bride and groom holding hands at historic wayne house philly in love blog

Charming Rustic Wedding at Historic Anthony Wayne House

The past and present delightfully collided for Carly and Ryan’s September wedding on the historic grounds of landmark Anthony Wayne House. From the bride’s Morilee wedding dress to the florals created by Willow and Thistle, every detail was lovingly captured by Ashley Gerrity Photography.


From the photographer, Ashley Gerrity: “After their wedding ceremony and we relinquished Carly and Ryan to enjoy their reception and all its fun, we wandered the amazing grounds of the Anthony Wayne House and photographed these two in their resplendent married glory.” 

philadelphia wedding couple at historic anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography

wedding invitation and details by ashley gerrity photography
wedding jewelry and pink roses by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love blog
bride and bridesmaids on wedding day by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love blog
groom and groomsmen wearing suits in wedding by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

How They Met

Says, Carly: “Ryan and I met at a Penn State tailgate during Blue and White weekend through mutual friends. My college roommate and his college roommate were dating at the time (they’re married now too!) I was a senior and Ryan had already graduated. He came back to visit friends that weekend and we ended up hitting it off. Since he was living in Atlanta, we did long distance for two years before I moved to Atlanta with him. We are now back living in PA and the rest is history!”

bride and groom at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bride getting ready for wedding by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bridal party having a toast by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
wedding dress hanging in bridal suite by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
mother of the bride zips bride in wedding dress by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

The Proposal

“Ryan planned a day to drive up to our favorite winery, Fainting Goat Winery in the North Georgia mountains. We were drinking our favorite wine and listening to the band and he asked me to walk over to the vineyard and got down on one knee.

I am super close with my family so I immediately asked if they were there. Ryan said no that he was sorry but couldn’t get them there. When we go home, Ryan and my families were all waiting with champagne to celebrate! He surprised me! Everyone was crying and it was just the
happiest day!”

wedding ring and invitation by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
groom's shoes and cufflinks by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
groom dressed in suit on wedding day by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bride wearing wedding hairstyle wearing robe in makeup artist chair by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bride kissing dog wearing flower crown by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

Wedding Planning

“Honestly, wedding planning was pretty stressful but it definitely was encouraging having family and friends help with things. My mom was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t have done it without her. All of our vendors were amazing though, so that really made things easier.”

bride and father arrive for wedding in trolley with conductor by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bride and groom at wedding in church by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bride and groom kissing in church wedding by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
married couple in church on wedding day by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bridesmaid wearing sneakers decorated with names of bride and groom by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

Anthony Wayne House

“Our venue was called The Anthony Wayne House in Paoli, PA. We chose it because it was a beautiful venue: a large tent that connected to this beautiful old building with gorgeous scenery and a fire pit. It had twinkle lights all throughout the whole place and was very rustic. The people there were also amazing! It was also only 15 minutes away from my childhood church where we got married, so it worked out perfectly!”

wedding tablescape at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
wedding sign featuring bride and groom's cocktails by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
wedding table setting at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
bridal party posing on lawn of anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

Wedding Inspiration

“My inspiration was rustic elegance. I wanted lots of lace, lights, and greenery. There were large farmhouse tables, mason jars, lace runners, greens, lanterns, etc. It was just so perfect! Ryan and I really just wanted everyone to have a good time, so a good band, good food, and of course, good drinks, were really important to us!”

bride and groom's table at wedding at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography
wedding cocktails in mason jars at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography
wedding tablescape with rustic lantern at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography
wedding cake at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

Best Moment

“Honestly, the whole day was just so perfect that it’s hard to pick a favorite moment! If I had to choose though, the best memory for me was walking into our venue and dancing with Ryan for the first time as husband and wife. We really got to enjoy that moment with each other and then all of our friends and family came onto the dance floor to join us. Ryan said his favorite moment was seeing me walk down the aisle.”

bride and groom's first dance at wedding reception by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
maid of honor toasts bride and groom during reception at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

From the photographer, Ashley Gerrity: “The night seemed to gain more and more high energy the later it got and we were sad to end our time with this lovely couple. During the toasts, her maid of honor challenged them to a quick game of beer pong. Carly won easily. Then the dance floor opened and got rocking.” 

bride and groom play beer pong during wedding at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
father daughter dance during wedding reception at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
father daughter dance wearing sunglasses during wedding reception at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
married couple dance during wedding reception at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

Wedding Planning Advice

“The best advice I can give is to not forget why you’re getting married and what the wedding is all about: your love for each other. It is easy to get caught up in the stress of wedding planning, but always remember that at the end of the day, no matter what happens with the details of the day, you will be married to the love of your life! Enjoy the ride!”

married couple under bridal veil at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
married couple eat wedding cake at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love
married couple kiss at wedding reception at anthony wayne house by ashley gerrity photography and philly in love

Wedding Vendors

“Our experience with our vendors was fantastic! Everyone was so easy to work with, welcoming and just super down to earth and fun. Between our photographer (Ashley Gerrity), videographer (Moving Memories video), florist (Willow and Thistle), band (Verona through EBE Entertainment), and our venue (Anthony Wayne House and Jeffrey Miller Catering); I hope I didn’t miss anyone else. Everything was absolutely perfect. They all really understood what we were looking for and perfectly captured our day and experience. We are just so grateful for everything they all did. We highly recommend any of the vendors mentioned above! You will not be disappointed!”


Vendors | Ceremony Venue: St Teresa of Avila| Reception Venue: Anthony Wayne House | Florals: Willow & Thistle | Stationery: Minted | Dress Shop: La Bella Moda | Dress Designer: Morilee | Caterer: Jeffrey A Miller Catering | Band: EBE Verona | Photographer: Ashley Gerrity Photography | Videographer: Moving Memories Video