These three lavish celebrations embraced the season with elegant and personal details—in glam city venues from The Racquet Club of Philadelphia to the brand-new W Philadelphia.
Alexandra and Shadi pose on the courts at The Racquet Club of Philadelphia
September 4, 2021
Ceremony & Reception: The Racquet Club of Philadelphia
Photographed by Kseniya Berson
The stars were aligned for Alexandra Morris and Shadi Saleh in 2013—when Alexandra was trying to politely end a conversation she was having at The Plough & the Stars (Old City). “I decided to go for the oldest trick in the book and say I already had a boyfriend,” she remembers. “I grabbed Shadi by his hand and said that he was in fact the boyfriend. Shadi played into the joke and the rest is history.” In September 2021, the pair made it official with a timelessly chic and romantic celebration. “To invoke a sentimental feeling, statement-making florals, a travel-inspired color palette and clever details came together in a classically modern fashion,” says Alexandra. The duo added personal touches such as Alexandra’s grandmother’s silver serving platters, sewing a blue heart from her late father’s shirt into her wedding dress and a specially curated menu inspired by the couple’s trips abroad (and their Italian and Arabic roots). And not to be forgotten was the couple’s beloved sheepadoodle, Rosy, who made an appearance in as many design elements as possible—even as fondant peeking out of the bottom of the cake.
Wedding Planner Jenna Tracy, Jenna Tracy Events, jennatracyevents.com
Bride’s Gown Elizabeth Lee Bridal, Laura & Leigh Bridal, laurandleighbridal.com
Bride’s Shoes Manolo Blahnik, manoloblahnik.com
Bride’s Veil Bel Aire Bridal, Laura & Leigh Bridal, laurandleighbridal.com
Bride’s Hair & Makeup Hair: Kaitlin Newman, American Mortals, americanmortals.com; Makeup: Emily Dimant, Makeup by Emily Dimant, makeupbyemilydimant.com
Groom’s Tux & Shoes SuitSupply, suitsupply.com
Rings David Yurman, davidyurman.com
Bridesmaids’ Dresses Watters, Laura & Leigh Bridal, laurandleighbridal.com
Groomsmen’s Tuxes Indochino, indochino.com
Florals Bryce Donnon, Robertson’s Flowers & Events, robertsonsflowers.com
Catering & Cake Jeffrey A. Miller Catering, jamcater.com
Invitations Shine Wedding Invitations, shineweddinginvitations.com
Calligraphy Sunshine Letter Co., sunshineletterco.com
Rentals White Glove Rentals, whiteglove-rentals.com
Linens Jeffrey A. Miller Catering, jamcater.com
Entertainment EBE Talent, ebetalent.com
Videographer Tweed Productions, tweedvideo.com
Favors Casa Papel, casapapel.com
Varying-height glass cylinders and stemmed candle cups accented the tables
November 13,2021
Ceremony & Reception: W Philadelphia
Photographed by Ralph Deal
Dani in an Adam Zohar gown and Brian in a custom tux from Thailand
It was a “shore” thing for Dani Gershkow and Brian Cohn when they met in Margate, N.J., in the summer of 2016 where their families were staying in neighboring condos. Five years later, the Philadelphia couple was one of the very first to say “I do” at the new W Philadelphia. “This unique, modern venue gave us the exact wedding vision we imagined,” says Dani, who especially loved the large windows overlooking the city. Following a traditional Jewish ceremony, the couple danced to Bruce Springsteen tunes and even crowd-surfed among their 186 guests before sampling their custom menu created by chef Terry White. “We are lucky to have worked with this incredible chef who has done weddings for celebrity clients,” says the bride. An afterparty concluded the night—complete with the groom taking his turn as DJ—before the duo jetted off to a honeymoon in the Maldives.
Bride’s Gown Adam Zohar, The Wedding Shoppe, wedding-shoppe.com; Afterparty dress: Superdown, Revolve, revolve.com
Bride’s Dresser Patti Johnson Bride’s Shoes Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP, sjpbysarahjessicaparker.com; Afterparty: Stuart Weitzman, Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com
Bride’s Veil The Wedding Shoppe, wedding-shoppe.com
Bride’s Hair & Makeup Hair: Gia Lancieri, Amanda D’Andrea, amandadandrea.com; Makeup: Isabella Lucia Dulac, Sola Salons, isabellaluciastudio.com
Groom’s Tux Custom from Thailand Groom’s Shoes Florsheim, Nordstrom, nordstrom.com
Groom’s Watch Baume & Mercier, Tourneau, tourneau.com
Bridesmaids’ Dresses Dessy, Bella Bridesmaids, bellabridesmaids.com
Florals Alicia Martino, Beautiful Blooms, beautifulblooms.com; Flower wall: Hollywood Moments, hollywoodmomentsphotobooth.com
Catering Chef Terry White, The W Hotel, marriott.com
Cake Bredenbeck’s Bakery, bredenbecks.com
Invitations Melissa Berk, By Invitation Only, byinvitationonly.us
Calligraphy Karol Cohen Entertainment Dreamtime, EBE Talent, ebetalent.com
Videographer NewPace Videography, newpaceweddings.com
Favors The Famous 4th Street Cookie Company, famouscookies.com
The four-tiered red velvet cake with strawberry mousse filling and sweet buttercream icing
October 16,2021
Ceremony: St . John the Evangelist
Reception: The Union League of Philadelphia
Photographed by Philip Gabriel Photography
Jenna in Mira Zwillinger with her new groom, Ian
When Jenna Silvestrini and Ian Stewart graduated from St. Joseph’s University in 2012, they were only acquaintances. While Jenna was living in NYC two years later, Ian reached out when in town for his brother’s wedding. The two never looked back and got engaged in Central Park in 2019, with spring nuptials planned for 2021 (postponed to the fall due to COVID-19). “I always wanted a fall wedding, so in the end, I am thrilled we waited,” says Jenna of their 220-guest affair. A bike trip the couple took in France (lush greenery and flowers) inspired a whimsical, romantic vibe throughout their reception—and even Jenna’s Mira Zwillinger gown. “My dress featured gorgeous handsewn flowers with a light-pink belt—it just screamed romance!” says the bride. Guests sipped on “Jenna-tinis” to honor the bride’s love of espresso martinis before slicing into red velvet cake with strawberry mousse filling. In lieu of favors, the couple made a donation to the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, a cause close to the bride’s heart.
Wedding Planner Darby Norris, Seeds of Celebration, seedsofcelebration.com
Bride’s Gown Mira Zwillinger, A Little Something White, alittlesomethingwhite.com
Bride’s Shoes Manolo Blahnik, Savannahs, savannahs.com; Golden Goose, Nordstrom, nordstrom.com
Bride’s Veil Toni Federici, A Little Something White, alittlesomethingwhite.com
Bride’s Hair & Makeup Hair: Robyn Motyl; Makeup: Tess Raines; Both: Cheers 2 U Events
Groom’s Tux and Shoes Suitsupply, suitsupply.com
Rings Boccardo Jewelers, boccardojewelers.com
Bridesmaids’ Dresses Amsale, A Little Something White, alittlesomethingwhite.com
Groomsmen’s Tuxes The Black Tux, theblacktux.com
Florals Kelsey Johnson, Beautiful Blooms, beautifulblooms.com
Catering & Cake The Union League of Philadelphia, unionleague.org
Invitations & Calligraphy Martha Wasser, Amour & Ink, amourinkpaperco.com
Lighting Shipley Enterprises, shipleyenterprises.net
Entertainment 45 Riots.45riots.com
Videographer Tim Sudall, Allure Films, allurefilms.com
Transportation Cescaphe Trolley, cescaphetrolley.com; Philadelphia Trolley Works, phillytour.com
Photography by: Courtesy
