This Year’s Winner of PHS & Philadelphia Wedding’s Greatest Groom Contest Is…

Is your guy our next Greatest Groom?

Now in its third year, our Greatest Groom contest continues to be such an exciting part of our jobs, and we’re thrilled to once again be joining forces with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to give one deserving local couple a beautiful—and free!—wedding that’ll take place at the Hollywood-themed Philadelphia Flower Show.

We loved reading about all of the amazing Philly guys out there, and this year’s (massive) stack of submissions surely did not disappoint. One story in particular, though—the story of a Philadelphia mom and the kind stranger who stood by her side through her daughter’s illness—really captured our attention, and we’re so excited to see this couple say I Do on Wedding Wednesday at the Flower Show.

Congratulations to Nicole Kennedy and Robert Shay!

Bob & Nicole!

Nicole and Bob were coincidentally introduced by mutual friends not long before a chance run-in at HUP led to a bond that eventually turned into a solid and wonderful relationship. The two have been engaged since the end of the summer, and we could not be more excited that they’ll be tying the knot with us in a matter of weeks! (You can read even more about their story here.)

We were in touch with Nicole this week to see how the wedding planning is going so far, and we’re happy to say that she’s pumped, too: Two weeks ago, she found her dream dress with the help of Frannie Erace at Unveiled, and this week she has an appointment at Salon Norman-Dee to hash out the rest of her wedding-day look (Nicole is a hair stylist so she has plenty of ideas in mind!). 

She and Bob have met with Kelley Mansfield, PHS’s associate director of events, to discuss their vision for the Big Day, and Nicole’s two daughters really enjoyed getting a sneak peek at the Flower Show press conference (they’re all very excited that Disney is a big part of the show). Papertree Studio also put together a beautiful invitation for the couple to send out to their guests.

The whole affair will take place on the Flower Show floor at 5:30 on March 4, before the kick off of Philadelphia Wedding‘s big Wedding Wednesday event. The best part: it’s open to the public, so if you’ll be joining us anyway, we suggest you pop on by a little early to see Nicole and Bob tie the knot! (All you need is a ticket to either the Flower Show or the Wedding Wednesday event, which you can purchase here.)

Last year was nothing short of amazing—so we can’t wait to watch another couple say their vows amidst a bajillion blooms—and well-wishers.

RELATED: It’s Almost Time for Wedding Wednesday at the 2015 Philadelphia Flower Show!

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