As an avid traveler, Ashley knows that the Ritz-Carlton brand is synonymous with luxury and style. But after all these years in the industry, finally having the chance to capture a Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding definitely lived up to the hype. But it had nothing to do with the venue & everything to do with the couple!
Taylor & Mike are incredibly fun, lovely, and yes, stylish people who came together to create an absolutely top-notch event for their friends & family to commemorate their marriage. From the moment we first started planning for the day, we knew we would be celebrating luxuriously, starting with a ceremony at historic St John the Baptist and ending the night in the majestic ballroom for their Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding reception.
The icing on top of the cake? Working alongside Lori and her team from LJ Events and Tim and his crew at Allure Films is always an absolute pleasure, so putting us all together with such a lovely couple was bound to be a home run.
Getting ready in the suites at Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton
. . .is an experience. The luxurious space was decorated from floor to ceiling in shades of ivory and gold with big beautiful windows letting in so much beautiful sunlight. As we started the day, we were able to spend time and attention alone in the suite with Taylor’s immaculate collection of wedding details, while she finished up with the Cheekadee team in another room. From her exquisite invitation suite to the playful wedding day newspaper that they’d created, every element of Taylor’s wedding day was thoughtfully crafted to create an overall ambience of timeless elegance.
Once it was time to get dressed, Taylor was ready to go. She was carefully buttoned into her breathtaking Pronovias gown and we understood why she’d spent the entire planning process telling us “the back is where it’s at!” The waist was topped with a lace-detailed bow that trained down along with the dress and was topped by a sheer cutout with eight delicate buttons. Paired with timeless pearl drop earrings and single strands of pearls around her neck & wrist, Taylor looked like the textbook definition of a classic bride!
Such a bride is only deserving of the most handsome of grooms. Although Mike spent much of the morning laughing and goofing off with his own wedding party, as he began to pull himself into his suit, we saw him transform into a dashing & debonair groom. With his own details to match Taylor’s, such as custom cologne, cufflinks, and watch, Mike sauntered to the limousine that would carry him around the corner to St John the Baptist to meet his wife-to-be.
A Wedding Mass as Elegant as Taylor & Michael
St. John the Baptist was one of the last of Philly’s “old saint” churches that I experienced, but it might be one of my favorites. A predominantly ivory and old wood interior is accented with vibrant blues & golds on the altar with tons of delicate woodwork and carved details.
One of the moments in a wedding day that can be surprisingly intimate & emotional are the last moments that a father spends with his daughter before walking down the aisle. The only moment we felt any bit of nerves wash over Taylor were in these last seconds outside of the church and the momentary snap of her looking to her father for guidance & reassurance is one of our favorite unscripted moments of the day.
It always helps when one of our favorite priests shows up to perform mass. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know many of Philadelphia’s priests, but when we see Father Mike, we know that we’ll get to hear a message that is infused with pop culture, has a bit of humor laced into it, and is genuinely heartfelt. After the message, Taylor & Mike said their “I dos,” they walked out of the church to a cacophony of cheers and well wishes.
Now for the fun parts!
Before heading back to their Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding reception, we had some free time to wander the city and capture these two in their element – along all of Philadelphia’s art-filled Parkway. With stops at both the stairs to the Rodin Museum and the exterior of the Barnes Museum before we even made it to the famous Art Museum steps for group photos, we had such an amazing portrait session with these two and their crew. Taylor left in her showstopping cathedral length veil for their couples’ portraits and we loved playing with the lace adorned tulle during these photos.
Of course the iconic Rocky stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are known throughout the world, but we happen to think that the view from the top of those steps is equally impressive. With the entire city as a backdrop, Taylor & Michael posed with their wedding party against a perfectly blue sky with skyscrapers towering over them. Just off to the sides of the steps in the green-lined alcoves around the Art Museum grounds are some of our favorite places for wedding day photos. While it is easy to get caught up in the grandeur of the museum or the vastness of the city, these green spaces are a perfect spot for some more intimate portraits with your wedding party or partner and are rarely swarmed with tourists the way the stairs are. (Although we do our best to hide the crowds!)
Heading Back for a Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding
Once we were back at the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton, the photos were far from finished. One of the must-grab shots (yes, he was an involved groom and we loved it!) on Michael’s list included goofing off on a luggage cart with his groomsmen. We love the fact that even in the most elegant of settings, these guys knew how to have a great time (& look good doing it!) While we were busy grabbing this photo with the boys, Taylor was simultaneously posing for her own Cinderella moment on the grand staircase inside of the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton lobby before leading our team down to the majestic ballroom.
The ballroom was awash with bright white florals that towered over the tables and made the vaulted ceilings look even more towering. And Taylor’s love for personal details extended well into the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding reception & cocktail hour spaces. Fun facts about the couple were personalized on signage and napkins. A custom Monopoly board shared elements of their story and named streets after important places in their lives, while serving as a sign-in board. And their love of craft cocktails was on display at the bar as they shared some of their favorite concoctions with a pari of signature drinks.
While we waited for the guests to be escorted into the ballroom, we took advantage of a few more moments to capture a few more intimate, private portraits of these two. There are no shortage of stunning nooks and backdrops inside to capture Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding portraits with a couple and Taylor had scoped out so many of these in advance so we could make the most of our time. Alone on the marble staircase landing or in the middle of the dance floor, Taylor & Michael commanded the camera and posed with a natural ease & elegance.
But the time for posing was over and it was time to GET THE PARTY STARTED! Taylor & Michael kicked off the reception with a fully choreographed first dance full of twirls and steps before opening the dance floor to the guests. Loving words were said by fathers and the theme song from Titanic was played on the recorder by Mike’s best man (nope, not joking!) A bottle of V05 shampoo made an appearance. All bets were off once the band got the party moving and things were in full swing.
One last moment was taken after the cake was cut for portraits. One of the awesome things about having a Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding (or really a wedding at any of the awesome Broad St venues) is the ability to hop out on Broad St at night and capture the city after dark in front of Philly’s city hall. We wrapped the night up with these two alone on Broad St, surrounded by the world yet only aware of one another.
This Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton wedding is brought to you by:
Reception Venue: The Ritz Carlton Philadelphia | Florist: Fabu Floras | Entertainment: Clara Jordan Band | Stationery: Minted Sweetly Said Press | Transportation: Trophy Limousine | Videography: Allure Films | Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Wedding Rings: Sydney Rosen | Make up: Underground Artistry | Hair: Cheekadee
A beautiful job capturing a spectacular day!