Let This Couple Be Your Guide to Perfect Rittenhouse Square Wedding Photos

Photographs by Tina Chiou

Philly isn’t exactly lacking in picture-perfect neighborhood backdrops for wedding and engagement photos, but Rittenhouse sits high on the list no matter which way you slice it. If you’re thinking about posing for wedding photos in and/or around Rittenhouse Square, let this glam summer wedding at Stotesbury Mansion be your guide.

The love story of Tessa Harnetiaux and Joseph Port begins about as far away as you can get from Philly within the continental United States: at a farmer’s market party in L.A.

“I have to talk to this girl,” Joseph thought upon seeing Tessa, so he did what any rational human would do: waved her over and told her he was having a dinner party in a few weeks — and that she absolutely had to come. Only problem: there was no dinner party. So Joe planned one. Six months later, they were a full-blown couple.

Fast forward November 4th two years later, which falls just after Joe’s November 1st birthday. The couple was getting a head start on putting up their Christmas tree when Joe announced that he had one more birthday gift he would like to give himself. He requested that Tessa close her eyes for the gift, and then something magical happened.

“He told me to open [my eyes] and there he was, down on a knee, gushing his heart out, and holding a little black box with the most perfect ring,” Tessa remembers. “But any ring he would’ve gotten would’ve been perfect. He is perfect.”

For their late June wedding, the couple traveled to the East Coast for a celebration near the groom’s hometown of Altoona. At the ceremony, the most sentimental moments included each of their fathers: Tessa’s was FaceTimed in because an illness prevented him from attending, and Joseph was delighted that his father was able to walk him down the aisle without the use of his cane. Post-vows, the couple and wedding party headed to Rittenhouse Square for a series of adorable portraits in front of Parc, the square fountain, and the neighborhood’s signature brick row home facades.

The newly-minted Mr. and Mrs. Danced to “Ooh Girl” by Wooster for their first dance, and later handed out soft pretzels as an end-of-night snack. They honeymooned in Italy before returning to L.A., where she is an actress and lifestyle blogger at Honest Darling and he is a writer.

VENDORS
Venue: Stotesbury Mansion | Photographer: Tina Chiou | Event Coordinator: Marlee Wilson of DFW Event Design | Florals: DFW Event Design | Bride’s Gown: Val Stefani | Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Adrianna Papell | Hair & Makeup: Audrey Noel of Daneene Jensen | Groom’s Tux: Ermenegildo Zegna from Neiman Marcus | Catering: Feastivities | Cake: Bredenbeck’s Bakery | Videographer: Well Spun | Music: Shane Patrellis of EBE Events & Entertainment and DJ David Atlas | Photo Booth: Majestic Photo Booth

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