Louisiana funeral home offers brides a perfect photo op

NEW ORLEANS -- In the midst of death, one funeral home has constant evidence of life. Its sweeping staircase has been the backdrop for photographs of Mardi Gras krewes, prom couples, homecoming queens and bride after bride after bride.

"Thousands of brides have had their wedding pictures on our staircase," said Joe Daigle, manager of J.E. Hixson and Sons Funeral Home in Lake Charles, about 200 miles west of New Orleans.

The stairway, featuring a scrolled iron balustrade, a polished dark wood handrail and a flared curve wide enough for a bridal train, has only been around for 45 of Hixson's 75 years in business.

Opened in 1933, the funeral home moved to its current quarters in 1963, Daigle said.

The company doesn't charge for or keep records of photo shoots, so nobody knows just when the first bride asked for a photograph there. Nobody who was with the funeral home at the time is still working there, Daigle said.

"We've all heard the stories and been told that it was pretty much after the grand opening [in 1963] that people asked to use the grand staircase for photos," he said.

Britney Guilbeau, 26, said she didn't know where the staircase was when she saw a friend's bridal portrait. "I just thought it was a beautiful shot. So I decided to go there, too," said Guilbeau, who will be married Aug. 22.

Her bridal portraits were taken last month. "It didn't really bother me that it was a funeral home. I'm an oncology nurse, so I'm kind of used to all that," she said.

Classic lines and soft lighting make the stairway "pretty much absolutely perfect for bridals," said photographer Christina Louvierre. She said she has suggested it to about four of the 150 or so brides she's worked for over the past three years, when they wanted a mix of outdoor and indoor locations.

Hixson's has only one rule: Call the morning of a planned shoot to be sure a funeral hasn't been scheduled for the same time. Nobody has ever done anything that would prompt a dress or behavior code, Daigle said.

Laura Kelley, who is taking Guilbeau's photographs, said her first love is outdoor work, but she has made several bridal portraits in Hixson's over her eight years in business.

The first time a bride asked for photos there, she said, "I was pretty shocked. I was like, 'Hmmm. That's kind of different.'"

Now, there's no hesitation. "It definitely turns out beautiful."