This PAFA Wedding Proves You Can Wear Grandma’s Dress and Still Look Chic

It also proves you don't need to spend much on decor when you marry in an art museum.

Photos by Heidi Roland

When a gal marries in a museum, it’s only fitting that her dress also a carry a certain amount of history. Check out one stunner of a vintage gown in Madison Kantzer and Adam Hoffman’s modern-meets-vintage wedding at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in the photos below by Heidi Roland

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Madison and Adam met in DC, the way many 20-somethings do: on a night out through mutual friends. She thought he was “a nice, cute Jewish boy;” he saw her as “cute and fun to talk to, even if she accidentally took our group to a super weird music club.” Their first date was in the District, but their next two get-togethers happened in NYC, as both were in the city for work. They dated for three-and-a-half more years before getting engaged en route to dinner with their parents. Madison talked the whole way to the restaurant, which meant they passed up every spot where Adam had planned to propose. Finally, he cut her short in the middle of a street in front of the Capitol building and popped the question.

For their April 9th wedding, Madison donned a beaded gown worn by her grandmother in the 1950s, and Adam gifted each groomsmen a pair of specially selected socks. They kept decor to a minimum — Madison believed it wasn’t necessary in a venue full of priceless works of art — and the couple remembers the most special moment of the night as Adam’s grandmother, who had not stood in a long time, getting up from her seat to dance with him.

The couple is currently honeymooning on a multi-destination journey through Southeast Asia — stops include Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam — and will then return to DC, where Madison is a history teacher and Adam is an accountant.

VENDORS

Photography: Heidi Roland | Venue: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts | Event Coordinator: Alexandria Phillips | Florals: Beautiful Blooms | Bride’s Attire: Vintage for ceremony; Adrianna Papell’s “Melinda” dress from BHLDN for reception | Bridesmaid’s Attire: ASOS skirts and BHLDN tops | Hair: Bella Angel | Makeup: Bella Angel and Erin Russell Botz | Groom’s Attire: Bonobos | Music: Freez Entertainment | Invitations: Sincerely Yours

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