This Intimate Vaux Studio Wedding Was Infused With Modern ’70s Touches
Custom koozies bearing the couple's signature phrase, "Please leave by 9," served as the favors.
Leslie Reynolds (left) and Nic Knepp’s Vaux Studio wedding was intimate and inclusive. / Photography by Liz Gibbs Photo
There’s something to be said for keeping your ceremony cozy and partying with a larger group after exchanging vows. It makes the Big Day even more special, celebrating with those you hold most dear. Such was the case with this Vaux Studio micro-wedding and reception at Philadelphia Brewing Company. The inclusive, magical and modern-retro party took place last summer and was photographed by Liz Gibbs Photo; check it out below.
Nic Knepp and Leslie Reynolds’s first chance encounter proves that it’s a small world out there — at least in the Philly area. Nic, a senior project manager, and Leslie, a strategy evaluation and learning associate, crossed paths over one Fourth of July weekend at the only bar on a stretch of beach in Margate. And when the two got to chatting, they learned that, at the time, they had been attending school and working on the same floor of the same department in the city for over a year — but had never connected.
They exchanged numbers, thinking a friendship would bloom. Instead, the duo eventually started dating. And a year and a half later, they got engaged when Nic set up a fake photo session with Leslie and their photographer friend at Drexel Park in West Philly.
Their ensuing wedding took place on August 7, 2021, beginning with an intimate ceremony at Vaux Studio — a cozy venue in Midtown Village — attended by 30 of their closest family and friends.
But Nic’s favorite wedding detail came even before that — during the first look. “I had gone all day without seeing Leslie, thinking about what her dress will look like, her hair, if she’ll like the suit I had made, everything just swirling around in my head,” they say. “After seeing her, my nerves just disappeared. I was finally with my person.”
The biggest surprises also came before the festivities even got started. Nic loved Leslie’s gift — a picture of Nic’s dad, who had passed away when Nic was young, on top of a wooden yard game, called Washers, that he used to make and sell. And Leslie loved Nic’s gift — a necklace with an engraved portrait of Leslie’s cat, Romeo, who had passed away a few years earlier. Nic wore it around their neck, under their suit, during the nuptials.
After the cozy, touching Quaker ceremony — during which the couple read their own vows — the small group joined the rest of the party (another 45 attendees) at Philadelphia Brewing Company in Kensington for the reception.
The theme of it all — modern ’70s, which carried from the invitation suite to the signage thanks to Best of Philly winner Clover Event Co.’s design touch.
The florals were also special to the couple; they chose unique blooms with different textures from all around the world, then worked with florist Creations by Coppola — Leslie’s good friend — to create the bud-vase arrangements. Those included scabiosa, marigold, and carnations in orange, green, peach, yellow, brown, rust and white.
The group feasted on turkey breast, pulled pork, brisket, jackfruit and more from Zig Zag BBQ for dinner, and danced the night away to the tunes of Philly fave Stella Ruze, who also performed the couple’s first dance song, “Truly, Madly, Deeply.”
And at the end of it all, guests went home with custom koozies that read “Please Leave by 9.” It’s a signature phrase of Leslie and Nic, who often invite their friends over for dinner but request that they head home before that hour so they can go to bed early — though we think this particularly party may have gone on a wee bit later than that.
THE DETAILS
Photographer: Liz Gibbs Photo | Venues: Vaux Studio (ceremony); Philadelphia Brewing Company (reception & catering) | Planning/Design & Invitations: Clover Event Co. | Florals: Creations by Coppola | Catering: Di Bruno Bros. and Zig Zag BBQ | Leslie’s Gown: Galina Signature from David’s Bridal | Best Woman’s Attire: Baltic Born (dress); Vix Emporium (earrings) | Hair: Justine Marinelli from There There Studio | Makeup: Kelley Hughes and Dawn Episcopo from Parlour Beauty | Tux: Indochino | Entertainment: Stella Ruze | Doughnuts: Federal Donuts | Officiant: Solomon Thomas | Rings: Aurelius Jewelry (Leslie’s engagement ring and wedding band); Abhika Jewels (Nic’s engagement ring); Fishtown Jewelers (Nic’s wedding band) | Linens: Nüage Designs | Leslie’s Birdcage Veil: Sparrowstation | Nic’s Shoes: Nisolo
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