Kaitlyn and Brad are absolutely stunning together, and the magic captured on their beautiful wedding day is simply timeless. This couple lives in Boston, but they were destined to have a Philadelphia wedding! The Racquet Club of Philadelphia was a fitting backdrop to this elegant event, with its grand decor and impeccable interior details. All of the dazzling Winter accouterments including pine cones, cold-weather florals, and ornament favors are just the type of accents perfect for Winter weddings! Sweetwater Portraits perfectly told their loving wedding day story through these gorgeous visuals, and it all awaits below!
The Bridal Fashion:
“Kaitlyn wanted a timeless and elegant bridal look. Kaitlyn’s gown made by designer Judd Waddell had a sweetheart neckline and was a modified A-line gown. The bodice was made of delicate lace, and the bottom of silk in a rich shade of champagne. Kaitlyn’s mother purchased extra lace from Judd Waddell to sew a bolero that Kaitlyn wore in the church for the ceremony. Kaitlyn wore a cathedral veil during the ceremony and a fingertip veil for pictures. Both veils were edged with Judd Waddell lace matching her bolero and bodice. At the reception Kaitlyn removed the bolero and added a hand made belt made with the matching Judd Waddell lace and Swarovski crystals.”
“Kaitlyn wanted to feel herself in her make-up and hair therefore Kaitlyn wore her hair half up with the rest to the side in curls. Kaitlyn has always felt her hair is a part of her personality, and wanted it to be a part of her bridal look.”
How They Met:
“Brad and Kaitlyn met in February 2006 while attending Gettysburg College. One evening, Kaitlyn went with her friends to a Fraternity party. A friend encouraged Brad to talk to Kaitlyn and he did. But at the end of the night, they went their separate ways. They met again at Brad’s fraternity house one month later and became friends. Brad asked Kaitlyn to his fraternity formal (their first date!). It was a lovely evening but their relationship ended as quickly as the school year. In the fall as the school year began, Brad pursued Kaitlyn but she rejected him. After many regretful days, Kaitlyn showed up on Brad’s doorstep asking Brad if he was still willing to give a relationship a try. 8 years later they’re getting married!”
The Proposal:
“On December 19th, 2014 Kaitlyn got home from work prepared for a typical Mexican Friday evening with Brad. After a delicious taco meal, Brad told Kaitlyn he hid her Christmas present and she had to hunt for it. Kaitlyn wanted a watch for Christmas so they went shopping for the gift together. Kaitlyn asked why he was making her hunt for her present. Brad said he felt like exchanging gifts was more interesting since she knew what her present was! Brad gave Kaitlyn the first clue, and Kaitlyn began a ten clue scavenger hunt that took her almost 1 hour. The last clue lead Kaitlyn to Brad’s Philadelphia Marathon medal and a backpack which had two boxes in it. The smaller wrapped box contained the watch Kaitlyn knew she was getting for Christmas. Brad said the other box contained a “silly gift”. When Kaitlyn opened the box a beautifully designed ring just for Kaitlyn was inside. Knowing Brad is quite the trickster, Kaitlyn first asked if this was a trick and if it was a fake ring. After insisting the ring was real, Brad asked Kaitlyn to be his partner in life and sidekick forever! Kaitlyn was completely surprised, she had no clue that Brad had an engagement ring.”
Wedding Planning:
“One week after Kaitlyn and Brad got engaged, Kaitlyn (with the help of her amazingly helpful mother) had booked the church, venue, and caterer. The florist, photographer, and band were booked with in the next few months. Once the big items were booked there was time to focus on all the little details for the day!”
The Ceremony Location:
“Brad and Kaitlyn got married at Wayne Presbyterian Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. This is the church Kaitlyn attended as a child. They wanted to have the reception in the city of Philadelphia, so Kaitlyn and her mother visited 5 venues in the Philadelphia area. The moment Kaitlyn and her mother stepped into the Racquet Club of Philadelphia they knew it was perfect! When you walk into this gorgeous historical building with its grand staircase, marble floors, extremely high ceilings you feel transported back in time. The romantic yet timeless feel of the Racquet club was exactly what Kaitlyn was looking for!”
The Wedding Party:
“Brad and Kaitlyn decided on having a small bridal party. Kaitlyn’s two bridesmaids (her close friend and Brad’s sister) wore the same Jim Hjelm full-length black dress with a lace back and sweetheart neckline, which both very beautifully mirrored Kaitlyn’s bolero and neckline. Brad and his two groomsmen (his close friend and Kaitlyn’s brother) wore Michael Kors tuxedos. For his groom gift Kaitlyn bought Brad personalized engraved cufflinks and a pair of dress socks that read “In case you get cold feet” as Brad’s feel do get cold easily!”
“The were 5 young children as a part of the wedding party. Kaitlyn’s parents had 4 young children in their wedding, Kaitlyn’s oldest cousins. Kaitlyn wanted to incorporate this tradition into her own wedding. The three young girls wearing black dresses, junior attendants, are Kaitlyn’s first cousins, once removed (the female children of her cousins that were in her parents wedding). The flower girl and ring bearer are Kaitlyn’s niece and nephew. All 4 girls dresses were designed and custom made by Kaitlyn’s mother (she is an amazing seamstress!). The girls also had champagne colored shawls that were made by a friend of Kaitlyn’s family. The 3 junior attendants wore a ring of greens in their hair and carried a boxwood wreath in their hands. The flower girl wore a ring of white baby roses in her hair and carried a small basket with flowers matching Kaitlyn’s. The ring bearer wore a tux and carried a handmade pillow. A family friend of Kaitlyn’s made the pillow. It is embroidered with the bride and grooms names and the date of the wedding. The pillow incorporated accents of the same lace from Kaitlyn’s dress, bolero, and veil.”
Reception Decor:
“The centerpieces incorporated the same fresh greens, white flowers, berries, and cotton as the bouquets with the addition of other natural elements like artichokes that were sprayed gold and pine cones. There was a mix of high and low centerpieces. The low centerpieces had a wreath of the elements listed above around a hurricane with a candle. The high centerpieces were elevated on gold pedestals and the elements mentioned were in a bouquet. Votive candles were around both centerpieces to give light to the table. The Table numbers were on burnt paper that was placed in the top of a large pine cone, which acted as a holder for the card. The table numbers were all special numbers that were important to Brad and Kaitlyn. In the dining room, there is a beautiful mantel, which is located directly behind where Brad and Kaitlyn sat for dinner. The mantel was decorated with candles in hurricanes of all sizes, fresh greens, and the same natural elements (cotton, pine cones, artichokes, etc).”
The Favors:
“Prior to the wedding Kaitlyn collected a picture of each one of their guests. (She did a lot of Facebook stalking!) The Favor was a Christmas ornament frame with a photo of each couple or individual guest. Kaitlyn put all the photos in the frames and wrapped each frame in gold tulle with gold ribbon and a tag saying “Thank you”. The frames were placed on the table where each guest was sitting. While the favors were a lot of work, the guest really appreciated the favor and love the personal touch it added to the event. The favors are one of the things that Kaitlyn feels was worth the extra time.
Also, any guest staying in the hotel got a welcome bag. Kaitlyn and her mother sewed each welcome bag. The bag was custom printed with a logo Kaitlyn and Brad had designed for their Philadelphia wedding. The welcome bag was filled with treats! Brad made a welcome packet that was in the bag with information about the area, things to do, places to eat, and a schedule of events.”
The Menu:
“Brad and Kaitlyn decided on the Signature menu from the caterer. This menu included buffet and served appetizers during the cocktail hour, a salad, duet meal main course, wedding cake, and a variety of desserts. During the cocktail hour there was a sushi station, raw bar, risotto bar, carving station with amazing corn beef, antipasto station, and more. The salad was baby spinach salad with goat cheese, pomegranates, and walnuts with a walnut dressing. The duet entrée was braised short ribs and French capon. The desserts included mini gelato cones, mini peppermint milkshakes, a variety of finger desserts, and wedding cake. The amazing thing about the food is it was all GLUTEN FREE. Kaitlyn has Celiac Disease and Jeffery Miller Catering decided to be safe they would make everything gluten free. The food was amazing and guests are still commenting on how impressive, delicious, and overwhelming the food was!”
The Wedding Cake:
“The wedding cake was GLUTEN FREE and delicious. (It may sound silly but for Kaitlyn this was very special. When Kaitlyn was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2006 she thought she might never get to eat the cake at her wedding. It was very special for her to be able to eat the cake and anything else she wanted on her wedding day.) The cake was devils food with Vanilla Buttercream icing it was served with a raspberry sauce. The cake was decorated with a simple pearl icing design, and had fresh flowers on top and down the side that matched the rest of the flowers.”
The First Dance Song:
“Brad and Kaitlyn’s first dance was to Shotgun Rider by Tim McGraw. Brad and Kaitlyn like country music. They were driving in the car one day listening to country music and Shotgun Rider came on the radio. Kaitlyn was singing to the song, as she often does in the car. Brad was driving and said to Kaitlyn “This should be our first dance song, it is perfect for us”. Brad and Kaitlyn took lessons and choreographed a dance to Shotgun Rider making a really fun and memorable part of the wedding.”
Wedding Planning Advice:
“The best advice Brad and Kaitlyn got which they would pass on is to choose the things really important to you. Brad and Kaitlyn really wanted amazing food and a stellar band. Spend your money on the things that matter most to you! In the end the incredible thing about a wedding is how the personalities and interests of the bride and groom shine through during the wedding event. Find something small to help personalize your wedding for your guests (like our favors) but in the end, make the day what you want, not what will be easiest for your guests! Find vendors who are great people as well as amazing at what they do. It is always easier to work with great people. Julie and Dutch of Sweetwater Portraits and Heather of Cottage Flowers are all wonderful people. They were patient, helpful, amazing artists, and more than anything they listen to your ideas! Find a moment in each part of the day to look at each other and look around and realize this day is about you! And everyone is there because they care about you! The day goes by so quickly it is important to take in as much as you can.”
Vendors | Photography/Videographer: Sweetwater Portraits | Catering/Cake: Jeffery Miller Catering | Venue: The Racquet Club of Philadelphia | Florist: Cottage Flowers Floral Design | Hair/Makeup: Bella Angel | Invitations: Goosefish Press | Band: The Love Jones Band | Bridesmaids Dresses: Jim Hjelm