Dajasia & Treval’s Taravella Manor Wedding

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Dajasia and Treval Dunmiles celebrated their wedding on April 15, 2023, beginning with preparations at Hotel Vinache on Canal Street before traveling to Taravella Manor in Marrero for an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception.

Their wedding day combined several different environments—from downtown New Orleans preparation photographs and Canal Street portraits to an outdoor ceremony, traditional reception events, live brass-band entertainment, and nighttime portraits back at the venue.

If you're planning a wedding in New Orleans or the surrounding area and want photography that documents the full day from preparation through the reception, explore my New Orleans wedding photography services → for coverage, pricing, and availability.

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Getting Ready at Hotel Vinache

Both Dajasia and Treval prepared for the wedding at Hotel Vinache on Canal Street.

The bridesmaids began the day together in matching robes before changing into their dresses, giving us the opportunity to photograph both the relaxed preparation portion of the day and more polished bridal-party portraits once everyone was ready.

Preparation coverage also included Dajasia’s wedding details, dress, accessories, and candid moments with the people helping her get ready.

Treval prepared separately with his groomsmen.

Because the hotel sits along Canal Street, we were also able to take the groom and groomsmen outside for portraits that incorporated the downtown New Orleans environment.

That gave the beginning of the gallery a completely different look from the wedding photographs we would create later at Taravella Manor.

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Groom and Groomsmen Portraits on Canal Street

Rather than limiting all of the groom’s photographs to the hotel interior, we used the surrounding Canal Street area for additional portraits.

The downtown setting added street activity, architecture, and the New Orleans environment to the photographs while still keeping the group close to the hotel and on schedule.

For weddings that begin at a downtown hotel before moving to another venue, even a short portrait session outside can add significantly more variety to the final gallery without requiring another dedicated photography location.

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Outdoor Wedding Ceremony at Taravella Manor

After preparations in New Orleans, the wedding moved across the river to Taravella Manor in Marrero.

Dajasia and Treval held their ceremony outdoors, giving the wedding a more open setting than the indoor reception that followed.

Outdoor ceremonies allow the surrounding venue to become part of the photographs, particularly in wider images showing the ceremony space, wedding party, guests, and overall environment.

During the ceremony, the focus remained on the moments that tell the story of the couple becoming married—from the processional and reactions to the vows, ring exchange, first kiss, and newlywed recessional.

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Wedding Portraits at Taravella Manor

After the ceremony, Taravella Manor provided several areas for wedding-party and newlywed portraits.

Keeping portraits at the venue helped avoid adding another travel stop to an already multi-location wedding day.

We created photographs of Dajasia and Treval together as well as portraits using different areas of the property and interior spaces.

The bridal suite also provided another environment for couple portraits, giving the gallery a different look from the ceremony photographs outside.

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A Full Traditional Wedding Reception

Following the outdoor ceremony, guests moved inside Taravella Manor for the reception.

Dajasia and Treval included many of the traditional reception moments that help create a complete wedding story.

The celebration included:

• reception entrance

• first dances

• money dance

• cake cutting

• bouquet toss

• garter toss

• speeches and reactions

• open dancing

• live brass-band entertainment

These moments create more than individual photographs. Together, they show how the energy of the wedding changed from the formality of the ceremony into the celebration of the reception.

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Politics As Usual Brass Band

Politics As Usual Brass Band brought live New Orleans-style energy into the reception.

Brass bands create some of the most animated wedding photographs because the experience is not limited to the musicians themselves. Guests begin dancing, interacting, following the music, and reacting to everything happening around them.

That movement gives the reception gallery another layer beyond traditional dances and formal events.

For New Orleans-area weddings, live brass-band entertainment can also bring local culture into the celebration even when the reception is outside the city itself.

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A Personal LA Rams Groom’s Cake

One of the more personal reception details was Treval’s Los Angeles Rams football groom’s cake.

Groom’s cakes are a great opportunity to incorporate personality, hobbies, favorite teams, careers, or interests into the wedding reception.

Photographing those smaller details helps preserve parts of the wedding that may not seem as important during the event but often become meaningful pieces of the overall story afterward.

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Night Wedding Portraits at Taravella Manor

Later in the evening, we returned outside for another round of portraits.

The courtyard at Taravella Manor looked completely different after dark than it had during the daytime ceremony.

Using the nighttime environment allowed us to create bridal and couple portraits with a more dramatic feel while keeping the couple at the reception venue.

This is one reason I encourage couples to leave a little flexibility in the photography timeline.

Wedding portraits do not always need to happen in one short block immediately after the ceremony.

Sometimes stepping away for a few minutes later in the evening can produce a completely different set of photographs without taking the couple away from their guests for very long.

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Why Portrait Time Throughout the Wedding Day Matters

Dajasia and Treval’s wedding is a good example of how photographs created at different points in the timeline can make a gallery feel more complete.

Their portraits included:

• downtown photographs near Hotel Vinache

• daytime portraits at Taravella Manor

• indoor portraits around the venue

• bridal suite photographs

• nighttime courtyard portraits

Each setting produced a different visual chapter.

Instead of relying on one portrait location or one lighting condition, the photography evolved with the wedding day.

For couples planning a multi-location wedding, building several short portrait opportunities into the timeline can often create more variety than trying to complete every photograph during one rushed period.

Explore More Real New Orleans Weddings

Every wedding has its own combination of venues, traditions, timelines, and personal details.

Browse more real New Orleans weddings → to see complete wedding stories, venue inspiration, second lines, reception traditions, and photography from celebrations throughout New Orleans and South Louisiana.

Available for Publication — Online + Print

Dajasia and Treval’s Taravella Manor wedding is available for editorial consideration for online and print wedding features.

Wedding photographs, venue details, vendor information, reception highlights, brass-band coverage, and celebration details are available for editorial review.

For publication inquiries, image usage requests, or photographer crediting, please use my contact page →.

Planning a New Orleans or South Louisiana Wedding?

If you're planning a wedding in New Orleans, Marrero, or elsewhere in South Louisiana and want photography that captures preparation, ceremony, portraits, reception traditions, and the unexpected moments in between, explore my New Orleans wedding photography services → to view coverage options, pricing, and availability.