Kaylyn and Doug’s Water Works wedding was a true Philadelphia celebration, designed around the city where they fell in love. Before their ceremony and reception along the Schuylkill, they shared their first look at the newly opened Calder Gardens — becoming the first couple to take wedding portraits there. It was such a meaningful setting for portraits: a new cultural landmark on the Parkway where reflective architecture, naturalistic planting, and Alexander Calder’s artistic legacy come together in a way that feels both modern and deeply connected to Philadelphia.

There is something especially wonderful about Calder Gardens existing here in Philadelphia. Alexander Calder’s family history is woven into the city itself — his grandfather sculpted William Penn atop City Hall, and his father created Swann Memorial Fountain at Logan Square. Calder Gardens carries that lineage forward through Herzog & de Meuron’s softly reflective facade and Piet Oudolf’s planting, creating a quiet, immersive space that felt sculptural, textural, and full of atmosphere for wedding portraits.

After portraits at Calder Gardens, we continued through some of Philadelphia’s most iconic spaces, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the gazebo overlooking the Schuylkill, where Kaylyn and Doug were joined by their dog, Benny. Their day felt elegant and deeply personal, with an all-white ceremony palette, florals by Beautiful Blooms, and a celebration that kept returning to the places and people that shaped their story.

Music was also such a meaningful part of the day. Doug surprised Kaylyn by playing guitar with the band, and Kaylyn performed with her father in place of a traditional father-daughter dance — a reception moment that felt personal, joyful, and completely their own. A classic Water Works wedding with a distinctly Philadelphia point of view, recently featured in Philadelphia Magazine.