Country club feel in Center City

The Racquet Club of Philadelphia is a convenient wedding venue for a reception because of its Center City location. An overnight suite is available for the bride and groom and there are several other rooms available so that you can arrange for accommodations for some of your guests as well.

Just around the corner from several restaurants and bars, many wedding parties choose to have afterparties at local hot spots, but on occasion the afterparty can be planned to occur right in the Club itself. Black Sheep and Fado are just a couple of the places people like to go to for an afterparty.

No doubt that air conditioning is a benefit available at this venue, but on a hot summer day, it's hard to keep out the heat with the large double doors at both the front and back entrances of the building. That's one of the worst complaints that we get in the summers when working at the Racquet Club. Here's what happens: when guests begin to enter, it is cool. Once 200 people dressed in their finest begin to drink cocktails, sample hors d'oeuvres, and dance to the music, it just is no longer cool. Sorry. Also, if your guests go in and out frequently to smoke out on the stoop, they take the air out with them.

However, the Club is beautiful, elegant, and conveniently located, especially if the ceremony is at a nearby church in the Rittenhouse area. This is as close to a country club as you can get in downtown Philadelphia. If you plan on chartering a bus, trolley or carriage to transport your guests, make sure you have any contact info you may need for the drivers and make sure there's an appropriate place for the vehicle to stop. 16th Street can be busy sometimes, and local Philadelphians who aren't celebrating your marriage don't want to wait for your partybus to load up.

Have you been to an event at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia? Have you been to wedding afterparties in Philadelphia?

Is rain on your wedding day really so bad?

During a particularly heavy hurricane season in the Philadelphia area, it was difficult to have an outdoor wedding and not plan for the worst. For many brides, I'm sure that rain is the worst thing that can happen on your wedding day. Fortunately, for this bride, it wasn't.

The barefoot bride on the mud-covered dance floor, September 2006.

We (JAM Catering) catered a wedding at a client's residence in the Philadelphia suburbs during this incredibly rainy season. A tent had been rented -- which seemed like the only thing to be done for this reception that had been planned to occur in the backyard. What hadn't been accounted for was the effects of rain for days prior to the event. The yard's grass carpet had become a muddy pool, and guests and staff alike were simply unable to navigate through it with dress shoes and heels, so...

Staff from Jeffrey Miller Catering serving barefoot.

The reason this all worked is because the bride and groom accepted this act of Mother Nature and embraced the unique situation. There was no Bridezilla at this wedding. I'm sure their guests will always remember their wedding and for years tell that great story that starts off, "Remember when we went to that wedding when it rained?"

Have you been to a wedding when it rained? What would you do if there was a lot of rain on your event day?

If you were a signature drink, what would you be?

While bartending at an event for graduate students in a local school of Dentistry, I was presented with a list of themed signature drinks to be offered at the open bar. "Mouthwash" was just one of the four, and was a vile green hue, but was quite tasty (so I heard) and popular.

For a wedding, the signature drink can be meaningful to the couple, their families, or their friends, or it can also be funny.  Maybe the two of you met over a round of Sidecars, or maybe after a pitcher of sangria. A bellini is classic, or you can make it your own by choosing different juices or nectars. A couple based in the Southwest once chose Prickly Pear margaritas.

It can also be a way to cut down on bar costs. If you don't want to offer a full bar, consider offering only wine, beer, and soft drinks along with a single signature drink. It can be simple and classic, like the "Carson Cosmo," "Sarah and Martin's Manhattan," or even offer a "Douglas Dirty Martini."

At Jeffrey Miller Catering, you can choose to serve your specialty drink at the bar, or upgrade to a signature drink station. If you've chosen a drink based on your wedding colors or theme, than this can be a really unique and elegant way to display your cocktail. Drinks with blue curacao or Midori will be brightly colored, or perhaps you've chosen to garnish your mimosa with an orchid that matches your centerpieces.

Are you going to have a signature drink? What's the most interesting signature drink you've seen or tasted?

Old City's secret gardens

Tucked away off of the cobbled streets of Old City in Philadelphia are two historical houses: Physick House and Powel House.

The Samuel Powel House is just off of Walnut Street on 3rd Street, and is the home of former Philadelphia Mayor Samuel Powel. From the sidewalk, pedestrians can peek into the garden that spans around the back of the house. The garden and house are fitting for an intimate wedding or a cocktail party. As guests enjoy the hors d'oeuvres, an occasional horse-drawn carriage may clop by.

A musical ensemble plays as guests roam the Powel House garden at an event catered by Jeffrey Miller Catering.

The Dr. Philip Physick House, located just around the corner on 4th Street near Spruce Street also has a garden, but it is just out of view from the front of the house. Perfect for a cocktail party or a smaller wedding reception, the fenced in garden is a private natural space in the heart of Old City.  If the weather is iffy, the space can be tented, but also there is indoor space that can be used on the ground floor. Make sure to try Dr. Physick's soda. Dell, the site manager, will be happy to answer your questions about the history of the house and his ancestor, Dr. Physick.

Have you ever been to Powel House or Physick House? Did you ever think of having a wedding or other event at a local historical house?

Have an outdoor wedding with indoor conveniences

Waynesborough is one of my favorite sites to work because it offers the benefits of both outdoor and indoor sites.  Located in Paoli, PA (Chester County) it is conveniently located just outside the city of Philadelphia. As the exclusive caterers at the site, we have the benefit of keeping an outdoor kitchen set up adjacent to the permanent tent.

The dining room is set in the tent for a wedding catered by Jeffrey Miller Catering. Real goldfish swim in the natural centerpieces.

When the weather is warm, there are ceiling fans that keep the breeze moving throughout the tent, and the tent walls can be pulled back so that your guests can enjoy the greenery. In the warm summer evenings, lightning bugs light up the sky like glitter while guests dance in the tent on the dance floor.

The restrooms and bridal room are in a building next to the tent and allow guests with a space in which they can enjoy some air conditioning, if need be. It's also a good backup plan for cocktail hour when the weather is iffy.

There's plenty of parking for guests or for party vans or buses. A special feature of this historical site is that your guests can enjoy a tour of the museum house during cocktail hour and learn about General Anthony Wayne.

Are you looking at Historic Waynesborough as the venue for your event? Have you had an event there?