Front & Palmer Philadelphia Wedding

“We wanted our wedding to blend together the heavy industrial, urban feel of Philadelphia with the softer, botanical aspects of the outdoors.” So says the bride from today’s wedding, Samantha, about her vision for her celebration with beau Brian, and her words were music to our ears. Thanks to the lovely Emily Wren, Feast Your Eyes Catering, and Leaves of Grass Floral Design for pulling out all the stops!

From the bride, Samantha: We wanted our wedding to blend together the heavy industrial, urban feel of Philadelphia with the softer, botanical aspects of the outdoors. The venue we found – Front and Palmer – did most of the work for us, being an industrial conversion; the other half of the work was provided by the florist, Amy Young of Leaves of Grass. The end result felt like nature had crept into this old historic space and the two styles had become symbiotic over the years. Clearly I was obsessed with the look! I have Master’s degrees in Urban Planning and also in Historic Preservation and these interests pretty closely match my style in most other respects. So the idea was to bring together harsh and soft, strong and faint, dark and light. I feel like it worked.

One of the most important ideas for the wedding was to make sure everyone felt included. Brian and I are different religions and from very different family backgrounds, but we didn’t want guests to feel alienated by it being too much of side of the family than the other. So we really tried to create a neutral environment that anyone, regardless of religion or income or background, could find comfort in. It made our wedding less traditional, but in a sense it was totally us, and how our lives have come together. We didn’t have a theme or a color scheme, just a sense of working with the tones and textures of the space and keeping our own additions more muted. So the suits and bridesmaid dresses were a beautiful, rich gray tone that matched the steel beams of the venue. The flowers were softer blues, greens, and beige tones. My dress was an ivory that wouldn’t create too sharp a contrast with the darker hues. The florist suspended branches, vines, and candles from the beams and created a “floating” Chuppah that was also suspended from the beams. It was genius the way the florist incorporated the natural elements into the space – I may have had the initial vision, but she make it happen miles beyond what I imagined.

As much as I wanted to DIY everything, finishing my thesis took precedence so I kept my involvement down. I did make the party favors that also served as the escort cards – soy wax candles in tins that were either vanilla, lavender, or grapefruit. The labels were ordered from the Evermine and I made the kraft paper guest tags that hung from them. My sister found a perfect chalkboard with a gray wood frame and sketched out of the whole menu, and also made little signs for our signature cocktail (the Liberty Bell-ini… cheesy I know, but what’s a wedding without a bad pun here and there?). And the guest book was a small side project as well. I found an antique writing desk at a vintage store and just had to use it somehow, so what I did was create postcards for the guests leave messages. I pulled historical images of present day important spots from our relationship (first meeting, first date, first apartment, etc.) and made those the postcard covers.

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Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? I made myself a promise that I would not allow myself to get worked up over details of the wedding, but I didn’t expect how worked up other people (extended family, random friends, etc.) would get about our wedding planning! Because I didn’t anticipate that and kind of prepare for it, I got really swept away at times in other people’s stresses about our wedding. I know it sounds crazy, but my advice for brides would be let other people’s expectations roll off their backs. So what if my dress is delayed, or that the groom saw pictures of me in it prior to the wedding day? You don’t like grapefruit scented candles? OH WELL. Stick to your own feelings about the situation and don’t be swayed by others’ input. In the end, its about you and the groom celebrating your future, and creating a party for loved ones and friends. They’ll love it no matter what, so why let their input bog you down during planning?!

Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Bonfire Heart,” James Blunt
Bridal Processional: “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” Ingrid Michaelson
Recessional: “Ho Hey,” Lumineers

From the photographer, Emily Wren: Sam and Brian’s wedding at Front and Palmer on September 6th, 2014 brought together an edgy urban setting and whimsical details. As an urban planner, Sam wanted to include some of the best views Philadelphia has to offer: the Race Street Pier, Ben Franklin Bridge, and Spruce Street Harbor Park. This affection for urban life offered edgy backdrops for the couple’s first look as well as photos with the wedding party, friends, and family. Sam’s dress, by Sarah Seven from Lovely Bride Philly, served as a juxtaposition to the edgy, urban feel of Front and Palmer and Philadelphia. Her dress and bouquet gave a soft, feminine feel to the urban backdrops she chose. Amy Young of Leaves of Grass designed a lighted canopy for the ceremony, including branches, ivy, and assorted flowers and lanterns which set the tone for the table settings and other floral details, and carried the same magical feeling throughout the evening.

Wedding Location: Philadelphia, PA / Photographer: Emily Wren / Event Coordinator: Lini Skiba of Feast Your Eyes Catering / Flowers: Leaves of Grass Floral Design / Venue: Front & Palmer / Wedding Dress: Sarah Seven via Lovely Bride / Alterations and Sleeves: Sara Teixeira of The Tailory (I went with a simple dress by Sarah Seven and Sara Teixeira created detachable sleeves that completely changed the look and made it my dress – all in under two weeks!!) / Bride’s Headband: Untamed Petals by Amanda Judge / Bridal Belt: Twigs & Honey / Bride’s Earrings and Shoes: BHLDN / Hair and Makeup: Beautiful Brides Philly / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo / Bridesmaids’ Cuffs: Untamed Petals by Amanda Judge / Bridesmaids’ Earrings: Verde Philadelphia / Groom’s Suit: The Black Tux / Groom and Groomsmen Accessories: The Tie Bar / Caterer and Wedding Cake: Feast Your Eyes Catering / DJ: Joe Vespe of JSV Events / Wedding Invitations: LoveLeigh Invitations / Transportation: Philadelphia Trolley Works