GLITZ AND GLAM: All you need is love...and a little help from Manayunk

Mar 25, 2014 0 comments
GLITZ AND GLAM: All you need is love...and a little help from Manayunk

Originally Published In Manayunk.com Magazine

It’s safe to say the trend toward vintage-inspired, increasingly casual weddings has reversed course. Brides-in-waiting are gravitating to a warm palette of radiant orchid, soft blush and bracing gold to redraw the timeless lines and sophisticated air of old Hollywood. That’s the effortless phase of planning a wedding, of course. The grunt work begins with spinning fantasy into reality and coordinating the dozen or so moving parts that it entails. Imagine, though, if even that part could be made easier by, say, discovering a near-one-stop-shopping scene, where your every desire (even the over-the-top ones) is met, right down to the pitch-perfect venue, within the radius of a few blocks. Welcome to Manayunk.

Every article featured here, from the cake and flowers to the DJ, the gown and jewelry to the hair and makeup, even the photographer who shot these images, was pulled from along and around Main Street. Not pictured: the bevy of settings, ranging from the artistic Artesano Iron Works to the party-toend- all-parties-ready Beat Street Station and The Manayunk Brewery to the intimate Bourbon Blue. If you’re the kind who prefers to skip straight from the before frame to the after—and who isn’t, really?—there’s even a resident event designer, John Kevin Gallagher, who helped stage this shoot.

Plan Your Wedding In Manayunk
 
Nicole Miller
Pictured: Nicole Miller Dakota Dress
($1,035), Sash ($400) & Veil ($350)
www.nicolemiller.com

Gary Mann Jewelers
Pictured: Earrings & Necklace
www.garymannjewelry.com

Salon L’Etoile & Spa
Pictured: Groom’s Hair by Michael O’Connor
manayunk.salonletoile.com

Starshine Salon
Pictured: Bride’s Hair by Su-Shan Lai
& Bride’s Make-Up
by Erica Nichole Bou
starshinephilly.com
 
Chrissy’s Flowers
Pictured: Bride’s Bouquet
& Groom’s Boutonniere
www.manayunkflowers.com
 
Sweet Elizabeth’s Cakes
Pictured: 5-Tiered Cake With Floral Design
www.sweetelizabethscakes.com
 
John Kevin Gallagher
Floral & Event Designer
Pictured: Cake Table & Vases
www.jkgfloral.com
 
CTO Music Artists
Pictured: CTO DJ
www.ctoartists.com
 
Artesano Iron Works
Wedding & Event Venue
www.artesanoironworks.com
 
Beat Street Station
Wedding & Event Venue
www.beatstreetstation.com
 
Bourbon Blue
Wedding & Event Venue
www.bourbonblue.com
 
Manayunk Brewing Company
Wedding & Event Venue
www.manayunkbrewery.com
 
Photography By Susan Beard Design
Wedding Photographer
www.sweetelizabethscakes.com

About Brittany & Sean

For this article we set out to find a bride and groom to feature, and who better than a recently engaged Manayunk couple. Brittany Russo and Sean Darras were the perfect fit. Brittany is a spin instructor at The Wall Cycling Studio where Sean often joins in on classes, but that’s not where their story began. Act one began when they first saw each other across a classroom at the University of Delaware where both were studying mechanical engineering. Over the next year, the outspoken girl from Central Jersey and the shy guy from Lancaster sifted through the other students, until it was down to just them.

Through a sitcom-like coincidence, after graduating, act two moved them into separate houses within shouting distance of each other on Gay Street in Manayunk. But it proved to be a brief intermission before act three, when they bought their first home together a few blocks away.

Then last March after years of dating, Sean climbed down on one knee at dinner surrounded by both of their parents and officially put a ring on Brittany’s finger. The story continues at their September 6 wedding – so this photo shoot is kind of a dress rehearsal for them – in an outdoor ceremony in Lancaster.

Brittany said, Manayunk will always remind them of the beginning of their lives together and they’re looking forward to living in their cozy row home and enjoying all the energy, vibrancy, and character Manayunk provides for years to come.

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