FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is Southern Oaks a historic plantation?

The area of New Orleans where we are located was completely undeveloped until the 1940's. Southern Oaks was originally built as a private residence in the mid-1960's and has been a wedding venue since 1987.

How is the food presented to the guests and do I have to choose a certain amount of items from the menu list?

Each event at Southern Oaks features exclusively hand-passed cuisine in the traditional New Orleans style, similar to an all-you-can-eat cocktail party. Receptions are designed this way to solve the problems associated with buffets and seated dinners. This way, your guests never have to stand in line to get their food, worry if the food is still hot or fresh, carry it back to their table, sit with the same people all night long, or worry about not getting enough to eat. The result is a reception that is much more festive, social, and memorable for everyone in attendance! It also allows us to ensure the food is perfectly presented to your guests immediately after being prepared.

As soon as the food comes out of the oven or off the grill, it is plattered and served to your guests, butler-style. Our staff is constantly circling, offering scrumptious hors d'oeuvres, entrées, and desserts to all your guests in every nook and cranny of the mansion. The dishes are prepared in appetizer-sized portions, which allows guests to sample dozens of different items during the reception. Every item you see on our menu is served; over 80 items in all. We don't make you pick and choose certain things to have at your event—you get all of it! Above all, our food is absolutely delicious and magnificently presented. If you ask anyone who has attended an event at Southern Oaks how they enjoyed it, the first thing they will probably mention is the food.We have an outstanding reputation in the New Orleans area of having the best food in the business.

Do you offer food tastings?

We do not offer tastings at Southern Oaks, and there are several reasons for this: First, our menu is all-inclusive, meaning you do not have to make any selections. Everything on the menu is served for every celebration. Second, we have established a wonderful reputation over the last 37 years for having some of the best food in the in the New Orleans area. Ask anyone who has attended a Southern Oaks reception, and the first thing they will probably mention about their experience is the quality of the food. At Southern Oaks, we made the decision that instead of offering tastings, we would rather book clients based on the reputation we have earned while serving close to 1 million guests over the course of the last three decades.

What parking arrangements are available?

When your guests pull in through the gates of the Southern Oaks, they will follow the driveway past the mansion to our illuminated parking lot. The lot can accommodate about 100 vehicles and overflow parking is available on the streets in front of and behind the grounds.

What amenities are not included in the package?

There are a few items we do not provide directly through Southern Oaks that you would need to have supplied through an outside vendor. You would need to provide your own photographer, florist to design bouquets and boutonnieres for the bridal party, officiant (minister or justice of the peace) for the ceremony, and bakery for the wedding cake. When you book your event with us, we will provide you with a list of recommended vendors to help you choose quality merchants for all your needs.

What is the rain plan in case of inclement weather?

Our rain plan at Southern Oaks is first and foremost to do everything we can to hold the ceremony on the front lawn.  If we have to speed up or slow down the ceremony a few minutes to miss a shower, we will do just that.  Before every event we tune into the weather channel and watch the radar on the internet to judge if rain will be an issue.  If we can wait a couple minutes for the rain to pass while we wipe down the privat and dry the aisle, we will certainly do so.  However, if the rain just won’t quit, we move the ceremony indoors where we convert the grand ballroom into a wedding chapel, using the picture windows that overlook the pool and patio as the backdrop for the ceremony.  The indoor setup is quite lovely, and some brides and grooms even request an indoor ceremony regardless of weather.

Is a rehearsal provided with the ceremony package?

A ceremony rehearsal is included as part of our ceremony package, although rehearsals at Southern Oaks are somewhat unique. The week of the celebration (on Monday through Thursday before the event) we sit down with the bride and groom for a private rehearsal, at which we don’t allow anyone else to be present. Over the years, we found this was the most efficient way to coordinate the event. We spend that time meeting with the two of you—the two most important people—getting your input and making you very comfortable with the way everything will work.Then on the day of the celebration, when the bridal party arrives one hour before the ceremony, we do a quick rehearsal with everyone involved. This way it doesn’t give anyone time to forget. We also have three coordinators present for every ceremony: one with the parents, grandparents, groom, and groomsmen; one with the bridesmaids, flower girl, and ring bearer; and one with the bride and whoever is walking the bride down the aisle. Everything is very well organized, and we don’t leave any room for error.

Can extra time be added to the reception?

Yes, if you wished to have both your ceremony and reception at Southern Oaks, the event would last three and a half hours.  You may also purchase additional reception time by an extra 30 minutes or full hour, priced according to the time slot and number of guests booked. The maximum number of hours we can accommodate a reception is for a total of four hours. However, over the years we've found three hours is ideal for most celebrations.