Woodland Fairy Tale Wedding in Philadelphia

From Mallory Weiss Planning: “Bria and Ian’s wedding was nothing short of a fairy tale wedding. Bria had always envisioned a ‘woodland fairy tale’ type of wedding with a bohemian, flowy, natural feel. She accomplished this and more! First, Bria had herself and her bridal party get ready at Ian’s parents home, which is where she originally wanted her wedding, and when you arrive at their home you can see just why. It is filled with such history and an old town Philadelphia feel. Ian’s Dad did renovations to the house to make it ready for his future daughter in law to use to get ready in, which I love. The home had beautiful features which Justin Johnson Photography captured perfectly from the wooden gates outside to the creaking flooring in the house.”

A woodland fairy tale wedding in Philadelphia, PA

Bria and Ian wanted to break away from traditio and have a laid back wedding for their guests to enjoy. This was evident from the gorgeous sapphire oval shaped engagement ring that Ian picked out perfectly for Bria to the lush floral crown Bria donned for her wedding day. Bria’s maids, all 12 of them, wore different style mauve dresses to show their individuality and bohemian styled hair styles.

Nature was a huge part of this wedding and is evident in every aspect of the day. The wedding ceremony took place at the Rose Garden at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. This historic public garden was the perfect setting for Bria and Ian’s I do’s. Surrounded by family and friends, they had a close friend perform their ceremony and another sing the bride’s entrance song. Once Bria reached Ian, both families came together to embrace one another as one family. Bria and Ian’s siblings each provided readings, keeping the ceremony special and unique. Bria had her cousin sing “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz as a surprise for Ian. From Bria: “The first time I heard this I knew I wanted to walk down the aisle to it. It still makes me cry every time. It’s kind of like my vows to Ian because Ian let me have as much space as I needed in college.”

Once the ceremony was over, Bria and Ian headed throughout the arboretum, taking stunning photos throughout the florals and lush greenery. Their reception was filled with lots of personal details and alternatives to tradition such as the mailbox “card box” and bench “guestbook.” Each table was a year in the lives of Bria and Ian instead of traditional table numbers. Each year corresponded with a picture of the couple during that time, a great way for family and friends to see how the couple grew and journeyed to this day. Another fun part of the wedding was their “photo booth.” Bria and Ian bought Fuji Film Polaroid cameras and had guests take photos and attach them to a chalkboard at the reception with a small message. It was awesome to look at the board at the end of the night filled with photos and messages.
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