NOAC Events

Dec 13th, 2021

The NOAC's Bienville Courtyard is absolutely stunning! The unique look and history of this venue paired with the prime location right outside of the French Quarter is very rare, if not, the only option and a hidden gem that many people don't know about (at least yet). One of my favorite perks of the venue is the ability to use the bridal suite which is very beautifully designed and has great functionality for getting hair and makeup done (LED mirrors and hair stylist chairs) as well as for getting dressed (two dressing spaces with curtains). Many other venues don't have one or have very outdated bridal suites. Downside is if you don't get married on a Saturday then they charge you an additional fee to use their bridal suite which is way more than it would cost you to pay for a hotel room or airbnb. We stayed at Chateau LeMoyne which is right down the street and had our rehearsal dinner at Broussards which made for a stress-free weekend with zero travel time or costs. I love that the venue is a blank slate and allows you to totally customize your event with your selected vendors, however, the only downside is the cost. $8k is pretty steep for just the venue. We were required to hire a wedding coordinator and had to provide COI and ATC permits for all vendors to be approved which was a bit of a headache. We had a venue coordinator/contact who helped answer questions about the venue throughout the planning process, however, they didn't really help with anything outside of that. Someone was on site for the rehearsal and wedding but just sat on the side as a supervisor of sorts while the coordinator we hired was the main person in charge. I highly recommend if you do go with NOAC to hire a coordinator who has worked there before. We went with Three Little Words who has worked there multiple times and that was a huge help and blessing! Although this venue is marked as affordable on The Knot, it is because the price does not include anything besides the space. Consider this and add up the other costs in detail like needing to rent chairs and tables as well as catering and bartending. It can quickly exceed the cost of other venues that are inclusive of some of these costs and requires you to do more work of hiring separate vendors or hire a wedding full-time wedding planner if you are not willing to do these things yourself. Overall, absolutely stunning and unique venue with a prime location but I personally think it is overpriced for only the rental of the space and think it is outrageous that they charge you extra for the bridal suite on non-Saturdays. Courtyard Photo credit: Maile Lani Photography
Mar 5th, 2022