Seven couples tied the knot at Reading Terminal Market for a very Philly Valentine’s Day

Tucked in between a fish market, a bakery, and a honey stand, seven couples tied the knot among family, friends, and perfect strangers on Saturday.

“It’s amazing,” said Beth Esposito-Evans, who officiated the ceremony. “What could be more Philly than Reading Terminal Market?”

Esposito-Evans, a vendor at the market, said she helped relaunch the “Married at the Market” Valentine’s Day wedding last year after she became an ordained minister.

It was her second year officiating a group ceremony that blended traditional elements — two couples broke a glass, for example — with plenty of love for the market.

“Love is timeless,” Esposito-Evans said, “regardless of destination or background.”

For bride Daysi Morales, the market is a place full of fond memories. Her father, Juan Morales, worked there as a security guard. He died of cancer in September 2024.

“So there’s a sentimental aspect,” Morales said. “It’s a place where I can feel my dad’s presence.”

In an interview a few days before the ceremony, Morales, 36, and her partner, David Skillman, 35, finished each other’s sentences as they told their love story, which started as a Tinder date during the winter of 2021.

They first met at Craft Hall, a sports bar in Old City, chosen because of its outdoor seating, which many people preferred during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They decided to go inside anyway, Skillman said, and there the conversation flowed and the connection was immediate. Morales was born in Honduras, he noted, where he had done medical missionary work as a registered nurse.

“I think we dated for a couple weeks, then made [our relationship] official,” Morales said.

They moved in together into her apartment in West Philly.

After Morales’ father, Juan, fell ill, Skillman provided medical care for him during one of his shifts at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Pavilion emergency department..

“David was such a rock, not just for me, but for my family,” Morales said.

In December 2024, they got engaged.

For the couple, who now live in South Philly, there was also a practical aspect to having a scaled-down, low-cost wedding.

“I want to buy a house,” Skillman said. “And buying a house and having a big wedding aren’t both feasible.”

Morales said she worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development before being laid off last year.

“Especially in this economy, I think micro weddings are becoming more and more popular,” Morales said.

That didn’t stop them from having a special wedding with some of their favorite Philly attractions — including Okie Dokie Donuts, an after-party at Sardine Bar, specialty cocktails, and a cake made by Morales’ family.

“It feels so special, to be in the market where my dad worked,” said Daysi Morales’ older sister Esther.

Reading Terminal Market, at 12th and Arch Streets, is a magnet for tourists and a regular destination for residents. Housed in a National Historic Landmark building dating to 1893, the market has 72 food vendors, including a produce market, an oyster bar, Pennsylvania Dutch traditional food, and a wide range of other offerings.

Fifty-seven couples applied for “Married at the Market,” according to event promoter London Faust. The seven lucky couples selected were treated to decor, a violin player, and the location, all paid for by Reading Terminal Market.

Faust said “the Reading Terminal team began an outreach process loosely prioritizing those who had strong ties to the market in their love story.” The celebration is free of charge for those accepted.

“We kind of needed something like this,” groom Joey Kathan said before the ceremony. “We’ve been engaged two years.”

Kathan’s bride, Megan Keane, described them as a “COVID couple” who met on Bumble Washington and bonded over hiking trips before moving to Philadelphia a few years ago.

“This was crazy,” Keane said. “We couldn’t believe we were accepted.”

There were even some last-minute guests of honor. Dorothy and Terry White were at the market Saturday when one of the housekeepers introduced them to Esposito-Evans. She asked them to join the celebration.

“We got married here, 21 years ago today,” Dorothy White triumphantly told the crowd.