Last Fall, we designed this lush, romantic, and oh-so-glamorous wedding for Josh and Regina at the Please Touch Museum. Located in Memorial Hall, a National Historic Landmark built in 1876 for the Centennial Exhibition celebrating the country’s 100th birthday, this Grand Dame of Philadelphia party spaces is a magnificent location for a wedding celebration. Add to the already spectacular architecture some sexy black and white decor, a whole lot of purple flowers, and oodles of romance, and you have one extraordinary event. But first, let’s get the party started off with a little softer, a little muted palette…

{Photos courtesy of Drew Noel Photography}

The bride, wearing a sparkling, exquisitely detailed wedding gown by Allure Couture, carried a bouquet of white Cymbidium orchids. The stems of the bouquet were wrapped in white organza and, for a little “something old and something borrowed,” an additional piece of fabric was added from the bride’s mother’s wedding dress. Talk about a stunner! We loved that Regina wore her long blonde hair down in soft, sexy waves with a wispy, ethereal wedding veil to enhance her silhouette. What a beauty…

The Please Touch Museum offers all kinds of fun, lighthearted backdrops for bridal photos in addition to the scenic, majestic architecture everyone loves for the formals. But this Alice in Wonderland exhibit always brings a smile as who could resist hamming it up in there? And now, let’s bring on the PURPLE!

The seven bridal attendants wore sophisticated, one shoulder black bridesmaids dresses, black strappy heels, and amethyst chandelier earrings. We designed textural bouquets of purple flowers that included Vanda Orchids, Dendrobium Orchid blossoms, French Stock, Roses, Hydrangea, Mini Calla Lilies, Tulips, and Lisianthus. For a little extra touch of glam for the ladies in black, we wrapped the stems of their purple bouquets with rhinestone cuffs.

Unlike many of Philadelphia’s off-premise facilities, the Please Touch Museum offers so many lovely, well-appointed spaces for all the various aspects of a wedding celebration, from dressing and getting ready, to formal photographs indoors or out, children’s activities, or, for Jewish weddings, the Ketubah Signing. From the Ketubah Signing, our wedding planners gathered up the bridal party and family members for the ceremony processional as the guests were ready for the main event!

The South Foyer of Memorial Hall was set in a traditional theater-style with gold Chivari dinner chairs facing a solid wall of white draping hung in the three decorative arches. A long, dramatic center aisle was created by layering a wide satin aisle runner on top of a white carpet runner. Along the length of the aisle we placed our Lucite pedestals holding stemmed glass hurricanes, and at the base of the risers we placed multiple glass cylinders filled with water and candles. White organza fabric was draped in soft waves down the aisle to prevent guests from accidentally kicking any of the low candles, something that can happen very easily and that we work hard to prevent!

At the far end of the ceremony aisle we placed the large, traditional garden-style Chuppah as the central focal point in the space. Because, OF COURSE, it is the highlight of the celebration!

Our beautiful bride provided many photos of her dream wedding canopy and our tall iron Chuppah structure was just PERFECT to make that dream come true! The entire Chuppah was covered in gorgeous flowers and seasonal branches in shades of ivory, white, cream, and soft variegated shades of celadon, lavender, periwinkle, and blush. A combination of Garden Roses, French imported Roses, and Hydrangea were the main blooms used to bring that color palette to life. Below the Chuppah we placed our petite iron branch table to hold the Kiddush cup and Breaking Glass. Soft uplighting on the Chuppah itself married with delicate dappled light underneath and overtop for a romantic atmosphere.

After the ceremony, while guests were wandering through the playful museum exhibits and enjoying delicious food from Brûlée Catering in the Carousel, our design team turned the ceremony space into a stunning place card setting. First, we moved the large floral Chuppah to the center of South Foyer to serve as the focal centerpiece of the room. Then, we placed two white lacquer rectangular tables with mirror tops on either side of the Chuppah to extend the entire decorative statement. Along the length of the escort card tables, we placed a series of glass vessels of varying heights holding floating candles and votives. As beautiful as they always are, the bridal bouquets were placed in tall stemmed glass vessels on these tables to be admired by the guests as part of the decor. Elegant plum-colored place cards were provided by the client and set out in an orderly fashion on both tables offering guests plenty of space to find their card with ease.

Guests were invited into a dramatically lit Hamilton Hall for dinner and dancing. The black and white design foundation played out throughout the dining room in the glamorous white sequin and white metallic rosette linens, as well as the Black Ruched Chairs, White Pop Chairs, white or black satin napkins secured in rhinestone buckles, and lacquered black urns and white glass vases. Then, we layered on the purple in one lush arrangement after another around the ballroom. Monochromatic floral displays of Magenta Dendrobium Orchids, Purple Vanda Orchids, Lavender Hydrangea, or Plum Mini Calla Lilies blended in with mixed floral centerpieces composed of Roses, Stock, Tulips, Lisianthus, Hydrangea, and Orchids.

The bride and groom’s head table was covered in layers of rich fabric including white matte satin linens and a delicate sheer organza rosette with black edging. White Pop Chairs with clear Lucite backs were placed around the entire table (not just one side) for bridal party seating, and white cleanly folded double-sided satin napkins were slipped into black velvet napkin rings with sequin buckles. Along the length of Table of Honor, we placed a low, lush design of purple flowers in long black vessels. Crystal globe and cut crystal candle holders on tall, statuesque glass bases with vibrant designs of flowers were placed on the table for height.

Such a beautiful couple and one incredible wedding! We thank our lovely bride and groom, as well as their families, for letting Evantine Design be a part of their marriage celebration. We invite you to take a look at the rest of their photos below to see more of this stunning event! Congratulations again Josh and Regina!

These stunning photos, right down to the last sensual image that is so beautifully lit, were provided courtesy of Drew Noel Photography. To see other weddings and events we have designed and planned at the Please Touch Museum, take a look HERE for an explosion of cherry blossoms, and HERE for a whimsical rainbow of personality!