The 411: What You Need to Know When Planning Your Wedding

PLANNING

One-Stop Shop  Make an appointment at Soiree Philadelphia, and you’ll be greeted by a concierge who’ll walk you through the wedding planning process, beginning by introducing you to the skilled local vendors who are part of this co-op-like nuptials boutique. You can select your wedding planner, makeup artist, caterer, florist, entertainment and photographer — or just one or two of the above — and rest assured knowing that because the vendors come from internal referrals, you’ll have the right mix of talent for your Big Day (soireephiladelphia.com).

EVENT SPACE

Set in History  Philly’s new National Museum of American Jewish History is more than a historical landmark on Independence Mall. Its contemporary spaces for weddings and events range from the 200-seat Dell Theater to an 8,400-square-foot penthouse with floor-to-ceiling windows and an adjacent outdoor terrace facing the historic mall. Various spaces hold from 35 to 1,200 guests (540 for a seated dinner), and prices range from around $500 for the smallest area to $10,000 for the whole museum. There’s a list of preferred kosher caterers, but outside kosher vendors may also be used for your Big Day (nmajh.org).

VENUES

New Digs  An old East Falls textile mill has become the new home to Peche at Sherman Mills, an event space owned by renowned Philly catering company Peachtree & Ward. The modern, post-industrial loft can be divided into quadrants, via a draping system, for your ceremony, cocktails, dinner and dancing, and can hold up to 600 guests (peachtreecatering.com).

Also be sure to check out Cescaphe’s third event space, Tendenza. Just like its name, which means “trend” in Italian, the style is a mix of contemporary design with urban and rustic touches. The loft space holds 250 for dinner and 400 for cocktails, and catering is done in-house, though exceptions for kosher catering are permitted. Prices vary depending on the event (cescapheballroom.com).

FOOD

Good Eats, Wedding Treats  Be able to cut the cake and eat it too without worrying about your or your guests’ gluten-free, vegan or food-allergy needs with a wedding cake or cupcakes (in flavors like banana chocolate chip and mocha) from new bakery Sweet Freedom. For Big Day sweets, place your order — wedding cakes are $5 per person; cupcakes are $38.50 a dozen — a month in advance (sweetfreedombakery.com).

And starting in 2011, you’ll be able to surprise your hungry-from-dancing guests as they leave your reception with fresh roasted-veggie tacos and carnitas with black bean puree and pineapple-jicama salsa from Jose Garces’s new food-on-wheels venture, Guapos Tacos. You can book it by the hour (prices still TBD) by calling 215-625-2920.