A wedding is supposed to be one of the most important days of your life — but getting there can be overwhelming. With a seemingly endless list of vendors, venues and online options, it’s easy to spiral into choice paralysis before you’ve even picked a date.
Luckily, the Old City District’s fourth annual Wedding Stroll is here to help.
“ There is a high concentration of wedding-related businesses in Old City,” said Leah Ben, the Old City District’s senior marketing manager. “ There’s a lot of companies that sort of treat you like it’s a wedding factory, and this is so very different because you’re connecting directly with the people who are going to be taking care of you on your big day.”
The stroll, which takes place Wednesday, April 30, from 5 to 8 p.m., is like a pub crawl for wedding-related businesses. Around 40 vendors in Old City — Philly’s “wedding corridor” — will be opening their doors and offering deals and info about how they can make your wedding unique. Participants include florists, jewelers, dress shops, suit shops, venues, restaurants and more.
These days, much of the wedding-planning process happens on the internet. Websites like The Knot and Zola offer vendor lists that couples can scroll through and reach out to virtually. The Wedding Stroll, however, is bringing that experience to life — giving couples a more personal approach to meeting the people behind the businesses.
“So much of the wedding-planning experience is so personal, and as a bride or a groom, you’re really relying on a team of experts and you want to make sure you have them in your corner,” Ben said. “Online research is great, but being able to get little tastes of different options during the wedding stroll can help you make some choices and really make the rest of your wedding planning go smoothly.”
Ben, herself, has some personal experience on the topic of planning an Old City wedding, as she recently got married in the neighborhood. According to her, the Wedding Stroll is a huge help because it serves as a type of “one-stop wedding shop.”
“ We really have almost all services,” she said. “Everything from if you need a tuxedo for your dog, if he’s involved in the ceremony, all the way to your after-party space.”
Options for how to incorporate your best animal guests into the festivities will be available — ANIMA Natural Pet Products is participating in the stroll for the first time this year. While the idea of pets strutting down the aisle might earn a few eye rolls, Kimberly Davis, the owner of ANIMA, is enthusiastic about the idea.
“The concept of pets in weddings is just an absolute thing, as they’re part of the family,” she said. “Pets are people’s children.”
“I think it’s just a wonderful kind of semi-new trend that we’re ready to support as it gets bigger and bigger,” Davis said.
ANIMA’s services range from custom collars and leashes to fitted tuxedos and mini wedding gowns made for your furry friend.
“We whip that measuring tape out,” Davis said, noting that animals come in all sizes and shapes. “We know exactly what we’re doing, because we have to size harnesses, leashes, coats, sweaters almost every day.”
Old City is a popular Philly wedding destination due to its historic cobblestone streets and picturesque brick buildings, but couples getting married outside of the city will find options to choose from, too.
One of the biggest choices that brides make, of course, is picking the perfect dress. Monet Imperato, the owner of Mari Mi Bridal, said that the neighborhood is ideal for brides-to-be, because there is a concentrated number of stores in the area.
“ The way that girls shop these days, they’re not going just to one store,” Imperato said. She picked her store’s Old City location so she could be a part of the shopping “trail.”
“When girls are scheduling two other appointments, we’re still close enough for them to include us on their day of shopping,” she explained.
The crawl is a great way for brides to see the dresses in stock and talk to experts like Imperato to hear suggestions and get closer to their vision. What’s more, in checking out the stroll, when it’s time to make an actual appointment, those initial shopping jitters are gone.
“Coming back, it feels familiar and that anxiety of that first-time appointment has kind of dulled down a little,” Imperato said. “They already know us and what we have.”
Another bonus: Couples that attend the stroll will receive special perks and discounts for participating. For example, everyone who takes part will be entered into a raffle to win nearly $4,000 worth of goodies and services.
In addition to the offerings, the stroll will also include a “Bloom Bar.” Anastasia Beilyk, the president of NE Flower Boutique, has provided flowers so that participants can create their own custom bouquet as they bounce from store to store, picking up a new stem at each location.
Beilyk is a big fan of the annual wedding stroll, as a way for potential customers to have hands-on experience with her designs.
“As a florist, obviously our things are very physical,” she said. “So when you come in, you’ll get a chance to see a centerpiece and a bridal bouquet. You’ll get to feel it, you know, touch it, get a look at a bunch of different flowers that we offer.”
Couples can use NE Flower Boutique for anything from only the bouquet to designing the entire reception. Any idea is welcomed.
“Sometimes the brides bring something new to the table,” Beilyk said. “ When they come in with something crazy, wild, we’re just thrilled. We love to work with color and different textures, because we are creative people.”
The Old City Wedding Stroll is a free event. Registration is required and can be completed online. Hopefully, the night will end with participating couples crossing some things off their planning checklist.
“I feel like this is a very fun event for everybody,” Beilyk said. “Old City is a beautiful space to be in and the vibes are great, so it’s a wonderful event, and I feel like it gives the couples a definite advantage.”
“Here you get to actually talk to these vendors and see if it’s a good fit and really feel like your wedding is going to take place,” she said. “It actually is real.”
