Photo: Kate Neal Photo
What do you get when two ultra-creative branding pros combine forces to plan an intricately detailed, DIY-filled garden wedding? What if they only had four months to do it? If the couple in question are Antoinette and Tyler, the Philly-based founders of branding firm At Media, the results are flat-out amazing.
Though the two went to high school and college together, they didn't meet until they were introduced to a mutual friend in 2005. After they started dating, they merged Antoinette's business savvy and Tyler's enviable design skills to start a business together. Just like their April 2013 wedding, Tyler's proposal was meticulously planned. "I used to take Tyler to secret places in high-rises where you can see the entire Philadelphia city skyline," Antoinette explains. "Tyler fell in love with me on those adventurous trips. On my 28th birthday in 2010, he blindfolded me and sent me up the Lowes hotel elevators to the 33rd floor, where a trail of rose petals led to him on one knee."
Antoinette and Tyler were engaged for two and a half years, but it took nearly as long for their dream venue, Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, to reopen with a new star caterer. They jumped at the chance to say "I do" under the park's cherry blossom trees in spring, giving them just four months to plan their fantasy wedding. Luckily, their well-honed branding skills came in handy, and their Parisian garden bash went off without a hitch. Check out their dreamy, flower-filled nuptials below!
Antoinette found her mermaid-style beaded dress at a sample sale, and chose it because she felt it was the perfect marriage between traditional and modern elements. For the ceremony, she topped it with a rose-colored fur shawl by Eliza J and vintage white gloves, the perfect complement to her romantic bouquet of garden roses, poppies, buds and drooping amaranth.
Tyler wore a custom suit with pink lining and pink stitching on the sleeves, to match their wedding palette. The groomsmen looked just as sharp, including a certain furry member of the wedding party.
The couple's yoga instructor Maura served as their officiant. "She incorporated our springtime theme by relating our marriage to the cycle of life through stories and poetry," Antoinette says. As she walked down the aisle on the first beautiful spring day of the year, a three-piece band played a cover of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's hit "Home".
After a picnic lunch at Fairmount Park's Horticultural Center years before, just as the cherry blossoms began to bloom, Antoinette and Tyler fell in love with the venue. It was no longer hosting weddings when they got engaged, but it eventually reopened with top chef Stephen Starr in charge of the menu. Antoinette and Tyler quickly planned a wedding for early spring, their favorite time of year in the park, by building mood boards on Pinterest and working together to bring them to life.
During cocktail hour, guests sipped Antoinette and Tyler's signature cocktai l— the "Artisan": St. Germain, champagne, and grapefruit juice — while bossa nova music played. Bites like lobster mac n' cheese, ceviche, cheesesteak egg rolls and kobe beef sliders were a huge hit among guests. Tyler designed all the paper goods himself, including the couple's invitations, programs and menus.
Tyler is close friends with the band Cheers Elephant, and the band had guests on their feet all night with original rock tunes. The couple opened the floor with a first dance to the band's song "From", a song that reminded Antoinette and Tyler of each other. When they were all danced out, guests chose from an array of mini desserts passed around on trays, then set off Chinese lanterns into the night to toast the couple.
Photo: Kate Neal Photo
Antoinette and Tyler only had a few months to plan their wedding, but they still achieved the day of their dreams. "Our advice to couples planning a wedding is not to be afraid to daydream their perfect day, then work their hardest to bring it to life exactly how they want it," Antoinette says. "It's important that you do what you and your husband want to do!"
Ceremony and reception site: Fairmount Park Horticultural Center || Bridal gown: Bijou Bridal || Shoes: Badgley Mischka || Jewelry: Tiffany & Co., Samantha Wills || Hair and Makeup: Brooke Estilow || Bridesmaids' and Mother of the Bride Dresses: Nordstrom || Groom's Attire: Custom from NYC La Rukico Tailors || Invitations and Paper Goods: At Media || Florist: Seasons Flowers || Caterer: Stephen Starr Events || Music, Ceremony: Phyllis Chapell and Siora; Reception: Cheers Elephant || Photography: Kate Neal Photo