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Real Wedding | Kathy + Stephen





Tell us a little about yourselves!



Steve and I met 11 years ago during our freshman year of college in Boston. The first thing I ever said to him was a comment on a Facebook post of his where I stated that “we are like the same person.” We then made plans to see Crystal Castles together before ever even meeting. It was an instant and powerful connection that has stood the test of time and change. I now work as an acupuncturist and herbalist and he is a chemist with a passion for cooking. Our life together is filled with animals and an abundance of nature.



Why did you decide to get married where you did?



Philadelphia is a special city for us. We originally planned to have the ceremony at John F. Collins park and I was pretty devastated when I found out the rain would prevent us from getting married outdoors as I had dreamed. However, we still managed to take pictures there in the rain and as the wedding started, I did not even think about this derailment at all. We ended up moving the ceremony into our reception venue at Fleischer Art Memorial. The sanctuary there is a beautiful and one-of-a-kind space that includes mostly original features from the church building built in the 1800s.


How many guests did you have?



50.



Tell us about your outfits.



My dress was the first one I tried on and came from the visionary designer Wiederhoeft and their gorgeous NYC showroom. I originally had dreams of a vintage, sheer, layered, Edwardian style dress. I never could have imagined I would find a dress as spectacular as this one that ended up fitting my original vision but in a very unexpected way. It is other-worldly.

Later in the night, I changed into a dress I found on Japanese website Arcana-Archive. Steve wore an all-black Vera Wang tuxedo. He wanted something classic but with small details and textures that he enjoyed, such as minimal floral patterning on the vest.



What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?



Despite being the last aspect that we planned, I knew the ceremony would be the most important part, as it serves as an opportunity to magnetize the powerful energies of love to not only impact the vibration of the room, but hopefully the universe at large. Our close friend, who has known us both since the very beginning of our relationship, acted as our officiant and articulated the essence of who we are in a way that we could not have imagined.

I wanted everything to be a very personal reflection of us, as I’m sure every couple does. We are not people who are often willing to put ourselves on display, so I wanted everyone to step into our world for just a little bit.



Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?



Music has been a very important part of our relationship and so we knew we had to be very selective about who the DJ would be. We wanted someone who would be able to curate and mix a selection of music around our tastes that are specific and all over the board. It ended up being a friend who we are so so grateful to. Another very important part was the food, which came from Han Dynasty - a popular Philadelphia Sichuan restaurant that we really love. You should be eating your favorite food at your own wedding!



Any tips for couples getting married?



If it is a genuine reflection of you and your love, then it will be a success.



Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?



Our photographer, Parker Selman (who I found on The Anti-Bride and shoots entirely on film), was the first vendor I booked, and her work resonated with me so much that I just knew it was meant to be and that everything else with the wedding would fall into place. My personal bouquet was extremely important to me and was one of my main sources of visual inspiration. The florist at Elegant Events executed my vision perfectly. Hairstylist Dayna Defazio and her accompanying makeup artist Jennifer went above and beyond to make sure I was fully satisfied with my look. I kept remarking on how beautiful I thought my wedding party looked that night. I could not recommend them highly enough. Also, special shoutout to the staffing company, Swig Events, who truly made everything possible for our mostly DIY wedding. They provided us with a day-of-coordinator (a must), waitstaff, and bartender.








































Photographer : Parker Selman @parkers.pictures | Ceremony + Reception Location : Fleischer Art Memorial @fleischerart | Celebrant : Narsimha Chintaluri @narshh | Entertainment : Arjun Rao @arjunrao | Hire : Adams Rental | Flora : Elegant Events @eleganteventsphilly | HMUA : Dayna Defazio Hair and Makeup @daynadefazio | Catering + Beverages : Han Dynasty; Swig Event Staffing + Coordination @handynasty @swigevents | Cake : Nutmeg Cake Design @nutmegcakedesign | Dress : Wiederhoeft @wiederhoeft_ | Tuxedo : Vera Wang | Engagement Ring : Custom The Gem Vault @thegemvault | Wedding Rings : Vintage | Shoes : Porte and Paire from Net-a-porter | Earrings : Mondo Mondo @mondomondo | Reception Dress : Arcana Archive

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