Caitlin: We knew we wanted to get married in Philly, which was accessible from my hometown in West Virginia. It was also where we met and had been our home for six years. A lot of the venues in Philly were very nice, but I ended up finding a photo of Elkins Estate. It was an abandoned mansion bought by Landmark Hospitality who were renovating it to be a wedding venue. It had incredible outdoor areas and unique architecture. We worked directly with Jeanne Cretella, the president of Landmark, from the beginning.
She gave us and our wedding planner, Jaclyn Fisher, a tour and was the one we were with on phone calls and emails. We were shooting for June 2023, a year and a half away, and we were going to be their very first wedding. They were absolutely incredible to work with. They are planning many more guests rooms, but even then they had renovated 17 of them. We were able to stay there during our wedding weekend with our family, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. From the moment we walked in, they made us feel so special as their couple.
Chris: Though they were still under construction, we were able to sample all their food and wine options at another one of their venues to confirm our choices. They focused on personal details for us even while managing such a large construction project. They even had our photographer and band tour the place so they could understand the new venue.
