the Elms!!! The food was AWESOME...almost 3 month after my wedding and I am still getting compliments on the food. I had a large wedding so instead of sticking to their traditional wedding menu they gave the chef the creative freedom to have fun with the food and I am so glad they did. It was all so great! I highly recommend the Elms. The mansion is beautiful (of course, what else would you expect from a southern style mansion) and the courtyard where most of my festivites were held was the perfect backdrop for an outdoor spring wedding. Be sure to book them first thought because they fill up very quick...especially if you are doing a spring, wedding.