Ali and John were the perfect match right from the start, so to no surprise they dreamt up the most perfect Winter wedding affair to celebrate their love! Lori Foxworth of George Street Photo and Video captured all of the flawless features of this day. Starting with Ali’s dazzling Hayley Paige gown, the beautifully crafted florals by Beautiful Blooms, and the classic decor that you’ll see at their marvelous reception! The twinkle in the night is parallel to the amazing sparks flying between Ali and John all throughout their lovely wedding day. The Cescaphe Ballroom was the perfect venue for this elegant Philadelphia wedding, so keep scrolling to see how this brilliant day unfolded!
From the Bride: “We were set up by a friend of mine back in October 2011. She was introduced to John one weekend and instantly thought we would be a perfect match, so she gave him my number and told him to reach out to me. Turns out, he did! John and I had our first date about a week later and sure enough, she was right. We were a perfect match from day one and the rest was history.”
“About a week after my 27th birthday, we had plans to have dinner at Davio’s with our families to celebrate. John suggested having dinner at one of our favorite spots in the city, which just so happens to also be next door to Square 1682, the restaurant where we had our very first date. We finished up with dinner and on our way out, our Moms suggested grabbing a drink. Since it was January and freezing cold, it didn’t seem suspicious to me that we were going back to where we first met. We grabbed a spot by the fireplace, ordered some cocktails, and then in front of everyone, John got down on one knee and told me that, “every day has been great since we met right here” and asked me to marry him. Being back in that very same place where we first met certainly made the engagement even more meaningful to both of us, and so did having our parents there. Having been able to share such an unforgettable night with them was really, really special. John had only let them in on his little secret the night before, so I think they were still in shock when it actually happened and everyone was just on cloud nine.”
“I know some women will probably disagree with me on this, but for the most part, I really enjoyed the wedding planning process! I, of course, had a few inevitable meltdown moments leading up to the wedding and certainly felt overwhelmed at times, but in general I loved it. I think a big part of that though was that I kept things pretty simple for myself. I did not try on 100 dresses, tour 100 venues, or listen to 100 bands, you know? I am famously indecisive, so I knew that if I had too many options, it would only make things more difficult. So I relied on my friends for recommendations, did a little research on my own, and then tried to seriously focus on no more than 2 or 3 vendors. In my opinion, it made the process so much easier and way less stressful.”
“The whole planning process was also just super exciting! John and I couldn’t wait to get married! We set a date right away and had a little over ten months to plan it all out, which was not a ton of time but whenever things got a little crazy, I tried to focus on the important things like that and really just enjoy the experience.”
Best Memory: “Oh my gosh, that’s a tough one. The unforgettable look on John’s face when I walked down the aisle, the fireworks that went off as they announced us for the very first time as, “Dr. and Mrs. John Jennings”, and of course having 200 people singing and dancing to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (one of my favorite songs of all time) are certainly some stand out memories in my opinion. But to be completely honest, it was the feeling we felt on our wedding day that we really will never ever forget. If I could find a way to put into words the overwhelming amount of happiness and love that was in the ballroom that night, I would, but I don’t think it’s possible. Being surrounded by all of the people we care about most in the world, seeing the biggest smiles on our parents faces, and looking over at each other all night long and knowing you are officially now husband and wife, it is truly indescribable. It was all of those beautiful little moments and being surrounded by the most beautiful people that made our wedding day even more perfect than we could have ever imagined and for that, we are just so grateful.”
Advice from the Bride: “One piece of advice I would give to a bride planning a wedding is stick to your guns! As you begin planning, you will realize that a lot of people have their own idea of how your wedding day should be, how your wedding day should look (even how you should look lol), so it is really important to remember that this day is about you and your soon-to-be husband. From wedding colors to music selection, all of those minor details should come from you and your fiancé because when it all comes together on your wedding day, it will be YOUR dream come true.”
From the Photographer: “Ali Hill and John Jennings had the perfect Philadelphia Winter wedding. Ali began her day at the Radisson Blu Warwick in Center City, followed by a beautiful ceremony at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square. After the ceremony we got some gorgeous night portraits under the winter lights at Rittenhouse Square followed by an elegant reception at the Cescaphe Ballroom.”
Our Wedding Day // 12.5.15 from Ali Jennings on Vimeo.
Vendors | Photography: Lori Foxworth of George Street Photo and Video | Videography: George Street Photo and Video | Venue: Cescaphe Ballroom | Band: EBE Paris | Reception & Bouquet Florist: Beautiful Blooms | Ceremony Florist: Minutellas Florist | Wedding Dress: Hayley Paige Bridal | Hotel: Radisson Blu Warwick | Ceremony: The Church of the Holy Trinity Rittenhouse Square