Had it not been for the downpour on her wedding day, Natalie Arthurs might not have felt such an outpouring of love and togetherness. When she was planning her wedding last spring, she wanted – more than anything – for her out-of-state guests to experience the Cajun culture. In spite of a Louisiana rainstorm, the special day took on an unexpected life of its own.

As soon as she was engaged last April, Arthurs knew she had to lock down the venue and church. The New Iberia native has always known she wanted her reception at The Shadows-on-the-Teche. When a date finally came available, she booked it and then quickly secured St. Peter’s Catholic Church.

“Growing up in New Iberia was magical and I wanted to share that with people who I’ve known along my journey,” says the 36-year-old who dreamed of having a second-line from the church to The Shadows.

A Plan

The next order of business for the Atlanta resident was booking a wedding planner. “I’m big on outsourcing; I listen to advice and to the experts,” says Arthurs, a senior manager of commercialization at Coca Cola. “I plan big events for a living; I didn’t need another job.”

With the help of Lafayette florist and planner Brian Crutchfield, Arthurs was able to pull off the vision she had for her wedding. “John and I wanted a classic, elegant wedding with a Cajun experience,” she shares. (After all, they did meet in a Cajun restaurant in Atlanta.) “Brian’s ideas were amazing and he brought the flowers, caterer and vendors all together, including working closely with Parties Plus Bridals in highlighting the Cajun culture. I knew the setting at the Shadows was going to be beautiful – even on December 18. I didn’t want anything to overshadow the charm and beauty of the grounds.”

However when Arthurs arrived in New Iberia the week before the wedding, the weather forecast was disheartening: rain on her wedding day. Three days before the event, plans changed with the couple moving their reimagined outdoor ceremony into tents. When Crutchfield plans an outdoor wedding he says, “I always put a tent on hold.” Plans changed from hundreds of lights to be strung in the oak trees and around the property to bringing in “a lot of electrical and lighting.”

On the eve of her wedding, in lieu of the traditional rehearsal dinner, Arthurs wanted a “welcoming party” for all of her out-of-state guests. “John and I wanted an experience for those people who made the effort to come to the wedding,” she says. The event, held at Bayou Teche Trading Company, in New Iberia, featured gumbo, jambalaya and Cajun music. Some 100 guests were treated to welcome boxes with items like pralines, hot sauce, bottled water, Zapp’s potato chips and a map of New Iberia.

It’s Raining Kids

Just before the wedding, while the weather was calm, the couple was able to take pictures outside, but throughout the ceremony and into the reception, it poured – in true South Louisiana fashion. Instead of her second line, buses brought guests to The Shadows.

A former elementary teacher, Arthurs loves children and knew she wanted more than the traditional ring bearer and flower girl; she wanted the children of her best friends to be the focus of the wedding party. There were eight flower girls, (two of them were babies carried by their mothers) two ring bearers, readers, gift bearers and program attendants. The young ring bearers sported navy velvet page boy suits with white peplum collars. Flower girls wore white, tea-length dresses with crowns of greenery on their heads. It was an image reminiscent of a royal wedding.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Having lost their fathers nine years ago, the couple wanted their presence felt at the wedding. Three children came down the aisle carrying framed pictures of the two fathers and a bouquet of flowers to represent Arthurs’ deceased grandparents. As she walked down the aisle with her brother, the bride carried her grandmother’s rosary with the bouquet. At the welcoming party, she wore her father’s wedding ring on a necklace.

All in the Details

An incredible four-tiered wedding cake adorned with white roses and pink peonies was perched on the porch of The Shadows. As guests approached the covered welcome table, flip flops and heel guards were offered. The evening’s festivities were spread across three tents on the side lawn. Under a main tent, illuminated by two large crystal chandeliers, guests congregated and danced on the mahogany-finished floor. Two smaller connecting tents housed the bar and food.

Food played a very important part of Arthurs’ Cajun experience in a lavish cocktail buffet that included grits and grillades, shrimp pasta and breads in the shape of turtles and alligators. A tea tower and scones were a nod to the groom who is from England. His mother was consulted on this project. “I involved John’s mother as much as I could,” says Arthurs’ mother Caryn Hymel. “His family was so appreciative that we included their heritage in the wedding, including decorating the groom’s cake as the Union Jack flag.” Other details included specially-made color pages of the bride and groom for the children and kids’ meals of Chick-fil-A and macaroni and cheese.

When GTO Party Band started playing, guests hit the dance floor. “Because everyone was under the tent, they got to know each other,” Arthurs recalls fondly. “One of my friends from Atlanta danced with my 94-year-old uncle.” An artist captured the energy and happiness with a live painting.

“The day wasn’t what I envisioned,” admits Arthurs “but the spirit that I wanted was achieved and everyone had a good time embracing the weather. I still have people commenting on how much fun they had.”

Now expecting a baby boy in January, Arthurs plans to use some of the rainwater she kept that day in the baptism of her son.