When Margaret Kristin Lohmann and Thomas James Barone met at the Columns Hotel in the fall of 2007, little did they know that they would be marrying each other right across the street at the church Margaret grew up in nine years later.
In the coming months, while Margaret and Tom were attending college at Tulane University, they frequented Tulane football games, crawfish boils and enjoyed having dinner with friends.
After graduation they became inseparable and both began working at Margaret’s alma mater, Isidore Newman School. A few years later they moved to New York City, where Tom’s parents live, until Margaret landed her dream job working at Capital One in New Orleans. Tom soon joined her.
In August 2015, under the guise of Sunday brunch with Margaret’s parents, she drove to her parents’ house on Henry Clay Avenue, where she grew up, and Tom was waiting at the front gate. As they proceeded up the front walk, Tom dropped to one knee and popped the question.
Margaret’s excitement and surprise was forever captured on a GoPro that her family had strategically placed in the bushes. The newly engaged couple’s families and friends were all inside watching the proposal from the windows. When Margaret and Tom came through the door everyone yelled “Surprise!” and the celebration began.
On October 8, 2016, at Rayne Memorial Methodist Church Reverend Max Zehner and Reverend James Keenan, S.J. married Margaret and Tom.
Margaret walked down the aisle in a Ramona Keveza gown purchased from Wedding Belles. After the ceremony, the bride and groom led their guests to Latrobe’s on Royal Street for the reception.
Everyone danced to the music of The Mixed Nuts, while enjoying the delicious food from John Besh –complete with raw bar – a candy table by Graceful Events – no surprise, since everyone knows Margaret is a candy-holic – and a photo booth by Boogie Booth.
The surprise of the night was when the band stopped playing and the Grand Marshall from Kinfolk Brass Band second-lined the guests six blocks down Canal Street to the Ritz-Carlton, where the party continued.
The newly married couple left for a two-week honeymoon in Europe where they visited Paris, Barcelona and Tenerife. They returned home to New Orleans, where Margaret is a Senior Marketing Associate at Capital One and Tom works as a financial services professional for New York Life.
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale, Wedding Belles
Groom’s and Groomsmen’s Attire: The Black Tux
Florist: Meade Wenzel
Invitations: Betty Hunley
Wedding Cake and Groom’s Cake: The Royal Cakery
Photographer: Greer Gattuso
Makeup: Katie Malone
Hair: Jen Thiele
(Back Row) Porter Carrere, Kevin Cummings, Matthew Gnall, Ryan Caylor, Patrick Olivieri, Michael Rooney, Bradley Keating, Carl Kraus, Douglas Barone, John McWhorter, Dustin Scarpa, James Cifelli, Jason Bigelow, Michael Seufer, Giancarlo Capodanno, Jonathan Forges (Front Row) Samantha Hinckley, Elizabeth Keating, Alycia Swayze, Mia Jahncke, Caitlin Carrere, Paige Bigelow, Jennifer Lohmann- Bigelow, Evie Bigelow, Margaret Barone, Thomas J. Barone, Jay Bigelow, Katherine de Filippis, Lindsay Diamond, Mary Cifelli, Ashley Barraza, Tara Lang and Ashley Barriere
