Another awesome Curtis Atrium Wedding in the books! Simona & Brandon had perfect weather, temperature and were on time for everything. I knew they would have a one of a kind day after their GTKY session at Ventnor Beach down at the Jersey Shore.
Brandon was actually a groomsman in Amanda & Josh’s wedding that I photographed a few years ago. Josh was, of course, one of the groomsmen in this wedding. Amanda & Josh were also guests at Jessica & Justin’s wedding. I need to see them at least once a year when I am shooting!
Simona & Brandon had all their preps at The Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia. It is one of my favorite stylish hotels in the city. Simona had an incredible dress from The Wedding Factor. They had their first look at the park across the street from The Hotel Monaco and Brandon could not believe his eyes when he saw Simona.
Prior to the wedding, they had made arrangements to photograph at this amazing outdoor restaurant called Talula’s Garden. We Ubered around the city photographing and met up with the bridal party back at Washington Square.
Curtis Atrium wedding ceremonies are beautiful and they had detailed beautifully for their 250 guests to watch. The Chuppah was custom built with crystal beads draping all around the sides, which as Rihanna would say, “shined bright like a diamond”.
CTO Band provided some awesome music for the reception and it was packed with dancing, speeches and tons of other classic festivities.
The album we designed and created for them is one of a kind with a custom muted glass cover that sees through to the first page. In addition, they also have two amazing canvas wall art pieces of their entrance into the reception with the rose petal cannon and a beautiful portrait in front of City Hall.
Ceremony & Reception: Curtis Atrium Wedding
Florist: Beautiful Blooms
Getting Ready: Hotel Monaco
Hair: Artur at The StudioCL
Makeup: Pretty by Elina and Nick Townsend
Band: CTO Central Park
Bride’s Dress: The Wedding Factor
The Atrium at the Curtis Center sits inside one of Philadelphia’s most quietly remarkable buildings. Completed in 1910 as the publishing headquarters of Curtis Publishing Company, the same company that produced The Saturday Evening Post, the building now holds one of the most famous pieces of American decorative art: the Dream Garden mosaic, an eighteen-by-forty-nine-foot Tiffany Studios masterwork assembled from over a hundred thousand pieces of favrile glass. Couples who get married in the atrium are saying their vows steps away from that mosaic. The space itself opens upward into a glass-and-iron atrium, floods the room with natural light, and seats 250 guests without feeling crowded. For Philadelphia weddings, very few venues pair civic history with a ballroom that beautiful.
Hotel Monaco Bridal Party Preps
Talula’s Garden Bridal Portraits
The Curtis Atrium Wedding Ceremony
The Curtis Wedding Reception
The Curtis Atrium is one of the most distinctive ballrooms in the city. For more ideas on where to celebrate in Philadelphia, browse our full guide to the best Philadelphia wedding venues.
Check out this other amazing wedding at The Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia