Pittsburgh Presidential Salute Your Troops Gala

As a Pittsburgh wedding photographer, I’m not often available to do event photography on weekends during the wedding season. However, I was surprised to find out about a recent gala hosted by the Pittsburgh Social Exchange and Mother, May I: the Pittsburgh Presidential Salute Your Troops Gala on Wednesday, August 17th at Jay Verno Studios. Events at Jay Verno Studios are always neat, so I knew this would be a treat, plus, I’d get to photograph some of our finest men and women in uniform and local and national celebrities in attendance. Did I mention this gala supports a worthy cause? Its mission was to raise awareness of programs that support the men and women who have served our country, chiefly Team River Runner which recently initiated its 16th chapter here in Pittsburgh. This organization supports wounded veterans by encouraging healthy lifestyles through water sports. To find out more, check out their website, but before you do, here are a few photos from the event.

For the first half of the event, I was on the red carpet, photographing guests as they arrived. There was excitement in the air as guests left their cars with the valet and walked up to the registration table. A local cheerleading troup performed and the incredibly talented and lovely Jessica Lee serenaded guests as they entered the studio. The buzz on the red carpet really intensified when special guest, Laurett Ellsworth Arenz arrived. She was crowned Miss United States in 1997 and Mrs. America in 2002, and is a motivational speaker and founder of the HEROS program.

Next up, I’ll be blogging about a Jewish Orthodox wedding that I’m really looking forward to photographing this week.