Latangula & Cardell’s New Orleans Sneaker Ball Wedding
Latangula and Cardell celebrated their wedding on September 3, 2022, with a ceremony at New Home Ministries followed by a Sneaker Ball reception at LeNeauxla Event Hall.
Their wedding blended emotional personal moments with a reception built around their own style. From exchanging gifts and personally written vows to a bridal boudoir surprise, live brass-band music and guests changing into sneakers for the reception, the day never felt like a generic wedding celebration.
Chad Populis Photography provided both wedding photography and videography, documenting the preparations, ceremony, portraits and reception from two complementary perspectives.
Planning a New Orleans wedding with traditions and details that reflect your personality? Explore my New Orleans Wedding Photography → for coverage, packages and real wedding inspiration.
Getting Ready in New Orleans
Latangula prepared for the wedding at an Airbnb while Cardell got ready at the La Quinta Inn New Orleans Downtown.
Photographing both sides of the preparation gives each partner their own opening chapter before the wedding story comes together at the ceremony.
Latangula and Cardell also exchanged gifts with each other during the getting-ready portion of the day, adding another personal moment before they saw one another.
Latangula had an additional surprise planned for her groom.
While getting ready, she incorporated a bridal boudoir session designed as a private honeymoon gift for Cardell. It gave us an opportunity to create something personal for the couple while still working within the natural flow of the wedding-day preparations.
An Emotional Ceremony at New Home Ministries
Latangula and Cardell exchanged vows at New Home Ministries.
Before entering the church, Latangula delivered a personal monologue, adding another emotional layer to the moments immediately before the ceremony.
The couple also wrote their own vows.
Personally written vows can completely change the emotional tone of a wedding ceremony because the words come directly from the couple rather than following only a traditional script.
For photography, those moments create expressive reactions from the couple and their families. For video, they preserve something equally important: the actual voices and words spoken during the ceremony.
The church setting also gave us the processional, ceremony traditions, family reactions and formal moments that help tell the complete story of the wedding.
Wedding Photography and Videography
Latangula and Cardell chose to have both photography and videography document their wedding day.
The two formats tell the same story differently.
Photography preserves individual expressions, portraits, décor and split-second interactions. Video adds the voices, music, movement and atmosphere surrounding those moments.
That became especially important during this wedding.
Personally written vows, Latangula's pre-ceremony monologue, gift exchanges, live brass-band music and an energetic Sneaker Ball reception were not only visual moments — they had sound and movement that were worth preserving.
For couples who want to remember not only how their wedding looked but also how it sounded and felt, combined photo and video coverage creates a more complete record of the day.
Explore my New Orleans Wedding Videography → to learn more about wedding film coverage.
A Sneaker Ball Wedding Reception at LeNeauxla Event Hall
After the ceremony, the celebration moved to LeNeauxla Event Hall for the reception.
The formal wedding atmosphere transitioned into something much more personal: a Sneaker Ball.
Guests were able to change into sneakers while keeping the polished look of the wedding intact. The concept gave everyone a little more freedom once the dancing began and created a reception atmosphere that felt relaxed without losing the style of the celebration.
Latangula wore a gown by Maggie Sottero, while her shoes were from Public Desire.
The combination of formal wedding attire and sneaker culture gave the reception a visual identity that immediately distinguished it from a traditional ballroom wedding.
DJ Gravy and One Shot Brass Band
Entertainment played a major role in the reception.
DJ Gravy kept the dance floor moving, while One Shot Brass Band brought live New Orleans brass-band energy into the celebration.
That combination worked especially well with the Sneaker Ball concept.
The reception was not built around simply sitting through a formal program. It was designed to become a party, with music, dancing and interaction becoming a major part of the wedding story.
These are also the moments where having both photography and videography becomes especially valuable.
Photographs preserve the expressions and energy of individual moments, while video captures the music, movement and atmosphere happening around them.
A New Orleans Wedding With Personality
One of the things I enjoy most about documenting weddings is seeing couples combine tradition with details that actually represent who they are.
Latangula and Cardell still had many of the familiar elements of a wedding day: preparations, gifts, a church ceremony, formal portraits and a reception.
But the personal touches made the celebration theirs.
The bridal boudoir gift, personally written vows, Latangula's pre-ceremony monologue, Sneaker Ball reception, DJ and live brass band each added something specific to their story.
Those choices are what separate a wedding from simply following a standard timeline.
Explore More Real New Orleans Weddings
New Orleans weddings can take many forms — from intimate elopements and traditional church ceremonies to second lines, brass bands, themed receptions and large celebrations.
Browse more Real New Orleans Weddings → to see real couples, venues, portraits, wedding traditions and celebrations throughout New Orleans and South Louisiana.
Available for Publication — Online + Print
Latangula and Cardell's New Orleans Sneaker Ball wedding is available for editorial consideration for online and print wedding features.
Wedding photography and video featuring New Home Ministries, LeNeauxla Event Hall, bridal preparations, a Sneaker Ball reception, One Shot Brass Band, wedding fashion and New Orleans wedding traditions are available for editorial review.
For publication inquiries, image or video usage requests, or photography and videography crediting, contact Chad Populis Photography at photography@chadpopulis.com.
Planning a New Orleans Wedding?
Your wedding does not have to look or feel like everyone else's.
Whether you're planning a traditional church ceremony, themed reception, brass band, second line or a celebration built around your own traditions and personality, photography and video can preserve the complete experience.
Explore my New Orleans Wedding Photography → or New Orleans Wedding Videography → services to view coverage options.
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