Philadelphia Wedding Weekend November 2025

Ritz Carlton and Ballroom at the Ben

Tarek & Samar’s Philadelphia Wedding Weekend

November 2025 | The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, St. George Cathedral & Ballroom at the Ben

Some weddings aren't just one day—they're an entire weekend of celebrations.

Tarek and Samar's November wedding weekend in Philadelphia was exactly that.

From Friday night's Welcome Dinner and Henna celebration at The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia to their wedding ceremony at St. George Cathedral and reception at the Ballroom at the Ben, the weekend was filled with family, friends, beautiful traditions, incredible entertainment, and plenty of dancing.

I was honored to be part of the weekend as Day-of Coordinator, working alongside Tarek and Samar's incredible vendor team to make sure all of the details came together and, most importantly, that the couple and their families could enjoy the celebration.

Friday Night: Welcome Dinner & Henna

The wedding weekend officially began on Friday evening at The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia with a beautiful Welcome Dinner and Henna celebration.

This was the perfect way to begin the weekend.

Before the wedding day arrived, family and friends had the opportunity to come together, enjoy dinner, celebrate the couple, and take part in the Henna festivities.

There is something really special about these pre-wedding celebrations. They're a little more relaxed than the wedding day itself and give everyone a chance to spend time together before the schedule gets busy.

And, of course, the Henna was a big part of the evening.

It was wonderful to see guests enjoying the traditions, catching up with one another, and getting excited for everything still to come.

Friday night set the tone for the entire weekend: family, tradition, food, music, and celebration.

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Wedding Day

Saturday was a completely different kind of energy.

The morning started with everyone getting ready, and suddenly the months of planning had become one very busy wedding day.

Samar looked absolutely stunning in her custom YSA Makino gown from White House Bride, while Tarek wore a custom suit by Daniel Motorca.

Her jewelry included pieces from Kishek Jewelers, along with Rolex and Cartier, adding the perfect finishing touches to her wedding-day look.

Samar's pre-wedding makeup was done by Boun Kabkeo, with Mariel LaBouliere creating her wedding-day makeup. Her hair was styled by Yuliia Zablotska.

There are always so many moving pieces during these hours—hair and makeup, getting dressed, photographs, family, transportation, and making sure everyone is ready to leave on time.

This is where my role as Day-of Coordinator really begins to take over.

My job was to make sure the timeline was moving, vendors knew where they needed to be, transportation was coordinated, and the couple and their families didn't have to worry about what was happening behind the scenes.

They got to enjoy the day.

We handled the details.

From the Hotel to the Ceremony

Once everyone was ready, it was time to head to St. George Cathedral Philadelphia for the wedding ceremony.

With multiple transportation vehicles and a full vendor team, keeping everyone on schedule was important.

Ace Limousine and Ali Baba Limousine handled transportation throughout the wedding weekend, helping move the couple, family, and wedding party from one location to the next.

And once everyone arrived at the cathedral, the logistics took a back seat.

It was time for the ceremony.

It was time for Tarek and Samar to get married.

The Reception at Ballroom at the Ben

After the ceremony, the celebration continued at the Ballroom at the Ben.

The historic Philadelphia venue provided an incredible setting for the evening.

The room was filled with beautiful floral artistry by Xtraordinary Events, elegant details, and a reception designed for one thing—celebrating.

And celebrate they did.

A Reception Full of Energy

Tarek and Samar's reception had no shortage of energy.

The entertainment team included Andrea Levine Artists, Mohammad Alsalman, Dalouna Events, and Anthony Musleh, creating a night that kept guests on the dance floor.

One of my favorite things about being a coordinator is watching the energy in a room change throughout the evening.

At the beginning, everyone is finding their seats and getting settled.

Then dinner begins.

The music starts.

Someone gets up to dance.

And suddenly the entire room is moving.

By the end of the night, the dance floor was exactly where everyone wanted to be.

That's when you know you've had a great wedding.

The Details

There were so many thoughtful details throughout Tarek and Samar's weekend.

The seating chart was created by At Home with Elm, giving guests an elegant way to find their tables.

There were also two very different cake moments throughout the weekend, with Bredenbeck's Bakery providing the pre-wedding cake and Master's Baker creating the wedding cake.

And, of course, Finley Catering kept everyone well fed throughout the celebration.

These details may seem small individually, but together they are what make a wedding weekend feel complete.

What Guests Don't See

One of the biggest parts of my role as Day-of Coordinator happens behind the scenes.

Guests don't see the timeline being checked.

They don't see the vendor calls.

They don't see the transportation schedules.

They don't see the setup happening.

They don't see the questions coming in—or the little problems that inevitably pop up during a wedding day.

And that's exactly how it should be.

My goal is for the couple and their families to be able to look around and think:

Everything is going perfectly.

Even when there are a dozen things happening behind the scenes to make that possible.

For Tarek and Samar's wedding, I was working closely with the entire vendor team to keep everything moving and make sure the weekend stayed on track.

And this was a big team.

The Team Behind the Weekend

From the photography and cinematography team to entertainment, production, transportation, catering, floral design, hair and makeup, and all of the other professionals involved, everyone played an important role.

Production included On It Productions, Vision Furniture, Go To Shout, D24K Productions, and Shipley Enterprises Inc.

It takes a lot of people to produce a wedding weekend of this size.

The best part is when all of those people know their jobs, communicate with each other, and work toward the same goal .

The couple should never have to see the coordination happening.

They should simply get to enjoy their wedding.

A Philadelphia Wedding Weekend to Remember

Looking back at Tarek and Samar's wedding weekend, what stands out most isn't one particular detail.

It's the feeling of the entire weekend.

Friday night brought everyone together for the Welcome Dinner and Henna.

Saturday brought the ceremony, the beautiful wedding-day looks, the celebration at Ballroom at the Ben, incredible entertainment, dinner, dancing, and plenty of time surrounded by family and friends.

It was a full weekend of celebrating Tarek and Samar and the joining of their families.

And I was so happy to be there to help make sure it all came together.

Congratulations, Tarek & Samar! 🤍

Thank you for trusting me to be your Day-of Coordinator and for allowing JL Original Designs to be part of such an incredible wedding weekend.

Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness, laughter, and many more celebrations together!

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The Amazing Vendor Team

A wedding weekend like this takes an incredible team, and I was lucky to work alongside so many talented professionals.

Photography & Cinematography: Phil Kramer Photography & Cinematography — @philkramerphoto

Day-of Coordinator: Jennifer Lawn | JL Original Designs — @jloriginaldesigns

Preparation Venues: The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia & Hotel Indigo West Chester

Friday Welcome Dinner & Henna: The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia

Ceremony: St. George Cathedral Philadelphia

Reception: Ballroom at the Ben

Wedding Dress: Custom YSA Makino Gown from White House Bride — @ysamakino / @white_house_bride

Groom's Suit: Custom Suit by Daniel Motorca

Jewelry: Kishek Jewelers — @kishekjewelers | Rolex — @rolex | Cartier — @cartier

Bride's Pre-Wedding Makeup: Boun Kabkeo

Bride's Wedding Makeup: Mariel LaBouliere — @beautybymariel

Bride's Hair: Yuliia Zablotska — @zablotska_hairstylist

Catering: Finley Catering — @finleycatering

Floral Artistry: Xtraordinary Events — @xtraordinaryevents

Seating Chart: At Home with Elm — @athomewithelm

Pre-Wedding Cake: Bredenbeck's Bakery — @bredenbecks

Wedding Cake: Master's Baker — @themastersbaker

Transportation: Ace Limousine — @acelimousine | Ali Baba Limousine — @alibabalimo

Entertainment: Andrea Levine Artists — @andrealevineartists | Mohammad Alsalman — @hamodhalsalman | Dalouna Events — @dalouna_events | Anthony Musleh — @muzemusica

Production: On It Productions — @onitproductions | Vision Furniture — @visionfurniturephl | Go To Shout — @gotoshout | D24K Productions — @d24kproductions | Shipley Enterprises Inc. — @shipleyenterprises