(This wedding was so cool that Philadelphia Wedding Magazine wrote a feature about it – check that out right here!!)

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Royal & Joe hosted a stunning Kimmel Center wedding in Center City Philadelphia in June!! Though the couple lives in Detroit, they decided to celebrate their marriage in Royal’s hometown of Philadelphia. The two are incredibly kind and inspiringly adventurous — their first date was a Texas road trip during which they got stranded in a snowstorm for 12 hours!

I could go on about how awesome Royal & Joe are, how much fun their guests had and how sweet the ceremony was. But there’s one thing they did better than almost any other couple I’ve seen: the details.

Intentional Details

The sheer amount of intentional details sprinkled throughout this Kimmel Center wedding is astounding. Royal literally took every single detail she could and said, “how do I personalize that to us?”

The wedding programs looked like newspaper articles. The cocktail stirrers had their custom logo with their initials on the ends. The cocktail napkins showcased 5 different fun facts about their relationship printed on them. Instead of a seating chart, the guests each got their own lanyard with a backstage pass that granted them access to the reception. The guest book was a vinyl record the guests signed with silver sharpie. There were stickers with their wedding hashtag strewn about the tables. There was a neon sign over the sweetheart table of their new last name. They choreographed all of their special dances. In lieu of gifts, there was a framed QR code where guests had the option to contribute to their honeymoon fund.

And the florals!! Think: earthy, woodsy, unique. Royal didn’t want the typical, colorful florals often seen at weddings. She wanted lots of greenery infused, including moss and — get this – mushrooms!!! Bird Seed Florals hit this vision out of the park in every aspect! Every floral arrangement used was one-of-a-kind, and they are uber conscious about sustainability and minimizing waste.

There were two details that stood out to me as having the most meaning to Royal & Joe. First, they are a Detroit couple and wanted to bring a little bit of Detroit to Philly. So, they flew out The @Will Band from Detroit to play at their wedding. How cool!!

Second, and probably the most special detail, was the framed photo of Royal’s mother that stood on a table right next to the arbor as Royal married the love of her life. It was such a beautiful way of honoring her mother in a prominent place instead of keeping the photo on a memorial table all day!

Versatile Venue

The Kimmel Center is a great wedding venue for many reasons. It’s great for both summer and winter weddings because the festivities are held mostly indoors with options to go outside on a balcony for cocktail hour. The ceremony and reception space can be almost completely customized to match the theme of your wedding. Furthermore, there are plenty of places for bride & groom portraits inside the venue. My favorite is the glass-domed ceiling encasing the entire venue!

In addition to inside photo spots, there are a myriad of options outside as well. The balcony where cocktail hour is usually hosted has an incredible view of City Hall. Exiting the Kimmel Center, there is a really cool marble sign with the name of the venue that makes for awesome photos. And the median right at the Kimmel Center intersection is PERFECT for those epic City Hall portraits!! If you have even more time for photos, Rittenhouse Square is only a few blocks away.

VENDORS

Venue: Kimmel Center Cultural Campus

Photographer: Gabriella Marie Photography

Design & Wedding Management: Musa Weddings

Florals: Bird Seed Florals

Hair: Ends Hair Design

Makeup: Makeup By Chloe

Band: The @Will Band

DJ: DJ Supa

Catering: Garces Events

Cake: Milk + Sugar Bakeshop

Kimmel Center Wedding