City Hall Wedding Photos Best Locations at Philadelphia City Hall

Philadelphia Wedding Planning

If you are planning a Philadelphia City Hall wedding, you’re probably thinking about where the best places are for photos after your intimate ceremony. A couple’s photos are some of the most important photos from a wedding day, and luckily, Philadelphia City Hall has some iconic locations for photos. This blog post can serve as a guide for you, where I will highlight some of my favorite places to take wedding photos inside and outside of city hall and within a few block radius. This area is quite popular for wedding and engagement photos and even couples who don’t get married at city hall often make a stop in this area for these classic locations.

The Staircase inside Philadelphia City Hall

Let’s start with the inside staircase. The grand staircase inside Philadelphia City Hall is one of this historic building’s most breathtaking features. The winding staircase is elegant, eye-catching, and perfect for showing off a flowing train of a wedding dress or the crisp edges of a well-fitted suit. With large windows that allow light to filter in, you can get some lovely photos showing off a bridal veil or a couple’s sweet moment together. The high ceilings of the staircase seem never-ending, and the graceful curves of the flights draw in your eye. The staircases are often quiet, making it a perfect first stop for photos after a city hall wedding ceremony. This classic and timeless location features carved railings and bronze lamps that give a warm glow and a moody and romantic feel.

City Hall Courtyard

Once you step outside City Hall, you can enter the central courtyard. This large open-air space has interesting opportunities for photos and plenty of room to move around. The public plaza can be quiet or sometimes bustling with events or special pop-ups. During the holiday season in the winter months, as part of the Holiday Market (typically November and December), there is often a carousel right in the center of this space. I have even taken photos of wedding couples riding on the carousel together for a whimsical and festive photo. It is surrounded on all four sides with the stone walls of City Hall, making it somewhat of a hidden space right in the middle of the city.

wedding photos in the courtyard of Philadelphia City Hall

Wedding Photos In The Arches at Philadelphia City Hall

Philadelphia City Hall is smack dab in the center of the intersection of Broad Street and Market Street. There are four pedestrian archways that lead into a central courtyard. These archways make lovely locations for wedding day photos. They are covered and can keep you dry in the case of inclement weather, yet beautiful light still shines in. My favorite of the 4 arches are the South Broad Street Arch and the Market East Arch. The Market East Arch has a pretty staircase and allows a wedding couple to get photos while not being right in the path of the people walking through. This is a go-to location for wedding photos at Philadelphia City Hall.

Dilworth Plaza Wedding Photos

Dilworth Plaza is on the west Market Street side of City Hall and is one of the most vibrant areas surrounding the building. It is always bustling with people and often has various events. In the summer, there are active water fountains that make a cool backdrop for photos. In the winter, there is often a small ice skating rink set up. You can get nice photos along the tree-lined path or right in front with Philadelphia City Hall in the background.

Broad Street Wedding Photos

The Broad Street photo might be one of the most recognizable wedding photo locations in Philadelphia. For this photo, the couple stands in the median of Broad Street. You can go to either the North Broad Street or the South Broad Street side. I often favor the South Broad Street side for some reason and recommend going a block or so south of City Hall to get the right perspective and be able to see City Hall in the backdrop. The Broad Street photo can make a really cool night photo, too! I love the look of the city after dark. One thing to keep in mind if you are a bride wearing high heels is that its a little bit of a walk down the block(if you are in heels and it’s not your everyday shoe) to get to the right spot. You may want to bring some flats to walk in to keep your feet fresh.

Love Park Wedding Photos

Love Park is just across the street from City Hall and is a fun Place for wedding photos. Robert Indiana’s Love Park statue is a classic location to get a quick photo. Keep in mind there can be a little line of people waiting to get a photo in front of this public art piece. There’s a small grassy area that allows you to get a few photos with some greenery, and if you go across the plaza, you can get a nice view with City Hall in the background. Just within those three locations at Philadelphia’s Love Park, you can manage to get a good variety of photos in a short amount of time. Also, on Wednesdays, you can actually have your wedding ceremony right in front of the Love Park Statue with the special offer through the Park and Journeys of the Heart officiants. Click the highlighted link, to learn more about this affordable and fun option for Wedding Wednesday at Love Park.

City Hall Wedding Photographer

As a Philadelphia wedding photographer who has photographed many City Hall weddings, it would be my honor to photograph you on your wedding day and take you to some of my favorite places in the city for photos! If you want to chat and learn more about packages and pricing for micro weddings or elopements at City Hall, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out via the online contact form for Heidi Roland Photography, and I will get back to you right away to schedule a call.

Bride and Groom next to staircase in downtown Philadelphia