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 & Sons Funeral Home in Lake Charles, about 320 kilometres west of New Orleans.

The company doesn't charge for or keep records of photo shoots, so nobody knows just when the first bride asked for a photograph on the stairway, with its scrolled iron balustrade, polished dark wood handrail and flared curve wide enough for a bridal train.

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.

"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.

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.

Laura Kelley, who is taking Guilbeau's photographs, said the first time a bride asked for photos there, "I was pretty shocked. I was like, 'Hmmm. That's kind of different."'

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

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