Rehearsal Dinner

St. Joseph Catholic Church

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Sheraton New Orleans Hotel

Reception

Spring

Our Wedding

Ford and I both served with NET Ministries with the same discipleship team in St. Joseph, Michigan, although not during the same year; Ford was there from 2017-2018 and I was there from 2018-2019. I had heard a lot about him from the youth who he became close with the year before, as well as from Chad, the youth minister (shout out Chad!). Ford proceeded to follow my entire team on Instagram to keep taps on how things were going since his team left (haha), so I knew who he was for over 3 years before we ever talked for the first time. Fast forward to October 2021, I posted something faith-related on Instagram ( I cannot for the life of me remember what it was) and Ford commented "Amen" with the praying hands emoji (haha). Looking back on it now, this definitely was Ford making the first move (haha). A couple of days later, Ford posted a St. Faustina quote for her feast day. She is one of my absolute favorite saints and has been a huge intercessor for me during my faith journey, so I saw this as an opportunity to initiate conversation. We began to message back and forth for about a week (Ford thinks that this is a long time haha) before he asked me out on our first date (see How He Asked Her Out below for a full account haha). He drove to New Orleans from Mobile and took me out to lunch at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area, Velvet Cactus. Afterwards, we went for a walk in Audubon Park. We have spent almost every weekend together since and have never looked back :)

How It Started

Ford proposed on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 (not an April Fools joke haha). Of course, the morning started with Ford replacing my soap with my shampoo and disorganizing my bathroom drawers. There were several clues leading up to proposal day that made me think that it was happening: First, my mom was running many errands the day before, all at places she doesn't go to very often (I was checking her location haha). She was also very subtly encouraging me to get my nails done the previous day. When I asked Ford what we should do that weekend, he said that we should go to Audubon Park, which is where we went on our first date. At this point, I became giddy with anticipation for the weekend's events, feeling about 90% sure that he was going to pop the question. What really gave it away was this: On proposal day, upon leaving my neighborhood to go to Audubon Park, we saw my twin sister Cassidy and her husband Kyle driving past us on their way to my house (they live an hour away in Baton Rouge haha). At that point, I became 100% certain that Ford was going to propose. Once we got to Audubon Park, we walked around on the track for a little while and then he started walking me in another direction that we don't normally go in when were there. He took me in front of the tree you see behind us in the picture above, which is called the Tree of Life. I wish I could remember all of the beautiful things he said ( I honestly kind of blacked out I think haha), but I just couldn't wait to say yes! After he put the ring on my finger, one of my best friends, Paige (my maid of honor), who lives in Atlanta, popped out from behind the bushes and surprised me! I felt so loved that she was willing to drive all the way from Atlanta to celebrate our engagement. After this, we went to eat lunch at Velvet Cactus, which is where we ate lunch on our first date, but this time our families were there waiting to celebrate us! It was such a sweet and unforgettable day :) Now counting down to April 20th, 2024! We cannot wait to start our lives together as husband and wife!

How He Proposed

Our Story

Photos

Cassidy Lavin

Joseph Chambliss

Paige De Leo

Katie Bradshaw

Caroline Bourgeois 

Olivia Michiels

Stephen Stewart

Chad Roden

Salvatore Cucco

Stella Lavin

Andrew McElroy

Wedding Party

Q + A

For those of you who will be traveling from out of state and are not driving to New Orleans, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is only 25 minutes away from the downtown area, which is where our wedding mass and reception will be taking place. Ubers, Lyfts, and taxis are very easily accessible to get you to and from all of the wedding festivities or wherever else you want to go during your time in New Orleans. Of course, rentals cars are an option as well. All information regarding flying and ground transportation from the airport can be found on their website under the section titled “Passengers”.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Travel

When you think of New Orleans, naturally the French Quarter is one of the first places that comes to mind. There are so many things to see and do (we’ll list some of our favorites), including tons of shopping, sites, and of course, the best food you’ll ever eat! Visit their website for a full list of restaurants, shops, and other activities you can take part in while visiting The Big Easy!

New Orleans French Quarter

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Riverwalk Outlets

Jackson Square & St. Louis Cathedral

Where we got our first drink together! We highly recommend getting a Hurricane and listening to the dual piano bar!

Pat Obrien's

This restaurant is actually located inside the Hilton New Orleans Riverside hotel. If you want to eat here, park in the hotel parking garage and take the elevator to the first floor where the restaurant is. We highly recommend their charbroiled oysters!

Drago's Seafood Restauraunt

Cafe Du Monde

The National WWII Museum

If beignets are not your thing, this is another great place to go for late night treats and drinks. Their doberge cake bites are delicious! They also serve brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Bakery Bar 

The Carousel Bar & Lounge

If you’re into karaoke bars, this is the place for you!

Cats Meow

Their live jazz brunch buffet is awesome!

The Court of Two Sisters

Things to Do

Registry

There will be a block of rooms at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel avaliable for you to stay in during the weekend of our wedding, which is also conveniently where our reception is! Follow the link below to reserve a room in our block. To get our group discount rate, you have to make a reservation on or before March 22, 2024. https://book.passkey.com/e/50594538

Again, we highly encourage those who will be using their own vehicles throughout their time in New Orleans (especially if you're staying at the Sheraton) to utilize the valet parking offered at the hotel. Trust us!

Caitlin & Ford