Apart from the hefty price tag, weddings often bring a lot of family, friends and fanfare.
Marry Me Philadelphia was founded on the principle that weddings don’t have to be over the top to be meaningful.
“You don’t have to spend $50,000 to get married,” said founder and owner the Rev. Colleen McDermott.
McDermott was ordained several years ago and initially thought officiating weddings would be a side job.
“I thought it would be something I did on the weekends at first, but eventually I was able to quit my 9-5 job and work on this full-time,” said McDermott, who launched MMP in 2012.
The business serves as a “one-stop shop” for couples looking for low-key weddings. McDermott and the Rev. Barry McAfee serve as officiants; together, they’ve performed more than 1,000 weddings since the company’s founding. Andy Albaladejo is lead photographer, and MMP also works with a nearby florist and other wedding-service businesses.
Three years after it opened, McDermott moved the company out of her home and into its own storefront, 8111 Oxford Ave. in Northeast Philadelphia. The move was a boon for business, and for McDermott.
“I had been performing weddings in my living room for people who didn’t have a place to get married,” she laughed.
Couples can wed off-site or right at MMP, in a fully decorated venue that seats up to 10 guests. McDermott said that many leave the building after the ceremony to honking horns and well wishes by passersby on the bustling Oxford Avenue.
MMP officiants are nondenominational, and couples can choose from a number of different packages, which include varying scripts, readings and rituals.
“Many people nowadays may have been raised in a certain religion but aren’t practicing and don’t want to go through the church,” McDermott said. “We do a lot of interfaith marriages. You name it, we’ve done it. Our ceremonies, unless the couple wants something specific, focus on love, not on religion.”
MMP has been officiating same-sex ceremonies since its inception, before marriage equality became legal in Pennsylvania. Prior to 2014, the company provided a keepsake certificate in lieu of the legal license.
“I’ve gotten calls from same-sex couples who were turned away by other companies, which is ridiculous,” McDermott said. “After it became legal, I think it was that much more special for same-sex couples. With a heterosexual couple, it was, ‘Yeah, we’re getting married,’ but for a same-sex couple it was extra special because they finally had that legal recognition by the state.”
For same- and opposite-sex couples looking to celebrate their love on Valentine’s Day, MMP is offering an “elopement” package for just $100.
The package includes the officiant, a traditional ceremony, music, use of the venue for 30 minutes and the validation and filing of the marriage license. Photography can be added for $60. Up to two witnesses are welcome.
Couples interested must apply for their Pennsylvania marriage license no later than Feb. 10.
For more information, visit www.marrymephiladelphia.com.