For many bride’s and groom’s the decision on WHERE to get married is the hardest they’ll face in the entire wedding planning process.  But it should be challenging!  It’s an important element that dictates EVERYTHING:  the size, formality and style of the wedding to name just a few of the elements.  Not to mention the budget!  Dana and Justin carefully considered many locations in the Philadelphia area before chosing to celebrate their Spring wedding at The Rittenhouse Hotel.  As a Leading Hotels of the World, the boutique hotel offered this stylish couple the perfect balance of luxury and convenience right smack dab in the heart of urban Philadelphia.

[Photos courtesy of Cliff Mautner]

One of the biggest selling points for The Rittenhouse is its close proximity to the historic neighborhoods and beautiful parks surrounding the hotel.  Without losing too much time or jeopordizing their wedding attire, Dana and Justin were able to walk to gorgeous outdoor locations for their formal photography sessions.  For instance, the photo shown immediately above of Dana and her bridesmaids was taken just steps from the hotel in Rittenhouse Square Park.

Ordinarily, the Grand Ballroom at The Rittenhouse appears in rich traditional tones of gold and taupe.  However, Dana and Justin’s wedding vision would have us turn the entire space into a modern white wedding with touches of magenta and accents of tiffany blue.  Upon entering the ballroom for the Jewish wedding ceremony, guests came upon a sea of white that included fully-draped walls, a long wide aisle and lush white flowers.   Strands of crystals were suspended from the ceiling here and there to catch the dappled lighting almost as if they were prism outside in the sunlight.

Escorted down the aisle by his father and grandmother, Justin is briefly framed for a “dramatic moment” by two stunning floral arrangements on tall white pedestals.  A large white countertop holding floating candles and tall glass vases filled with white calla lilies provided the perfect scenic backdrop for all processing down the aisle.  After the cermeony, this same white countertop will become the dinner bar for guests to enjoy throughout the evening.

The wedding ceremony took place under a fabulous Chupah covered with white Phalaenopsis orchids, snapdragons, stock, hydrangea and roses.  In memory of his mother, Justin provided a small detail from his mother’s wedding dress that we added to the underside of the Chupah as a sentimental tribute to the service.

After the ceremony, the bridesmaids’ elegant bridal bouquets of Picasso mini calla lilies were placed in glass vases in the ballroom foyer to be admired throughout the evening.

As guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Cassatt Lounge, the Grand Ballroom was transformed into an intimate modern supper club environment.   A mixture of square and rectangular dinner tables were dressed in layers of embroidered organza linens, white flowers and romantic candles.  Pops of magenta flowers were added here and there on the dinner tables for a shot of unexpected color. The lighting around the room intensified to magentas and deep purples which enhanced the clean white linens and fabric chair back covers.  Later in the evening the lights would subtly transition from purple to deep aqua blue and back again.

The floral arrangements used on the dinner tables were designed in clear glass vases to keep the tablescape light and airy.   White silk lampshades were suspended over square dinner tables that flanked the bride and groom’s sweetheart table.

The gorgeous wedding cake from Truli Confectionary Arts pays tribute to the wedding invitation designed by Two Paperdolls.