It can take a long time to find the perfect mate, but finding the perfect setting for your wedding is easy - it's New Orleans.

For those looking for the matrimonial backdrop of their dreams, why settle for manufactured ambiance when you can have the real thing? Imagine walking down the aisle, sweeping the ballroom floor of a majestic mansion while invoking the grand ceremony that international social elite enjoyed in centuries past.

If natural beauty is your style, envision exchanging vows surrounded by tropical foliage, bubbling fountains and the gorgeous climate for which New Orleans is known. Sophisticates will adore the city's contemporary gallery settings for their stylish procession. And it's not just anywhere that an eclectic couple can be married by a voodoo priestess and serenaded by zydeco accordions.

Die-hard traditionalists will also find more than 900 churches of various denominations throughout the city, most displaying the intricate architecture that is New Orleans' hallmark.

A rich variety of reception space is available in New Orleans, whether you're looking for an intimate affair at one of the city's finest restaurants or an all-out bash at a notable blues club that everyone will remember.

Service is unparalleled in New Orleans, marked by the Southern hospitality and elegance that its workforce has made careers of providing. And of course, New Orleans is a culinary Mecca. You can rest assured that the food and drinks you and your guests indulge in will be unparalleled.

Another advantage of a New Orleans wedding is its flexibility as a "weddingmoon" destination - the ability to fulfill both your marriage and honeymoon fantasies. New Orleans is bursting at the seams with cultural activities to fill your days and nights, including theater, dance and some of the best museums in the country. Adventurous couples will love the tours that take them off the beaten path, from antiquated cemeteries to bayou wildlife to the mystique of the mighty Mississippi.

The cuisine, music and nightlife options speak for themselves. And of course, the city offers a plethora of dazzling lodging options, from 18thcentury luxury to modern chic, for those that prefer to spend their honeymoon indoors.

The thought of planning your perfect day need not be overwhelming, with the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau to help.

With just one call, the bureau will solicit bids for nearly all the lodging and wedding services you'll need from their broad membership base. The bureau will also send everyone on your guest list a complimentary New Orleans Official Visitors Guide, giving your guests all the lodging, dining, activities and transportation information they'll need to plan their stay. For inquiries, contact 800-748-8695, ext. 5018.

Marital bliss is only a trip to the marriage clerk away. Couples can marry in the city as soon as a marriage license is received (in-state couples may have the 72-hour waiting period waived by an Orleans Parish-licensed judge, officiant or reverend, out-of-state couples can receive a waiver Monday through Friday). To receive a marriage license, bring a certified copy of your birth certificate, social security number, the appropriate documentation if you are divorced or widowed, and know the city, state and date for each. Also bring $27.50 (cash or check) and $5.50 for each copy to the marriage clerk at the TEMPORARY MARRIAGE LICENSE OFFICE (East Jefferson Health Unit, 111 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, Louisiana, 70001, Tel: 504-838-5100, Open 8:00am-3:00pm Mon-Fri - except State holidays).  Or, you can go to the Algiers Courthouse to obtain your marriage license, which is walking distance from the Canal Street Ferry Landing (Judge Mary K.K. Norman, Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan Street, New Orleans, LA, 70114, Tel: 504-368-4099, Open Mon-Fri, 9:00am-3:30pm, Call ahead to confirm hours).  Then, bring your license to the judge at 421 Loyola Avenue, Room 202 or 204, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm. Call 504-592-9240 with questions.  The license is valid for 30 days.  www.oph.dhh.state.la.us

This material may be reproducted for editorial purposes of promoting New Orleans. Please attribute stories to New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. Fall 2004.