Down a winding rural lane, just miles from downtown New Orleans, sits an elegant Southern mansion waiting for the fairytale weddings deserving of its ancient oak trees. Stella Plantation brings the plantation to the 21st century with continual updates and luxury amenities.
“People come for the oak trees,” says Caroline Perrone, the locations events manager. The over 1,500 acres of land is the home to beautiful, historic 250–year–old oak trees, creating the picturesque backdrop and photos many brides hopes for on their wedding day.
Exchange vows amid the “Lazy Tree,” – the most popular ceremony location on the property – or take advantage of the customizable event tent with updated restroom facilities and an option for a rainy day bridal drop off. The tent includes permanent concrete floors and walls that can be pulled back for an indoor-outdoor soiree or closed up with air conditioning or heat to match the seasonal weather.
Stella Plantation offers couples celebrity-style accommodations while preparing for their impending “I Dos.” Ladies can dress their tresses in front of a large vanity and a full sized bathroom. The guest house also includes a full kitchen, lounge area with flat screen TV and smaller half bathroom. It’s the perfect primping location while the groom and his gentlemen prepare for the ceremony in the cookhouse. The cookhouse houses a full sized kitchen and is prepared for any festivity from groomsmen to a pre-wedding crawfish boil.
The carriage house offers couples a smaller, indoor option on the property. Use the space, decorated with a vintage carriage, for a more homey ceremony or a pre-wedding space for rehearsal dinners, engagement parties or bridal showers. Exposed wood beams and other embellishments add rustic flare and an option for couples with weddings of any size.
Stella Plantation is equipped to handle an intimate affair of 50 or a large, outdoor multi-hundred-person reception. While they work with preferred caterers, Stella is ready to accommodate and work with any and all venders chosen by the couple.
Stella Plantation, 4881 Highway 39, Braithwaite, www.stellaplantation.com.
*Photos by Kelly Massicot*
