Swamp Boat Wedding

My head is finally un-fogged and my body  acclimatized  to cool, non-New Orleans  weather.  The pictures are  sorted, cropped and red-eyed.  So, I give you my niece's swamp boat wedding.

First, you should know - there were shoes!

My grandfather ran a shoe store when I was a child and would take us, Sundays, after Church, to the privacy of the closed  store to buy our shoes.  That's where it started.

For those of you who have never attended a swamp boat wedding and wonder 'what the heck is a swamp boat' - here it is.  A flat-bottomed boat which seats 20 or so, with a flat metal roof.  Perfect for navigating the shallow, gator-infest waters of the Bayou.

Guests included 92 year old Grandpa of the bride and his friend Dorothy.  

The groom waited at the back?? front?? end! of the boat,

as Mom and Dad walked the bride down the 'aisle'.

Reverend Tony officiated

then we all watched the first, married kiss

and a new family was formed.

What food is served at a Louisiana swamp boat wedding?  Good question.  Beyond the traditional Champagne for toasts and the  heart-shaped cake, there were

Muffelattas, and Po-Boys.  Blackened chicken, fish and shrimp Po-Boys to be exact.

Who all attended this special wedding?  Beyond the 13 family members, there were more than a few unexpected,  but apparently welcome,  guests.

Dinner back in town took place at Arnauds.  A charming restaurant in a 300 hundred year-old building right in the heart of the French Quarter.  We enjoyed the quiet of a private, second-floor room with a balcony that overlooked the mayhem of Bourbon Street at Festival time. 

The wedding was beyond special.  The weather perfect, the bride beautiful and the setting unique. Not soon to be forgotten, that is for sure.