Hosting a Philadelphia Cricket Club wedding means you’re choosing a venue with layers of history built into its bones. I’ve photographed at a lot of venues across the Philadelphia area and Main Line, and PCC is a gem with sprawling green golf courses and the full country club experience! For couples searching for historic Philadelphia wedding venues that offer a ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in one place, this one is the one to beat.
Read More: Philadelphia Cricket Club Wedding Photos From A Colorful September Celebration
A Brief History of the Philadelphia Cricket Club
Founded on February 10, 1854, the Philadelphia Cricket Club is the oldest country club in the United States. In 1883, the Club finally settled in Chestnut Hill through the generosity of benefactor Henry H. Houston, who arranged for them to acquire their permanent home on West Willow Grove Avenue in the St. Martins section of Chestnut Hill.
Over the last 170 years, PCC has been at the center of Philadelphia’s social and athletic life — and that history is still present in the original woodwork, the crown molding, and the ballroom ceilings. Couples who get married here aren’t just using a beautiful space. They’re part of an even bigger story.
What A Philadelphia Cricket Club Wedding Looks Like
| Wedding Detail | Philadelphia Cricket Club |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Historic country club / golf course wedding venue |
| Location | Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA |
| Ballroom capacity | Up to 250 guests |
| Ceremony setting | Outdoor on the Great Lawn |
| Cocktail hour | Red brick patio (warm months) or restored 100-year-old dining rooms (cooler months) |
| Catering | In-house Executive Chef; fully customizable package |
| Parking | Valet included in standard package |
| Event management | PCC Event Manager included for rehearsal and wedding day ceremony direction |
I’ve photographed so many amazing weddings here! Check out Francesca and Darren’s classic summer celebration and most recently, Jena and James’s September wedding for some inspiration.
What I love most is how much range this venue gives you across a single day. The outdoor ceremony on the Great Lawn, cocktail hour on the brick patio with the lawn stretching out behind guests, and then the ballroom for the reception. You get three completely different visual environments all on one property.
It makes for a full, varied wedding gallery in a way that single-space venues just can’t.
Country Club Weddings In The Ballroom
The ballroom at PCC holds up to 250 guests and has a restored stage for a live band or DJ, an expansive hardwood dance floor, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Great Lawn, white columns, and towering arched ceilings. Couples enter through elevated white French doors, which makes for an epic entrance every single time!
For anyone thinking through wedding reception layout and floor plans, the ballroom is very flexible — long tables, rounds, or a mix of both work well in the space, and the columns give you natural anchors for uplighting if you want to add warmth or color. On film, the architectural detail does a lot of work. The white surfaces hold light beautifully, and the original woodwork gives images texture in a way that flat, modern spaces can’t. It’s one of the reasons I love shooting PCC as a film wedding photographer! This space always gives the medium something to work with.
Indoor and Outdoor Cocktail Hour Spaces at PCC
The cocktail hour space at PCC adapts to the season, and both options are beautiful in their own right. During warmer months, guests move onto the sprawling red brick patio with open views of the Great Lawn — hors d’oeuvres, first drinks of the evening, and an idyllic outdoor setting. May through September, the Great Lawn also transitions into grass tennis courts, so there’s sometimes actual activity out there for guests to witness and enjoy.
When the weather turns, cocktail hour moves indoors to two restored dining rooms from the Club’s original 1883 clubhouse. You’re surrounded by historic fireplaces, skylights, and unique architectural details that are hard to find in a modern event venue. A covered porch with California heaters keeps guests comfortable regardless. For couples weighing outdoor wedding venue ideas and worrying about weather contingencies, PCC handles it all super well. The indoor option isn’t a fallback — it’s genuinely special!
Wedding Ceremonies on the Great Lawn
The outdoor ceremony setup is fully handled by the Club. A PCC Event Manager takes care of chair ordering, setup, breakdown, and day-of direction, as well as rehearsal direction the night before. For couples without a full-service planner managing every logistic, this added layer of coordination takes a real weight off the day.
The Great Lawn gives me a lot of room to work during a ceremony — I can cover the full arc, from processional through recessional, without being in anyone’s way. Open light, open space, and the Club’s grounds as a backdrop. It photographs well across all seasons and all times of day.
What the Philadelphia Cricket Club Wedding Catering Package Includes
The Philadelphia Cricket Club wedding package is built out and customizable. The standard package includes:
- butlered and stationary hors d’oeuvres
- a three-course seated dinner with soup or salad
- two entrée selections
- sides
- house-made pastries
- four-and-a-half-hour open bar with a champagne toast or signature drink
- valet parking
- a coat room attendant
- white or ivory linens with votive candles
Couples who want to swap a plated dinner for carving stations or go cocktail-style have that option, and the bar is fully customizable with preferred beer, wine, or spirits.
For a full sense of what the day-of experience looks like at PCC — from getting ready in the Club’s spaces through the reception — you can see Jena and James’s full wedding gallery here, and Francesca and Darren’s classic summer wedding here. If you’re also exploring planners who know this venue well, the My Favorite Philadelphia Wedding Planners post is a good place to start.
Samantha Jay Photo captures intentional, organic, heirloom-quality images for couples who value tangible memories. Now booking 2027 dates across Philadelphia, the Main Line, Delaware, and beyond — inquire here.
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