Southern Oaks Wedding: Natalie + Will

On the limo ride home from the wedding, Mr. Pat (Natalie’s dad) described in detail the reason he believed in fate:

Mr. Pat was on the elevator  when he heard a voice behind him say “I like those colors.” Wearing the colors of UT in LSU town, Mr. Pat thought SURELY that this young fellow was being sarcastic. However, in conversation he discovered that Will really WAS a fan as he had graduated from the university. The conversation was short and ended as they parted ways.

…until the next time they again ended up on an elevator together. Will’s work with Chevron was of great interest for business to Natalie’s dad, and sparked Mr. Pat’s interest in Will. Mr. Pat’s invitation to have Will and his wife/girlfriend over for dinner was met with, “I’m single,” and at that moment a light bulb went off.

Mr. Pat mentioned his daughter Natalie to Will and suggested they meet. In the least, he thought it’d be a good opportunity for Will to meet some new people in a town where he didn’t know many. Natalie brought her parents and friends along for this first meet up…….and the date ended up lasting 9 hours!

Needlesss to say, they hit it off!! Coincidentally, the next day was Valentine’s day so Natalie + Will spent time together cooking at her house. According to Natalie, they’ve been together nearly everyday since. She knew very quickly that Will was the one for her and it was SO wonderful seeing everything come together for them last Saturday at Southern Oaks.

Natalie + Will chose orange and gold as their wedding colors to give their summer wedding a warm, colorful feel. Will, having graduated from UT and Natalie’s love for bright colors made this an easy choice. Natalie’s favorite wedding detail was her gown…and if you haven’t seen her bridals yet, you’ll see why in this post! It’s absolutely INCREDIBLE! This was our first time shooting at Southern Oaks and Amelia and I both really enjoyed the venue. Everything is smooth and orderly which made the day very special for Natalie + Will!! I am SO excited to share a few of my favorites from their day……

Preparation: The Ritz Carlton New Orleans
Officiant: Mike Henthorn
Catering/Ceremony: Southern Oaks
Florals: Bee’s Florists
Wedding + Groom’s Cake: Gambino’s
Wedding Dress: Watter’s – Julian Gold, San Antonio
Wedding Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Groom’s Attire: See Sucker – Jos’A Banks
Bride’s Hair: Christopher Rhodes
Music: Five Finger Discount

We started the day at the Ritz in NOLA….where I began by shooting Natalie + Will’s gorgeous rings!

Natalie wore her grandmother’s three string pearls on her wedding day. Such a sweet sentiment.

Her shoes are MY personal favorite wedding shoe brand: Badgley Mischka. 🙂 They were classy and elegant.

Natalie is just GORGEOUS!!!

This is the perfect example of why Natalie is so thoughtful. The day of her wedding she gave letters to every single bridesmaids, house party guest, Natalie’s brothers, and to Will.

The letters were very moving…and creating quite the reaction especially amongst the girls!

The bridal party in their matching gifts from Natalie!

Chris, Natalie’s hair stylist, did a wonderful job…and kept everyone laughing!

While I was with Natalie, Amelia…my incredible right woman…spend time photographing Will!

This is Will’s older brother helping him with his tie.

Amelia grabbed this shot of Will when he was reading his letter from Natalie….

I thought this was absolutely adorable. Mrs. Connie turned to Mr. Pat, gave him a kiss and said, “We’re where this day began.” 🙂 And this was the reaction that followed.

I loved the bright colors and the elegant florals.

The indoor reception area at Southern Oaks was so nice!

And I loved the decor!

Check ’em out ya’ll!! The handsome groomsmen! 🙂

LOVE their suits and shoes. 🙂

So sharp!

As Natalie turned the corner, this is the face Will made!!! His whole expression said WOW.

As I was capturing Will’s expression, Amelia was behind capturing Natalie as she walked down the aisle.

Southern Oaks really made for the loveliest backdrop on their wedding day!

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Natalie is so adorable when she smiles!

And just LOOK at the way Will’s eyes light up when he looks at Natalie.

Their first kiss as husband and wife!

Southern Oaks surprised Natalie + Will with these fireworks on their exit!

The bridal party! Everyone looks so fabulous and so colorful!

Because Natalie + Will opted not to do a first look, we decided to shoot a few shots outside of the venue after the family photos!

The shot below is one of my favorites from the day. I didn’t even ask Will to kiss her…he just does.

They are just so happy together!!!

The Newlyweds!

And into the A/C we went…for Natalie + Will’s first dance!

It’s as if no one else was around.

Natalie + Will had a photobooth at their wedding, which I’m glad they were able to enjoy!

Will’s UT Cake!

….and their modern wedding cake! The setup (including backdrop and florals) were perfect!

Five Finger Discount did a wonderful job of entertaining the guests during the reception. At this point, they had families battling to sing the loudest!

They then handed Natalie the guitar…and she rocked it out for the guests.

….maybe the guys felt like they had to step it up a notch to keep up with Natalie’s skills. 😉

For their exit, Natalie wore her mom’s wedding gown!!! Below…the guests lined up to send off Mr. and Mrs. William Sirgo!

Natalie + Will,

I hope that you are off enjoying the beautiful island of Barbados. 🙂 Please allow these images to forever remind you of your special day! Amelia and I had a wonderful time shooting at Southern Oaks and we are so honored and priveleged to have been your photographers! 🙂

Have a wonderful honeymoon and I can’t wait for you to see the rest of your images. 🙂 🙂

Catherine