Ask the team · Bywater, New Orleans
Weddings · New Orleans
Marrying at Il Mercato? Give the wedding party one address.
Il Mercato brings the 1931 Spanish Colonial ballroom and its courtyard. CastleDay brings the rest of the weekend: the whole wedding party behind one front door, a private heated pool, getting-ready space for everyone, and a kitchen that handles the morning after. The ride to Magazine Street runs about twenty minutes.
The short answer
Your guest list is flying in. Where do you put them?
An Il Mercato wedding usually means a traveling guest list, and the room-block math gets ugly fast: a dozen hotel rooms scattered over three floors, nobody’s room big enough to gather in, and the getting-ready morning squeezed into a suite. Each CastleDay villa sleeps up to 30 across 12 bedrooms and 17 beds, so the wedding party, family and closest friends share one address with real gathering space: a dining table for 18, living rooms that fit everybody, and a private heated pool and hot tub no other group shares. All three villas together hold up to 90. And it’s a licensed hotel that feels like a house: inspected, legal, city permit 24-XSTR-24029.
The weekend runs on the villa’s clock. The crew lands and the welcome party happens where everyone sleeps. Saturday morning belongs to hair, makeup and the photographer (mirrors in every room, natural light all day), with the pool holding the rest of the party until the cars come. After the reception, everyone comes home to the same block instead of ten different hotel floors. Sunday is the send-off: coffee on the porch and airport runs in waves.
Pricing stays simple as the list grows: the nightly rate plus one cleaning fee per villa, plus occupancy taxes. No per-guest fees, so a headcount that moves doesn’t reopen the math. Pick your dates and the calculator shows the real price at live rates, split per person, before you’ve told us your name. Spring and fall Saturdays go early; most couples lock the villas 9 to 14 months out, around the same time the venue calendar fills.
One address for everyone
The wedding party, family and best friends behind one front door, with living rooms and a dining table for 18 to gather around.
Your own pool and hot tub
Each villa’s heated pool, hot tub and turf lawn belong to your group alone, all weekend.
Twenty minutes to Magazine St
The ride to the venue runs about twenty minutes; rideshares move the whole party in a wave or two.
Three villas
Take one villa, or all three.
The layouts match; the personalities don't. Each sleeps up to 30; book two for up to 60, or all three for up to 90.
Good to know
Common questions
Where does a wedding party stay for an Il Mercato wedding?
Most lists end up split across downtown hotels. CastleDay keeps them together: private villas in the Bywater sleeping up to 30 each across 12 bedrooms and 17 beds, about twenty minutes from the venue, with a private pool at each. Book one villa or all three for up to 90 guests.
How far is CastleDay from Il Mercato?
About twenty minutes by car; the venue is on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District and the villas are in the Bywater. Rideshares are constant in New Orleans, so the party moves in one or two waves.
Is there space to get ready before the ceremony?
Plenty. Hair and makeup come straight to the villa, every room has mirrors and natural light, and the getting-ready morning happens where everyone slept, with the pool holding the rest of the crew. The Bed Map on each villa page shows the rooms.
What will it cost the group?
The nightly rate plus one cleaning fee per villa, plus occupancy taxes; no per-guest fees. The calculator shows your real dates at live rates, split per person, before you’ve told us your name.
Keep the group together
Ready to keep your whole group together?
Each villa sleeps up to 30 across 12 bedrooms, 17 beds, and 8 baths. No per-guest fees, and the lowest rate is always direct.
Check availability