Wedding Day

Our Wedding

In January of 2018, thanks to our mutual friend Julie, we were introduced. Julie sent Rachael's contact information to Josh while he was in Atlanta for business. A prompt 3 months later, Josh reached out to Rachael, on Friday the 13th, at noon... Rachael was away herself at that time, so after a few days more the two finally connected. The initial phone call led to a first date, and on what turned out to be a 6 hour drive to Massachusetts for Josh, Rachael kept him company over the phone the entire duration of the ride, and a good part of the return trip too. During these conversations, both Josh and Rachael realized that there might be something there...

Our Introduction

The summer was a busy one, with 40th birthday parties , trips, family visits and planning/decorating for the annual Ocean City Nights in Venice boat parade falling in between. While Josh had originally planned to recreate their initial bike ride to the Longport point to propose, the reality of not having a free day to do that before traveling to Spain for Josh's oldest friends birthday, and holding a 40th birthday party of his own, was looming. So, after attending the Captain's safety meeting for the Nights in Venice event, on Friday the 12th of July, under the guise of needing to decorate the Salty Fish for the Rocky themed entry before the sun set for the night, Josh proposed on the bow of the boat. Fortunately, Rachael not only said yes, but allowed Josh to move her away from the rail and avoid any Instagram worthy dropped the ring into the back bay waters moment. After enjoying a perfect bay sunset, Josh and Rachael were joined by their parents on the Salty Fish, and celebrated with friends at a nearby restaurant later that evening.

Our Engagement

Our Story

The&nbsp;Bellevue-Stratford&nbsp;opened in 1904 and quickly became one of the most luxurious hotels of its time, rivaling the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The building&nbsp;was an incredible work of French Renaissance architecture. It was 19 stories high, had over a thousand guest rooms, light fixtures designed by Thomas Edison, and what was said to be the most lavish and magnificent ballroom in the United States. It hosted guests from around the world,&nbsp;including&nbsp;royalty, world leaders, and the magnificently wealthy.&nbsp; The hotel came to be known as “<a href="https://www.hsp.org/blogs/question-of-the-week/what-philadelphia-landmark-was-once-known-as-the-%E2%80%9Cgrand-dame-of-broad-street%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Grand Dame of Broad Street</a>.” The current guestroom design, led by Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design, is a modern interpretation of classic Philadelphia that explores the rich political, artistic, theatrical, and musical history of the city. The designers collaborated with artistic and cultural organizations in the area, in particular Opera Philadelphia, Walnut Street Theatre, and Pennsylvania Ballet, bringing specific elements from each institute into the interior design. Each floor is themed differently with beautifully drawn costume design sketches from the archives of the opera, theatre, and ballet adorning the hallways, taking guests on a historical journey through the building.

The Bellevue Hotel

The Wedding Venue

A room block has been made available at the Hyatt Bellevue, the venue for the ceremony and reception. Use the link below or, if calling, mention the POLIS-FISHER WEDDING room block.

The Bellevue Hotel In The Unbound Collection By Hyatt

A room block has been made available, use the link below, or mention the Polis-Fisher wedding block if calling by telephone. The Fairfield is a two and a half block walk to the Hyatt Bellevue, uber, lyft and taxi's are available as well.

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Philadelphia Downtown/Center City

Travel

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at Eakins Oval. The museum administers collections containing over 240,000 objects including major holdings of European, American and Asian origin. The various classes of artwork include sculpture, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, armor, and decorative arts.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Barnes Foundation is an art collection and educational institution promoting the appreciation of art and horticulture. Originally in Merion, the art collection moved in 2012 to a new building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The arboretum of the Barnes Foundation remains in Merion, where it has been proposed to be maintained under a long-term educational affiliation agreement with Saint Joseph's University.

Barnes Foundation

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Terminal_Market#p-search" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jump to search</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reading_Terminal_Market.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Reading_Terminal_Market.png/220px-Reading_Terminal_Market.png"></a>	Reading Terminal Market<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reading_Terminal_Market_center_court.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Reading_Terminal_Market_center_court.jpg/220px-Reading_Terminal_Market_center_court.jpg"></a>	Center CourtReading Terminal Market is an enclosed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_market" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">public market</a> located at 12th and Arch Streets in Center City <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Philadelphia</a>, Pennsylvania. It opened originally in 1893 under the elevated train shed of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Company" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reading Railroad Company</a> after the city of Philadelphia advocated to move public markets from the streets into indoor facilities for both safety and sanitary reasons. The Reading Railroad Company owned and operated the market space until 1976 when the company liquidated, leaving the market without its parent company and foot traffic from the train. Presently, it still occupies the ground floor and basement levels of the Reading Terminal's former train shed which is now part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Convention_Center" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pennsylvania Convention Center</a>. Vendor stalls occupy the ground floor with entrances on Filbert Street to the South, Twelfth Street to the West, and Arch Street to the North. The stalls are arranged in a grid pattern with an open area in the center with tables and seating. Over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan_cheese" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">artisan cheese</a>, groceries, ice cream, flowers, grilled cheese, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Terminal_Market#cite_note-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[1]</a> Two of the vendors are descendants of original merchants from the initial opening in the late 1800s.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Terminal_Market#cite_note-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[2]</a> The basement floor of the market holds the state-of-the-art <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeration" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">refrigerated</a> storage area for vendor use. Currently, the market is open every day of the week, although the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Dutch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pennsylvania Dutch</a> merchants (a small but significant minority) generally do not operate Sunday through Tuesday.

Reading Terminal Market

The National Constitution Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the United States Constitution

Rachael & Josh

Rachael & Josh

Registry