Ballroom at Ellis Preserve Wedding | Mary Katharine & Matthew

Mary Katharine and Matthew share a magical and romantic love story. They both grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs in the same community, none the less it took until they became adults for the two to meet and fall in love. With help from her mother, Mary Katharine planned a classic and traditional Ballroom at Ellis Preserve wedding. I can’t wait for you to see some highlights from the day!

The Ceremony

The wedding ceremony took place at St. Norbert Church, where both Mary Katharine and Matthew attended growing up. Since St. Norbert’s held a special place in both of their hearts, it was only fitting that they got married there!

I loved how the priest was a family friend and included some sentimentality in the traditional catholic ceremony. The priest, who performed the wedding ceremony, was also the officiant who married Mary Katharine’s parents many years prior. He also baptized Mary Katharine and was close with Mary Katharine’s grandfather, who had passed away. How special is that!

Before the ceremony, the couple opted to forgo the first look and instead exchanged handwritten cards. This meant that the first time they laid eyes on each other was at the church, which was such a tender moment!

Ballroom at Ellis Preserve Wedding Reception

While their Catholic Mass ceremony at St. Norbert Church was traditional, their reception was lively with a fun group and an unbelievably talented live band. I could not get over how entertaining, engaging, and musically talented the Monte Carlo band was.

Once the speeches and formalities were over, you could see the joy on the newlywed’s faces as they celebrated with their friends and family. This fun-loving couple who loves to sing and dance did not disappoint once the dance floor opened.

During the wedding planning process, Mary Katharine and Matt spontaneously found out that their wedding cake was the same exact cake that Mary Katharine’s parents had at their wedding, and even made by the same bakery. Isn’t that so serendipitously sweet?! One of Mary Katharine’s guilty pleasures is ice cream, so it was only fitting that they included this with the evening’s desserts, too.

The Details

I love it whenever my couples include sentimental pieces on their wedding day. Mary Katharine had the veil from her mother’s wedding dress turned into a ribbon that hung from her bridal bouquet.

In the reception space, the couple had gorgeous custom-made watercolor bar signs made by The Welcoming District on display. I always think custom cocktail signs (and the unique drinks themselves!) are so fun and a huge hit amongst the guests! Another huge hit with the guests was the wedding favors, which were Haribo gummies displayed on an adorable stand and actually provided by a family friend who works for Haribo. They brought a ton of both original and rare Haribo gummies, it was such a treat!

As a very family-oriented couple, it was important to have all of their loved ones present, especially after the separation during the pandemic. So, they honored those who could not attend with family photos from their wedding day.

This incredible Ballroom at Ellis Preserve wedding was brought to life by a truly stellar vendor team! Everyone worked so great together and did an amazing job pulling everything together to create a beautiful celebration for these two. Thank you, Mary Katharine and Matthew, for trusting me with your wedding day and bringing me back to a Philadelphia wedding venue that I adore! If you missed it, be sure to head on over to last week’s post to hear more about Mary Katharine and Matthew’s love story!

love always Avery