About this Grounds for Sculpture wedding
Amanda and Jason’s wedding was the smallest Grounds for Sculpture wedding we have shot, around 100 guests, and it is the gallery I point couples to when they tell me they are worried a 42 acre sculpture park will swallow an intimate guest list. It does the opposite. The scale of the property gives a 100 person wedding the same private feel a backyard does, with the difference that the backdrop happens to be the largest contemporary sculpture park in the country. If you are planning a small wedding and the venues you are touring feel cavernous, this is the property to look at next.
Shooting Grounds for Sculpture in summer
This was the hottest and most humid wedding I have ever photographed. There is a behind the scenes frame in this gallery of my shirt glued to my back, which I keep in the edit on purpose because it is honest about what a July afternoon at this venue actually looks like. The trade is that the gardens are at peak. The hostas, the hydrangeas, and the ornamental grasses around the lily pond all hit in mid-summer in a way they do not in spring or fall. If you are booking a July or August wedding here, plan a longer cocktail hour indoors and use the late afternoon shade pockets near the bamboo grove for portraits. We pulled Amanda and Jason inside for ten minutes between the formals and the reception and it saved the rest of the night.
We created everything with the bridal party and couple at Grounds for Sculpture. I love working there and the scenery is unique and beautiful. This was one of the hottest and most humid weddings that we have photographed. It did not matter though everyone was in great spirits. You can see from the behind the scenes of my gross shirt that was glued to me. We visited a few locations before ending up right at cocktail hour where it was time for the couple to relax and enjoy the great food. I love receptions at Rat’s at Grounds for Sculpture. Dancing is in one location and the food was at their restaurant. They have other unique places to have your reception there as well. The staff was excellent and the food was on par with the best I have ever had at any venue. They also had very unique touches such as mini milk shakes for dessert with special oversized red and white striped straws. I had an amazing time with them and I did not want it to end. Best wishes to Amanda & Jason!
The groomsmen pyramid and the doorway moment
Two frames I want to flag in this gallery. First, the groomsmen finished the guys’ session with a human pyramid, which is the kind of thing you cannot direct, you can only be ready for. Second, the moment right before the ceremony when Amanda and her father looked at each other in the vestibule of St Paul’s in Princeton, just before the doors opened. That second frame is in almost every album I deliver because it is the last quiet beat of the day, and it is one of the reasons we shoot processionals from the back of the church instead of the front.
Rat’s reception, mini milkshake dessert, EBE band
The reception layout at Rat’s splits dinner and dancing across two rooms, which is unusual and worth knowing if you are planning here. Dinner runs in the main restaurant and the dance floor sits in a separate space, so the night flows like a progressive dinner party rather than a single ballroom. Amanda and Jason’s dessert course was mini milkshakes served with oversized red and white striped straws, which is the kind of small detail that ends up on the album spread. EBE Talent carried the band side of the night. If you are pricing entertainment for a Rat’s reception, EBE is the same group we have shot at Trump National and a handful of other Philadelphia venues, and they know how to scale a band to a smaller room.
Venue: Grounds for Scultpure
Dress: Jaehee Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jaehee Bridal
Band: EBE Talent
Amanda’s feet were killing her but she wanted to do some more fun photographs with her cousins, so like the gentlemen I am, I gave her a piggy-pack ride.
iChatting with Grandpa who could not attend the wedding…
Vendor recap, Amanda and Jason at Grounds for Sculpture
Ceremony: St Paul’s Catholic Church, Princeton. Reception: Rat’s Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton. Dress and bridesmaids: Jaehee Bridal. Band: EBE Talent.
More Grounds for Sculpture wedding stories
- Grounds for Sculpture Rat’s Wedding, Trina & Dennis
- Grounds for Sculpture Wedding, Kate & Trevor
- The 12 Best Philadelphia Wedding Venues
Planning your own Grounds for Sculpture wedding? Check out our Grounds for Sculpture Wedding Guide for everything you need to know about this incredible venue.
Considering Grounds for Sculpture for your wedding? See my complete Grounds for Sculpture Wedding Guide for ceremony spots, photo locations, and timing tips.