College Sweethearts Wed at Beautiful Chester County Estate

According to The Knot, August 18, 2018 was the most popular wedding date of the year! More than 30,000 couples said ‘I Do’ to one another that day, but for this couple, it was a day especially for them.

College sweethearts, Courtney and Travis met while students at Penn State University. Five years later they chose to marry at the scenic Philander Chase Knox Estate. Set amidst the beautiful Valley Forge National Park, their wedding colors were an extension of the natural green surroundings. Their wedding aesthetic was casually elegant, and it reflected the easy going, fun loving nature of this beautiful couple.

We are so grateful to Samantha Jay Photo who captured all of these gorgeous photographs of the bride, groom and their lovely friends and family. For a complete list of wedding vendors, please see below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photographer: Samantha Jay Photo 

Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Philander Chase Knox Estate

Florist:  Petals Lane, Inc.

Hair:   Salon di Moda

Makeup:  Face the Occasion

Dress Shop:  Elizabeth Johns

DJ: Synergetic Sound + Lighting

Cake:  The Masters Baker

Videographer:  Cinema Four40

Invitation Designer:  The Paperia

One of A Kind Wedding At The Logan Hotel

Sara and Brandon’s wedding was one for the ages! This beautiful couple held their ceremony and reception at The Logan Hotel in Philadelphia. For the ceremony space, the chuppah was draped with white hydrangeas, roses, and orchids; For the reception, the couple chose to continue those lush white flowers, but incorporate soft pink roses and hanging greens; This added a touch of color and added romance. High and low centerpieces added dimension to the space, and floating candles made the room feel truly magical! Textured tablecloths and flatware completed this one of a kind look that was absolutely breathtaking!

As always, this wedding was a collaborative effort with the couple, their families, and some of the best vendors in the business. Enjoy some behind the scenes shots from this wonderful wedding, and see below for a complete list of vendors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photographer: Philip Gabriel Photography 

Venue: The Logan Hotel 

Florist: Petals Lane 

Wedding Planner: Gina Sole 

Place cards, table cards, and signage: Fleurish Ink 

Invitations: Papery of Philadelphia 

Entertainment: EBE Entertainment 

Fall Wedding Feature: Modern Industrial Meets Romantic

If you are looking for more fall wedding inspiration, look no further than Colin and Alex’s wedding at Front and Palmer. Held last October, these handsome grooms paired moderns elements with romantic touches, and the result was a beautiful combination of colors and textures.

Soft white flowers balanced the bold leafy greenery, and warm wood tones balanced the crisp charcoal gray linens. Floating floral table runners added depth to the space, and Edison string lights tastefully incorporated modern whimsy and warmth.

We were honored to work on this wedding and to have had the opportunity to work with side by side with some wonderfully talented vendors, like Grace D Photography who captured these lovely images.

 

 

 

 

Photographer: Grace D Photography

Flowers: Petals Lane 

Venue: Front and Palmer 

Catering: Feast Your Eyes 

Wedding Planner: Kyle Michelle Weddings 

Lighting: Synergetic Sound & Lighting 

DJ: Lovesick 

 

Fall Wedding Trends

Happy Fall, Y’all!

Ok, we’re not southern, but September marks the start of Fall Wedding Season (which probably doesn’t need to be italicized and certainly doesn’t need to be capitalized, but we’re really trying to emphasize how excited we are over here!)

The change in season brings a change in color schemes, styles, and trends, so we thought we’d round up some of our favorite fall looks for any of you bride-to-be’s planning a wedding for this time next year!!

 

Succulents & Saturated Colors 

While succulents are pretty any time of year, they pair perfectly with the rich colors of fall! For this event, we decided to contrast the cooler colors with warm golden accents, and it seemed to strike just the right balance.

 

Pretty Purples Accents 

Egglplant, Plum, Wine, Aubergine … A purple by any other name would look just a pretty! Here, we decided to play with pops of color, again incorporating beautiful brassy tones against the soft wooden tables. Paired with ethereal twinkle lights, it’s a match made in heaven!

 

  

  

  

Images courtesy of Haley Richter Photo 

 

Modern Monochromatic 

Crisp. Clean. Bold. Geometric. We love this combination of black and green, and we love the way the simplicity allows each individual flower to shine. This lovely couple held their wedding reception at an upscale restaurant, and they wanted it to be elegant but understated, and these rich greens and the contrasting black and white was the perfect palette.

 

 

 

 

Modern, Romantic Wedding: Moulin at Sherman Mills

Just because something has a modern aesthetic doesn’t mean it can’t also be romantic. Our case in point: Ashley and Rick’s stunning spring wedding.

Rick, a native of Wallingford, PA, had the good fortune of meeting Ashley, a native Glastonbury, CT, in April of 2015 as both ironically lived in the same apartment building in Center City Philadelphia.

As they shared on their wedding website, Ashley, a St. Joseph’s University Graduate and Division 1 soccer player and Rick, a graduate of The College of William & Mary and Division 1 “recreational” soccer player, realized very soon into their relationship that they had met their match.

In December 2017, after two years together, Rick got down on one knee on a snow dusted Race St. Pier. He asked Ashley to marry him, and without hesitation, she said yes!

They were married at Old Saint Joseph’s Church in May of 2018, and their reception was held at Moulin at Sherman Mills in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

Moulin, pronounced as in Moulin Rouge, is a beautiful venue run by Brûlée Catering. Formerly a textile mill, this 19th century building marries vintage and modern. With its natural stone and brick accented exterior, exposed beam ceilings, concrete floors and interior walls, there is no shortage of texture and visual appeal. Large-scale floor to ceiling wrought iron framed windows and striking columns create an expansive lofty interior rich in natural light. Moulin is currently undergoing an extensive revamp to enhance its offerings, but it is open throughout the renovation process.

Ashley and Rick opted for decor that mirrored the aesthetic of the venue. They paired clean lines with candlelight; They incorporated a lot of greenery to achieve a modern, natural feel to the space. Ornate, upholstered chairs brought a soft romantic balance to the space, and the room truly twinkled as soft string lights gleamed from above.

Vendor Information: 

Dress: Mikaella via La Belle Mariee Bridal
Bridesmaid dresses: Hayley paige
Hair: amanda d’andrea
Makeup: all dolled up

Photographer: alison conklin 

Florist: petals lane
stationary/invites: minted

Band: jellyroll
Videographer: michael murray
Cake: isgro’s bakery
Caterer: brûlée catering
Wedding planner: the styled bride

All Images Courtesy of Alison Conklin Photography 

How to Upcycle Your Wedding Flowers

It comes as no surprise that our number one goal is to make designs that bring joy to our brides and grooms. Whenever we hear that our couples and their guests had a beautiful experience, in part because of our work, it is the greatest compliment we can receive. So, when we learned one of our couples, who got married at The Barnes Foundation, chose to upcycle all of their wedding floristry so that it could continue to bring joy, we knew this was a story worth sharing!

Images courtesy of Baiada Photography

 

Founded by Leona and Tom Davis, Forget Me Knot Flowers, is a non profit organization that repurposes and upcycles wedding and event flowers. They re-cut and re-style centerpieces and then hand deliver them those in need. They bring freshly repurposed flowers to nursing homes, hospitals, and womens shelters throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia.

 

 

Their daughter was the inspiration for the organization that has since been featured on 6ABC, Philly.com, Philly in Love Blog, and in the pages of Philadelphia Wedding.

Several years ago when their daughter was getting married, she suggested they find a way to reuse the beautiful flowers, and to perhaps find a way to pay it forward. That sparked the idea for this wonderful non profit that has since delivered 3,000 bedside bouquets and logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours since their inception!

Image courtesy of Elizabeth Robertson

 

More and more, couples want their wedding to not only celebrate their union but also their interests and the causes they hold dear.  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex upcycled all of their wedding flowers, which were use to make bouquets for hospice patients at Saint Joseph’s in London. And so too did one of our couples, Jessica and Jeffrey. All of their flowers were used to bring smiles to patients and residents at The Ronald McDonald House and the Brooksdale Senior Living Center.

 

Image courtesy of Getty Images

 

All deliveries from Forget Me Knot Flowers come with a personalized note that includes the names of the couple who donated their flowers. As they walk the halls of the nursing homes and hospitals, Leona and her team not only give the gift of flowers, but also the gift of time. They stop to converse with the recipients and ask them about their own loves and their own stories.

If you would like to know more, donate your time, and or learn how to donate flowers from your upcoming event, please click here!

Image courtesy of Elizabeth Robertson

 

 

 

Modern Luxury Weddings Philadelphia

When Christiane Lehman, owner of Truly You Events, invited us to participate in a styled shoot inspired by the French country side, we said oui without hesitation! This stunning shoot took place at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park, was photographed by the supremely talented Emily Wren Photography, and is featured in the inaugural issue of Modern Luxury Weddings Philadelphia (on shelves now!) We are so honored to have been part of the amazing team of wedding professionals who executed this dreamy French-themed fete.

Gray taper candles and lace linens from Party Rental, vintage chandeliers from Eventions, and chateau style chairs from Vision Furniture, helped create a beautiful, delicate ambiance. In keeping with the theme, we wanted the flowers to feel light and airy, but we also wanted to contrast the soft, muted undertones of the table scape, so we opted for pops of color using quicksand roses, burgundy dahlias, light pink astilbe and purple sweet peas.

The trendy wreath motif was incorporated throughout the event. Everlaser crafted beautifully personalized place settings and cake toppers that we accented with boxwood and waxflowers. Above the sweetheart table from Maggpie VintageEverlaser also crafted a large scale wreath that we flowered with fresh greenery. Whipped Bakeshop whipped up their usual magic, and created not one but three gorgeous cakes adorned with hand painted accents and gumpaste florals.

Perhaps our floral piece de resistance was the large scale ceremony hoop, which was made more beautiful by the lovely Claire Mahoney, who wore a lace gown from Lovely Bride. Make up by Aleksandra Ambrozy.

Every detail of the shoot featured exquisite attention to detail. The Papery created gorgeous lavender inspired invitations, and Starr Events served petite French favorites.

 

 

Trend Alert: Hanging Floral Installations

It is a fun time to be a florist! While we will never ever tire of designing gorgeous tabletop centerpieces, we have had a lot of fun jumping on board one of the industry’s hottest trends. Recently, many of our brides have been interested in taking their wedding flowers to new heights … literally! Hanging florals are such a beautiful and inventive way to add dimension to a venue. They have the ability to make a large space feel more intimate. They also have the ability to make a smaller space feel larger – by drawing the eye upwards, they maximize the height of a room.

From floral light fixtures, to hanging canopies, to gorgeous floating garlands, it has been such a treat designing these installations for our brides.

 

Hanging Canopy

This couple, married at a privately owned

venue, chose to completely forgo a traditional aisle. They opted instead to stand beneath a floating candlelit canopy, and it doesn’t get much more ethereal than that!

 

 

 

 

 

Images courtesy of Marie Labbancz 

Collaboration with Taylor Creative Inc 

 

Floral Light Fixtures

This couple chose to hold their reception at the beautiful Faimount Park Horticultural Society. This stunning space doubles as a greenhouse, so the use of these foliage adorned lanterns made it feel as though the flowers were floating in the air. We collaborated with the wonderfully talented Truly You Events and Eventions Productions to choreograph this dreamy look.

Image Courtesy of Brittney Raine Photography 

 

Floating Centerpieces and Garland 

The Kimmel Center’s Rooftop Garden is another beautiful venue that can really make it feel like you are bringing the outdoors in. Large elevated centerpieces functioned like a hanging garden and garlands ornamented with lights twinkled above guests’ heads.

Images courtesy of Asya Photography

This family wanted a modern, chic “Treehouse” look for their child’s Bar Mitzvah at the Chubb Center. The hanging garlands take front and center when paired with the airy lucite furniture.This was a collaboration with Mark Uravic Design, Stephanie Carr, Bobby Morganstein Events, and All Around Entertainment 

 

Modern Wedding Feature: Kate and Luke

It is always such a treat to learn our work has been recognized by others in the industry, and we were especially excited to learn Kate and Luke’s wedding was featured by Red Oak Weddings because we genuinely loved this couple’s aesthetic vision! Every detail of their wedding was just beautiful!! Their wedding was held at the modern Power Plant Productions; Located in Old City Philadelphia, this unique venue used to be a chocolate factory. With 25 foot ceilings, multi story metal windows, steel beams, and exposed brick, it has industrial roots. Those industrial elements, however, are juxtaposed with crisp white walls and warm honey hardwood floors, creating a transitional urban vibe suited perfectly to the casual, intimate feel this couple was aiming to achieve.

All images courtesy of Bri Johnson Weddings 

 

  

 

 

 

 

As always, it takes a village, so this gorgeous event was made possible by the excellent work of the many talented vendors with whom we had the honor to collaborate:

Photographer:  BRI JOHNSON WEDDINGS 

Wedding Planner: NATALIE DIENER WEDDINGS

Florist: PETALS LANE

Invitations: PAPER TREE STUDIO

Venue: POWER PLANT PRODUCTIONS

Catering: POWER PLANT PRODUCTIONS

Gown: WATTERS FROM LOVELY BRIDE

Groom’s Suit: INDOCHINO

Bridal Hair: DINA ALON STUDIO

Bridal Make Up: VERONICA LOPEZ @ RESCUE SPA

Wedding Rings: STEVEN SINGER JEWELERS

 

Greek Wedding Traditions

In April 2002, an independent film starring an unknown actress was given a limited release. That film, which was made on a 5 million dollar budget, went on to earn 368 million dollars in box office revenue, making it the highest-grossing independent film ever and by most standards the most successful romantic comedy in movie history! What movie, you ask? My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

 

Filled with endearing characters and witty, comedic dialogue, it is easy to see why this film was a hit. But, what turned it into a worldwide phenomenon? Some of it had to do with timing – the movie went ‘viral’ before that word was part of our collective vocabulary – but we believe its enduring success stems from its universal themes surrounding love, family, friends, and they ways in which traditions are used to represent the things we value most.

 

As wedding florists and designers, we are granted the opportunity to learn about and witness so many beautiful wedding traditions. We recently helped design not one, but two Big, Beautiful Greek Weddings, so we thought it would be fun to share the history behind some of these time honored traditions. 

 


Image Courtesy of Ron Soliman Photojournalism

 

The Stefana  

According to The Knot, the Stefana is the focal point of the wedding ceremony. It represents the joining of the couple, and it acknowledges their role as the King and Queen of their home. It also symbolizes the hope they they will ‘rule’ their home with wisdom, justice, and integrity. In the same vein as the exchange of rings, the stefana, or wedding crowns, are blessed by the priest and passed between the almost-newlyweds three times before being placed on their heads.

 

Images Courtesy of Sarah DiCicco Photography

 

 Lambades

Widely known as lambades, the wedding candle is a very symbolic element of a Greek Orthodox ceremony.The candles that are used during the sacrament of the wedding serve as a symbol of purity and the way God will light the way for the couple.  The bride and groom each hold a lit candle during the sacrament to show their willingness to receive God’s blessing.

 

Images Courtesy of Ron Soliman Photojournalism

 

 

Koufetta

Another very popular tradition is to offer koufetta—fresh almonds with a sugar coating. The almonds themselves, which are hard, represent the challenges the couple may face in life, while the coating represents the sweet times and happiness the couple will share. According to Greek Weddings and Traditions, These almond treats are always given out in odd numbers because an odd number is indivisible, just as the bride and groom should always be undivided. Historically, they were placed on the marital bed the day before the ceremony; Today, they are often given to guests as a wedding favor – called a Bomboniere.

Image Courtesy of Sarah DiCicco Photography

 

Rice Shower

In the same vein, rice is also used in many Greek weddings. Rice, a symbol of fertility and prosperity, is often thrown at the couple as a way to wish them a happy and blessed life together!

 

    

Images Courtesy of Sarah DiCicco Photography

Image Courtesy of Ron Soliman Photography

 

Dancing

It’s not a Greek wedding without lots and lots of dancing!  Whether it is The Bride’s Dance, also known as the Kalamatianos, or the Sirtaki, these circle dances bring together friends and family to celebrate the union of the bride and groom.

One of the most famous dances is The “Money Dance”.  In some regions of Greece, money is pinned directly to the bride’s gown throughout the evening, but in most Greek American receptions, the money is commonly thrown on/near a dancing couple to wish them good fortune and prosperity.

 

 

Images Courtesy of Ron Soliman Photojournalism

Images Courtesy of Sarah DiCicco Photography

Bobby and Maria’s Wedding:
Reception Venue – The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia
Reception Caterer – The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia
Ceremony Venue – Saint George’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Event Lighting – Petals Lane
Band – Power Station Entertainment
Wedding Planner- Lauren James Events (LJ Events)
Event Designer – Petals Lane
Photographer – Sarah DiCicco
Cinematography – CinemaCake Filmmakers
Makeup Artist – Julie Kate & Co.
Hair Stylists – Jason Matthews Salon
Floral Designer – Petals Lane
Wedding Cake – Van Earl’s Cake

George and Amalia’s Wedding:
Reception Venue – Ballroom at the Ben
Reception Caterer – Finley Catering 
Floral Designer – Petals Lane
Photographer – Ron Soliman
Cinematography – Ron Adams
Wedding Cake – Finley Catering

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