Choosing a venue for a wedding reception is one of the most important decisions a couple has to make on their big day – and it usually takes up a significant chunk of the budget. Local non-profit organizations have started to enter the market, offering not only a space for couples to bond and celebrate, but also a way to support a good cause at the same time. It’s a union where everyone wins.
reconcile cafe
reconcile cafe
Central City Cafe Reconcile’s event spaces include a formal dining room with hardwood floors and exposed brick walls, as well as a courtyard and balcony overlooking the Oretha Castle Haley neighborhood.
On-site catering and service is prepared and served by local interns aged 16-24 under the guidance of Executive Chef Martha Wiggins who provide at-risk youth with a hands-on environment for professional skills, learning about hospitality, cooking and entrepreneurship be able.
Private events complement the Cafe Reconcile restaurant, open weekdays for lunch on the ground floor.
For these young people, on-site weddings serve as a useful training opportunity to learn how to prepare and serve food, while also giving them the opportunity to earn extra income as waiters, dishwashers, bus drivers and more. The interns wear smart uniforms and handle all front and back of house service.
The formal upstairs function room can accommodate up to 100 guests for a seated event or up to 150 guests for a cocktail reception. The cafe can arrange live music, valet parking, menu planning, decoration and table layouts.
Cafe Reconcile’s mission is to help interns succeed in and out of the kitchen.
“The goal is to remove barriers so they can be employed profitably,” says Brandy Trepagnier, Cafe Reconcile’s Hospitality Development Manager.
In more than 20 years, more than 2,000 graduates have gone through the program.
Rental prices: Only minimum food and beverage prices ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 depending on room and day plus applicable taxes and service charges.
Cafe Reconcile, 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., (504) 568-1157; caferconcile.org.
5 Press Gallery at NOCCA
NOCCA Foundation
Popular high school for performing arts students, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) accommodates weddings on its Bywater campus on Press Street.
Press Street Gardens, Press Street Station and 5 Press Street Art Gallery are currently booking events. (The larger 300-person Solomon Hall is currently unbookable due to COVID-19 security restrictions). Event rentals are handled through the NOCCA Foundation, which works to increase revenue to support students, faculty and faculty.
“These spaces let people see a little bit of NOCCA,” says Richard Read, director of communications and public programs at the NOCCA Foundation.
Press Street Gardens is a half-acre urban farm and large courtyard that can accommodate 200 guests for a cocktail reception. Guests can explore a large green space surrounded by native trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as herbs and vegetables grown by students in NOCCA’s Culinary Arts program.
Press Street Station is an airy industrial space with architectural details drawn from the building’s history as a railroad facility and warehouse. A recent restoration included roll-up glass garage doors, a marble bar and a professional kitchen.
The school’s art gallery, 5 Press Street, features artwork by NOCCA faculty and alumni and can accommodate up to 90 guests for a cocktail reception.
Event rentals in all spaces include tables and chairs, high boys, tablecloths, front of house staff and a PA system. Couples can bring their own catering company or self-cater at no additional charge. NOCCA lecturers and alumni receive a discount on event rentals.
“We’ve had everything from very fancy sit-down dinners to families bringing in a potluck dinner,” says Read.
Revenue generated from private events is vital to NOCCA as it allows the foundation to meet student needs.
“While [the pandemic], we started some new programs, e.g. B. providing food aid to those in need, and helped coordinate broadband support for children learning remotely. We hadn’t written grants for this, but earned income meant we had the flexibility to meet those needs. It allows us to be agile.”
Rental fees for a three-hour event: Press Street Station $3,500; 5 press gallery $1,000; Press Street Gardens $3,000.
NOCCA Foundation, 5 Homer Plessy Way; (504) 940-2900; noccafoundationrentals.org.
Lighthouse on the new canal
A restored 18th-century lighthouse provides the backdrop for an outdoor waterfront wedding venue in Lakeview made possible by the non-profit Pontchartrain Conservancy.
Couples can customize the space, bring in outside catering, or arrange for dining from nearby waterfront seafood restaurants Blue Crab, Landry’s, or Felix’. A lawn, a paved area and a patio provide many areas around the red and white lighthouse.
“About a third of the events are weddings. We also do many cankers, corporate events and birthday parties. It’s like running a pavilion in a park. It’s a really flexible space,” says Kate Tannian, Visitor Services Manager at Pontchartrain Conservancy.
Rental fees support the lighthouse museum and hands-on learning center, which is open to the public daily for a small admission fee.
“Our vision at the Pontchartrain Conservancy is an environmentally sustainable, prosperous and resilient region,” said Tannian.
The Pontchartrain Conservancy took over administration of the lighthouse from the US Coast Guard.
After storm damage, it was rebuilt in the 2010s using many of the original materials. Event rentals soon followed.
“(Rental fees) go a long way in keeping the lighthouse doors open and helping with education and advocacy,” says Tannian.
Rental Fees: $150 per hour during museum hours (before 4 p.m.); $300 per hour after 4pm
New Canal Lighthouse, 8001 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 282-2134; scienceforourcoast.org/lighthouse-museum-2/rentals.
paradigm gardens
paradigm gardens
Paradigm Gardens in Central City is an authentic farm and garden experience with goats, chickens, a pond and a greenhouse full of plants grown and cared for by young students.
The fully customizable venue accommodates approximately 125 guests for weddings, receptions and seated meals. Fairy lights accentuate a romantic atmosphere, and a wood-fired grill offers opportunities for catering by in-house chef Pat White of Karibu Kitchen.
The space has been carefully created for the community, and children can learn about gardening and farming at a K-12 “garden school.”
The school – completely free for students – is funded solely by event revenue and weekly plant sales run by students. The school recently merged with Firefly Montessori, but students will continue to move to the garden area to learn art, music, carpentry, entrepreneurship and hands-on learning centered around the rhythms of the seasons.
Events of all sizes have taken place in the gardens, named a top reception venue by one wedding website.
“During the pandemic, we had a five-person wedding,” says Joel Hitchcock Tilton, senior gardener. “Everything that happens in space comes together. Where wedding parties take photos is the backdrop of fairy lights and a pond, which is the final project the kids built.”
Rental Fees: $2,500-$3,500 depending on the day of the week; Minimum order quantities apply for food and beverages.
Paradigm Gardens, 1131 South Rampart St.; paradigmgardensnola.com.
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