Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Wedding Video Chat!

VERA Lounge, Bar, & Grill

Reception Part 2 Electric Boogaloo

Morning-After Brunch

Fall

Our Wedding

Hitting Jedi with Lightsabers

It was early spring 2016. Damian (Dama) and Embeth were playing the MMO game Star Wars: the Old Republic. Neither was looking for any sort of romance, just a chance to hang out with friends and hit bad guys with lightsabers. Damian was aware of Em well before she ever was of him. He saw a talkative person his friend was trying (unsuccessfully) to hit on, and laughed as that friend's flirtation became a group affair propped up by half the guild (thanks, Lyth and Jax! XD). Em took a while to connect that Dama guy who never talked in voice chat to the jokester who ran mobs of enemies through an ally's in-game roleplay wedding. It was another month or two before Em reached out personally to that quiet-but-funny guy who kept posting memes in the guild's group chat. Finally, the connection was driven by pure necessity: Em needed to push a button in game, and she didn't have the rank. Dama did. Her first text, on May 24th of 2016? "Hey Dama, are you on SWTOR? The thingy here says that you are" Truly a romance for the ages.

Embeth quickly came to appreciate Damian's ability to stay calm and level-headed in any situation. He rapidly became a rock-solid pillar of the gaming guild, someone Em knew she could depend on. During a time of hard work and uncertainty, Damian was a source of support, flexibility, and stability. He never made Embeth feel less than, demonstrating an ability to respect her strength while treating her like something precious that was worth protecting. He could always make her laugh, and showed an innate ability to read the room and respond accordingly that Em found incredibly reassuring. But most of all, Damian showed Em how to trust-- something she had a very hard time doing. He never once raised his voice to her, preferring to walk away when he was upset and come back calm. But he always came back. Meanwhile, Damian appreciated Em-- and not just for her ability to talk so he didn't have to. (Seriously, watch her try not to answer a question, it's hilarious.) She was a creative, pragmatic, flexible leader who valued his knowledge. He loved that she shared his nostalgic sentiments, and that she was dedicated to building a real community in their little corner of the internet. He really appreciated how their shared experiences, sense of humor, and cultural preferences led to a language all their own, an instant understanding of each other, and a comradery he had yet to find elsewhere. There was also the Tristan element. Em knew that any partner she found wasn't just getting her-- they would also become stepparent to Tristan. But at first, when she and Damian were just friends, that wasn't really a concern. Damian was just always there, on voice chat and playing Star Wars online, and so he and Tristan got to know each other as playmates. As four-year-old Tristan occasionally took over Em's character and dragged Damian around in game, demanding that they play hide and seek, race speeder bikes, and kill every boss or big enemy they could find, Embeth was struck again and again by Damian's reliability, seemingly endless patience, and good humor.

Damian was always there, right beside Embeth, ready and willing to build up their guild, their home, together.

Looking back, their first date began with Damian comforting Em on a bad day. Before long, things escalated pretty literally as they began to scale the heights of Alderaan's mountainous regions. How many couples can say they went mountain climbing on their first date?

This escalated quickly...

Embeth and Damian spent the summer and fall of 2016 working together, alongside the rest of their growing guild, to achieve their goals: a powerful, successful presence in game, and a stable home for their found family. All that work was paying off; The Dread Imperium was everything they'd built it to be. But what goes up must come down, and into every life comes hardship. In late 2016 and early 2017, internal strife and outside influences caused many members to part ways. Even Em and Damian found themselves distant, barely talking, after they broke off their short-lived relationship. It was an extremely difficult time for both of them, and for many members of the guild. And yet, they couldn't quite manage to let their friendship die there-- best friends aren't so easily cast aside. As time passed, Damian and Embeth subsisted on daily emails of, "Still alive?" "Still alive."

Achieving greatness, together

For a while, things seemed bleak

But once Damian sets his sights on a goal, he never gives up. And Embeth doesn't let go of the people who matter to her. He loved her, and she believed in her best friend. So in the summer of 2017, they reunited to take another crack at building up their home, regardless of who was there with or against them. Damian also resumed his role as "Playmate in Chief" for Tristan, who delighted in having "his Dama" to run around with in video games again. Embeth couldn't tell whether she or Tristan had missed him more.

Like a brother!

The next year passed in a stream of ups and downs, but through it all, Damian and Embeth maintained their friendship. But Damian wanted more... still, he was waiting for Em to be ready. Finally, in late May of 2018, he asked her to get back together. She said no. And that was the point where Damian put his foot down. If he couldn't be with her, he was finished waiting-- and suddenly, they were back to "Still alive?" texts, as Damian took the summer alone to find himself. As upset as she was, missing her best friend, Em was proud of him for taking this step to become a more fully realized version of himself.

This is getting out of hand... now there are two of them!

Damian came back from his hiatus in mid-August, and Embeth could tell right away that something had changed. He was a fuller, more confident person, and determined as she had been to see him as just a friend, somehow things were different now. September 18th, 2018 -- the day Embeth finally admitted to Damian that she loved him, too. We pause here to applaud his escape, after two and a half very long years, from the friendzone! All it took was him letting his whole personality out at long last, with no reservations or worries about what people in the group might think of him. You know, that's all. There were some complications and difficulties to iron out, but ultimately, this was something that had been on the horizon for years, even if Em hadn't realized it (Damian gets credit for having seen it from the beginning... yes, yes, he's very smart, hush).

The last puzzle piece

After years of such close friendship and almost constant contact, the last puzzle piece had finally fallen into place, and now the picture was perfect. The next several months were wonderful, as Em and Damian explored the new aspects of their relationship. Daily texting and gaming together were replaced with 24/7 video chat. Damian got the "over video chat" stamp of approval from Em's best friend, K'yra. But there was still one kernel of uncertainty... would their dynamic hold up in person?

After more than three long years of waiting, one hot June night in 2019, Damian and Embeth finally, finally got to meet in person. And from the moment they ran into each other's arms at the airport, they both knew exactly how they wanted the rest of the story to go.

Finally together

If Tristan realized that Embeth was holding her breath, waiting to see how he would react to Damian as her partner and his potential future stepdad, he certainly didn't show it. Livid that he would only get two days with "his Dama" during this first visit, he threw himself into showing Damian half the toys he owned and every video he liked on YouTube. And Damian bore all of this with a grin, an easygoing attitude, and endless patience. Embeth may or may not have melted, watching the two of them together in person for the first time.

The Last Hurdle

In the middle of the night, on October 4th, 2019Things were going so well, Embeth was bursting at the seams wanting to take the next step. They had talked about weddings as a hazy "future" plan, but no decisive steps had been taken.Then, late one October night after spending the evening hanging out with friends on the guild voice chat, Em was falling asleep on video chat with Damian. As happens sometimes, she started mumbling incoherently, most of the way asleep. Damian told her later that what she said was, "I keep wanting to ask you to marry me, but that's your job."Damian's response was to immediately blurt out, "Will you marry me??"Em sat bolt upright, very abruptly wide awake. "YES! Yes. Yes. What? Yes. Wait, you don't have to say that, you know that, right?"She got virtually patted on the head for that one. Just A+, really. Em didn't tell anyone they were engaged for the whole weekend, in case Damian decided he wanted to change his mind. He assured her in no uncertain terms that he didn't. His reasoning for not proposing until she said something? He forgot that long engagements could be a thing. Embeth agreed that she could see him forgetting that :D

Engagement Part 1

Damian stayed for just under two weeks on his first visit, in July of 2019, and that was enough to solidify for both him and Embeth that they were right-- they were meant to be together. But they wanted more; they wanted to know what life would be like once they could finally be together long term without a screen in between them.So in January of 2020, Damian made the long trip back from Texas to Jersey, and this time, he stayed for five weeks. As he, Tristan, and Embeth explored family life, Em wondered if she could die of happiness.

What is life together?

Engagement Part 2: This Isn't Even Our Final Form!

Covid proved to be, as it was for so many people, quite the roadblock for Embeth and Damian as well. Where they'd promised to visit every six months until they could finally live together, suddenly a year and a half passed before they could be together again. But finally, vaccines arrived, and it was safe enough to risk travel. Damian once again made the trip out to Jersey, with the intention of staying for about three weeks while he worked with recruiters toward his goal of military service. As the recruitment process dragged out, three weeks turned into five, which turned into eight, and all of a sudden Damian had been in Jersey for more than two months. But no one there was complaining, since Em, Damian, and Tristan were getting to experience what it was like to live together as a family.

On Saturday, June 6th, 2021, Damian and Em went to the NJ Renaissance Faire with K'yra, Louis, Martin, and Tristan. In the midst of a family day at the faire, Em carved out a few minutes so she and Damian to enjoy a romantic stroll alone on the fairegrounds (thanks, K'yra!). You see, they had talked, and she'd asked that if he really meant his proposal, he might repeat it in person. And faire would be the perfect place to do it-- beautiful, romantic, one of Em's favorite places in the world. But the walk was drawing to a close, and no proposal seemed to be happening. That was the point where Em realized she'd lost her phone.That effectively killed the whole vibe, as Em and Damian had to retrace their steps to see if they could find it. Damian seemed more upset than Embeth did-- she couldn't help having faith in him. When he was there, she felt like anything was possible. (Yes, yes, cheesy, shuddup.) And sure enough, he found it. Laughing over that and the death of the romantic vibe, Em and Damian went to rejoin their group.On the way, they found themselves taking shelter from the burning heat on a shaded little footbridge over a stream. Damian stopped in the middle of the bridge to remark on the beautiful scenery (so much green!!). Looking deep into Embeth's eyes, he said (and I quote), "Proposal noises."Quite somberly, she responded, "Yes, that is a thing you could do. I hear there are traditions, with questions and knees and all of that."Well, dear readers, he forewent the kneeling bit, but can be forgiven-- he was wearing a kilt, after all, and kneeling in one can take some practice. But he did ask the question. And laughing and crying at the same time, Embeth threw herself into his arms and said "Yes" again. And he wasn't even wearing pants!

Something to Celebrate

On October 2, 2021, together with family and close friends, Damian and Embeth celebrated their engagement. It was a beautiful day, and thanks to the combined efforts of all involved, turned out to be a spectacular party, and a welcome prelude to things to come.

Just when it seemed like "happily ever after," Damian made the decision to advance his career through service in the Army. This had been on the table for a few years, but it finally became time to move forward with the plan. A mere ten days after their engagement party, Em was driving Damian back to the airport. And after over five years of constant contact, now Embeth and Damian were forced to rely on handwritten letters and the potential of Sunday phone calls at Drill Sergeants' discretion. This happened to line up with Embeth's return to work (substitute teaching) and her first semester as a full time student at Rutgers University. Add in a return to single parenting after months of having Damian there to help, and the stresses of basic training, and one could say that the fall of 2021 was the hardest time our family has gone through yet.

The Army Calls

But when it's worth it, Embeth and Damian found, one can get through just about anything. After ten very long weeks, Embeth's semester and Damian's basic training concluded within the same 24 hour span, and they were finally reunited. With her dad on the phone and then the guild on voice chat to keep her company, Em braved the 12 hour drive down to South Carolina to go to Damian's graduation, writing her final paper while she was down there and much more importantly, finally getting to meet Damian's parents!! It was wonderful to get the chance to meet more of her new family at last. And for Damian, he was finally able to count down the minutes until he could escape the Drill Sergeants for a little while and be with family again. After an invigorating graduation ceremony on that brisk December morning, followed by an interminable 5 hour wait in line to pick Damian up from the squad bay, Em and Damian were finally able to be together again. And with two weeks for Christmas ahead of them before Damian's return to the army for job training, the two looked forward to finally getting to spend time together once more.

We Did It! Pt. 1

But all too soon, real life beckoned. Damian shipped out for job school-- 23 long weeks that were in their own way much harder than basic training. Em returned to school, work, and trying to get life together so that Damian would have a home to come back to.

Home for the Holidays

We're moving, I guess!

Em and Damian had every intention of moving this summer. A little apartment of their own in Collingswood, close enough to Tristan's school, seemed like the perfect place to start their next chapter together. But when a rental fell into their laps very abruptly on Easter Sunday, it was too good to pass up. In a dizzying whirlwind of only two weeks, they went from first inquiry to move-in day, with hardly any room to breathe. Very suddenly, in the middle of finals week, with a wedding planning job the following Saturday and no Damian to help her, Embeth found herself packing and moving. Luckily, Em and Damian have some pretty awesome friends who rode to the rescue. Sirus and Leia stayed overnight to help pack, K'yra and Louis spent the entire weekend helping multiple friends move, and TJ, Eric, and even TJ's son Jensen showed up to help out. With Sirus, TJ, and Eric's status as Army veterans, the running joke very quickly became that in lieu of Damian's presence, Em had deployed the Army. And they certainly got the job done! With the help of Em's mom, the move went, well, we're not going to say smoothly. But it certainly went! And by the end of Sunday night, the new apartment was livable. Em wasn't sure there was a level of stress past where she currently was, but she was also so happy and excited that Damian would have a home to come back to.

We did it! Part 2, Finally

We made it... after eight long months, Damian was home from the army, and our family was finally together, in our own home. Finally.

What comes next...

Reunited and moving forward together at last, all Embeth and Damian have to do now is get ready for the wedding. See you all there!!

Our Story

Star Wars has been such a huge part of our lives ("And I wouldn't be me if I wasn't weird and extra," says Embeth) that we want to have our wedding there. In Star Wars. And since a quick flight to Hoth seems out of the question, and no one wants to go to Florida, we're doing it our way. So buckle up, because we're going on a trip...

In a galaxy far, far away...

Embeth, Empress of the Dread Imperium, and Lord Damaracx, High Councilor and Champion of the Imperium, have elected to build the new stronghold for their empire.

On the large moon of Yavin 4

You are invited to join them as they christen this new home with their long-awaited nuptials.

You, citizens of the Imperium

The ceremony will take place in the forest at the Ferra Groves, under a canopy of autumn leaves. It will be performed by the man most responsible for Empress Embeth and Lord Damaracx meeting, by virtue of his ownership of the Slippery Slopes Cantina: the couple's longtime friend Jax Pyro.

The ceremony

Dinner will follow the ceremony, and will be catered by Corellia's finest party facilitator, Chef Robert of Bacio Catering. The venue is a short walk from our ceremony site, in the first-floor ballroom of our new stronghold.

Dinner

After dinner, the couple and their honor guard will showcase formal dancing in the style of Empress Embeth's people, House Cortess of Alderaan. One might be familiar with this style of dancing from such Alderaanian media pieces as "Pride &amp; Prejudice" and "Bridgerton."

Formal Dancing

Following the formal dancing, the Empress and Lord Damaracx prefer to indulge in their memories of Nar Shaddaa and the Slippery Slopes Cantina by relocating the rest of the party to Club Vera, the ship-board cantina on the Dread Imperium's flagship, The Imperium's Beacon.

Nostalgic Nightclub

After years of fighting for their future, Lord Damaracx and Empress Embeth want nothing more than to spend the rest of their night hanging out, dancing, and enjoying the ambiance with their friends and loved ones.

Dance the Night Away

Behind the Scenes

We know this isn't exactly your traditional wedding, and as such, this is a place where we'd like to provide a little extra guidance for anyone who wishes it.

Where to  go?

(click photo to enlarge) We know the Ferra Groves on Yavin 4 are a little hard to navigate to without a hyperdrive, so Hopkins Pond in Haddonfield is our best approximation. We are asking guests to park in the street parking on Kings Highway, across the street from our dinner venue, The Haddon Fortnightly. The road is wide, with a designated parking lane, and there are no meters. Please be advised, the venue does not have its own parking lot. From there, it is a short 3 block walk down Evergreen Lane to our ceremony space directly within Hopkins Pond Park. Evergreen Lane is a tiny residential street, and we ask that only our guests who are physically unable to enjoy the walk park there. If you prefer, we are prepared to arrange for one vehicle to shuttle our less mobile guests from parking at The Fortnightly to the ceremony space, and back at the ceremony's conclusion.

For any concerned about the terrain in the park, here is a photo of the path to the ceremony. On our wedding day, we will have signs showing you where to go, and the ceremony site is visible through the trees as soon as you step into the park. Thank you for indulging our desire to have our ceremony in the woods; it means a lot.

Hopkins Pond Park

What to wear?

Below is a collection of inspiration pictures Embeth has been using to design the aesthetic of the wedding party's attire and the overall decoration and ambiance.

Who am I?

As you've likely noticed, between our integration with the lore of our gaming guild and the wedding party being listed like they're actors in a play, there are a lot of roleplay elements to this wedding. You are invited, but by no means required, to play along with us! It is more than enough that you throw on some black tie attire and come celebrate with us &lt;3 But if you're so inclined, feel free to dream up a Star Wars character for yourself! The setting is the Old Republic era of Star Wars lore, thousands of years before the events of George Lucas's cinematic masterpieces. The Sith Empire and Galactic Republic vie for control of the galaxy, and out of their conflict, we have wrested a corner of neutral space for our Imperium-- a home for anyone who wants it, outside of the ongoing war. You are welcome, if you're so inclined, to attend as an emissary from either the Empire or the Republic, as a citizen or soldier of our Imperium, or as a freelancer making your own way in the galaxy. As we are neutral ground, we welcome Jedi, Sith, Mandalorians, and all manner of beings. Feel free to think up a character, a backstory, whatever makes you feel comfortable and involved! This is a day to celebrate the whimsy and imagination that brought Damian and Embeth together in the first place. Ground rules:- no existing characters from the Star Wars universe (IE you're welcome to be a Sith, but please don't come in a Darth Vader costume)- if your costume has a mask/facial covering, please be prepared to go without-- we invited YOU, and want to be able to see your face in our photos in years to come- no conflict. As previously stated, this is neutral ground, and we are here to celebrate. Even if your Jedi character would normally fight a Sith on sight, please remember that this is a joyous occasion and put such things aside We can't wait to have you come and play with us! &lt;3

The Wedding Itself

About our Wedding Party

You may have noticed our "Honor Guard" doesn't have the usual titles of "bridesmaid" and "groomsmen." That's because this is Star Wars, this is The Dread Imperium, and we got creative!

Jax is directly responsible for the guild alliance that led to Damian and Embeth meeting. As such, we could think of no one better to officially join us together than the man who got the ball rolling.

Officiant Shelby Horsfall as

Imperium Adepts

Our Imperium Adepts are our Force Users-- we don't do Jedi and Sith, we're all gray here, so we went with the term "Adept," taken from the Star Wars cannon term "Force Adept." Taken from our guild's story: "Since our inception, our Adepts have guided us, spearheaded both our military and our exploration, and been the strong arm of our Imperium. Centuries of Imperium Adepts have paved the way for where we are today. Though all are proficient in the Force and use of a lightsaber, Adepts fill many roles in our Imperium, including soldiers, healers, pilots, researchers, archivists, and teachers."

Grandmaster of the Adept Corps, Sorcerer of the Imperium

Maid of Honor Marlena Goldstrom as

Chuck Foley as

Sera Burke as

Rebecca McKelvy as

Leia Foley as

Imperium Operatives

"Herein reside the officers who form the backbone of our Imperium. They lift us beyond our limitations, and for centuries have carried us across the stars and brought us home again. 'Operative' is an umbrella term to encompass those who dedicate their careers to furthering our interests as medics, engineers, scientists, intelligencers, pilots, teachers, and so much more."

Best Woman Trinity Campbell as:

Alyssa Lawrence as

Demitrius Hollon as

Louis Goldstrom as

Brad Woolwine as

Imperium Troopers

"Our proud Troopers serve as the shield around the Imperium’s endeavors. Since the founding of the Imperium, our Overwatch Fleet and our ground troops have showcased their expertise and worked hand in hand with our Adepts and Operatives to safeguard our interests both at home and across the galaxy. Troopers put their lives on the line to protect and defend our people and way of life, and include infantry, demolitions/EOD, heavy weapons, tank corps, pilots, and Overwatch personnel."

Zach Graves as

Nate Stenzel as

TJ Strom as

Ryan Jones as

Special Service

Tristan Newton as

Martin Newton as

Honor Guard

July 5, 1990 - September 2019We carry her with us

In Memory of Isabel "Namira Grinn"

Isabel was one of the earliest members of The Dread Imperium, joining before Damian or Embeth or most of the current members. She was one of our legends. And from the day we each met her, we knew she was sick. Isa, or Nam as we often call her (from her screen name, Namira), was Colombian. She had been a member of Colombia's army, had commanded an artillery unit, and during her time in service, had encountered a land mine that wrecked part of her leg. The resultant injury and medical care began a years-long battle with infections that resulted in loss of her leg, several major organs, and ultimately her life. But we don't remember Nam for what she lost. Anyone who ever spoke with her immediately knew she wasn't someone to be messed with-- with a personality the size of the US, she rode her motorcycle (and her starfighter, in Star Wars) straight into your heart with no questions asked and no apologies given. This was a woman who could hold her own in any situation, larger than life, a giant among men. And she inspired awe and admiration with her power of personality, her wicked and dirty sense of humor, and her kind and generous heart. Nam was the one of the bravest people any of us has ever known. We will never forget her.

In Memoriam

The Dread Imperium

An MMO-RPG (massive multiplayer online roleplaying game) is a type of online game where each player has their own in-game avatar, a character they design, who can interact with other players' characters in real time. Every blue name in the photo above represents a human being, one who navigated their character to be present in that particular space in the game at that particular time. While there are characters controlled by the game, no humans involved, the main draw of MMO's is the human element. Players can talk and interact with each other across the span of time zones, and one can meet people one might never have otherwise. That has been Embeth and Damian's experience-- they met in the MMO video game Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR), when friends they had made independently began hanging out together. In a video game like SWTOR, players compete against each other or the computer to achieve objectives. There is a heavy emphasis on group content, with players teaming up together to meet their goals. As such, "guilds" form -- collectives of like-minded players who are united by anything from common goals, common friends, a shared time zone; there are military veteran guilds, family-friendly guilds, guilds that focus on one or another type of content... and then there are guilds that form organically just because people meet each other and find that they get along very well. That was the case with our guild, The Dread Imperium. It was formed by a small group of friends on November 19th, 2014, with a guy named Hekzder as the leader. Damian joined them in 2015, and Embeth in 2016. As Hekzder withdrew from SWTOR and an active leadership role, Embeth transitioned in as the new guild leader, with Damian's support, and started building up membership for the guild you see today. Over the years, people have come and gone, but unlike many other online guilds, the members of The Dread Imperium realized they were more than just people playing a game together: they were friends. "Not just pixels on a screen."Many, arguably most, online guilds stay just that: online buddies, some closer than others, but keeping their screens firmly between them. We were having none of that. In the fall of 2016, Embeth, Sera, and K'yra drove down to Maryland Renaissance Faire to meet Lyth, who drove up from Georgia. This was the first meeting of guild members who didn't already live near each other, the first time we'd gone way out of our way to meet up. But it wasn't the last. Over the next few years, guild members flew from all corners of the country to meet up in Texas, Florida, Jersey, Oregon, and more. Our group became so much more than a bunch of people playing a game together, content to hide behind pixels on a screen. We became friends, became a family.

What is a gaming guild?

By now, you've seen this sigil multiple times: the insignia of our guild, The Dread Imperium. But you may not know the story behind it. It began in October of 2016, on the drive home from the Maryland Renaissance Faire trip where Em, Sera, and K'yra met Lyth. On that trip, it took mere minutes to see that online friendships are just as real as "real life" ones, that our dynamic held true regardless of whether a screen was between us or not. We spent two days together, and wished for more time. On the way home, Embeth was feeling inspired to create something that would symbolize the family she was building. So she started to sketch. But when she got home and tried to input her designs into the computer, she was having an extremely hard time making it work. So she did what she often did: she asked Dama for help. With his experience in pixel art, he took the attempts she'd sent and gave them digital form in a way Embeth had never been able to. Days of design discourse followed, until he produced an image that made both of them say, "This is it." Embeth took the draft back, ran it through Photoshop, and the Dread Imperium insignia was born-- like so many other things, the product of collaboration between Embeth and Damian.

The Insignia

Over the years, this sigil inspired more than just Damian and Embeth. It become a symbol for many members of our found family... including Nam. She made this poster for us, for our guild, to inspire loyalty and participation in her airwing unit, Stalker Squadron. And we have treasured it ever since. You'll be seeing the Dread Imperium insignia a great many places going forward in this wedding, because of the weight of history and family that it represents for us.

It doesn't just belong to us

Our Guild

..................................... All these instructions are, of course, only if you were thinking of coming as a character. You're more than welcome to do so! Our guild has established lore from years of roleplay, and you can see glimpses of our characters in the Wedding Party section of this website. However, you're also more than welcome to come as yourself in a fancy outfit, and we'll be 100% happy to have you. This is just to clarify that this wedding is about telling our own story in the galaxy, not incorporating characters belonging to Disney/George Lucas.

Photos

For all your out-of-state travel needs, fly into the Philadelphia airport! South Jersey is just a few minutes over the bridge.

Philadelphia International Airport

We don't have enough people staying in hotels to obtain a room block, but we recommend the following hotels as nice places to stay that are very close to our venues!

DoubleTree by Hilton Cherry Hill Philadelphia

Near Cherry Hill MallMake yourself at home in one of the 173 guestrooms featuring microwaves and Smart televisions. Your pillowtop bed comes with premium bedding. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.Located in Cherry Hill, Holiday Inn Philadelphia-Cherry Hill, an IHG Hotel is in the business district, a 1-minute drive from Marketplace at Garden State Park and 5 minutes from Cooper River Park.  This hotel is 4.1 mi (6.5 km) from Cherry Hill Mall and 5.9 mi (9.6 km) from Adventure Aquarium.Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 mile and kilometer.  Marketplace at Garden State Park - 0.1 km / 0.1 mi  Cooper River Park - 3.6 km / 2.2 mi  Cherry Hill Mall - 3.7 km / 2.3 mi  Pennsauken Country Club - 5.1 km / 3.1 mi  Ritz Theater - 5.6 km / 3.5 mi  Garden State Discovery Museum - 7.4 km / 4.6 mi  BB&T Pavilion - 8.9 km / 5.5 mi  Moorestown Mall - 9.1 km / 5.7 mi  Adventure Aquarium - 9.6 km / 5.9 mi  Battleship New Jersey - 9.9 km / 6.1 mi  Elfreth's Alley - 11.1 km / 6.9 mi  Franklin Square - 11.2 km / 6.9 mi  Benjamin Franklin Bridge - 11.2 km / 6.9 mi  Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site - 11.2 km / 7 mi  Betsy Ross House - 11.2 km / 7 mi  The nearest airports are:Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) - 30.6 km / 19 mi Philadelphia, PA (PNE-Northeast Philadelphia) - 32.5 km / 20.2 mi Blue Bell, PA (BBX-Wings Field) - 44.9 km / 27.9 mi Mercer Airport (TTN) - 62.2 km / 38.6 mi The preferred airport for Holiday Inn Philadelphia-Cherry Hill, an IHG Hotel is Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Be sure to enjoy recreational amenities, including an indoor pool, a 24-hour fitness center, and a seasonal outdoor pool. Additional amenities at this Art Deco hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and a fireplace in the lobby.Featured amenities include a 24-hour business center, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Planning an event in Cherry Hill? This hotel features 4600 square feet (427 square meters) of event facilities. Free self parking is available onsite.Enjoy American cuisine at Infused Cherry hill, a restaurant which features a bar/lounge, or stay in and take advantage of the room service (during limited hours).

Embeth & Damian

Embeth & Damian

Photos