If you’re looking for a laidback, beautiful garden wedding venue in Philly, check out Bartram’s Garden. This park is the oldest botanical garden in the U.S. It combines historic charm with a touch of wilderness and, of course, incredible flowers. 

Lauren and Vinny’s Bartram’s Garden wedding had everything you could want, from quiet moments in the garden to a lively dance floor. Their candid wedding photos preserve the fun, tender emotions that characterized the day.

In this post:

• A Wedding at Bartram’s Garden
• Cool Florals for a Garden Wedding
• Philly Wedding Photography for Connection-Centered Celebrations

A Wedding at Bartram’s Garden

Bartram’s Garden is such a beautiful place to hold a wedding. It’s a rambling estate-turned-garden. One thing that sets it apart from other garden wedding venues is that it’s obviously intentionally planned and maintained, but it still feels a bit wild and whimsical. In some ways, it feels like the opposite of a super formal venue like Longwood Gardens.

There are two spaces that most people use for their wedding celebrations at Bartram’s Garden.

• The Grounds: The park includes 50 acres of gardens, woods, and river banks. There are endless backdrops for your portraits and candid moments.

• The Eastwick Pavillion: This open-air permanent structure is the perfect place for your indoor-outdoor reception. You don’t need to stress about rain or renting a tent. It’s elegant enough that you can customize it with as little or as much decor as you prefer. 

Here are some helpful logistics if you’re considering getting married at Bartram’s Garden.

• Location: Kingessing neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA
• Venue type: Outdoor with a permanent pavillion
• Capacity: 300 guests
• Starting cost: $4,000

One of the cool things about Bartram’s Garden is that it’s open to the public every day. It’s such a great spot for birding, taking long walks, and enjoying a different side of the city. Having a wedding at Bartram’s Garden is a cool way to support the educational programs and all the opportunities they provide to the community.

Bartram’s Garden is located right on the Schuylkill River across from Gray’s Ferry. Because of that, you get a great view of the skyline on the banks of the river. It’s a cool mix of nature and city. The venue is also only about 25 minutes from Center City near I-76. 

Cool Florals for a Garden Wedding

For their wedding, Lauren and Vinny leaned into the garden atmosphere. It felt anything but generic, though. Their florals were a highlight even among the incredible flowers already at Bartram’s Garden.  

The bouquets are a good example of how much forethought Lauren and Vinny put into their florals. Lauren’s bridesmaids each wore a different colored dress, and Wildbird Floral designed bouquets to match. The effect was really fun in photos! 

Bright flower arrangements stood at the bottom of Lauren and Vinny’s chuppah, too. With the greenery vining around the top, it made the chuppah feel like part of the garden.

Would you like to see another unique wedding at Bartram’s Garden? Check out this fun wedding featuring a vintage-inspired black wedding dress!

Philly Wedding Photography for Connection-Centered Celebration

For Lauren and Vinny’s Bartram’s Garden wedding, I focused on creating candid photos of their most memorable moments. That doesn’t happen by accident! I spend a lot of time observing people and anticipating what’s going to happen next. It makes for a gallery full of moments people didn’t necessarily expect but ended up valuing the most.

Lauren and Vinny’s wedding was perfect for this style of photography because their community was so excited to celebrate them. You can see it in the getting ready photos with Lauren’s bridesmaids, the laughter in between formal events, and the happy tears during the ceremony. Now Lauren and Vinny have these moments preserved to reminisce over for years to come.

Would you like me to photograph your Philly wedding? I’m a Philly wedding photographer specializing in making art out of candid moments. Reach out to me here!  

Thanks to this amazing team of Philly wedding vendors!
Photography: Heather McBride Photography
Venue: Bartram’s Garden
Catering: Jaime Hollander Wedding Venues
Florist: Wildbird Floral Design
Invitations and Signage: Jackie Small
Cake: New June Bakery
DJ: DJ Baby Berlin
Hairstylist: Dayna Defazio
Makeup: Amy Budzilowicz
Dress: Anthropologie