Roller Derby Nuptials

God, I love New Orleans. Why? Roller Derby wedding. OK, it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds; no one strapped any skates on. But girls went pretty nuts for the bouquet toss, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get the sound of knees and elbows hitting a stone floor out of my head any time soon.

Everyone in roller derby rocks a roller derby name, and this bride and groom were no different.  Groom: Col. Panic. Bride: Beatrix sKiddo (aka Bea). Not being a computer programmer, I had to have the groom’s name explained to me. But boy, do I love me some Kill Bill. We will use their roller derby names in this blog post to protect the innocent.

Amy Jett called me in to help out with this one. It was a long day, and one of the more unique weddings I have seen. I started the day at the bride & groom’s house (a BEAUTIFUL house only 4 blocks from mine), grabbing some shots of the Colonel and his groomsmen getting ready. They were rockin’ some awesome purple bowties, one of many unique touches to come. We hung out and joked, and I snapped more photos as we all waited for the ladies to give us the green light. The guys were drinking some sort of 20-year old Scotch, which I missed out on because of my “professional ethical standard” of not drinking while working. Ugh. Once the dresses were on and the hair was did, we got the call and headed over to the Omni Royal Orleans hotel, where the reception would be held.

 

 

 

Once we arrived at the hotel, I learned that Bea and the Colonel (sounds like a sitcom name…) had opted for a “first look” before the ceremony. It resulted in this sweet moment:

Amy did some formals in the hotel, and I snuck around like a ninja getting some different angles:

Then Amy grabbed Bea and the bridal party, and we headed out onto the streets of the French Quarter to get some photos before the wedding got started:

The Colonel and his party hoofed it down to the ceremony site, and I got to play paparazzo on the way there. Let’s just say that running backwards down a crowded French Quarter sidewalk while shooting photos takes some skill. Somehow, I didn’t fall on my butt. I should add that to my resume…

Once we got to the ceremony site (Washington Artillery Park), we milled around and the Colonel mingled with the guests as we waited for Bea to arrive by carriage. The sun was just setting when she arrived, and it made for a stunning ceremony.

After the ceremony ended, the new Mr. and Mrs. (Beatrix Panic?) hopped in a cab, along with Amy Jett. They headed down the street to Molly’s (the haunt of many a roller-derby practitioner and many a New Orleanian), where Amy made some great post-wedding portraits. You can see some of those on Amy’s blog HERE.

While that was going on, the guests went ahead and got the party started at the reception. As always, kids and babies are a main attraction at the beginning of the night:

When it comes time for the garter toss, the groom has the distinct pleasure of removing it from the bride’s leg. When the Colonel knelt to retrieve the garter, he was….interrupted:

 I told you this was a unique group. Luckily, the night only got more fun. Meet Savannah, bridesmaid extraordinaire and camera magnet. How she managed to not spill her glass of wine, I will never know.

Dancing, American style:

And dancing, New Orleans style:

All in all, a darn fun night. Make sure to support your local roller derby!