Guests Got “All-Access Passes” as Escort Cards at This Mann Center Wedding

Aubrey Mozino and Sam Mestman at their Mann Center wedding / Photography by Peach Plum Pear Photography

Philly has no shortage of stellar music venues, many of which will hold your wedding festivities — letting you celebrate in the same spots that you’ve seen your favorite performers. Such is the case with this Mann Center wedding. Not only is the center one of the best for outdoor programming, but it’s also a show-stopping spot for celebrations, with various venues available for couples to put on their own festivities. Peach Plum Pear Photography snapped all the encore-worthy fun below.

Sam Mestman wanted to date Aubrey Mozino the first time he met her. The couple, who both work as filmmakers (she’s also an actor), were living in NYC at the time and met during a staged reading of one of Sam’s scripts that her theater group put on. Following the reading, the group headed to a bar, where Sam and Aubrey teamed up for a heated game of darts. She must’ve hit the target because he wanted to see her again — but he was moving to L.A. “I had to leave and it was one of those, ‘I wonder what would have happened if I had stayed’ kinds of things,” he says.

What ended up happening was Aubrey also moved to L.A. a few years later — what she calls the “inevitable actor westward move” — and she and Sam were reunited, again through their shared industry. They became professional colleagues, began collaborating on a sketch shows and finding various ways to be together — all in the name of their careers, of course. But then a night out for drinks turned into something more, and their first proper date soon followed.

They dated for six and a half years before Sam, who is originally from West Orange, New Jersey, proposed to Aubrey, who hails from Bryn Mawr, by staging an engagement scavenger hunt at some of their favorite places in L.A. And two years after that, on October 2, 2021, the couple threw a rock concert-inspired wedding at Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Fairmount Park. The name of the bash? The Mestzino Fest, a blend of their last names, natch.

Aubrey and Sam held their self-uniting ceremony on the TD Pavilion’s main stage. (The bride was thrilled to get married where so many incredible artists have performed.) The couple chose to self-unite because they loved the idea that their 150 guests, who surrounded them onstage, could participate. “Instead of just having our officiant declare us married at the end of the ceremony, we had all our loved ones say in unison, ‘We now pronounce you husband and wife,’” recalls Aubrey.

The musical theme continued throughout the party. Guests picked up all-access passes with their table numbers on them at the “Will Call,” a.k.a., the escort-card table. Cards were collected in a guitar case.

And the menus — featuring Mediterranean, pan-Asian and “locals-only” sandwich stations by 12th Street Catering — were designed to look like an artist rider. Even the cake and rock-candy bar were decorated with amps, speakers and musical gear.

Aubrey and Sam staged a bit of a theatrical surprise: Shortly before the reception began, Aubrey interrupted the entertainment (Back2LifeBand) and came on the mic to ask if anyone had seen Sam. Onstage was a box designed to look like something to store band equipment. It seemed to be empty except for Sam’s tuxedo jacket — until the groom suddenly appeared in the middle of it, while the band played “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf. (The couple had hired a magician to help them pull everything off.)

As for the rest of the fest, the pair danced to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, and Back2Life played in front of the Philly skyline — and kept the crowd on their feet all night long.

THE DETAILS
Photographer: Peach Plum Pear Photography | Venue: Mann Center for the Performing Arts | Coordinator: Jesse Lucas of Clover Event Co. | Florals: Jollifier Floral Design | Catering: 12th Street Catering | Bride’s Gown: Hayley Paige from La Bella Moda | Custom Leather Jackets: Fabrics Tattoo | Hair & Makeup: Capelli & Trucco | Groom’s Attire: GentWithShop | Entertainment: Back2Life Band of BVTLive | Cake: Federal Donuts (cake topper by OMGengravings) | Transportation: Philly Transportation LLC | Videography: Atomic Tangerine Film Co. | Officiant: Doug Devore (friend) | Rings: Anna Sheffield | Magician: Derrin Berger

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