Southern Oaks — Attraction in New Orleans

Best of the Best An Absolute Dream Come True at Southern Oaks Plantation ~

I had the wonderful pleasure of holding my ceremony & wedding reception at Southern Oaks Plantation on 11.8.19 (marking our 19 year anniversary as a couple!). This was a destination wedding (my husband & I are from NJ/NYC, and had guests guests traveling in from all over the world). In short, Lauren and Mr. Bobby along with the rest of the amazing staff including my personal attendants Emma & Nick literally made me the happiest woman on earth during my wedding I'm still floating weeks later recalling how they took 15-16 months of my very detailed planning documents (I'm very particular about process & logistics in general & I had an equally VERY SPECIFIC vision for what I wanted to match!) Lauren & Mr. Bobby took ALL of it in we're talking a massive amount of emails here and created the absolute PERFECT wedding day that I envisioned; they are truly best in class and are such wonderful people to boot! The venue is stunning and they take immaculate care of the grounds; it's truly a marvel to see, especially at night!! My ceremony included details on a pre-event playlist for guests upon arrival, a horse & carriage entrance, fireworks, jazz band, timed music, coordination and entrances of specific individuals in my wedding party, and literally like magic, it all just came together spectacularly on our big day EVERY single person that attended over 100 guests again from all over the world, were so impressed and beyond awed at the experience Southern Oaks delivered. I had never heard so many superlatives used by my friends and family (all who have attended numerous weddings): "This was the PERFECT Wedding!", "This was hands down the BEST Wedding I've been to, and I've been to a LOT!" these are direct quotes from our F&F and they KEPT saying it throughout the night! SOP's impeccable attention to detail and their passion for creating the best experience possible for their couples is truly remarkable & above all, GENUINE they truly do care about making people 'incandescently happy' :).

Of course ... the food was a sight all so tasty from the praline chicken to the charbroiled oysters and the excellent open bar ~ my guests wanted for nothing, and they LOVED the concept of a continuous hand-passed variety of food to sample throughout the night vs. a "single entree" selection - it's ingenious, really!

Additionally, SOP really made everything so EASY as they have so much experience and continue to innovate by providing so many amazing little conveniences for their couples i.e. letting us borrow their second line umbrellas for a portion of the ceremony, providing cake stands, easels, having a photo booth avl w/staff on-hand to help, and thoughtful gestures such as packing up what was left of our wedding cake to make sure we had every flavor, a to-go box of the wonderful food, a bottle of champagne, having a personal attendant for myself, Mr. Bobby & Lauren personally helping to serve a quick private dinner for myself and my husband so sweet taking great care of our parents the entire night, and staff on-hand to guide us through moments like cutting our cake, picture opportunities and thoughtful tips you just don't get this level of service everywhere we truly felt like royalty & did I mention there are other special surprises they throw in on top of all of this?? It's so unreal...I don't want to give anything else away for other couples!!:) Do yourself a favor and book here if you're on the fence; it will be one of the BEST decisions you'll make!

Thank you Lauren, Mr. Bobby and all the amazing staff; your work epitomizes the dream of a perfect NOLA wedding and I can't express enough how grateful I am you truly are all DREAM MAKERS!! "Better & even MORE magical than Disney!" to directly quote another...

If you are looking for the perfect venue that provides Exceptional service, Great Food and a Magical evening Southern Oaks is the place. My husband and I wanted to get married in New Orleans and was interested in an all inclusive venue. Well we signed the contract site unseen and it was the best decision ever. This place looks exactly like the pictures, actually better. From the first phone call up to the last dance, Mr. Bobby and his gracious staff handled my guest and the entire wedding party like royalty. Every question I had regarding my wedding was answered, this venue provides everything and they do not try to upsell you on items. There are no hidden fees, upcharges or surprises. Well, the surprises are what your guest will experience. My wedding was Magical, Grand and Royal. Everything was smooth and effortless, the staff operates this place like a well oiled machine. There is no running around, no one is confused and you, the wedding party and family members are assigned a concierge that ensures your culinary/drink needs are met. All the special touches, there is also a moment where you really get to take each other in and embrace what is actually happening. Private Room: We were swept away to a private room, the table was set, our glasses were filled with Champagne and it was just us I thought this was absolutely thoughtful. It was probably one of the better moments amidst everything thing else it was our time to decompress...The Food: It is not your typical wedding plate of chicken, fish or buffet. This place provides a Taste of New Orleans, I mean your guest will not stop talking about what they ate, how good the food was and how much food was being passed. Amazing flavors and a huge variety. There is no waiting, once the reception starts the food is being passed, this style was great because it also eliminated the hassle of seating charts, open seating was also another reason I loved this place. Enhancements: I chose to have a New Orleans Style Brass Band, Horse and Carriage, Carving Station and Fireworks, which made it a very grand time, my guest were over stimulated with surprises. During the time of our wedding, my husband and I was experiencing a difficult time and Mr. Bobby had a surprise for us, he upgraded our fireworks package to River Fireworks, it was like the 4th of July in September. The sky was lit up over the River.. all for us. The Venue: This place is gorgeous on the inside and outside. The outside has huge moss filled oak trees with a beautiful historic fountain as you enter, it's really picturesque and well kept grounds. Behind the Mansion there is plenty parking for your guests and a stable and swimming pool where the beautiful white horse are kept. Your guest can sit outside and enjoy the cafe tables where the music from inside is piping outside for their enjoyment. Inside every room is gorgeous, the place has a timeless feel with a real richness that provides grandeur. Jeremy, Lauren and Mariah customer service just impeccable, I can also tell that this is a great place to work. They all really work in sync and the professionalism, I just cannot state it enough. I will always remember my wedding day and cherish the wonderful memories because of the staff here, the owner and the venue. My guests are still calling and saying how this was by far the best wedding they have ever attended. Most of my guest have become wedding snobs because of their experience here. Your wedding at this place really raises the bar. Thank you Southern Oaks and Staff for a Memorable Day and for the Bride and Groom box of food and Cake to go. We enjoyed ever moment..Happily Ever After The...

Southern Oaks is a 5 star operation. From booking, to planning, to the big day, and follow up after, the team at Southern Oaks was outstanding. Owner Bobby personally called me after we got home to say thank you and talk more about our wedding. His #2 Lauren is wedding coordinator extraordinaire, she also is the commander on the big day! She drove her team to execute each component flawlessly throughout our reception and ceremony. They make things perfect and stay out of your way so you can enjoy the night. Having a personal attendant assigned to me was amazing because I never noticed them but my drink was also never empty and I didn’t even have to ask! For the first time in my life, I attended a wedding and didn’t visit the bar once!!! The lighting installed outside at the venue was magical at night. The food was delicious, abundant, and received many compliments from our guests. For enhancements we added: silver cloud limo, second line band, fireworks, drago’s oyster truck, and Mardi Gras parade. I’d recommend all of them because they added a lot to the experience for us and for our guests. Tbh the fireworks were the element that truly made it over the top!!! (which is what we were going for)

New Orleans: we decided to do a destination wedding because we live out west in Montana and our family is from all over (especially the Midwest). My wife and I have always loved NOLA, and we have been there many times. Once we selected NOLA, Southern Oaks came up to the top of our list for venues. We traveled down to tour the venue and for comparison we found two other venues to tour as well: The Jax & Elms Mansion. We saw those first and they were both phenomenal, but they just weren’t what we wanted. When we met with Lauren and drank champagne as we toured the property envisioning our big night there, we knew it was an easy decision. When our date was available we didn’t hesitate to book Southern Oaks and you should book them too!

Most of our guests and family’s hadn’t been to NOLA before. We have heard rave reviews about the event at Southern Oaks but also the long weekend in the big easy. To say people had fun, was the understatement of the year. Many of my cousins took my mom to the side at the wedding and said “I’m just glad that I’m already married, so I don’t have to try to follow this!!!”

They loved the food, culture, music, and vibes. October weather in NOLA is fab too! Pat O'Brien’s definitely got some extra business from our Irish crew on our wedding weekend!

Thank you so much to Bobby, Lauren, and the entire Southern Oaks Teams. We wish you nothing but success, and we know you’ll have it because you are so good at what you do. You will always hold a place in our hearts for being part of our wedding celebration!

Ok I’m done gushing. Talk to them and get your event booked, you won’t regret it!!!

Shoot outs to:

Dark Roux (photographer) Redfish (rehearsal dinner) Landry’s (welcome party) Bourbon Orleans Hotel (hotel provider) KimStar Wise (florist) Hotard (transportation) Virgo Beauty...