Did your invite to Solange Knowles’ Big Easy bash get lost in the mail? Not to worry! From the food to the guests, Us Weekly has all the details from the DJ’s New Orleans wedding to video director fiancé Alan Ferguson.
After an entire weekend of pre-wedding festivities, including a group movie night and rehearsal dinner, the big day arrived on Sunday, Nov. 16. Around 100 guests, including J. Crew creative director and president Jenna Lyons and singer Janelle Monae, started arriving at the Holy Trinity Church (also known as the Marigny Opera House) around 1:30 p.m. Everyone was dressed in different shades of white. So much for that whole only the bride wears white rule.
A short time later, Knowles and Ferguson arrived on white bicycles. The bride, 28, wore a breathtaking Stephane Rolland jumpsuit with an attached cape, and adorned her bike basket with white roses. Sadly, the groom’s ride got a flat tire, and he was forced to walk it part of the way.
An onlooker tells Us, “They were giggling about it and didn’t seem bothered at all. Passersbys were congratulating them, and they were overjoyed.”
Soon after, the couple made their entrance and Knowles went inside to change into her Humberto Leon for Kenzo floor-length gown and cape, while her older sister Beyonce arrived with husband Jay Z.
A source close to Solange tells Us, “Beyonce was just there as a supportive sister and didn’t take any of the spotlight. Jay was taking care of Blue Ivy while Beyonce was celebrating with her family and didn’t look like they had a worry in the world.”
After the ceremony, the venue was transformed into a small reception location. Guests were treated to a four-course seated dinner on white linens with gold silverware at two long tables that ran the length of the massive opera house. The locally catered Southern menu included shrimp and grits, oyster and artichoke bisque, paupiette de poulet, and bread pudding and pineapple foster for dessert.
The blowout then raged on as all the guests loaded into three large party buses, which drove to Esplanade Street, where a live band played and the group danced for 10 blocks.
Coincidentally, one bus was called the “Boom Boom Room,” which is the former name of the NYC Standard Hotel nightclub where Solange, Beyonce, and Jay Z were partying after the Met Gala in the spring, when Solange and Jay’s infamous elevator fight went down. But if there was any lingering tension between the family, it wasn’t apparent.
An eyewitness tells Us, “Beyonce and Jay Z were totally into it and so affectionate. They both kept putting their hands on each other’s butts and they were dancing up a storm. Beyonce and Jay Z were so friendly to everyone and very gracious. They seemed so genuinely happy. They were having the best night.”
The party then made its way to the New Orleans Museum of Art for a second reception.
Solange and her son Julez, 10, treated the attendees to a special performance of their choreographed dance to Rae Sremmurd’s “No Flex Zone.”
A source tells Us, “It was a beautiful event. Solange looked gorgeous and Jay and Beyonce and Blue Ivy were the perfect little family there supporting her sister. The weekend was exactly what Solange wanted, friends and family in her favorite town. It was all about the fashion, it was all about the look and the music, because that’s important to her. Alan’s a great man and has made her very happy.”
