If you’re dreaming about an Ellis Preserve wedding that feels less like a formal production and more like a warm, glittery explosion of community, queerness, and dance-floor mayhem… hi, welcome, come on in. This is the one.

You know those weddings that just feel like a party from start to finish? Where you’re laughing during the vows, the dance floor is packed all night, and somehow you leave with a handful of new best friends? That was exactly what went down at Kathleen and Alex’s wedding!

Their day was big, bold, and bursting with joy. In other words, it was a dream day with two of the best people I’ve had the honor of photographing. Also, this wedding was the perfect example of why I adore shooting with my videographer bestie Emilia of Fat Chix Inc. We actually run a studio together, and basically share a brain at this point. When you hire us both? It’s like booking your dream queer wedding dream team / professional hype crew / built-in BFFs.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

beautiful indoor bridal portrait at the ivy at ellis preserve

beautiful lesbian couple at the ivy at ellis preserve

The Ivy at Ellis Preserve: A Venue That Actually Gets Light Right

The Ivy at Ellis Preserve is one of those Philly venues that actually lives up to the hype. The ballroom is massive. It is two stories tall, with warm lighting, mirrored details, and jaw-dropping chandeliers. It’s got that perfect combo of elegance and warmth that makes everything feel elevated without being stuffy.

The venue has:

A massive ballroom with tall ceilings and glowing chandeliers
Floor-to-ceiling windows for portraits (absolute perfection)
Dark, moody interior spaces that make colors pop
Outdoor spots for first looks and family moments

The Ivy at Ellis Preserve is great for large weddings of up to 350 people for a seated wedding or up to 500 people for cocktail-style events.

the ivy at ellis preserve wedding venue exterior

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the ivy at ellis preserve wedding ceremony set up

the ivy at ellis preserve wedding ceremony decor

the ivy at ellis preserve wedding ceremony

the ivy at ellis preserve wedding reception decor

the ivy at ellis preserve wedding reception

Getting Ready + First Looks

Alex and Kathleen got ready separately with their friends and family. I love documenting all the moments of anticipation and the tenderness of your mom helping you put on your shoes. There were so many sweet, emotional moments, but I absolutely lived for the big reveal of when these two saw each other for the first time ahead of their day.

One of my fave moments of the day included a great scream sing-a-long to How to Save a Life by The Fray with the whole big wedding party in the getting ready suite ahead of the ceremony! (10/10, highly recommend this as a pre-ceremony ritual.)

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Ceremony Shenanigans & Sweetness

You know how sometimes a tiny moment becomes the core memory of the entire day? The ceremony was intimate, heartfelt, and emotional, yet… In the middle of the ceremony, someone at the venue accidentally connected their phone to the audio system, and “…Baby One More Time” started playing at full volume.

Kathleen and Alex LOST it.

Is it a traditional ceremony moment? No. Is it exactly the kind of perfectly imperfect wedding chaos that I live for? Absolutely yes.

dad walking bride down the aisle for the ivy at ellis preserve wedding

wedding party sitting at the ceremony site at the ivy at ellis preserve

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candid moment of brides laughing during their wedding ceremony at the ivy at ellis preserve

happy brides exiting the wedding ceremony

Stunning Ellis Preserve Wedding Portraits

We used the venue’s floor-to-ceiling windows for portraits, and they came out incredible. Soft, directional light. Gorgeous shadows. Clean backdrops.

These two were so sweet and tender with each other, yet also couldn’t contain their laughter. We also managed to sneak some quiet time in the reception space before it filled up with their people. It was quiet, intimate, and grounding before the rest of the party truly kicked off.

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wedding couple and all-black wedding party posing outdoors at the ivy at ellis preserve

lgbtq couple enjoying their empty reception space at the ivy at ellis preserve

Super Lit Ellis Preserve Wedding Reception

If you’ve never seen 200 people absolutely obliterate a dance floor in a golden-lit ballroom, let me change that for you. This was one of the bigger weddings I photographed this year, and damn did they bring the energy. The dance floor was absolutely popping all night long.

Ivy at Ellis Preserve’s reception space is STUNNING at night — chandeliers glowing, warm ambience everywhere, and enough space for a genuinely unhinged dance party. The second the DJ started, the floor filled and never emptied.

But, of course, there was more to the night than just dancing. That cake-cutting moment? Sweet, silly, and filled with those quiet glances between two people who just really, really love each other.

The whole night was perfection through and through, and I know I’ll be thinking about this night forever.

brides first dance for their ivy at the ellis preserve wedding

brides cutting cake during their ivy at the ellis preserve wedding reception

ivy at the ellis preserve wedding reception

candid wedding reception moments at the ivy at ellis preserve

candid dance floor moments for wedding reception at the ivy at ellis preserve

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Testimonial

"I could write a dissertation on how much we enjoyed working with Caroline for our queer wedding, but I’ll cut to the important stuff. Caroline is an absolute pro, delivering incredible, truly memorable photos. But it’s really about what went into that. It’s more than an eye & editing, which Caroline is incredible at. It boils down to how comfortable they made us feel, doing something we usually loathe.

They made it so easy to have fun, relax & be ourselves with each other. Having Caroline around on wedding day felt like being with another friend. And the results are something we will cherish for the rest of our lives. This applies to both our engagement shoot & wedding photos we’ve received so far. We are down in Philly and would do it all again (including going up to Brooklyn for our engagement shoot). Thank you, lesbian wedding Reddit, for pointing us to the best!"

TL;DR: The Ellis Preserve Wedding You Wish You Were At

Kathleen and Alex’s Ellis Preserve wedding was the kind of day that reminds you why you do this work. It was loud and loving and so beautifully them. I left with sore feet, a full heart, and a few more people I can now call friends.

This wedding was peak BFF vibes. Kathleen, Alex, Emilia, and I all became such fast friends that the day after the wedding, we were texting about how sad we were it was over and scheming our next hangout. That’s the kind of energy I live for.

And if you’re looking for a queer wedding photographer who’s fully on board for the weird, the wonderful, and the wildly personal, I’m here for it. Ready to make some magic — and maybe become besties in the process? Get in touch and let’s plan your Philadelphia wedding next!

P.S. I shot Kathleen & Alex’s engagement session in late 2024, and I swear it unlocked something in my brain. We spent the afternoon at Bar Louise, drinking dirty martinis and eating oysters. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and you can check it out here!