Chrissy & Mike’s Wedding at PAFA ~ mk Photography
Coordinator ~ Truly You Events
Reception Venue ~ PAFA-Hamilton Building
Caterer ~ Jimmy Duffy’s
Cake ~ Whipped Bakeshop
Video ~ Rose Tree Films
Flowers ~ Petals Lane
Music ~ The Vibe Tribe
From the Bride:
Mike and I met at Amada restaurant in Philadelphia during a mutual friend’s birthday celebration. The sparks flew that night, and we immediately became a couple. Two short years after the night we met, Mike proposed in a notebook that I had given to him for our first Christmas. During our first two years, we used the notebook to keep in touch when we couldn’t be together. On the wedding day, we used the notebook as our guest sign in book and gifted our guests with Vera Bradley notebooks as favors. Inside each cover, we included a small personalized bookmark that told told the story of our notebook, and encouraged guests to use their notebooks to exchange messages of love with their special someones!
When we became engaged, we knew right away that we wanted to marry at St. Patrick’s Church in Philadelphia and to hold the reception at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Having worked at PAFA for so many years, I felt right at home in the Hamilton Building, with its beautiful architecture, colorful artwork and funky sculptures. It has an unbelievable cocktail hour setup, and a dance space big enough for guests to really party down. Once we had a date and a space, we set out to create a wedding celebration that would reflect our personalities.
While we are both somewhat traditional, we wanted our event to have a bit of unexpected flair, and modernity. I did indulge in one very princess moment by contracting a horse and carriage to transport my Dad and I to the St. Patrick’s, and then Mike and I after Mass. The white horse, named Noodles, and the blue and white carriage were stunningly beautiful. Even as the wind began to gust at 30 mph, Noodles stayed calm and cool as his hair blew around in the wind. After a few shots with the bridal party tucked into a little nook on Rittenhouse Street, we made a game time decision to move on to our plan B location for more photos. We had hoped that our bridal party would be blown away by our event, just not quite so literally! The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia is a space close to my heart, as my family is connected with Free Masonry and I’ve worked several events inside the building. The second floor foyer at the Temple made for a gorgeous and much less challenging backdrop for our posed photos.
When it came to styling our event, the quatrefoil shape was something that really spoke to us. This ancient symbol has found legs in the modern world of design and we love what is represents: hope, love, luck and faith. It was a perfect symbol for our feelings on marrying one another. Our wedding invites, welcome bags, ceremony programs, menu cards, table numbers and other event signage were all adorned with the quatrefoil design created by my friend, and former client, Colleen Steixner.
Our wedding paper set a beautiful tone for the decor that would greet guests as they entered the reception space. The cerise and sapphire color palette really popped off the white walls and hardwood floors at the reception. We were so pleased with the way our wedding team embraced and enhanced our wedding style and we are forever grateful for their creative suggestions and input. From the stylish white vessels for the tall centerpieces, to the chic white platters used to pass the hors d’oeuvres, we were completely floored when we saw everything come together. It was undoubtedly the best night of our lives, and more than we could ever imagined.
