READING TIME: 3 min 42 sec
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/28/2025
UPDATED: 04/03/2025
When you meet Elyse Jennings, it’s easy to understand why so many couples entrust her with one of the most important days of their lives. A planner, designer, logistics expert, and New Orleans enthusiast all wrapped in one — Elyse doesn’t just coordinate weddings; she creates immersive, heartfelt experiences that echo long after the last champagne toast.
For more than 13 years, she’s been bringing love stories to life in one of the most romantic and vibrant cities in the world. Through passion, precision, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Elyse has built a name for herself among the top destination wedding planners in the South and beyond.
Elyse’s path into wedding planning wasn’t plotted on a map — it was sparked by serendipity.
“After working as an assistant on my first wedding in college, I was hooked on the buzz of excitement and love all around!” she recalls with the kind of enthusiasm that never left her side. That spark became a calling, and later, a business — started not in a high-rise office or studio, but in her sorority house.
“A few years later, I started my company as a class project from my bedroom at the Delta Zeta sorority house, and dreamt that the business could become my career!” And it did — magnificently so.
Elyse doesn’t just plan weddings — she builds relationships.
“Meeting couples from all over the country, getting to know who they are to their core and infusing those details into their wedding weekends!” she explains. Every detail she designs, every vendor she recommends, is done through the lens of her clients’ stories.
It’s a human-first philosophy: listen deeply, plan thoroughly, and always make space for laughter. “We don’t get to spend a ton of time together in person – but we always make it count by laughing through our planning conversations while cheersing over cocktails!”
At Elyse Jennings Weddings, couples can choose from two levels of planning service — but it’s the full-service experience, affectionately dubbed The Whole Shebang, that allows Elyse and her team to truly shine.
“We call our full service planning the ‘Whole Shebang’ as it comes with all the planning essentials plus all the extra flair – and this is our favorite way to plan as it allows us all the extra time and insight to build the dream from the ground up.”
She and her associate Ashley are detail lovers at heart: “We’re huge information seekers, which gives us all the data we need to pre-plan every single detail and moment with precision!”
This methodical foundation is rooted in wisdom passed down from her grandfather. “When we start right, we know we’ll always end right – a valuable lesson my grandfather taught me!”
When asked about the most memorable wedding she’s ever planned, Elyse lights up. It’s no surprise — the story is nothing short of spectacular.
“I love a full transformation! Give us a plot of grass or an empty parking lot and watch us shine as we manufacture a space where every detail is curated to your style!”
One recent project — Maddie and Eric’s wedding in the New Orleans Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden — tested her team’s talents to the limit. “The beautiful garden is the home of hundreds of sculptures, but provides nothing but an open space for events – no power, no water, no bathrooms or kitchen.”
Undeterred, Elyse and her vendor dream team worked tirelessly to create a fully realized luxury wedding environment from scratch: “We built level sub flooring which got carpeted, erected a 6,000 sq foot climate controlled tented structure, added lush greens and wisteria to all ceiling rafters, and designed an elevated yet comfortable space for the 350 guests to enjoy for 5.5 hours!”
The cherry on top? They built it all in freezing temps and rain — and still, it was pure magic. “At the end of the day, the couple and the guests were blown away and over the moon and that makes every stressful moment worth it!”
With two young daughters and a deep love for New Orleans, Elyse has found her sweet spot: luxury destination weddings that allow her to stay close to home while still delivering world-class celebrations.
“I am lucky enough to live so close to the magical city of New Orleans which is a huge hub for destination weddings! So we still get to specialize in destination weddings, but they are destination TO US – where we get to be the experts on our venues, vendors, and our city!”
And that city? It’s the secret sauce. “There are so many venues that we love which incorporate the melting pot of our culture, the Nola architecture, and feeling our city infuses into your bones which begs you to have a good time!”
As Elyse reflects on her journey, one thing is clear: she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.
“THANK YOU WEZOREE FOR THIS WONDERFUL HONOR! I AM SO APPRECIATIVE AND GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE CELEBRATING NEW ORLEANS PLANNERS AND THE TALENT IN THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY!”
From the heart of New Orleans to wherever her couples’ dreams may take her, Elyse Jennings continues to transform wedding weekends into timeless experiences. With warmth, vision, and an uncanny ability to build beauty from the ground up, she’s showing us all how extraordinary love stories deserve to be celebrated.
