Cedar Grove Tchoupitoulas Plantation

I give this place 3 stars, compromising for the pros and cons.
I’ve recently been a bridesmaid in a wedding party where the ceremony and reception was held here. The date was late September 2014.
5 stars go to service. Jill, the owner and coordinator of the events, was excellent. She was very sweet and accommodating. She knew her stuff! When it came to the photographers, flow of the event, etc,— she knew everything: what had to be done, what was going to happen, how certain photographers like certain things, etc. She was very organized and if any changes were made, even at the very last minute, she was calm and collective, even if the bride was not. She walked us through every step, until the very end and was there for anything you needed.
The location was beautiful! Landscaping and building has been really kept up very nicely. This kind of setting doesn’t require too much extra décor, because it’s romantic on its own.
Food was okay, arranged in buffet style. It was better than some other weddings I’ve been to where there was also a buffet, but most I’ve been to have been sit down dinners with several courses, so maybe I can’t judge too much on the food. In the bridal chambers while we waited for the ceremony to begin and the guests to arrive, there was a cheese plate with a few sandwiches and water. No alcohol or wine was allowed to be served until the reception, so good tip would be to BYOB if you’re in the wedding party and you like to get started a little earlier (that’s the fun part of being in the party, right? ;))
So I would give 1 STAR to… BAR SERVICE.
— — — — — — — Worst wedding bar service ever. I’ve been to plenty of venues and plenty of weddings. No shots were to be served at all. Nada. So they said it was in the wedding contract, but people began ordering «straight whiskey on the rocks» or what not. When they started catching on that people wanted to drink (It was honestly around the third one ‘on-​the-​rocks’ that they were pouring), they were like «OK. LAST ONE ON THE ROCKS. YA’LL ARE ABUSING IT.» It’s a wedding for goodness sake! And trust me, all of us (bridal party) was pretty ticked because they probably haven’t even used up one bottle of liquor YET. The bartenders were these 3 Caucasian guys and were being «sarcastically polite» and it just rubbed all of us the wrong way. The only shot we all wanted to take was the first one of the night, to toast to our friends and family.
So yeah, weddings are supposed to be amazing, YOUR DAY, and you should be ABLE to drink if you want. It’s a once in a lifetime event (hopefully) and so significant. Because of this one little flaw, I would NOT recommend it. Unless you’re planning to not have any alcohol service at all, then go for it.
I do understand that it was a part of the rules, but it’s exactly that, if you’re looking for a place that would serve your guests whatever they’d like, there are plenty other venues.

Beautiful location for a wedding and reception! I was in a wedding this past weekend at Cedar Grove.
Jill, the wedding coordinator, was fantastic. She kept everything under control and had everything you might need for dress or flower mishaps, etc. Last minute issues like, «Who’s going to hold the 1-​yr old ring bearer after the bridesmaid walk?!» as we’re about to walk down the aisle were easily mitigated. No worries — Jill’s got it. She was holding the ring bearer, coordinating bridesmaid/​groomsman pairs, and keeping the bride out of sight all at once — all while being calm, cool, and collected.
The food and service were great. The buffet had some nice options, and then there were staff walking around with at least 10 different hors d’oeuvres that weren’t on the buffet. I’ve never seen that many food options at a reception before. The duck empanadas, mashed potato bar, and mini muffalettas were outstanding! My family was in attendance, and they commented that it was the best service they’ve ever received at a reception.
If you’re looking for a simple yet elegant, plantation-​style wedding/​reception, you definitely want to check out Cedar Grove. It was the perfect setting for our bride and groom!

I’ve been to two weddings here within a month and both were really nice. The property is filled with oak trees and you feel like you are walking into someones home, rather than a reception venue. The food is some of the better wedding food I’ve ever had.
One of the servers who goes by the nickname H is always very nice and helpful. The first wedding we went to we had asked H if they had anymore crawfish beignets because the rest of our table tried some when they were passed around and raved about them. They ended up being out and H asked us if he could bring us anything else and even though we said it was ok he still brought us out a plethora of tastings minutes later and apologized again. I thought that was so nice since we were not at a reserved table so it was clear we were just regular guests and not part of the wedding party or family. He really goes above and beyond to make sure all of the bride and grooms guests are well taken care of.

I did myself a huge favor when I E-​mailed Jill Mercer of Tchoupitoulas Plantation to talk wedding receptions. I had been searching for a venue for months, and I was becoming very frustrated. Within five minutes of meeting Mrs. Jill, I had decided that this was our venue.
The Plantation has a simple elegance and old world charm like no other venue in the city. The Mercer’s have kept Tchoupitoulas current with beautiful yet tasteful updates that were made with the design and décor of the original plantation in mind. There is ample seating for guests inside and out as well as a spacious dance floor and buffet area. Bonus, there is virtually no wait at the grand horseshoe bar. The Mercers are always adding to the Plantation and changing simple design elements so no two weddings will be alike!
The best part about booking with CGT is having your event planned and managed by this one of a kind family. I had such piece of mind knowing that I could revel in this special day without worrying about all of the little details. The Mercer family threw my husband and I an individualized wedding reception down to the champagne and sazeracs. DJ Katie Mercer understood our music tastes and certainly knows how to work a crowd. I have had endless compliments from our wedding guests about our event. The crab cake sliders and duck quesadillas are my favorite!
You will not regret becoming a part of the Cedar Grove Tchoupitoulas Family.