Connor Fields surprised his bride Elise McCanless with a proposal, an engagement party and securing the photographer of her dreams for their New Orleans wedding weekend. So when it came time for their big day, she wanted to have a surprise in store for him.

With the help of August Events, the full-scale takeover of Hotel Saint Vincent for the wedding included revamping the hotel’s members-only Chapel Club into Connor’s Club. The team put a lot of thought into the custom touches that would make the venue uniquely theirs while keeping its signature moody, art-drenched feel.

“It’s a really dark, cool bar,” Tiffany Pilgrim of August Events explains. Custom black candles by Truly Haute Candles helped create the “vibey, after-party feel.” Customized details such as the specialty cocktail napkins, drink koozies and a neon sign declaring the venue Connor’s Club added elevated and distinctive touches to create a memorable atmosphere.

“Everything in there was for him,” Pilgrim says, including the groom’s cake. A sweet surprise arranged by Elise, the entirely edible chessboard and martini glass by Social Bites Confections was a nod to a few of Connor’s favorite things. The groom’s cake, an essential part of any Southern wedding, often accompanies the wedding cake or appears at the rehearsal dinner. Giving Connor—and his cake—a custom space offered a thoughtful way to make the most of every area of Hotel Saint Vincent.

“He was so surprised,” Elise recalls with a laugh. “And there’s this cute photo of him just shocked about it. So I loved that part of it, too. It was fun to surprise him with the whole thing.”

See more of Connor’s Club in the photo gallery below. Click on the image to expand the gallery.

See more of Elise and Connor’s big day in this story from the January 2025 issue of inRegister.