a grassy, textured wedding ceremony at the divine lorraine hotel in philadelphia, pa

winter

Growing up where I did in New Jersey, it’s pretty much the same amount of time to travel to Philadelphia or New York City. It’s up to personal preference if you want to go north or west to see a band’s concert. My parents are City people for reasons that are beyond me. I’m definitely a Philly girl. Cheesesteaks (peppers, onions AND ketchup, I’m willing to fight about it) are only half the reason– I love the architecture, the cobblestone streets and feeling like a human in a metropolis instead of an ant. My brother is a Philly guy too, so much so, he ended up going to college and moving there. His coworker Max was in need of a florist for their nontraditional wedding, and being an excellent little brother said he knew of just the design studio to help 😉

DESIGN INSPIRATION + CONCEPT

Max and his fiancee Sara chose to get married in an intimate ceremony in a penthouse suite at the historic Divine Lorraine Hotel. When inquiring, Sara mentioned she liked dried flowers and wanted to emphasize a gorgeous cathedral window overlooking a grand boulevard. My jaw dropped when she sent the photo of the space. Incredible brick work and an incredible view! Add in a black floral wedding dress, a velvet tux, and the go ahead to get weird with it– they were truly a dream couple to collaborate with.

Since our design concept was open ended, I presented Sara and Max with a few digital mock ups of what their ceremony vignette could look like to refine the feel for their ceremony. Their ceremony would be the only true floral moment of their wedding so we wanted this space to feel especially considered and grand. Sara chose to go in a fully textured direction with lots of grasses. We leaned heavily into an earth tone color palette featuring two freestanding pillars to accentuate the window and the reddish color of the brick wall surrounding the window.

And so began my hoarding phase. For many months, I collected panticle hydrangea, limmonium, micanthus and dyed eucalyptus from fellow florist friends, wholesalers and my parents’ front yard. I went to garden stores (shout out to Reynold’s!!!) and bought so many plants in two gallon buckets that I purposefully let wither and dry to get some amazing natural textures to build up the width of the pillars. My backyard where the plants “lived” looked like a neglected graveyard for a few months but it was so worth it for the end result!

THE CEREMONY VIGNETTE

SARA + MAX

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2023

The Divine Lorraine Hotel

A beautiful hotel turned apartment building back to hotel, The Divine Lorraine features gorgeous art, brickwork and scenic views of Philadelphia. It’s a building of many firsts: one of the first high rises in the city, one of the first hotels to have an elevator and electricity, and most importantly it was the first hotel in Philadelphia (and potentially the United States) to be racially integrated through the efforts of Father Divine and the International Peace Movement of whom the hotel is named after.

SARA + MAX’S WEDDING CEREMONY

SARA’S PEONY WEDDING BOUQUET

In a pique of inspiration taken from Sara’s beautiful black and floral patterned dress, I chose to go monocolor burgundy for her bouquet. Funky kangaroo paw paired with statement charm peonies was affectionately dubbed the cherry bomb. Little did I know Sara had the same thought and painted her nails the same exact shade of her bouquet! Total kismet.

Her bouquet was full of movement and fun lines. A floaty burnt sienna silk ribbon brought Sara’s amazing ensemble fully together.

MAX’S ASTER BOUTONNIERE

Max wore a rich eggplant velvet suit jacket which was perfect for a winter wedding. Max requested some purple, so his boutonniere featured some pretty aster and kangaroo paw.

I have to say, more couples should hop on the December wedding train. The weather was crisp but the light was phenomenal. Sara and Max’s ceremony was held during the golden hour, sunlight streaming through the cathedral window and illuminating their closest friends and family members. It was an honor to create a stunning backdrop for their intimate vows and we wish them a lifetime of happiness!