Wait Till You See the Pasta Seating Chart at This Cescaphe Wedding
The cocktails were named for the couple’s two cocker spaniels, Frankie and Leo.
Alexandra Hovatter and Jason (Jay) Wilkins snapped portraits in the 18th-Century Garden in Old City. Their Franklin’s View by Cescaphe wedding had Sicilian inspiration. / Photography by Emily Wren Photography
The Italian phrase Sei la mia vita (“You are my life”) was ever-present at the wedding of Alexandra Hovatter and Jason Wilkins. The couple’s Big Day, which began with a ceremony at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul and continued with a celebration at Cescaphe’s latest outdoor venue, Franklin’s View in Franklin Square, beautifully illustrated their love story while honoring the bride’s Sicilian background.
The couple said “I do” with 200 of their friends and family members in attendance. “Opting not to do a private first look led to the most sentimental moment — one shared by us and our attendees,” says Alexandra about seeing Jason for the first time at the ceremony.
Said love story began in the fall of 2018, when Alex, an architectural designer, and Jay, a marketing adviser, met through a mutual friend at a Kendrick Lamar concert. For their first date, Alex and Jay strolled the Italian Market before dining at Villa di Roma. It was the first of many dates — and Sunday suppers — to come. Two and a half years later, Jay got down on one knee.
The Papery of Philadelphia’s suite set the mood with white and dusty blue hues.
The pair appropriately titled their wedding reception “A Sicilian Affair,” a theme that was enlivened in many fun, authentic ways. Case in point: Moor’s-head vases were placed on several tables — in a nod to the most recent season of HBO’s White Lotus. “The colorful heads depicted men and women and represented Sicilian folklore,” Alex says. (The bride’s middle sister, Nicole Rose Hovatter, sourced the ceramic vases while vacationing in Sicily.)
Another clever detail was the blue-and-white mosaic seating chart executed by the team at Vine & Oak, which also did the overall event design. The display featured shelves of individually packaged pastas that guided guests to their tables. “The bags of pasta — and the assigned tables they signified — ranged from gnocchi to mezzi rigatoni,” the bride notes.
The wall was also inscribed with the Sophia Loren quote, “Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.” It was a play on words honoring the parents’ table, which was named after the beloved style of pasta.
Alex gifted her mother an embroidered handkerchief from Etsy.
Guests sat at circular tables bedecked in high and low floral arrangements and dined on one of three entrees — aged New York sirloin with ricotta salata, Chilean sea bass, and a double-cut pork chop.
Jenna Jenkins of Butter Sugar Flour, who crafted this buttercream confection, is known for her incredible flower artistry.
The drinks were named for the couple’s two cocker spaniels, Frankie and Leo.
There was also an ice sculpture of the pups sharing a single strand of pasta.
THE DETAILS
Photographer: Emily Wren Photography | Venues: Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul (ceremony); Franklin’s View (reception) | Event Design, Florals, Signage, Escort Wall, Tabletop & Furniture Rentals: Vine & Oak | Additional Decor: Alex Hovatter (bride); Kim Macaluso Hovatter (bride’s mother) | Catering: Cescaphe | Cake: Butter Sugar Flour | Gown: Viktor&Rolf Mariage from The Wedding Factor | Tuxedo: Vera Wang from Men’s Wearhouse | Rings: DeSimone Jewelers | Attendants’ Attire: Marchesa Notte from Bella Bridesmaids | Hair: Capelli & Trucco | Makeup: Mark Sileo of Makeup Markk | Invitations: The Papery of Philadelphia | Calligraphy: MBK Lettering | Officiant: Gerald Dennis Gill (priest) | Transportation: Cescaphe Trolley and Rolls-Royce | Music: Danny Vanore of the Business Band (wedding band); Ryan Santiago (after-party DJ) | Videographer: Rob Adams Films | Travel Accommodations: Mary Wright Travel | After-Party & Hotel Block: W Philadelphia | Linens: Nüage Designs
Published as “Alexandra & Jason” in the Winter/Spring 2024 issue of Philadelphia Wedding.
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