Having your wedding in New Orleans is akin to giving your wedding guests a gift of a lifetime. New Orleans is unlike any other city in the world. Other cities, you can experience a city’s culture and history on the walls of museums and galleries, in their music halls, and on the plates of local eateries. But in New Orleans, the culture bubbles up from the streets with music floating out from doorways, art on every corner, and history under your feet and in every waft of food as you stroll through the streets. But observing and participating are two very different experiences. One of the most unique local expressions of culture is the New Orleans Second Line.
A second line is a way to merge the past and the future into the present to celebrate that moment in time. Second lines are the descendants of the city’s famous jazz funerals, which at its core, are meant to invoke crowd participation and celebrate life! It’s a tradition that is both emotionally moving and a joyous time to be witness to or participate in.
A Brief History of the New Orleans Wedding Second Line
Second lining has been called "the quintessential New Orleans art form...” The idea of a festive parade dates back to the 1800s when local “jazz funerals” from the roots of both West Africa and American military funerals took on a more celebratory feel where the idea was to celebrate life in song and dance. With Jazz music being the root of the parade with its feelings of contrasting ideas such as chaos, order, spontaneity and unification. Over time the tradition, as well as the city, has evolved to bring people together for all occasions in life from marriages, funerals, and even Saints games. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we as a city will celebrate almost anything with a parade and a drink in our hand.
Second Lines for Weddings
A Second line parade is essentially a parade through the city’s streets just for you. To celebrate your new marriage and the future you have together. It’s also a fun way to get your guests from the ceremony to the reception, which can also be at the same location. At times, you may need to have your guests out of the space to flip the venue from ceremony layout to reception and a second line works as an amazing tool for your vendors and a great way to get the party started for your guests!
“These parades are always propelled by a style of music that has rightly been called the street sound of the Crescent City — the New Orleans-style brass band, in all its thumping, syncopated, feet-moving glory. While the instruments used by these bands are familiar (always at least one of the following: trumpet, trombone, saxophone, tuba or Sousaphone, bass drum, and snare drum), they come together for a sound that is as different from contemporary jazz or even traditional Dixieland jazz as R&B is from heavy metal. Heavy on improvisation and funked-up interpretations of modern pop songs, brass band music sets a soundtrack for the second line party.”
One of the things that really makes a second line the quintessential New Orleans style parade are the accessories. The newlyweds typically carry parasols or decorated umbrellas, for those in larger cities that have an Italian parade, think of the sequined and decorated umbrellas by the gentlemen in that parade. It’s a way to keep yourselves out of the sun, represent to all on the sidelines that you are the newlyweds, and to give you something to pose with and dance with along your parade route. For your guests, handkerchiefs or cocktail napkins to wave are typical to give your guests either at the ceremony or passed out to them at the end of the evening. Some couples adorn their guests with custom or locally sourced Mardi Gras style beads or even masks for the bridal party and parents to wear for the parade! Just make sure to not give your guests too many things to carry, as they will need at least 1 hand free for their second line drink.
Second Line drinks are a staple for any wedding. You are asking your guests to walk between 6-10 blocks for your average parade route, and most of the year, in some sort of heat and humidity they are not accustomed to. Drinks range from poured plastic flutes of champagne, local canned beers or hard seltzers, a signature cocktail like a Hurricane or French 75, and for those who don’t or cannot drink, bottled water or sodas. The canned and bottled varieties do tend to last a bit longer for guests than a flute of champagne, but the drink variety is completely up to your preference.
When should you Second Line?
There are many ways to start off a Second Line, one is to have the brass band at the ready to play your ceremony recessional song as you exit the aisle as newlyweds. The brass band will then lead you and your guests out the front door or gate out into the streets to celebrate! Most couples have the brass band begin outside, as a way to attract their guests out front toward the music to gather everyone before heading out for the parade. This is ideal for anyone that needs to bustle their dress or change their shoes before heading out, as it gives a few extra minutes to get these things done. And of course, the end of the night second line, as a way to exit the reception and take your guests on an end of the night celebration tour, typically ending at the location of your after party.
What to expect from a second line?
You hear the trumpet blast into action playing Joe Avery’s Second Line song with the famous New Orleans musical “call to action”, and the other instruments join in after the intro to bring the magical sounds of a second line brass band to life right there in front of you and your wedding guests. The musicians dressed in crisp white button-down shirts, freshly creased black dress pants and adorned with their band labeled hats play their well-loved brass instruments as your guests file out of the ceremony venue into the streets as the music starts to work its magic.
As you head out, ready to emerge as newlyweds, you step up front with your parasols and the music already has you dancing! You start to walk, as the band follows your lead, playing music behind you like you’re in your own special musical leading everyone down the street. Your friends, your parents, even your grandparents will be dancing and twirling along the route as they are led on a beautiful journey through New Orleans. They’ll get to see the colors of the houses, the historic wrought iron fences, and for the night parades, the visual explosion of the neon signs as you journey through the French Quarter.
(Many couples over the years have asked me if they are supposed to memorize the parade route so they don’t get everyone lost. I remind them that they have a police escort, either car or motorcycle, leading the parade route and are far enough ahead to protect them and also to be an excellent guide for the route planned.)
Some may have a Grand Marshall at the front to hype up the crowd on the sidewalks and can also work well for those who are not keen on having the spotlight on them. There are also performers and revelers that can be added to the experience, perhaps for those that have never gotten to experience Mardi Gras, as a way to enjoy the costumes and electric energy without the crowds. Stilt walkers are a fun addition for both day and night parades, as they can either be adorned in loud and shiny costumes or LED lit ones for better photos.
“Heralded by the blare of an approaching trumpet or thump of a tuba, these colorful, vivacious parades appear and completely take over one or more blocks at a time, seeming to come from nowhere like a sudden downpour from a sunny summer sky, and disappearing almost as quickly around the next bend.”
As you’re walking, you may have onlookers step out to dance with you or your guests for a moment.
“This is the “joie de vivre” everyone talks about in New Orleans. This feeling of pure happiness that swells up in your chest. This is what makes this city so different from anywhere else on Earth.”
Getting the Band back Together
Now that you have the understanding of a New Orleans Second Line and how it could fit into your wedding day, how do you make it all happen?
There are brass bands or second line bands that handle doing just this from weddings to large corporate events in the New Orleans area. Not every local band does second line parades, so it’s best to check ahead of booking. This is absolutely something that your wedding planner can assist you with to find the right band for your needs. Most wedding planners that work in the New Orleans area have a number of brass bands that they work with regularly that they can give you feedback on and guidance to each of the bands on their preferred vendors list. If you are looking to do most of the planning yourself, you can also reach out to a local Wedding Consultant to get recommendations from them during a call or meeting, to ensure you are booking a vetted and trusted local vendor. You can also ask your wedding planner to scout the best route for your parade and handle filing the parade permits and setting up the mandatory police escort.
Timing is Everything
With New Orleans being a city that has more than 130 festivals annually amongst a host of other major events like the 3-day weekend Taylor Swift concerts, the 2025 Super Bowl, and so much more, it’s always a good idea to check local events calendars and with your wedding planner before settling on a wedding date in New Orleans if you are certain that you want to do a second line as part of your wedding festivities. Otherwise, you might be stuck with a weekend where the city permit office will deny your parade requests. You also will need to check with either your planner or the city’s permit offices, yes, offices, to make sure that the route can be approved. The city has to ensure that there are no overlapping parade routes, street closures, or heaven-forbid, a giant Jeep-eating pothole along the route.
(I’m kidding, that last one is something your wedding planner will need to handle, the city doesn’t know.)
A Second Line parade typically last about 20-25min, although at times the newlyweds get so excited that they are practically sprinting along the route (which makes it so much more of a challenge for your photographer to keep up while running backwards). On average, a parade route is 6-10 blocks, and must go with the flow of traffic.
Blame it on the Rain
In the event of inclement weather, it is up to the couple to go and do the parade route or in some cases, the band will just stay at the venue and try to keep everyone off to one side if there is a flip that needs to happen in the space. If it is just a drizzle/light rain, the parade can go on as planned. In the event of a downpour, lightning, or flooding, the parade as a whole or just the walking route will be cancelled or adjusted for everyone’s safety.
What Does it Cost?
A typical brass band can be booked for around $800 for just a basic second line for a group of 100 or less. That does not include the parade planning (making the route, permits, and escort set up). On average, the total cost for a full basic second line parade with route, permits, and police escort for 100 guests is around $1500.
Ready to Start Planning Your Wedding Second Line? We can help! Check out our levels of service to see what feels like the best fit for your planning style!
Want to know more about New Orleans weddings?
Refreshing the Classic Wedding Traditions
Adding a Personal Feel to Your Ceremony
Management (aka Day-of/Month-of Wedding Coordination) and Why Pennywell Events Does it Better
Louisiana Marriage License Info
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