A Modern, Confetti-Filled Wedding at a Gallery in Philadelphia

A blank canvas was all this couple needed for the creative, intimate wedding. Then they added flowers, metallic touches, and a tattoo artist!

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Redfield Photography

As an event designer, Sara Murray thrives on the stress and excitement of planning a wedding. But when it came to her own, to videographer Ryan Beacher, her goal was to relax. "We wanted it to feel like everybody was just hanging out at our house," Sara says. No hours of dancing, no toasts, no spotlight.

The laid-back Pennsylvania natives met in May 2012, when their respective bands (she plays ukulele, he bass guitar) performed at the same Philadelphia club. Even before speaking, they knew of each other—Ryan had used one of her songs in a movie, and she was curious about the filmmaker's unique eye. But their initial interactions were stilted. When Sara tried to chat him up, "he said about two words," she laughs. "I was clueless," he admits. "I thought she was too cool for me." Then she pressed her number into his hand, and it dawned on him that she might be interested. They started dating that fall, and in June 2015, he proposed without fanfare in their bedroom.

Since both work in the industry, friends expected an elaborate celebration, but the couple postponed planning when Sara got pregnant. After Brady was born, they chose a date just four months later for the small wedding they'd always wanted.

The timing was possible because they fully trusted their vendors, all friends. Sara knew the perfect venue, a white-box gallery near their old Philly home (they've since moved to Audubon, New Jersey), and convinced the manager to fit them in between exhibitions.

On the afternoon of Sunday April 23, 2017, 55 guests gathered for a self-uniting ceremony, based on the Quaker tradition, in which the couple acted as their own officiants. After their self-penned vows, they passed a microphone to anyone who wanted to speak. To their surprise, nearly everyone did. "They had such lovely things to say about us as a couple, as a family, as parents," says Sara. "We were sobbing." The ceremony went longer than anticipated, but it didn't matter: They weren't on a schedule. Afterward, they feasted on food-truck fare and sat around talking, music playing in the background, while Brady napped in the next room. "It was so chill—there was nothing remarkable about it," says Sara. In other words, it felt like home.

Watch Sara and Ryan's wedding film by Birdhouse.

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The Bridal Bouquet

Redfield Photography

46 Pretty Peony Wedding Bouquets

The couple chose a spring wedding date so Sara could have peonies in her bouquet; she also carried ivy, ranunculus, and tulips. Sara's dress was a short-sleeved number by Theia.

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The Heel Fits

Redfield Photography

14 Nude Wedding Shoes We Love

Sara wore blush suede shoes from Clarks.

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Love Letter

Redfield Photography

Sara held the card that Ryan gave her on their wedding day. The couple have exchanged notes throughout their relationship, celebrating even the smallest milestones. "We have a box of 150 cards that we've written over the years," says Ryan. "We brought them to the wedding."

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Puppy Pin

Redfield Photography

The groom wore a bulldog lapel pin, by TheIvyLeash, which Sara enclosed in her card to Ryan.

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With These Rings

Redfield Photography

Sara's half-moon wedding band hugs her diamond-and-rose-gold engagement ring; both are by Bario Neal. Ryan's matte yellow-gold band is from the same Philadelphia jeweler.

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Pre-wedding Snacks

Redfield Photography

25 Delicious Ways to Serve Carnival Food at Your Wedding

Bags of popcorn, calligraphed by Alyssa Desiderio of GGandgold, awaited guests before the ceremony. After the couple's two-year engagement, the message "this is finally forever" was apt.

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Artful Seating

Redfield Photography

Painted and copper-plated metal chairs, from Maggpie Rentals, filled the ceremony space at Crane Arts. "The aesthetics of the furniture were important to us," says Sara.

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Mark the Spot

Redfield Photography

21 Creative Wedding Backdrop Ideas

Florist Erica Maust of Fivefork Farms constructed the ceremony backdrop, which included olive branch, tulips, hyacinth, ranunculus, and anemone grown on Fivefork's central Massachusetts property.

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Bark Up

Redfield Photography

These Dogs at Weddings Are So Cute, We Can't Take It

Even the couple's dog, Millie, was given a chance to "speak" during the service. She later roamed the reception freely. "She had the best time," laughs Sara.

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Confetti Kiss

Redfield Photography

At the end of the ceremony, guests set off confetti poppers from Tops Malibu, an ode to Sara's event-planning business Confetti & Co.

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Simple Seating Assignments

Redfield Photography

25 Ideas for the Prettiest Calligraphed Escort Cards

Calligraphed place cards pointed guests to their seats, in the only formality of the night.

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Neon and Balloons

Redfield Photography

24 Cute Ways to Use Balloons Throughout Your Wedding

A neon-and-pine sign stood above  a DIY balloon installation, which friends made by tying balloons together with twine.

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Raising the Bar

Redfield Photography

11 Cool Wedding Bars That Served It Up Big

Aaron Gordon, of 13th Street Cocktails, set up the mobile bar, constructed in a 1976 horse trailer. Serving signature drinks—a mojito, old fashioned, and orange margarita—and flavored ice teas, Gordon took the casual reception up a notch. "He really completed everything and made it feel like a full event," Sara says.

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Modern Tables

Redfield Photography

Stained pine dining tables, which were built by friends Jason Hoak and Kyle Derricott of Maggpie Rentals in their Philadelphia workshop, and loose arrangements added texture to the all-white palette of the reception.

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Romantic Setting

Redfield Photography

Centerpieces of eucalyptus, Italian ruscus, anemone, ranunculus, and tulips brightened the white décor.

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The Place Settings

Redfield Photography

Screen-printed menus, laid  on stoneware plates, directed guests to the pizza and barbecue food trucks parked in the courtyard.

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Get Inked

Redfield Photography

Guests had the option of getting real tattoos—an X, O, ampersand, heart, or Saturn—from Red Lotus Tattoo Company. "We had never seen it done before and thought it would be cool," says Sara. They didn't expect so many people to take them up on the offer. "My aunts, my cousins, everybody wanted one," she marvels. "Ryan's grandparents got matching knuckle tattoos!"

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Cute Cakes

Redfield Photography

52 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence

A petite vanilla confetti cake, from a bakery the couple frequent, was among the four confections on offer, each frosted in a different style with white vanilla buttercream.

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Photo Booth Fun

Redfield Photography

8 Inventive Ways to Revamp Your Wedding Photo Booth

Friends mugged with a custom prop in the photo booth, all provided by Ryan's former bandmate.

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Sources

Redfield Photography

Location, Crane Arts

Event planning, Confetti & Co.

Catering, 13th Street Cocktails; Mission BBQ; Pitruco Pizza

Flowers, Fivefork Farms

Photography, Redfield Photography

Videography, Birdhouse

Calligraphy, GGandgold

Cakes, Cake Life

Ceremony music, West Philadelphia Orchestra

Rentals, Maggpie; Party Rental Ltd.

Bride's gown, Theia from Lovely Bride

Bride's veil, BHLDN

Hair, Cabrina Sulimay

Makeup, Aleksandra Ambrozy

Groom's suit, My.Suit

Bride's and groom's shoes, Clarks

Wedding rings, Bario Neal

Lighting, Genetic

Photo booth, Clique Bait

Tattoo artist, Red Lotus Tattoo Company

Balloons, Oh Happy Day

Guys' getting-ready location, Keystone Mini-Golf & Arcade

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A Modern, Confetti-Filled Wedding at a Gallery in Philadelphia

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The Bridal Bouquet

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The Heel Fits

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Love Letter

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Puppy Pin

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With These Rings

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Pre-wedding Snacks

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Artful Seating

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Mark the Spot

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Bark Up

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Confetti Kiss

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Simple Seating Assignments

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Neon and Balloons

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Raising the Bar

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Modern Tables

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Romantic Setting

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The Place Settings

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Get Inked

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Cute Cakes

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Photo Booth Fun

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Sources

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