A charming Main Line mansion is revitalized as the backdrop for a vibrant styled shoot.
The Main Line is known for its beautiful fall foliage and historic mansions—but tucked away in a quiet corner of Villanova, sitting high on a hill, is The Willows Mansion, with sweeping views of the pond and meadows. Originally built in 1910 for the bride of a wealthy distillery owner, the mansion has recently received a lot of love to help keep it alive. With a new garden room and porch, fountain wall courtyard, whispering terrace and rose garland garden, the space inspired Polka Dot Events co-owner Allie Beik to produce a styled shoot with Peachtree Catering, the exclusive caterer for the venue. “The Willows is such a beautiful space—we saw it and immediately knew we had to show it off,” says Beik. “Besides being hidden in a beautiful park with lots of water features, it is such a unique home for the Philly area and has such great spots for every portion of a wedding.” Since the French style of the building reminded Beik of New Orleans (but with California elements), she teamed up with Minh Cao of du soleil photographie and Krista Jones of Heritage Gatherings to create an “elegant New Orleans theme” with bright, tropical-inspired florals, greenery and chic wood and black leather chairs. “I think 2022 is all about having fun with colors and going big with weddings. Fall and winter don’t have to be about burgundy or orange or dark colors; they can use all of these colors and more,” says Beik.
Planning by Allie Beik, Polka Dot Events, pdotevents.com; floral design by Heritage Gatherings, heritage-gatherings.com; rentals by Party Rental Ltd., partyrentalltd.com and Peachtree Catering, peachtreecatering.com; invitations by Papertree Studio, papertreestudio.net; catering by Peachtree Catering, peachtreecatering.com; hair by Natalie Thomas, bridalbynatalie.com; makeup by Emily Dimant, makeupbyemilydimant.com; model: Beatrice Dravitsa; Look 1: Dress: Mikaella, feather topper: Pronovias, overskirt: Nancy Volpe Beringer; Look 2: Dress: John Paul Ataker, veil: Sara Gabriel; Look 3: Pronovias; all looks from Van Cleve Bridal, vanclevebridal.com; shot on location at Willows Park Preserve, willowsparkpreserve.org. Photographed by du soleil photographie
Photography by: du soleil photographie
