Abby and Ryan are self-proclaimed geeks. They bonded over video games and nerding out when they met at Drexel (she challenged him to beer pong at a party). Abby, an English major, along with her mother, conceptualized a wedding that could have come straight from the pages of a book. The sweet pink, green, and ivory sprinkled throughout the day were gorgeous. The setting was the incomparable Morris House Hotel which couldn’t have been more perfect as a setting that makes you feel like you’ve snuck into some beautiful garden Narnia in the middle of Philadelphia.
Abby paid homage to her grandmother with a choker using her cameo and was a gift for her high school graduation. It surprised me that I’ve never seen a family heirloom used that way.
Abby’s dress was sublime! It was a strapless number with layers upon layers of asymmetrical tulle that was so flattering on her slender frame. It was the second dress she tried on. The pink ribbon around her waist was grosgrain instead of the traditional satin which was far better for making the perfect bow.
The ceremony was so sweet. A beautiful copy of the Velveteen Rabbit was used for a very special reading (the part about being real because of love is a touching passage). They also incorporated a hand-fasting.
The couple ended their ceremony with a great dip and recessed down the aisle to a lavender toss before heading out to Washington Square for pictures. The patio smelled delightful for the rest of the evening.
As you might guess, bustling such a confection was a bit of an ordeal.
The groomsmen were of no help.
The team flipped the space during cocktail hour with tall centerpieces of white and pink larkspur and curly willow. The tables were accented with mossy birds and each assigned a numbered children’s book. Sprigs of rosemary were laid on each place setting with a plantable wildflower thank you.
Escort cards were arranged in a vintage seed box and tied with ribbons.
After some raucous introductions…
The newlyweds shared their first dance to “Still into you” by Spots the Ginga.
Then there were toasts and a party.
Lots of party.
Abby and Ryan had the Lindsay Docherty Photography Oh, snap! Photo Studio on the scene and a command that, “All guests ARE REQUIRED to have their mug shot taken in the photo studio.” I think it worked.
The evening ended with Abby and Ryan’s last dance in the front courtyard, surrounded by all family and friends, a whole lot of sparklers, and, of course, a dip!
Congratulations, Abby and Ryan, on a wedding day fit for a fairy tale!
“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
~ Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
