Maureen and Jimmy’s Picturesque Fall Wedding at The Curtis Arboretum

We are so excited to bring you this classic Fall wedding at the absolutely gorgeous Curtis Arboretum. Maureen’s color choice of greens, reds, and dark blue perfectly matches the Fall vibe that came naturally with having an outdoor wedding in late October. Photographer Nicole Cordisco brings her rich colors and perfectly timed photographs that perfectly matches the subtle, touching energy of this wedding. Don’t miss the rainbow!

How did you and your partner meet?

We went to the same high school and hung out in the same crowd, but it wasn’t until senior prom that we started getting to know each other more one on one. We went to separate colleges initially and attempted to date other people, but we realized no one else compared. Especially when Maureen moved back home and transferred to Jimmy’s college (Temple University).

How did Jimmy propose?

While Maureen was living with her parents (thanks to graduate school), we went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Upon arriving back at the parent’s house, there was a set up of luminaries along the side of the house with pictures hung of us through the years. At the end of the path was the spot of proposal. After it all went down, both our families jumped out of their hiding spots inside the (dark) house to celebrate! It was special to get together like this while in the middle of the pandemic, and extra special that Maureen’s grandfather and 1 month old twin nieces made a surprise appearance as well!

What was your experience in planning your wedding?

I moved on quickly from vendors that were wishy washy, had loads of help from my mom About 3 weeks after we got engaged, we moved to Madison, WI for Maureen’s job, which meant we had to plan most of our Philly wedding from afar. We found the planning process a little overwhelming, but some decisions were easy because we knew pretty much all of the vendors and designs we looked at would turn out beautiful especially with our venue.

Tell us about having your wedding at The W Hotel

We got married at the Curtis Arboretum in Wyncote. We loved the idea of an outdoor wedding in the fall and fell in love with Curtis as soon as we saw it. It has an amazing ceremony spot with a stone pergola that barely needs any additional décor (in our opinion). The ceremony and cocktail hour locations sit up on a hill and look out over the arboretum with giant trees filled with beautiful fall colored leaves. A unique feature of the Curtis was the dance floor/room which has a gorgeous detailed ceiling and transformed at night to make the party so fun.

What was the best memory or moment from your wedding day?

It is so hard for me to choose! It was really the best day ever. First look, or ceremony, or We both agree that the best moment was Maureen walking down the aisle. It had rained (pretty much out of nowhere) right before the ceremony started and we had actually agreed to do the ceremony indoors which was plan B. After about 2 minutes following that decision, the sister of the bride ran to find our coordinator to tell her, nope we want to do this outside rain or shine. The moment of walking down that aisle in front of our family and friends was so special. Nothing mattered at that point (not even the constant drizzle) and we don’t think we’ve ever felt happier. It’s hard to describe, but it was a very calming and exciting moment at the same time.

What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding: 

1. Start early and get as much done as you can early. The last couple of weeks before the wedding are so fun and exciting, and being able to build that excitement is so much more fun when the planning is taken care of.           

2. Don’t stress about the details – it will all turn out amazing. The most important detail is you and your partner enjoying each other, the day, and the celebration with your loved ones.

What was your experience like working with your vendors?

We had a great experience with all of our vendors. They were all responsive and made sure they were providing what we had wanted. I would recommend all of our vendors to couples getting married!

Vendors:

HMU: Face The Occasion
Dress: Beholden
Photobooth: Poser Photobooth Co
Transportation: Yellowbird
Florist: Jody Work
Jeweler: Marks
Photographer: Nicole Cordisco Photography
Venue: Curtis Arboretum