The Woodlands

The Woodlands allowed us to have exactly the kind of wedding we were hoping to have thanks to their beautiful ambiance and flexibility. We had a cocktail camper and taco bar, bounce house and funnel cake station, and mostly picnic blanket seating for 200 guests. It is an actual working cemetery, and we leaned in a little bit to the theme by using #tilldeathdouspart and asking our band to play "Closer Walk with Thee" when we processed in and out for the ceremony. You have to make sure that you want to plan a flexible wedding as there's a lot more planning when you're in control of all of the details, but we couldn't have asked for a better day. When it started downpouring in the middle of our father-daughter and mother-son dances, Natalie the event coordinator was there with a huge umbrella. She also helped corral the guests when it was time to start the ceremony and helped close the doors as we exited the mansion so that our pictures were as beautiful as possible. It was great to have someone else on our team, helping out with the details. Sure, a cemetery isn't everyone's first thought for a wedding venue, but if you're looking for a beautiful location, close to public transportation, able to accommodate a large number of guests, without killing your budget, this is a really great option to consider. I personally loved that the fees go towards historic preservation. It's such a valuable part of the community and it's great to know that part of our expenses will help preserve a part of West Philadelphia's history.