Lilah Philadelphia has been around for just a few years, but this Fishtown wedding venue provides an expertly crafted wedding experience. Abby and Andy’s wedding was beautiful, deeply personal, and fun. Check out the candid photos from their romantic wedding with an emo twist.

Rehearsal Dinner at the Black Squirrel Club

While Lilah does do rehearsal dinners, Abby and Andy wanted to kick off their wedding weekend with big energy. They hosted everyone at the Black Squirrel Club in Fishtown for their rehearsal dinner. Everyone had a great time exploring the music venue.

To cut back on wedding day events, Abby and Andy opted to have speeches and their ketubah signing at their rehearsal dinner. This made their wedding day more relaxed. It also set a really great tone for the whole weekend.

A Wedding at Lilah Philadelphia

Lilah Philadelphia is an industrial wedding venue in Fishtown. Exposed brick and window panes dominate the aesthetic. Despite obviously being an old industrial building, the interior feels modern and inviting. The bar is especially cool. It’s very architectural and lends itself well to floral installations and other details.

When the current owners renovated this space, they did so in a way that makes events flow seamlessly. You say your “I dos” on one side of the wall of frosted glass panes. Then pocket doors open up to allow your guests entrance to cocktail hour on the other side. By the time you come back through the doors, the larger space has been flipped for dinner.

Lilah Philadelphia is operated by CookNSolo, the restaurant group behind Zahav, Goldie, and K’Far. The food at Lilah isn’t exactly the same, but you can expect the same dedication to high-quality Middle Eastern cuisine.The family style approach to serving some courses is also for getting guests interacting with each other.

Logistics 

• Starting cost: $23,500
• Capacity: 250 guests
• Venue type: Indoors

There are a couple catches to having your wedding at Lilah. First, the venue doesn’t have a dedicated parking lot. You can opt for street parking or ask the Lilah’s staff to help you coordinate valet parking. There’s also only one semiprivate getting ready space. In my opinion, it’s a great excuse to get ready with your partner. Neither of these are dealbreakers if the venue is right for you, but they’re worth keeping in mind when you’re planning.

A Fishtown Wedding Venue

When you get married at Lilah Philadelphia, there are plenty of places around the neighborhood to take great photos. The venue is along the iconic El.  Photo ops nearby – Lilah Philadelphia – along the El. Colorful murals, bars, and restaurants line the corridor with more on side streets.

Some Fishtown highlights include:

• Suraya – decadent Lebanese food with a beautiful courtyard
• Goldie – a fast casual Israeli restaurant from the CookNSolo Group. Check out the tahini shakes!
• Philadelphia Record Exchange – a treasure trove of vintage music

Since Lilah is right on the El, your out-of-town guests can easily stay in Center City and take public transportation to your venue. Otherwise there are some great boutique hotels in the area, including Archway, Lokal Hotel Fishtown, and Anna and Bel.

A Vibrant Wedding Weekend

Lilah Philadelphia is minimalist enough for you to take your decor pretty much any direction you want. Abby and Andy went for emo romance with rich red florals and linens. Candles and vintage lamps in gold hues gave the space a sense of warmth. (Fun fact: Ben Platt used these lamps at his wedding!)

They thought through every detail. The best part was they weren’t details just for the sake of having more stuff. Everything meant something to Abby and Andy. And it added to the overall atmosphere, especially at the reception. Guests could pick up a deck of Tarot cards or slip into the photo booth for a souvenir. 

After dinner, the atmosphere at Lilah Philadelphia transformed from elegant dinner party to nostalgic emo rager. Everyone got on the dance floor to belt out their favorite tunes. These might just be some of my favorite dance floor photos yet.

Candid Wedding Photos

I had a blast photographing Abby and Andy’s wedding. It really leant itself to my style of photography. Instead of focusing on posed portraits, I got to be a fly on the wall while they enjoyed celebrating with their favorite people.

Would you like me to photograph your wedding? Inquire with me here!

Thanks to the vendors who helped make this wedding amazing:
Venue and Caterer: Lilah Philadelphia
Photographer: Heather McBride Photography
Second Photographer: Rylan Lott Photography
Coordinator: Jessica Jefferson Events
Florals: Daughters Floral Design
Photo Booth: Classic Photo Booth
DJ: DJ Illmatiq
Hair and Makeup: Aleksandra Ambrozy
Jello Shots: Solid Wiggles