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St. Louis Cathedral vs. Loyola Holy Name of Jesus
Hello nesties.
Jamie and I are trying to finally set the date for our wedding and we are trying to decide exactly which church to book. St. Louis Cathedral was and is our first choice, but the price is $2500.00. I have to call because some of the services that are "included in the fee" I do not want to use. We'll see if they will drop the price... probably not.
Our second choice is Loyola's church, Holy Name of Jesus. The fee for this one is $1650.00, but it is a little more lenient accoring to their policy descriptions. Holy Name is also closer to our definite reception site, The Audubon Tea Room.
If you ladies have some time, please look at these and let me know your honest opinion and especially let me know if you have been to a service or wedding at either.
Things to keep in mind:
1. Holy Name is cheaper and RIGHT next to our reception venue with free parking, but we have no connection to this church and have never been there.
2. St. Louis Cathedral is a very special place for Jamie and I. We always visit there when we go to New Orleans on our mini vacations and I proposed to her on the front steps. Also, I may be able to get the price down so services we won't be using.
3. I know they are both ridiculously priced... of this I definately know.
HELP THE MASCOT !!
Re: St. Louis Cathedral vs. Loyola Holy Name of Jesus
Trust me, we are doing a lot of DIY and cutting in certain areas. The Tea Room is so nice that we won't need many decorations and the churches speak for themselves. We are going to make the centerpieces and make the invitations ourselves, too.
Ditto MT, if you've got a lot of history with SLC, I'd go with that because it will mean more to you. The other church is gorgeous, if it weren't for your history I'd say go with it. I got my invites from Exclusively Weddings and they were very inexpensive and just the classic invite, but pretty. Both the churches and the tea room won't need much in the way of decoration, like you said, so that will help. And just cut back on other stuff. DON'T cut back on food because people DO remember if you run out of food, but you don't need "fancy" food. Also, favors are nice but really a waste of money. People may keep them for a little while then chunk them out.
Go with your gut.
And send me an invite
Ditto this. They also remember if your food wasn't that great.
I know I've told Jamie this before but the best thing to do is decide the top 3 places you want to spend money. Yes, SLC has a lot of meaning to you both so if you feel it's worth the $2500, then by all means make it one of your 3 and go for it. But if you think that you can better use the $900 you'd be saving on something else...
What's the priest situation? Does that come into play here?
neither.
Elope to Vegas and save the money.
And go with all of the unsolicited advice
I'm going to go with Shoe on this one. Pick the top 3 things you're spending money on and cut other places.
Congrats on picking the Tea Room! I know ya'll must be so excited. GL!!
ETA: Don't get your hopes up that SLC will drop the price because you aren't using the services. Our church didn't.
This is legal advice. Circa 2011
Ok, forget what I said earlier. Do this! You can go to the beach if Vegas isn't your thing. Or the mountains! Or wine country!
Just be sure to invite me.
Thanks for the tips ladies.. keep 'em comin! We have a couple ideas for "favors", but I cannot release those because you may be invited to the wedding! haha
Shoe, maybe Jamie and I will just elope to Italy and get the honeymoon we want, too. You and male shoe will be invited.
Alas... ::dreams he was as cool as MT::
I know what they are!!! Don't be jealous, all. I'm the wedding planner. ::hair flip::
This is legal advice. Circa 2011
Don't your roll your eyes at me, missy!
Both churches are beautiful. I've never been to LHNJ, but I have been to a wedding at the Cathedral and it was very nice. From what my NO girlfriends say, the cost of the Cathedral had a lot to do with name.....it's well-known and looks smashing on a wedding invite! I know they have a helluva waiting list for weddings, too.
I think either would be lovely. Having just paid for a wedding myself, several hundred dollars makes a big difference as the big day approaches!
I have been to weddings at both. Here is what I have found, and they're completely objective and not based on emotional stuff.
SLC: Much better acoustics than HNoJ. However, because they have three to four weddings/day it seemed incredibly rushed, kind of like a wedding factory. It is very pretty, and well known. The parking can be a PITA.
HNoJ: Terrible acoustics, it is really hard to hear what is going on sometimes. There is one tiny-ass bathroom down the walkway of the church, outside. There was a line forever long at the weddings I went to, just to get in the bathroom. While parking is not 100% great, it is free, and there is lots of street parking. It is very pretty, and the wedding did not seem at all rushed.
Those are just my observations having gone to a few weddings at both churches. Not sure if it helped.
Thanks, ladies, for all your tips, advice, and opinions!
Ali, thanks for your sharing your experiences with both churches. I haven't heard much about HNoJ other than the fact that it's gorgeous, so your input was very helpful!
We know that any church in NO is going to be much more expensive than anywhere in Baton Rouge or at home. We're just trying to cut back on other things to warrant spending more on the church.
I think our three most important things are the church, the reception, and the pictures. The Tea Room is all inclusive - space, food, alcohol, tables, chairs, linens, china, etc. - so that's why I'm including the reception as a top item instead of food or music or something more specific.