Most students know Hamilton College House's Rooftop Lounge as a quiet study area. But this summer, the room was transformed into an elegant wedding hall decorated with linens and fine china.
Ronelle Williams -- the daughter of DuBois College House Dean Patricia Williams -- was married to Mark Swagerty in the lounge in an untraditional ceremony on Aug. 20.
The couches and armchairs that furnish the room were arranged along the aisle so that the guests directly faced the bride and groom, who walked down the aisle together.
"It was a sign that we can make any space sacred with the spirituality and intentionality with which we approach it," said University Chaplain William Gipson, who performed the ceremony.
From the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall to the LOVE sculpture on College Green, couples have increasingly been taking advantage of venues across campus to tie the knot.
"Right now the trend is to go away from your standard hotel rooms," Rentals co-Coordinator for the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Luana Botelho said.
This past year there were 15 on-campus weddings in the Perelman Quadrangle, but there have been as many as 24 in recent years, Quadrangle Director Thomas Hauber said.
The Museum plays host to an additional 10 weddings per year.
President Amy Gutmann's daughter, Abigail Doyle, was married to Jakub Jurek this summer in the Fels Institute of Government, next to Gutmann's house on Walnut Street.
"I'm very pleased that she decided to get married here. ... It was very personal and beautiful," Gutmann said.
The wedding included the Jewish tradition of the groom breaking a glass and the dancing of the hora.
The Swagertys also incorporated their own traditions in their ceremony, including the African-American ritual of jumping a decorated broom.
After the ceremony, the wedding party took a yellow school bus to Center City Jazz Club Zanzibar Blue while the children had a pizza party in DuBois, where they were watched over by Penn students.
Alumna Jill Maglione, who graduated from the College in 2000, and Paul Van Dorpe, who graduated a year earlier from Wharton and the Engineering School, were married at Old St. Mary's Church Sept. 10 and decided to take a limo from the South Fourth Street locale in order to have their wedding pictures taken at Penn.
The couple met at Penn and started dating after Van Dorpe -- who worked for the University's radio station -- asked Maglione out over the airwaves.
"It's more of an emotional thing for them," Jill's mother, Marie Maglione, said. "It will remind them of when they met and the good times in life."
Although Gipson -- who also performed Gutmann's daughter's wedding -- has not seen many weddings on campus, he understands the appeal.
"Often the couple met at Penn, and so the University holds not only a special place in their hearts as a place where they graduated ... but the place where they met and fell in love," Gipson said.
However, the majority of those who wed on campus have no connection to the University.
According to Hauber and Botelho, only about 20 percent of the couples are Penn graduates.
"The atmosphere is the first draw. We're also very reasonably priced." Hauber said of Perelman Quad weddings. To rent the space costs $750, University catering and audio equipment costs more.
The University actively advertises its venues at wedding expositions and also provides a caterer and any other needs from DJs to flowers for those looking to host an event.
One Penn wedding between a French and American couple featured centerpieces with hamburgers and croissants surrounded by flowers.
Another wedding in the Penn Museum's Chinese Rotunda included Asian food and decor and a Chinese ensemble.
However, Philadelphia-based Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants owner and wedding coordinator Mark Kingsdorf said he does not see the advantage of a campus wedding if the bride and groom do not have a personal tie to the University.
"Penn parking can be an issue, and there's always things going on at the same time," said Kingsdorf, who oversaw the wedding of Maglione and Van dorpe.
The lack of privacy in public areas and the restriction of using a Penn caterer may also be potential disadvantages, he said.
However, many continue to be drawn by the old architecture and beautiful setting.
"It really was a perfect day," Patricia Williams said.
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