Welcome to Portico
A secret garden within the city of Philadelphia, Portico is a charm of a
wedding venue set in a beautiful arboretum with a Victorian house,
winding paths and botanicals galore.
Photo Credits home page: Samantha Jay, Haley Richter, Yana Shellman, Heidi Roland.
Portico is a wedding and event venue that sits within the extraordinary 55-acre Awbury Arboretum in the historic Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia, with exclusive catering and event planning by Peachtree Weddings.
Once the private enclave of an extended Quaker family, the Arboretum is a green oasis in a densely-populated urban environment with the Francis Cope House as its centerpiece.
The property is part of a Quaker community imbued with the ideals of simplicity and integrity. The venue accommodates up to 160 guests, with dinner under the white tent, eith dancing in the Francis Cope House.
The grounds of Awbury Arboretum were laid out in the 19th century in the English landscape garden tradition by William Saunders, designer of the Capitol grounds in Washington, DC. They include botanical gardens, specimen trees, meadows, wetlands, birds, native wildflowers and grasses...(there's even a Secret Garden!)
There are many gathering spots for photos and ceremonies, all with different vibes— enchanted forest, verdant lawn, shaded clearings, English garden, white peaked tent. All as picturesque and charming as can be.
The Francis Cope House serves as the gathering point for your event. Built of Wissahickon schist from a local quarry, the gracious Victorian stone mansion features a gabled roof, floor-to-ceiling windows and a delightful wrap-around porch from which guests can survey the picturesque English landscape. The house is large and elegant, but not ostentatious. Its interior is comprised of a variety of rooms with tall ceilings and windows that open up from bottom to top and onto the porch. A spacious wedding suite is situated on the second floor of the House overlooking the grounds.
Originally the summer home of the Cope family, the land upon which the Arboretum sits was purchased in 1852. In 1916, concern for the preservation of this open space led to the establishment of the Arboretum as a non-profit for the “quiet enjoyment of nature” and for educational purposes.
A portion of the proceeds from events held here go directly towards the maintenance and preservation of this precious parcel of land and the many non-profit projects benefiting the community, such as the Agricultural Village, Education Center, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Weavers Way Co-op farming and the Philly Goat Project.
I would get married there again in a heartbeat.