Heather and Matt had a beautiful spring day for their Olde Bar wedding in Philadelphia. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom throughout the Philadelphia area, so it was time to seek them out! But first, it was time for some bridal preps!
A little on the venue, because the building has a story. The Olde Bar sits inside the former Old Original Bookbinder’s, a Philadelphia seafood landmark that fed the city from 1865 on. When Jose Garces brought the space back to life, he kept the bones that made it special, including the stamped copper ceiling and the old raw-bar feel. Those copper panels are the reason the ceremony room glows the way it does in these photographs. For a downtown wedding in Old City, it is tough to beat a room that has been part of Philadelphia’s table for more than 150 years.
Bridal Preps at Sheraton Society Hill
The bride started off the day at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Old City. There are many reasons that this is an excellent hotel in Philadelphia. It works if you want to shoot down in the Penns Landing area or throughout Old City. Also, their venue was very close. One other gem about this hotel is that they have free parking in front of the hotel if you are going to stay for a few hours and excellent valet parking for staying the night. Street parking is usually quite easy to find on the street behind the hotel.
Ceremony & Reception: Olde Bar Philadelphia
Caterer – Garces Group
Bride and Groom First Look
I love the first look! Private, discreet, emotional, fun, and it lifts the weight of the day off your shoulders a bit. Heather & Matt’s first look was at the private apartment complex across from the Sheraton. The light is always soft bouncing off the concrete walls there, and the pillars and foliage in the background look stunning. It was quite windy on their wedding day, and she could barely keep her veil on walking up to see Matt for the first time!
Some old spots and the Art Museum
We had planned together to do a few locations on their wedding day. First was the Bishop’s Collar. It is a bar that is near and dear to their heart and often went there as they were dating. Second, we went to their street in Philly where they currently live and planned on getting all the neighbors out for a quick photo. One guy even brought his four-wheel ATV along.
The cherry blossom trees were incredible on their street so had my assistant give it a little shake while this fun couple was bracing for impact underneath it. We then went to the back of the art museum to photograph. All the pink flowers were in bloom there as well! Finally, we ended up in front of the The Olde Bar to finish up the couples session together before they separate and relax for a bit before the ceremony.
The Olde Bar Wedding Ceremony
Ceremonies for The Olde Bar weddings are very quaint and beautiful. The copper ceiling panels and market lighting give the room a warm feel. They had a smaller sized wedding, and you could feel the tears flow down from Heather’s eyes as her brother walks her down the aisle.
The Olde Bar Wedding Reception
Damn their reception was fun! The guests were phenomenal, packed the dance floor, and we even got to have fun outside! They wanted to end on a champagne shooting toast on the street. We got to photobomb with a group of strangers before they went crazy and popped some bottles!
I had a great experience working with Heather and Matt! They got a beautiful custom leather album from their wedding and a canvas wall art piece of them with the cherry blossom trees for their home.
No I will not take your hand buddy!
Check out this incredible Brandywine Manor House Wedding!
The Olde Bar Wedding Vendors
The team behind Heather and Matt’s day:
- Ceremony and Reception: The Olde Bar
- Catering: Garces Group
- Getting Ready: Sheraton Society Hill, Old City
The Olde Bar is one of our favorite downtown rooms. See it alongside the best Philadelphia wedding venues we have photographed.