Mae Planert was on a date at The Stand Comedy Club in New York, when she first saw fellow comedian Mark Normand, who was on stage performing. After saying goodbye to the date she wasn’t interested in, she realized that she couldn’t stop thinking about Mark. Her roommate encouraged her to shoot her shot, and Mae sent him a message via Facebook Messenger. She actually used one of his jokes from his set about being so awkward that if he makes eye contact with a woman, he’ll take it that they are in love. She wrote, “We made eye contact last night, so I take it we’re in love now?” It worked like a charm.
After six years together, Mark proposed on her family’s annual trip to Martha’s Vineyard. He struggled to find a moment alone with her to pop the question, and on the last day of the holiday, he suggested they rent mopeds and ride around the island. Mae’s brother and cousin overheard and also wanted to tag along. While stopped at an alpaca farm, Mark revealed the ring to Mae’s brother, so he could make sure the two of them finally had a moment alone.
Later parked at a remote beach, Mark asked Mae to “keep watch while he peed.” With that signal, Mae’s brother and cousin took off down the pier, and when Mae turned around, Mark was down on one knee. “A retired couple within earshot on the beach started clapping and that was it!” Mae recalls “And yes, Mark did actually pee right before proposing—romance!”
Once engaged, the couple started planning a wedding in the French Quarter of New Orleans. To help bring their vision to life, the two hired Bailey Rose Events as a full-service designer and planner, and Hannah Pickle was behind the lens all weekend.
“I’m sure every bride says this, but wedding dress shopping was simultaneously my favorite part and my least favorite part,” Mae admits. After trying on dresses in New York and Boston, the bride finally found her Lela Rose Brighton dress. On the day-of, Mae got ready with About Face, who gave her soft yet glamorous curls. The bride then styled her dress with a cape she found on Etsy, her sister’s veil, a Lelet NY headpiece, and Jeffrey Campbell heels. Later on in the evening, she changed into the Margot dress by Ines Di Santo.
On November 10, 2022, guests gathered in a historic garden for the ceremony. Comedian Sean Patton, who is ordained, led the service in front of a colorful floral arrangement by Cry Baby Floral. The bride walked down the aisle with her father, as the string trio, The Tangiers Combo, played a romantic tune. And after exchanging vows, the second line parade, led by Kinfolk Brass Band, guided people around the French Quarter.
During the reception, The Mixed Nuts band amped up the crowd, and at one point, comedian Joe List performed a Bruce Springsteen song. Joe had thought Mark wanted him to, but photographer Matt Salacuse was behind the prank.
Mae and Mark had their first dance to “Slip Away” by Clarence Carter. And for the rest of the evening, guests enjoyed espresso martinis poured down a custom ice luge by Albrecht Ice Sculptures, while the live painter, Denise Hopkins, captured the packed dance floor. Then, the newlyweds cut their wedding cake by Bittersweet Confections. The tiered multi-flavored cake was inspired by Mae’s parents’ own wedding cake. Mae also did a cake pull with her bridesmaids, where each pulls a ribbon from the cake that has a charm at the end symbolizing the year ahead. “One of my bridesmaids has been trying for a baby with her husband, and she pulled the stork for fertility; that was a very special moment,” Mae shares.
Once the reception came to a formal close, the after-party raged on at the historic R Bar in the Marigny neighborhood until the early hours. Shortly after the wedding day, Mae and Mark went on a whirlwind honeymoon to Amsterdam and South Africa.
