The New Orleans Athletic Club is a charming wedding venue on the edge of the French Quarter. It combines elegant nineteenth-century architecture with the flexibility to make your wedding unique to you. Sydni-Dee and Armad held their floral-filled wedding reception in the Bienville Courtyard. Laughter, bold colors, and personalized details made their celebration unforgettable.

A bride and groom kiss during their recessional of their New Orleans wedding ceremony in a courtyarld.

A Wedding at the New Orleans Athletic Club

The New Orleans Athletic Club has a long history in the city’s social life. Way before it became a favorite wedding venue, it started as a gym back in 1872. Now located on the edge of the French Quarter, it still operates as a gym and coworking space. The historic building with its tall windows and courtyard bring lots of classic New Orleans charm to events.

A pair of white wedding shoes sits above an arrangement of colorful spring wedding flowers.

Long reception tables with vintage glassware decorate the courtyard of the New Orleans Athletic Club for a wedding.

Vintage glassware and white plates sit on a reception table in the courtyard at a New Orleans Athletic Club wedding.

A bride and groom dance in a New Orleans courtyard during their first look.

A bride wipes away a tear while she talks to a groom outside the Audubon Cottages in the French Quarter.

You have three different options for event spaces within the New Orleans Athletic Club.

The NOAC Ballroom is the largest indoor space with capacity for 120 people seated or 200 people cocktail style. The towering stained glass windows are beautiful.
Vaughan’s Pub is exactly what it sounds like – a bar! It includes a historic wood and brass bar. It’s the smallest space with capacity for 125 people.
Sydni-Dee and Armad had their wedding reception in the Bienville Courtyard. It’s a minimalist brick patio. With its capacity for over 300 people seated, it gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of event design.

A bride and groom pose beside a pool in a brick courtyard before their New Orleans wedding.

A bride and groom pose for a New Orleans wedding photographer in the courtyard of the Pharmacy Museum.

A bride and groom kiss beneath a white floral wedding arch at the Pharmacy Museum.

The New Orleans Athletic Club is pretty transparent about its site fees for wedding rentals. The Bienville Courtyard costs between $3000 and $8000 to rent depending on the time of day and day of the week that you want to rent it. The NOAC Ballroom is available for $5000 on weekends. Vaughan’s Pub costs $3000 to rent on Saturday evenings.

A bride and groom run past a colorful French Quarter house on the way to their New Orleans Athletic Club wedding.

A bride rests her hand on a groom's red wedding suit, showing her diamond wedding ring.

A New Orleans bride poses in front of a green door before her New Orleans Athletic Club wedding.

A Bold Floral Aesthetic

To say that Sydni-Dee and Armad are plant people would be an understatement. Together they run a small business called A&S Plants. The online shop sells shirts, totes, and stickers for plant lovers. After the wedding, Sydni-Dee and Armad gifted me with their merch. Now I proudly flaunt my “Plant Whore” sweatshirt everywhere! Needless to say, their wedding was very flower-focused.

A sign in the shape of a mortar and pestle hangs outside the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.

A bride and groom pose surrounded by their wedding party in the courtyard of a New Orleans wedding venue.

A bride's mother wipes a tear from her cheek as they walk down the aisle at a New Orleans wedding.

Sydni-Dee and Armad worked with Julia Parish of Spanish Oak Events to bring their vision to life. I want to give Julia a major shoutout. She gave her all to this wedding. Throughout the process, she stayed both organized and so much fun to work with. The New Orleans Athletic Club transformed under her care.

A wedding ceremony takes place in the courtyard of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.

A bride reads her vows into a microphone at a New Orleans wedding.

A bride and groom kiss in front of a New Orleans wedding parade.

When Sydni-Dee and Armad first described their wedding to me, they said that they were aiming for “very floral and springtime colors! Pink, yellow, orange, green… Our aesthetic is airy, organic, and fun!”

A bridesmaid smiles and waves a handkerchief in a wedding second line.

A bride carrying a New Orleans wedding umbrella dances with friends in front of a brass band.

Wedding guests wave from a pedicab riding parallel to a second line.

That all translated perfectly in every detail of their wedding day. Sydni-Dee brought her creative talents to the reception details. She hand painted the candles and other decor.’

Groomsmen lift a bride for a photo during a second line in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Bridesmaids laugh as they try to lift a groom at the front of a New Orleans second line.

A New Orleans wedding parade ends in front of the New Orleans Athletic Club.

Sydni-Dee’s bouquet also included a leaf from her own Anthurium crystallinum. Cry Baby Florals did an amazing job of incorporating it into the creamy white and yellow blooms of her bouquet. The flowers brought so much vibrance and energy to the New Orleans Athletic Club.

The Tap Truck NOLA car is parked at the edge of a wedding reception at the New Orleans Athletic Club.

A bride and groom sit at Vaughan's Bar and kiss with a wedding cake in the foreground.

Flowers decorate a New Orleans wedding cake on the bar top at the New Orleans Athletic Club.

I’m excited to share that Sydni-Dee and Armad’s wedding was featured in Wedding Chicks as well! That post includes even more detail photos from their gorgeous reception in the courtyard of the New Orleans Athletic Club. Check out the article here.

A partially eaten wedding cake sits beside wedding Polaroid photos and two champagne flutes on a bar top at the New Orleans Athletic Club.

A bride and groom kiss during their first dance in the courtyard at the New Orleans Athletic Club.

A bride and groom smile during parent dances.

Sydni-Dee and Armad’s Fun Celebration

I had such a blast photographing Sydni-Dee and Armad’s wedding and reception. This couple is SO special. They’re emotive, fun, and silly. You could feel how much fun they had with each other. It was so contagious that everyone around them had a great time, too. Their humor and uninhibited silly faces resonated so much with me as a photographer and human.

A bridesmaid reads a speech from her phone.

Wedding guests sit at long tables eating a candlelit dinner at a New Orleans Athletic Club wedding.

A groom does a line dance with wedding guests in the New Orleans Athletic Club.

Throughout their wedding day, Sydni-Dee and Armad sprinkled in private moments. Before their Pharmacy Museum ceremony and New Orleans Athletic Club reception, they got ready at the Audubon Cottages. They booked out the whole pool courtyard so that they would have different areas to themselves. Even though they got ready in separate rooms, they both had rooms adjoining the courtyard. We got to use the pool as a perfect photo backdrop without worrying about strangers being in the background.

A bride dances with a bridesmaid in a crowd of wedding guests at a New Orleans wedding.

A disco ball reflects lights from a corner of a room in the New Orleans Athletic Club wedding venue.

A bride in a white reception dress kneels beside a groom on the dance floor of a outdoor wedding.

Sydni-Dee and Armad also opted for a private cake cutting. I feel like this is one of the places you can really see their personalities shine. They carved their initials in the icing with their forks before digging in.