As December comes to a close, it’s customary to look back on the year. To say the least, 2016 has been interesting. Though many look at this year with sadness, due to the passing of beloved celebrities and artists, the bridal world had many highs over the past 12 months.
Let Them Eat Cake has also hit some milestones this year. Among them, LTEC turned a year old in January and has grown in its readership. Thank you to each of you for visiting us each day and being part of our community.
To celebrate the close of 2016, we wanted to highlight not only the most popular blogs of the year, but also some of our favorite posts.
First up are the top five most popular blogs of the year.
- “Lady Luck” – preceding the owner’s own wedding, Fleurty Girl debuted a new line of cake pulls. Cake pulls are a staple in Southern weddings and are used to symbolize different future moments for those who “pull” them out of the bridal cake. The line included a fleur de lis, streetcar and a pelican.
- “Bridal Boutique Buzz” – In September, local bridal store Linda Lee Bridal Boutique abruptly closed leaving many brides and their bridal parties questioning the fate of their wedding attire. LTEC actively reported as the story unfolded throughout the day and those following.
“Bridal Beginnings” – In October, Mandy Wienhusen, former co-owner of The Bridal Boutique by MaeMe, announced she was taking over and continuing the legacy of local bridal boutique Town & Country Bridal. We caught up with the new storeowner and interviewed her about the future of the store and its partnership with Blanc Bridal Couture. - “Location Spotlight: The Pontchartrain Hotel” – Location spotlights have been a staple of LTEC bringing readers a look into wedding venue options around the city. When the historic, renovated Pontchartrain Hotel reopened over the summer, LTEC was there to tour the space and its vast restaurant and bar options for couples.
- “Location Spotlight: Ace Hotel New Orleans” – The Ace Hotel is a popular international hotel with many locations. A new Ace location in the CBD earlier this year was at the forefront of the boutique hotel trend gaining popularity in the city.
“When producing a blog every day of the week, not all of our favorites will make it into the top five or 10 of the year when it comes to site visits, comments and emails from readers. It stands to reason that we have a few favorites of our own that may not have gotten the most “clicks,” but we like them for other reasons. One of the series we are most intrigued by is “Cultural Traditions.” At the beginning of this year, a video surfaced on the internet of a couple in New Zealand watching their bridal party perform a traditional Māori Haka. 
The video was extremely moving and gave us the opportunity to research and report on a new culture.
Around October, we attended a bridal event featuring celebrity wedding planner David Tutera. After years of working in the bridal industry, Tutera has become a bit of an industry idol. It was a pleasure meeting him and listening him discuss his time in the business.
Since the blogs inception, Wediquette Wednesdays have been a part of the weekly blog lineup. Each week, New Orleans Bride and LTEC editor Melanie Warner Spencer answers etiquette questions from brides, mothers of the brides, grooms, groomsmen and guests about the appropriate course of action for certain elements of a wedding. The most popular Wediquette was our very first Wednesday post: “ Is it OK to go barefoot at the reception?” I think we were both surprised by the vast comments and concerns from readers and wedding professionals alike. It sparked more interest this past month when Spencer answered another reader question about a bride going barefoot for her entire wedding. You can read “The Barefoot Bride (and Bridesmaid) Chronicles” here.
We hope Let Them Eat Cake has acted as an entertaining and informative guide into the wedding industry both locally and nationally and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Thanks for sharing this year with us and Let Them Eat Cake.
Didn’t see your favorite post? Let us know in the comments.
