Some wedding venues are just an empty shell asking you to bring your own atmosphere and vibes. Cicala at the Divine Lorraine already has one waiting: chandeliers dimmed low, brick walls washed pale, and a dramatic red velvet ceremony backdrop. On December 31, 2025, Allyson and Patrick hosted a Divine Lorraine wedding for their New Year’s Eve celebration, and this historic landmark in Philly was the perfect backdrop for the party that ensued.
A wedding at the Divine Lorraine on New Year’s Eve is its own kind of celebration. Allyson and Patrick’s evening began at seven o’clock, candlelit and quiet at first, then warmer and louder as the ball drop drew near!
Inside One of Philadelphia’s Most Unique Wedding Venues
The Divine Lorraine has been part of North Broad Street since the 1890s, first as luxury apartments, later as Father Divine’s integrated hotel, and now as Cicala’s restaurant and event space after a careful restoration (its full history is worth reading). Luckily, none of that history got renovated out of the room. Guests walked in past a red velvet curtain and a glowing neon sign, and under elaborate crystal chandeliers.
Some venues you have to transform in order to make them fit your wedding day vision. The Divine Lorraine is the vision. Whitewashed brick, dark wood floors, arched doorways; the space already leans dramatic, which is exactly why it works for couples who want their wedding to feel moody, intimate, and totally unique.
Allyson and Patrick’s Love Story
Patrick and Allyson were both living in Conshohocken, and a mutual friend connected them in May of 2021. After a few months of dating casually, Patrick asked Allyson to be his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve 2021. They quickly became two peas in a pod and fit together seamlessly into each other’s lives. Patrick moved into Allyson’s Conshohocken apartment in September 2022, and then the next year they moved to Philadelphia together. In October 2024, on a beautiful trip to Spain, Patrick asked Allyson to marry him on the private rooftop of their Airbnb in Seville. They chose NYE as their wedding date because it has always been so special to them as their anniversary!
Why This Is One of Philadelphia’s Best New Year’s Eve Wedding Venues
There’s a reason I’d point any couple planning a winter wedding toward this room. The lighting alone serves as decor: chandeliers turned down low, candlelight doing the rest, nothing overly bright or ballroom-lit. Add the black-and-white and deep red details Allyson and Patrick brought in, and the whole night felt like a speakeasy tucked inside a historic hotel. This is the exact mood I picture a New Year’s Eve wedding venue having!
This Divine Lorraine Wedding Day at a Glance
| Detail | Notes |
|---|---|
| Date | December 31, 2025 |
| Getting ready | The Loews Hotel, Philadelphia |
| Ceremony | 5:00–5:30pm, Cicala at the Divine Lorraine, 28 guests |
| Cocktail hour | 7:00pm |
| Reception | 8:00pm–1:00am, cocktail-style across Cicala, the Divine Lorraine lobby, and neighboring Sorellina |
| Coverage | 2:30pm–12:30am, hybrid film and digital |
| Style | Winter, New Year’s Eve, black-and-white with deep red and gold accents |
An Intimate, Family Focused Ceremony
Allyson and Patrick’s ceremony, led by their close friend Paul Aldana, was fully unplugged. It included a unity candle ceremony rooted in Filipino tradition: family members from both sides lit individual candles representing their separate lives, and Allyson and Patrick used those flames to light one candle together, symbolizing their marriage. Near the entrance, a table of family wedding photographs stood alongside it; a quiet nod to everyone who got married before them.
A Cocktail Party Style Wedding Reception
Instead of a seated dinner, Allyson and Patrick built their reception around movement. They planned cocktail-style dining spread across three connected spaces with Cicala as the anchor, and the Divine Lorraine’s lobby and neighboring restaurant Sorellina used for extra seating. Guests ate when they were hungry and sat wherever they landed. First dances and speeches carried the room through the evening, and just before 1am, midnight arrived with party hats, a countdown, and a kiss to close out the year.
Documenting Allyson & Patrick’s Day
I brought my usual hybrid approach to their wedding, moving between digital and film depending on the moment. A room like this is made for that kind of documentation; the candlelight and velvet read differently on film than they do on a bright, evenly lit dance floor, and I wanted both versions of the night preserved. If you’re curious how I think through coverage for a day like this, I’ve written before about how I capture weddings on film, digital, and Super 8.
Allyson’s dress carried the same drama as the room: fitted ivory lace, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a chapel-length train that moved beautifully down the aisle. Her bouquet also stayed true to the season: white roses, ranunculus, and anemones, softened with eucalyptus and a few sprigs of cedar tucked in for winter. Bella Belle shoes finished her stunning look!
By the time midnight came, the hats were on, the room was warm, and Allyson and Patrick had exactly the New Year’s Eve wedding this space was built to hold.
Divine Lorraine Wedding Vendors
- Venue: Cicala at the Divine Lorraine
- Photography: Shiloh Leath Photography
- Invitations: Zola
- Florist: NE Flower Boutique
- Hair: Rachel Anderson (Glamour MGT)
- Makeup: Nyasia Marie (Glamour MGT)
- Dress Shop: The Wedding Factor
- Dress Designer: Justin Alexander
- Band: EBE Talent
- Suit: Suit Supply
- Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes
- Rings: Bourghol Bros Jewelers Inc. and The 1916 Company
Shiloh Leath Photography is a wedding and elopement photographer based in Philadelphia. As a hybrid digital and film photographer, Shiloh creates timeless, ethereal images rooted in real emotion and quiet storytelling using 35mm, 120, Polaroids, and Super 8. Shiloh specializes in making camera-shy and nervous couples feel completely at ease through her lived-in, poetic, and deeply human approach. If you’re ready to have your love story documented with warmth, intention, and every detail preserved, check availability and reserve your date here.
