Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell and his bride, Blair Thornburgh, held their wedding reception in a furniture store, writes Maria Panaritis for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The pair opted for the showroom at Dane Décor, which partly occupies the sanctuary of an 18th-century church. The owners do not usually do events but made an exception in this case.

“It’s a really interesting place to put a band,” Maxwell said before the ceremony. “Blair and I will be able to walk home from our wedding reception.”

The decision to have his wedding there was a testament to the 32-year-old’s bond with the borough.

[uam_ad id=”79286″]

The owners gave him a job while he was still in grad school, but the family business has recently downsized from a chain of furniture stores across the region to just the one in Downingtown.

The venue was a success. Maxwell had his party in a nearby building, while the owners showcased the unique space to hundreds of potential customers. The bride, granddaughter of former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, also got to introduce her out-of-town friends to the charms of her new suburban address.

“It’s a gorgeous building,” Maxwell said. “It looks and feels like a church inside.”

Read more about the wedding in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

[uam_ad id=”79583″]