Local Spots for After Parties

Your wedding day should be the best day of your life, from the time you get ready to the end of the reception. Yet, the best days in life always seem to fly by...so why not prolong the fun! Reception after parties are just what you need to keep your guests dancing, drinking, and having the best time. Here are a few hot spots in the Philadelphia and Northern Delaware area:

The Rittenhouse Hotel located in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, houses the beautiful Boathouse Row room. Perfect for your reception after party and complete with a full bar and 950 square feet of space! Your guests can enjoy lounging in the plush leather chairs and relaxing at the bar. The ambiance, reminiscent of a boathouse is perfect for the spring or summer wedding!

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The Boathouse Row room offers more intimacy, but you may be looking for a club feel. That's where G Lounge comes in. Offering custom menus, specialty drink menus, and valet parking, G is your perfect place to party. Open Thursday through Saturday and you can keep your wedding night going until 2am!

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Maybe you want to keep those feet moving! Fado Irish Pub is the perfect laid-back environment to let loose after the excitement of your big day. Located a few blocks from City Hall, in the heart of Philadelphia, Fado Irish Pub is the ideal spot to keep the night going, open til 2am all week long! Whether you want to book your own private event, or join the Irish Pub's excitement, Fado is sure to keep the pints flowing!

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If your wedding is being held in Delaware, the Maraschino Room above The Washington Street Ale House in downtown Delaware, offers privacy for your wedding guests and an open bar selection ranging from beer and wine to top shelf selections. Accommodating a wide range of guests between 20 and 200, the intimacy of the Maraschino Room is sure to win you over. 

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Maybe you're looking for more of a bar scene. Catherine Rooney's is located in Trolley Square in Downtown Wilmington or Downtown Newark. It's a classic Irish Bar with a fun, upbeat atmosphere. Catherine Rooney's is a Delaware Today Best of Delaware Winner, and a Reader's Choice Winner. Enjoy the porch if the weather is nice. Open until 1am to continue your wedding night!

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Whether your style is in a private banquet room, a classy lounge, or a good old Irish pub, there's something for every bride and groom out there. Customize your after party drinks or just enjoy some drafts on tap. Your reception after party is available for your own customization and imagination! Don't be afraid to show up in your wedding attire!

-Megan

Roberta and Allen's Wedding

Roberta and Allen were married on a beautiful April afternoon in the gallery of Winterthur Museum and Garden. Their wedding was recently featured on Freshly Squeezed Weddings, so head on over to read that feature as well! Their emotional ceremony was filled with different elements- they decided to do a wine box ceremony and added the culturally significant jumping of the broom! Roberta had her girls wearing floor length gray dresses to match their fresh color scheme of gray and purple. Brittany from Petals Lane, who created all of the florals, even found a purple orchid that looked like it had a gray tint to it! Guests enjoyed cocktail hour and then headed to the visitor's center for the reception. Synergetic Sound and Lighting up lit the space in a warm amber color and they projected the couple's new monogram onto the dance floor. They also adding draping to the space and were on hand to get the guests up on their feet and dancing! To follow their color scheme, we created their pocketfold invitations, table tent table numbers, ceremony programs, chair signs, seating chart and other various reception signage. Guests were able to enjoy a candy buffet that was made up of the newlyweds favorite candies- it was a huge hit! Tami Melissa Photography did a fantastic job capturing this so in love couple and all of their great details! Thank you for sending us the images, Tami and Ryan! 

Congratulations Roberta and Allen!

Creative and Unique Ceremony Music Ideas

Sherrie and Howard's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Scott Lewis Images

Many brides and grooms are personalizing their weddings more and more today. They are putting their own spin on the traditional wedding and making it their own. One way to personalize your wedding is through the ceremony music. 

Everyone is familiar with the traditional ceremony music such as Wagner's "Bridal Chorus" and Pachelbel's "Canon in D". Although this classic music is beautiful, it's a great idea to choose music that has a special meaning to you and your groom. 

We have all heard a song on the radio at one time and thought "That would make a great wedding song!" Think of songs that make you think of your groom or have a feeling of love and romance. Use those songs in your ceremony!

Don't forget to think about tv shows, movies, and musicals. There is a ton of great music from these sources. A personal favorite song, "Dream", comes from the movie Bride Wars. It is a beautiful song that would work great as you walk down the aisle. 

A few other songs from movies:

"Come What May" from Moulin Rouge

"Storybook Love" from The Princess Bride

"Wedding Processional" from The Sound of Music

"Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera

Along with the music, think about what types of instruments you want to play the music during the ceremony. A string quartet is traditional, but you could also have a piano, a harp, or guitar. A modern song can sound beautiful and classical played by one of these instruments. 

A few other songs to think about using:

"My Immortal" by Evanescense

"Christmas Cannon Rock" by Transiberian Orchestra

"Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

"Everlong" by Foo Fighters

"All I Want is You" by U2

"I Will" by The Beatles/Allison Krauss

"All You Need is Love" by The Beatles

"Grow Old With Me" by John Lennon

There are many types of songs to choose from! If you are looking for some modern songs that can sound classical by being played by classical instruments, head over to iTunes and check out Vitamin String Quartet. They play all kinds of music that you can hear on the radio but played by strings! The music that you select will show your personality and will create lasting memories for you and your groom. 

-Nicole

Jessica and Bob's Wedding

Jessica and Bob were married in October of last year at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. Jessica is an old friend of Erin- they've been friends since they were 10- so when Jessica told her she needed help planning her wedding in just 6 weeks, Erin jumped at the chance to help an old friend! Surrounded by their closest family and friends, the couple was married in a personal ceremony, officiated by Eric from Water Lily Weddings. After they kissed and were husband and wife, they headed downstairs to enjoy a delicious cocktail hour that the school had prepared for them. Their natural color scheme of greens and browns, was reflected in Jessica's lush bouquet and the centerpieces, created by Petals and Paints. Guests danced the night away to the music played by Time Productions. When the party was over, guests were given small jars of delicious jam! We're so happy that we were able to be a part of Jessica and Bob's big day and thank you to Jess for sending over these images!

Congratulations Jess and Bob!