Melanie & John’s Wedding Day Highlights

Ready to crash this party? Melanie and John’s wedding was the cat’s pajamas. This wedding is all about the Hollywood inspired glam with a Philadelphia Eagles twist (I think this couple’s wedding was the good luck charm that won Philadelphia the Super Bowl!).

“Holy sh*t, that’s mine and she’s beautiful.” This grooms thoughts may be the most honest and heartfelt response we’ve received when we’ve asked our couples their thoughts and feelings upon seeing their spouse for the first time on their wedding day. I know he was speaking the truth because he was speechless when he saw his bride during their first look.. So speechless that he clapped his hand over his mouth.

Looking dapper in his white jacket and black trousers from Men’s Wearhouse tuxedo, John embodied the Hollywood glam vibe that Melanie was channeling for their wedding day. She looked like a captivating vision in her wedding gown from L&H Bridal. Standing next to each other – Melanie and John made mouths drop and stopped traffic during their wedding portraits in Center City Philadelphia – they seriously looked like two movie stars out on the town!

You might remember them from their engagement session with their awesome Philadelphia Eagles attire – the ‘Fly Eagles Fly’ made it’s way into little areas throughout the wedding day. It started when we arrived to the bridal suite at Philadelphia Marriott Downtown and found Melanie had picked out  a Philadelphia Eagles garter to wear to surprise her husband-to-be. Mixed among the exquisite other details – Melanie knew that she had to go all out with her details to complete her fairytale vision for the wedding day.

Gina Sole the Wedding Planner was on hand from the start of the day to keep the bridal party organized and the details in check – with eight bridesmaids going through hair, by Up Your Do,  and makeup, by Dylan Michael Cosmetics, it was imperative we stay on schedule for the morning so the newlyweds could meet on time for their first look.. I absolutely love the matching robes and “Bride Tribe” socks that all the bridesmaids wore in the bridal suite (Note to future brides – order me a pair too please? These are awesome!)

The bridesmaids in their Bella Bridesmaids gowns looked perfect for Melanie’s vision of a fancy black and white Hollywood affaire. White lilies were the flower of choice for the decor from Russell Anthony Florist – you know, which just a little bit of bling.

Breathtaking. Melanie embodied the spirit of Hollywood glam. With every bit of her wedding details in place, Melanie was ready to start her fairytale day – getting married to her best friend.

While Melanie was upstairs getting ready, John was downstairs in a gorgeous board room. With wood covered walls and leather clad chairs, John was surrounded by an amazing atmosphere to put on his tuxedo and superman cufflinks and Movado watch.

His white dinner jacket, matched with black pants, screamed sophistication while highlighting his rugged good looks. Looking a classic Hollywood movie star, John oozed confidence as he talked to his father, and soon to be father-in-law. After changing words of advice and a few drinks, John slid on his watch, looked out the window once last time, and headed downstairs to walk to Philadelphia City Hall.

As he walked down the street, flanked by his groomsmen (who were dressed in black) John sauntered down the street as if he was surrounded by security. Not a single person didn’t stop and give John a look as he headed around to the front of City Hall to meet his gorgeous fiancée.

At their first look (catty-corner to where John proposed at the Christmas Village near Love Park), the two read personal vows they had written for each other. Enchant Cinema was on hand to capture every word | check out their highlight video here | these two promised to each other while their bridal party watched from a distance. The first look lead us into a whirlwind of photos near Philadelphia City Hall and Broad Street before we jumped onto the Cescaphe Trolley and headed to the church to unite these two love(Philadelphia)birds in marriage.

And just the starlets….

And just the studs….

Some locations cannot be planned – and this bridal party in front of my newest favorite door in Philadelphia may be one of my most favorite bridal party photos ever. The sun shinning against a building led me to this most perfect door and we *politely* yelled “STOP THE TROLLEY WE NEED PHOTOS NOW!”… so that’s what we did (and here’s what we got)!

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church set the stage for Melanie and John’s wedding ceremony. There is so much history inside this beautiful building as it was built in the 1830’s and though it has gone through many renovations over the years, it is a perfect backdrop for couples seeking a beautiful church wedding.

The ceremony at the church added to Melanie’s vision of her day being breathtaking. The ceremony felt like it fell straight out of a vintage Hollywood lovestory. The stained glass and old ornate wood created such an intricate backdrop for the newlyweds to exchange their promises to love each other forever. They sealed their marriage with a kiss and Melanie was so proud to call this great man her husband!

We followed up their church ceremony with a few additional portraits  of the newlyweds as we made our way to Cescaphe’s Vie. One of John’s most favorite memories from the wedding day is just seeing his new wife happy and full of so many smiles.

One of Travis’ favorite locations in Philadelphia.

And a fan favorite from their same day slideshow – oh I seriously love this image. I feel like it also represents Melanie and John – they are so different from each other that they balance eachother out perfectly. The lights and the darks in this image balance perfectly to create a dramatic portrait!

Vie. All the amazing things to say about this super fun venue. I absolutely adore wedding days at this venue! The staff greets us with a hug and is so accommodating to what we need! The bride and groom wanted some additional family photos besides what we could accomplish at the church – so we photographed in the ballroom at Vie – and I love the results. So much money and time is spent choosing the decor for your big day – I love it when we can use it in the formal portraits!

The ballroom sparkled with beautiful decor (black and white and lilies as far as the eye can see) and was lit up by Beautiful Blooms. The ballroom was set with a modern flair of round and long tables with candles, flowers, and candelabras everywhere.

Vie helped keep the Eagles spirit alive at the venue with this amazing ice sculpture during cocktail hour.

Eat. Drink. Dance. That was Melanie and John’s mantra for the evening at Vie. As the 90 minute cocktail hour ended, the ballroom was flooded with their 250 guests who were ready to party with Rio from EBE. The newlyweds entered the ballroom to cheers from their guests as a petal canon erupted to introduce their first dance as husband and wife. Rio went into their first dance set (seriously guys, if you want to party and dance the night away, hire a band – they get the job done!).

And you know, no wedding speech from the Father and Mother of the bride is complete without a gift of some signed Eagle’s jerseys. No big deal.

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Enough to make a Philadelphia Eagles Fan cry. John’s reaction was one of Melanie’s favorite moments from the entire day! Thanks for the awesome speech Dad!

Eagles! E-A-G-L-E-S! There was even a little football hidden on the back of the cake.

Rio kept the crowd up and dancing for the entire night (awesome dance party was crowd was a perfect way to tie the night together – the two met at LiT UltraBar). They are also a big fan of photos – so they had an awesome Photo Booth from Hipstr Photo Booth.

The only time the dance floor parted was during the bouquet toss, cake cutting, dessert bar, and when the newlyweds saw their Same Day Slideshow from Uncorked Studios . Same Day Slideshows are such an amazing way to surprise your guests at the reception – we’re showing off edited images FROM your wedding day AT your wedding! Ah! The crowd went WILD when Rio sang live along to these images. Way COOL! I gotta share this behind the scenes moment of hugs from the newlyweds for Travis and Jen.😀

Melanie and John splurged on their venue, flowers, band, and photographers – which added to the Hollywood elegance of the day because her guests are still raving about the most wonderful time they had on their wedding day.

The newlyweds made sure to take in every single moment of the day as it happened – and this is the best advice they received and choose to pass on from their wedding day…. that and late night snacks are must – these two gave out hotdogs and popcorn, from The Gourmet Vendor, to their guests when the reception ended.

Don’t let your wedding day pass you by in the blink of an eye!

Melanie and John – we look forward to watching you grow together as a couple and plan your future together. We are so excited to see the life you build together!

I do, do you need more wedding in your life? – click here!!!