5 Favorite Things With Starr Events Director of Catering Leila Miller

Leila Miller has been hopping around the Philadelphia events industry for the past 15 years, and while she’s always had a strong focus on weddings, she’s actually worked on different sides of putting celebrations together: She spent some time on the event design and planning portion of things, and has executed weddings everywhere from luxury hotels to historic mansions—but in recent years, most of her work has been done on the catering side.

Leila joined the Starr Events team five years ago, around the time they became the exclusive caterer for the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park. She became the event specialist for the popular venue, one of her favorites—and she is now the Director of Catering Sales for Starr Events. Safe to say she’s seen a few super cool weddings in her career—so we thought we’d ask her about a few of her favorite things about working at one of Philly’s favorite venues.

Favorite thing about the Horticulture Center as a wedding venue It’s got the best Plan B in the city! Our beautiful display garden is the perfect place to host your ceremony in the case of rain when you can’t do it outdoors—or in the fall and winter—and still feel like you are outside! The lush tropical plants that surround you along with the white twinkling lights create the perfect romantic ceremony spot.

Favorite part of the Hort to show off when you’re giving a tour to an interested couple My favorite part is when I take them outside to see the reflecting pool and the outdoor ceremony area and get to see their reaction. It is such a hidden gem still to so many people, and it’s just a stunning outdoor location that’s available from mid-April to mid-October. We have gorgeous cherry blossom trees in the early spring that roll into the rich colors of fall with all the leaves turning into the reds, golds and copper.

Favorite event decor set-up for the Hort We have a ton of hanging points, and I love seeing couples use them to either enhance or totally transform the greenhouse. They can hang vintage chandeliers, suspend their centerpieces, or use them to create things like living succulent walls and more.

Favorite place outside the wedding industry to get inspiration for what you do I love getting inspiration when I travel to new cities and countries: How do they present the food? What are the flavors and spices used? And of course, I love to get to know a region or area’s specialties. I generally eat and drink my way through my travel experiences to get the best sense of how people live and dine daily in the various places, and I prefer to find the off-the-beaten-track spots, where the locals eat.

Favorite part about working with a couple on such a special day for them Creating a celebration that is truly reflective of the couple is my favorite part! Each couple has their own story to tell and share with their friends and family through their wedding celebration. We encourage and welcome them to come to us with specific ideas or we can brainstorm together and help them bring it to life.

To read more 5 Favorite Things with Philly wedding vendors, go here.

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