If you had friends & family coming from out of town who had never had the chance to explore Philadelphia, where would you take them? That was the question that Heather & Justin asked themselves as they planned their Liberty View Ballroom wedding at the Independence Visitor Center. Sparking from this initial thought, we undertook a whirlwind trolley exploration of some of Philadelphia’s most iconic locations, from Elfreth’s Alley to the Art Museum steps as we adventured through the city for the wedding day.
Getting Ready in Old City
We started the day with Heather in a beautiful home on Elfreth’s Alley that she had found on AirBNB! It was beautifully decorated, with great light, and located right on the alley, so her and the bridesmaids were in the thick of Philadelphia’s rich history! While our good friends at Elegance Artistry got the girls made up and primped, we started to capture the wedding details that Heather had thoughtfully selected. From delicate pearl teardrop earrings to her knee high flag socks and personalized sneakers, Heather’s wedding style was a perfect mix of classic bride with a little bit of punk rock flair and we were totally down for it!
At the same time, Justin and his gentlemen were getting ready with perfect views of the Ben Franklin Bridge and Race St pier from their room at the Holiday Inn Penn’s Landing. Once the guys got buttoned up and boutonnniered, they crossed the street to get some relaxed photos of the guys with the expansive bridge and the Delaware River in the background. Then, as the girls finished putting on their final touches, these guys walked the few blocks to Elfreth’s Alley, where the trolley was waiting for the wedding party and Heather & Justin’s first look before their Liberty View Ballroom wedding ceremony would take place.
First Look & Portraits Before The Liberty View Wedding
Swarming. Absolutely SWARMING with tourists is the only way to describe Elfreth’s Alley on this beautiful day. A combination of people suddenly more comfortable with travel as pandemic restrictions eased up, perfect balmy spring weather, and regular Saturday tours gave us the busiest Elfreth’s Alley background we’d ever experienced. But these two were undeterred. We did our best to insulate them for a quiet moment together in a very public way as they joyfully and tearfully saw each other for the first time on their big day. There were tears, tons of laughter, and delicate forehead kisses. There was one mean tourist who walked right through the moment. But above all, there was genuine love. It was a successful moment and after a few minutes, we were trolley bound across Philadelphia.
With portrait stops at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, UPenn’s campus for their incredibly accessible (& yes, climbable even) LOVE statue, Broad Street for the must-have City Hall backdrop, and ultimately the historic district where their Liberty View Ballroom wedding would ultimately happen, these two and their wedding party were in for an across city trek that checked off more boxes than most out-of-state travelers can hit in a weekend!
When we made our way back to the Independence Visitor Center, we stepped out onto Independence National Historic Park to capture friends & family portraits on the mall with a perfect view of Independence Hall. This beautiful building was also a backdrop to Heather & Justin’s Liberty View Ballroom wedding ceremony and reception, which took place on the two terrace balconies.
The Ceremony & Reception at The Liberty View
When we arrived at Liberty View Ballroom, it was a wonderful reunion for us with some of our favorite wedding professionals in the area. On our first wedding back in six months, we got to see the amazing details designed by Vito at Xtraordinary Events which included hanging candle globes over the ceremony/dance floor terrace and vibrant purple hued centerpieces that popped alongside white lanterns and towering hurricane vases with more floating candles.
The team behind weddings at the Liberty View Ballroom couldn’t be better! Britni, the venue’s onsite coordinator had navigated Heather & Justin through all of the ongoing pandemic restrictions in Philadelphia and, to be honest, their all outdoor celebration was even more magical than an indoor ballroom wedding might have been! Victoria and the team at Brulee Catering made sure that every last bite of Brulee’s impeccable food was safely & beautifully presented from cocktail hour to the end of night soft pretzels. (Can’t be a full out Philly wedding without soft pretzels!)
But we think that the real star of the night was Justin, aided by DJ Marty from Silver Sound. . . With the coaxing of a few beers, some groomsmen for his back up boy band, and an adoring crowd, he crooned away at Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way” while Heather & her bridesmaids swayed and cheered from the dance floor. What a kick off to an amazing night of partying under the stars!
