W Hotel Wedding Guide | Philadelphia, PA

If you love City Hall and historic Philly landmarks, the W will be your spot. W Philadelphia is at 1439 Chestnut Street, with City Hall and Dilworth Park right outside. I have photographed weddings at the W Philadelphia, plus a proposal on its rooftop.

If you are planning a W Hotel wedding, this guide covers the spaces by the names the hotel uses, the ceremony and reception in the ballroom, the terrace and the rooftop, and the portrait spots a short walk away. Still comparing the W with other venues in the city? My guide to the best Philadelphia wedding venues lays out the rest.

---

W Philadelphia Wedding Venue Snapshot

This is the view from an upper floor of the hotel, straight down onto Dilworth Park and the side of City Hall.

---

Why Couples Choose W Philadelphia

The short answer is location. You get a modern hotel with City Hall a short walk away, so your portraits are a walk instead of a drive, and the city does a lot of the decorating for you.

• City Hall is close enough to walk to for portraits.
• The rooftop at night, with the whole city lit up around you.
• The ballroom, where the darker walls make every light in the room pop.
• You can keep the day in one building. At one wedding in this guide, the first look, the ceremony and the reception all happened at the hotel.
• There is outdoor space up off the street. The hotel describes the Secret Garden, a sunlit roofscape hidden from the busy street below, and a seventh floor rooftop terrace with the WET Deck, cabanas and a fire pit.

Out on the hotel’s terrace, City Hall’s corner tower is right past the railing.

---

What I Tell Couples Before a W Philadelphia Wedding

You have to go to City Hall

It’s very close, and I use the whole City Hall grounds. My favorite shot is a block or two further, looking back at City Hall from the median on Broad Street.

Night photographs: go to the roof

The rooftop is awesome, and at night, with everything lit up, it’s really special. It’s my number one spot at the W for night photographs. I usually skip City Hall at night. Taking the elevator down, going out and walking a block or two takes too much time away from your reception.

First look

There’s a raised terrace off the hotel’s gym with City Hall right behind you. It’s a really cool spot for a first look. The rooftop works too. Ask the hotel about access to both ahead of time.

The suites

The bridal suites are amazing. They’re usually corner suites, very high up, with windows on two sides overlooking the city. Some of the suites have their own terrace or balcony, so ask for one when you book.

A hidden blue room

Tucked away inside the hotel there’s a blue-lit lounge called Stevens’ Prophecy that most guests never see. I took portraits in there after a rooftop proposal at the W, and you can see it in that proposal story. Ask the hotel about using it on your wedding day.

---

The Event Spaces at W Philadelphia

W Philadelphia lists 37 event rooms on its events page. These are the ones it talks about for weddings and parties.

The Great Room

The Great Room is the hotel’s largest event room. Its event chart also lists the room in two halves, Great Room 1 and Great Room 2, plus a Great Room pre-function space. Ask the wedding team how they would set it up for your day.

The pre-function spaces

Before the big moment, the hotel says, guests come together in its pre-function spaces, with bold designs and installations from local sculptors.

The Secret Garden

The hotel describes the Secret Garden as a sanctuary hidden from the busy street below, set against views of the city. It suggests the sunlit roofscape for cocktail parties and the fire pit for quieter conversations, and it says seasonal heaters let the space run in the winter.

The seventh floor rooftop terrace and the WET Deck

On the seventh floor, the hotel’s rooftop terrace includes the WET Deck, cabanas, a fire pit and event space, with views of City Hall. It doubles as the pool deck. Hotel guests can use the heated pool year round, and the hotel lets guests and locals reserve the cabanas.

Stevens’ Prophecy and the Extreme WOW Suite

For a smaller party, the hotel points to Stevens’ Prophecy, a salon-style lounge hidden away behind the Living Room bar, for intimate cocktail gatherings. It also hosts private events in the Extreme WOW Suite, which has a DJ booth.

---

Getting Ready and the First Look at W Philadelphia

You do not have to get ready at the hotel to have your wedding at the W. One couple in this guide got ready at home and came to the W later in the day for portraits at City Hall and the reception.

The hotel is also home to AWAY Spa, so ask about it when you plan the morning.

A first look on the terrace

I like the hotel’s outdoor terrace for a first look. There is a tiled wall with a built-in fireplace, lanterns and hedges on both sides, and a wood deck under your feet.

Walk a few steps to the railing afterward and City Hall is right behind you.

---

Ceremony Options at W Philadelphia

The ceremony in this guide was inside W Philadelphia, in the ballroom, under the big rings of lights in the ceiling. The room was set with clear chairs and a petal-lined aisle with candles down both sides, and a white flower chuppah at the front.

The chuppah had clear posts and a canopy of white orchids and roses, with family and the wedding party gathered in close.

Before the ceremony, the ketubah signing was in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms, by a tall window.

You can also get married somewhere else and come to the W for the rest of the night. At another wedding in this guide, the ceremony was at a church, and the reception was at the W.

Ask the hotel’s wedding team which room they would use for your ceremony and how it sets up with your reception.

---

Cocktail Hour and Reception at W Philadelphia

Cocktail hour

At one wedding here, we snuck up to the rooftop for some nighttime views of the city during cocktail hour. And wow, what views. If you want the same, that hour is your window, and you will see those photographs further down.

If you would rather have your cocktails outside, the hotel suggests the Secret Garden for cocktail parties.

The ballroom

The reception room is gorgeous with darker backgrounds, which makes all the chandeliers and lights pop. Here it is set for dinner with black linens, clear chairs and tall orchid centerpieces around a dark dance floor.

At another wedding, a long table ran down the room, set with gold chargers, taper candles and tall white flowers in front of the mirrored wall panels.

The hotel says its own culinary team caters the receptions in its wedding spaces.

The sweetheart table

A sweetheart table banked with white orchids, roses and pillar candles looks right at home against the ballroom’s fabric wall panels.

The dance floor

The first dance was right under the rings of lights, with everyone gathered around the floor.

During the toasts, the two of them stood at the edge of the dance floor, tall candelabra centerpieces on the tables behind them.

And when the hora started, up went the chairs, right in the middle of the floor in front of the band.

---

Best Spots for Photographs at W Philadelphia

The best spots for photographs at W Philadelphia are right outside and way up top.

Broad Street and City Hall

We walked right across Broad Street for portraits. From the median on South Broad, City Hall’s clock tower is straight ahead of you.

City Hall’s archways and Dilworth Park

City Hall has iron gates set in stone archways, and an arched passage you can walk straight through. Dilworth Park, on the side facing the hotel, adds a lawn, planters, a fountain and a glass transit canopy that we used for wedding party groups at night.

After dark, City Hall’s stone facade lights up. In December, the little trees in the raised planters were wrapped in white lights.

The rooftop at night

Up on the rooftop you are behind a glass railing, with William Penn on top of City Hall right there in the frame and the city lit up below. He shows up whether you invite him or not.

Turn the other way and you get the lit crowns of One and Two Liberty Place.

---

Winter and New Year’s Eve Weddings at W Philadelphia

At a New Year’s Eve wedding at the W, City Hall was dressed for the holidays right outside, with a light projection on its facade, market tents and an ice rink out front.

The sun goes down early in December, so plan on your City Hall portraits happening after dark. With everything lit up, that works in your favor.

If you want some time outside, the hotel says seasonal heaters let the Secret Garden run in the winter.

Winter works for proposals here too. I have photographed a December proposal on the W’s rooftop.

---

Planning Tips for a W Philadelphia Wedding

• Walk to your portraits. City Hall and Dilworth Park are right outside, so nobody needs a car.
• Save a few minutes of cocktail hour for the rooftop, and ask the hotel’s wedding team early which rooftop spaces you can use on your date.
• Tell your guests about parking before they drive in. The hotel has valet parking only, provided by Towne Park.
• Do your first look on the outdoor terrace, by the tiled fireplace wall or at the railing with City Hall behind you.
• Plan your family formals inside. At one wedding here we did them in a windowed hallway outside one of the hotel’s Studio rooms.
• If you want the seventh floor rooftop terrace, ask how a private event works there. It is also the pool deck, and the hotel lets guests and locals reserve the cabanas.
• Bring the hotel’s wedding team in early. The W’s events page says Marriott Certified Wedding Planners are trained to help.

---

Frequently Asked Questions About W Philadelphia Weddings

Where is W Philadelphia?

W Philadelphia is at 1439 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. City Hall and Dilworth Park are right outside the hotel, close enough to walk over for wedding portraits.

Does the W Hotel in Philadelphia host weddings?

Yes. W Philadelphia says it provides wedding services, lists 37 event rooms with the Great Room as its largest, and caters receptions with its own culinary team.

What is the largest event room at W Philadelphia?

The Great Room is the largest event room at W Philadelphia, according to the hotel. Its event chart also lists the room in two halves, Great Room 1 and Great Room 2, plus a Great Room pre-function space.

Can you have your wedding ceremony at W Philadelphia?

Yes. I have photographed a ceremony inside W Philadelphia, in the ballroom under a white flower chuppah. Ask the hotel’s wedding team which room they would use for your ceremony and how it sets up with your reception.

Does W Philadelphia have outdoor event space?

Yes. W Philadelphia describes the Secret Garden, a sunlit roofscape hidden from the street, and a seventh floor rooftop terrace with the WET Deck, cabanas and a fire pit.

Can you take wedding photographs on the rooftop at W Philadelphia?

Yes. At a W Philadelphia wedding we snuck up to the rooftop during cocktail hour for nighttime views of the city, with William Penn on top of City Hall behind the couple. Ask the hotel which rooftop spaces you can use.

Where are the best spots for wedding portraits near W Philadelphia?

City Hall and Dilworth Park are right outside W Philadelphia. For portraits we walk over to City Hall’s tower and stone archways, the median on Broad Street, and the Dilworth Park lawn and fountain.

Is there parking at W Philadelphia?

W Philadelphia has valet parking only, provided by Towne Park, according to the hotel. Put that on your wedding website so your guests know before they drive in.

What is the best time of year for a W Philadelphia wedding?

Any season works at W Philadelphia, because the ceremony and reception can both be inside. At a New Year’s Eve wedding there, City Hall and Dilworth Park were lit up for the holidays right outside.

Where are the best spots for night wedding photographs at W Philadelphia?

The rooftop. At night, with the city lit up, it’s my number one spot at the W. I usually skip City Hall at night, because the elevator ride and the walk take too much time away from the reception.

Where can we do a first look at W Philadelphia?

A raised terrace off the hotel’s gym, with City Hall right behind you, is a really cool spot for a first look. The rooftop works too. Ask the hotel about access to both ahead of time.

Have you photographed weddings at W Philadelphia?

Yes. I have photographed weddings at the W Philadelphia, plus a proposal on its rooftop. Every photograph in this guide comes from my own galleries, at the hotel or right outside it at City Hall.

---