Black and White Wedding at The Downtown Club by Ashley Gerrity Photography

The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia

Kristina and Brendan are the ultimate Philly couple, and their wedding day was nothing short of iconic Philadelphia moments.  In the words of the Bride “Philadelphia is the type of city that you fall in love with and it loves you right back.” and we couldn’t agree more!  The Downtown Club served as the perfect venue for this classic wedding,  combined with the amazing crew of vendors this wedding was simply splendid.  Ashley and Rachel of Ashley Gerrity Photography captured this blissful day with authentic artistic style, and these photos are proof of all the beauty and love that is cultured in Philadelphia weddings!

The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia

The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia Phillies Garter

The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia

From the Bride: “Brendan and I met at a bar in old city called Mad River. I was in college at the time and he was in Med School. Both of us originally did not want to go out that night but each had a friend who forced us into it. I was living in New Jersey at the time so my friend and I drove into the city and went straight there to go dancing. While I was dancing I saw a guy walking around with a hat on that I thought was cute but didn’t harp much on it. Brendan says he first saw me downstairs near the bathroom and wanted to talk to me but said there was a group a guys trying to get my attention and I was standing against the wall with my arms crossed and “resting bitch face” so he felt like it wasn’t the right moment because my guard was up. He says he told himself if he saw me again alone he would talk to me. Well later that night on the dance floor I was dancing by myself and that cute guy with the hat, Brendan, approached me and told me I had nice dance moves! I thanked him and we started talking. We both realized our friends were missing so we went to look for them together only to find both his friend and mine upstairs making out on the dance floor! We all left together to go to another bar where Brendan paid for mine and my friends cover. We continued to talk for hours at the other bar and the rest was history. From that day forward to now 6 years later there hasn’t been a day that we did not speak to each other. Our entire relationship was built in that same city we met- everything happens in full circle and we hope to return when Brendan is done with training in New Orleans because there is truly no place like home and that city is filled with our love story!”

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The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia City Hall

“Brendan proposed and planned to do it on Christmas Eve. He wanted to put the ring in my stocking. It did not quite turn out as he planned though. On December 19th he went downtown to Jewelers row and spent a couple hours at the store choosing the ring. When he found the ring he wanted he called my dad and told my dad he was in the Jewelry store about to purchase a ring but wanted his permission to marry his daughter first. Of course my dad was happy to welcome him to our family. The two began to text back and forth and Brendan sent his pictures of the ring. The following day the jeweler called Brendan and told him the ring was ready. Brendan and I had plans to go out to dinner that night, it was a Friday night. Brendan texted me saying he didn’t feel like going to dinner anymore. I was pissed! Now I have to cook! I had nothing in the house to cook and was mad because he broke the original plans. I heard the door to downstairs open so I went to the top of the steps and looked down at Brendan asking him why he changed his mind about dinner? He seemed weird and fidgety and began to walk up the stairs saying he just didn’t feel like going out anymore. I was pestering him as to why and suddenly when he reached the top of the stairs he got on one knee and started to pull a box out of his pocket saying he had to ask me something. I started shaking and crying and he went on and on saying beautiful things about him wanting me to be his wife and how I would be a great mother ( a lot of it I don’t even remember!) and then he asked! I yelled “Is it real?!” What I meant was is this really happening but it sounded as if I was asking if the ring was real haha! I obviously then said YES! Little did I know Brendan already had dinner plans at our favorite restaurant planned. He said once he got the ring he couldn’t hold onto it for another 5 days until Christmas Eve and that he had to do it right away!”

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The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia

The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia

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“Honestly my favorite moment was when Brendan and I were left alone with Ashley and Rachel to take photos. Ashley would put us in a spot and just tell us to talk and that’s what we did. It was a great time for Brendan and I to be alone and take in the moment. We talked about how our mornings went so far and how excited we were for the reception. We reminisced on the ceremony, it was nice and very intimate. We also got to go back to spots in Philadelphia that meant a lot to us like the apartment he proposed in, our old street, our favorite park etc. It was a good time to breath and relax.”

The Downtown Club Wedding Ashley Gerrity Photography Philadelphia

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“We chose to do a classic black and white wedding but the theme and/or style was to represent Philadelphia with small touches. Philadelphia is the type of city that you fall in love with and it loves you right back. Brendan and I met, fell in love, and grew together in that city and it holds our greatest memories and moments so it was important to us to showcase it for the beautiful city it is. We had table numbers with Philadelphia neighborhoods, Love sign place cards, skyscraper ice sculptures, and we even donated to PAWS in lieu of traditional favors. We chose a venue with windows looking out to independence hall and were sure to take the iconic broad street photos! All of our vendors were locals of Philadelphia as well.”

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“The best advice I could give another bride is – don’t sweat the small stuff. Things seem so much more stressful than they actually are when you are wedding planning! The day is going to be beautiful no matter what happens along the way and it comes and goes so quickly. Also, stick together! On the day of the wedding stay with your husband! Thank everyone as a couple and enjoy your wedding day as a couple. If you split up you may not find each other again because everyone will want your attention!”


Vendors | Photography: Ashley Gerrity Photography | Wedding Planner/Day of Coordinator: Alana Froio from The Downtown Club | Floral Design: Beautiful Blooms | Hair/Makeup: Beautiful Brides Philly | Ceremony Venue: Old Saint Mary’s Catholic Church | Reception Venue: The Downtown Club | Catering/Cake/Linens/Furniture Rentals: The Downtown Club | DJ: Fred Alvisi of VIP Entertainment | Wedding Favors: PAWS- Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society | Bridal Gown: Essense of Australia | Bridal/Bridesmaids Dress Salon: Nicoles Boutique | Bridal Accessories: Earrings & Bracelet- Dillards, Diamond Studs- Wedding Gift from Groom, Stack-able Rings- Something Borrowed from Mom | Wedding Engagement Rings: Golden Nugget Jewelers |  Men’s Suit Designer: Vera Wang Slim Fit | Men’s Suits Store: Men’s Warehouse |