Community House of Moorestown Wedding – Gina + Jacob
There are so many things that make up a beautiful and well thought out wedding to remember. Food, flowers, guests, to name a few, but of course one of the key components can be the venue that the bride and groom have chosen. And in this case this couple came up with quite an impressive setting that created the Community House of Moorestown Wedding – Gina + Jacob.
The Community House is a unique and special place that has been serving Moorestown and its surrounding communities since 1926, Their mission is to strengthen the community by providing a gathering place for individuals, families and organizations. Today, as in years past, the Community House is home to scores of local clubs and nonprofits. Behind its stately façade are a ballroom, meeting rooms, office space for nonprofit organizations, and their newest event space the Library.
The Community House of Moorestown is proud to be a welcoming organization and facility accessible and utilized by all in their community. They continue to denounce racism and all forms of discrimination and continue to seek involvement from all members of our diverse community.
In October 1923, an “unknown donor” offered what eventually became $250,000 to build a community center in Moorestown. The unknown donor was Eldridge Reeves Johnson, the founder and leader of the Victor Talking Machine Company. His home on Moorestown’s Main Street was called “The Towers,” and was originally the home of Samuel Allen (inventor of the Flexible Flyer sled); it is now the Lutheran Home. In 1923, while living in “The Towers,” Johnson was approached by Mabel D’Olier of the Moorestown Woman’s Club. She was looking for land and financing to build a community center. Mr. Johnson agreed to donate the funds necessary to build the facility, if the people in town would show their interest by creating a “permanent maintenance fund” for building operations. Within eight months, more than $106,000 was raised in a town-wide fund drive. Donations came from 740 individuals, 500 school children, and dozens of local civic and fraternal organizations.
The cost of maintaining the structure was a key consideration in the architectural style of the Community House. The building was actually a combination of English and Colonial style, with the chief advantage of the design being that the building’s maintenance and upkeep would, “cost practically nothing because of its brick and stone exterior. If, on the other hand, it was Colonial in style, the windows, shutters, cornices and columns would have to be made out of wood. And wood rots and constantly has to be replaced.”
The site for the new Community House would be in the center of town on a three-acre property on East Main Street owned by Mary Sumner. The existing house on the property was one of the oldest in Moorestown, dating back to about 1786. It was originally a summer residence for a Philadelphia businessman and his family. Along with a barn and a pig pen, the grounds featured a formal English garden with flowering shrubs and low-cut boxwood bushes.
In December 1924, the Sumner Home was demolished, and construction of the Community House began. The Community House officially opened its doors to the public on April 11, 1926, with a week-long series of events including Community Players Night with selections by the Moorestown Orchestra, a Teenage Tea for the girls of Moorestown, a concert by the Moorestown Community Chorus, and an exhibition match by the University of Pennsylvania Wrestling Team.
In 1931, the Community House was enlarged to provide additional meeting space. The first-floor area was remodeled in 1993 to allow disabled individuals access to the meeting rooms. In 2008, the gymnasium was converted into an elegant ballroom. The Garden Room was extensively refurbished in 2011 and the main lobby area was remodeled in 2013. After the building sustained a tragic fire in 2015, it was necessary to restore the Club Room, Lobby and upstairs area, which now includes a beautiful bridal suite. In 2017, “The Library” space, home to the original Moorestown Library, was lovingly brought back to its original splendor and is available to rent for meetings and events. This made Community House of Moorestown Wedding – Gina + Jacob the ultimate memorable event for everyone involved.
That’s a bit of history of how the Community House of Moorestown got its start. But now lets take a look at this lovely couple, Gina & Jacob, and how their journey led to how they got started on the road to their start as man & wife! Let’s start with the lovely bride, Gina, and how she prepared for her special day through the following assortment of pictures captured by award-winning photographer, John Ryan of J&J Studios of Philadelphia. But more about John a bit later. For now let’s look at the lovely bride going through her process to ready herself for the day’s events.
I think you’ll agree what a lovely vision Gina creates with her gown and flowers. With the help and support of her bridesmaids she have finished the first step of preparation for what is yet to come. And, as Gina has gone through the steps of readying herself for the day’s events, it’s now Jacob’s turn to prepare for his big day!
Well, now that both Gina and Jacob have started the ball rolling by getting help from their friends to get dressed and ready to start the festivities, now we move to the main part of this celebration – the ceremony. There is much anticipation as the guests arrive – family and friends – who have been fortunate enough to be invited to this celebration of the union of this couple, and all of it taking place at the Community House of Moorestown Wedding – Gina + Jacob which guarantees a very special time for all attending.
Here are the beautiful photos of their ceremony captured by their photographer, John Ryan of J&J Studios of Philadelphia.
The ceremony was lovely and apparently went on without a hitch, so before the celebrating begins at the reception it was time to capture some more formal photographs with the bridal party and friends and family.
Well, some fun along with the more formal photographs!
Like every good wedding, after the preparation, the anticipation, the ceremony, it now comes time for all of the planning to come to fruition and culminate in the ultimate celebration – the reception! It’s a time to relax, regroup, and get to the the work of having fun with the newly married couple and the assembly of friends and family attending. It is a time of enjoyment and fellowship for everyone in attendance to celebrate this lovely couple as they have solidified their relationship and are now on the road to creating many new memories as a married couple!
As you can see, the Community House of Moorestown Wedding – Gina + Jacob turned out to be quite an impressive event. The couple made many choices as they prepared for their special day. One of those choices was selecting one of the most in-demand wedding photographers in the Philadelphia area – award-winning photographer John Ryan of J&J Studios of Philadelphia. John is a very gifted photographer and has been wowing couples both far and wide through the display of his talents in the art of photography. John is very well known in the Philadelphia area, however his notoriety goes far beyond that. He has captured many special events in all of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York as well as points far beyond! John brings his arsenal of gifts to each and every photography session he is engaged for, and builds a special bond with the people lucky enough to seek out his abilities. John uses every facet in composing the photographs he captures. He sets the stage for the creating the mood, selecting lighting, poses, backdrop to name just a few of the considerations he takes in account in the blink of an eye to capture moments as they are happening. John extends this ability not only to weddings but for many other special events – engagements, newborns, sporting events, corporate happenings, family and formal portraits, bar and bat mitzvahs – any time the desire to capture something special for a special time, whatever it may be, is what John Ryan is the best choice as a photographer. If you would like to know more, please visit John at his website, J&J Studios of Philadelphia – you’ll be glad you did!
