All Saints Parish and Mayernik Center Wedding

Congratulations to Kristen and Matt! They were married two Saturdays ago at All Saints Parish in Etna with a reception at the Mayernik Center in Avonworth. The weather was gorgeous and it was a very well-planned day. Add a fun couple in the mix and it doesn’t get any better than that! I started at Kristen’s family home to capture the ladies getting ready. Kristen was so sweet and calm amidst a flurry of activity.

bride getting ready

Lacing the gown

Pamela Sodini joined me for this wedding and met up with Matt and the guys at the church.

the groom

This image, also by Pamela, is a favorite. Most people don’t get a chance to see what’s happening at the front of the church during the processional. I love the combination of bridesmaid’s posture and the architecture.

Processional

The sanctuary is just beautiful. I love the bright mural.

All Saints Parish

The priest used Joy dish soap as an illustration during his sermon. He mentioned that he likes to give each bride and groom a bottle of Joy as a gift, so if you’ve been to a wedding at All Saints before, this should be a familiar scene.

joy

Exchange of rings

kneeling in prayer

Kristen and Matt exited the church with their friends and family fastidiously blowing bubbles. I love how wedding guests get into that.

bubbles

Here’s another shot by Pamela. I love how they actually tied tin cans to the car.

Just married

the new mr. and mrs.

Kristen is a natural in front of the camera. Isn’t she sweet?

Beautiful bride

portrait of the bride

Matt was fun to work with, but you had to get him laughing for a genuine smile.

portrait of the groom

All smiles

The Mayernik Center is a great venue for a fall wedding. I think the log cabin lodge really lends itself well to their fall decor. This is the moment right after they were announced.

Mayernik Center

And finally, here’s their first dance.

First dance

Kristen and Matt, I had a blast working with you. Many blessings to you and your marriage!

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers at Heinz Chapel and Pittsburgh Renaissance

Rebecca and Patrick were married two Saturdays ago at Heinz Chapel with their reception at the Renaissance Pittsburgh. It was a fabulous day and we made a couple of stops from the church to the reception for some fun portraits. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s start with some of the details.

Pittsburgh bridal gown

lacing the wedding gown

I really like this portrait of Rebecca. I wonder what she was thinking here—other than the fact that my camera is in her face…

Bride in her hotel room at the Pittsburgh Renaissance

Their colors were pink and green. And their lovely flowers were arranged by Blumengarten.

wedding bouquet in Pittsburgh

This portrait is by Alex. I love the angle and quiet feel—it was taken right before the ceremony.

Pittsburgh groom

Here’s another favorite by Alex. The light and timing are just right.

Heinz Chapel ceremony

Heinz Chapel is a stunning venue for a ceremony. Thanks again to Alex for the next two.

Heinz Chapel wedding in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh wedding ceremony

We walked across the street to the Mellon Institute for a couple of portraits of the bridal party and the bride and groom. This group had fun with it and I love how their personalities shine.

Bridal party at the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh

bride's rings

groom's ring

This might be my all-time favorite of the day. I think it’s because I’ve always loved spending time in Market Square and I was really excited that Rebecca and Patrick wanted to stop there for photos.

bride and bridal party in Market Square

I went to school at Point Park University and worked there later as managing editor of their alumni magazine, so PPG is another personal favorite hang-out downtown. I’m crazy about this fountain and how it just spouts out from the plaza floor. And something about being there with the fountain in full force brought some excitement to their faces.

wedding photography in Pittsburgh

The ballroom at the Renaissance Pittsburgh had a wall of windows that made it a delight to photograph the reception. Just love the light on them while they’re cutting the cake. Couldn’t ask for a better set-up.

photo of cake cutting in Pittsburgh

Alex caught this sweet moment during their first dance. Aren’t these two are adorable together!

photography of first dance at Pittsburgh wedding

Here’s another first dance shot. What’s fun about this one is the shadow from one of my off-camera lights. I can’t take credit for preconceiving this one. It’s serendipity.

Pittsburgh wedding photography

We ducked outside for a few minutes for some night-time portraits. I highly recommend doing this—it’s fun for the bride and groom and the photographer! Images like this one are so great as a way to complete the story of their day in the wedding album.

wedding photography in downtown Pittsburgh

Becky and Pat, many blessings to you and your marriage! It was such a pleasure to be part of your day.

Sneak peek: Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers at Heinz Chapel and Renaissance Pittsburgh

Congratulations to Rebecca and Patrick! They were married at Heinz Chapel last Saturday. Here are a few favorites from their wedding. More to come after they return from their honeymoon.

wedding photographers in Pittsburgh

Wedding portrait on Pittsburgh bridge

First dance photo

wedding portrait at The Byham in Pittsburgh

Thanks to Alex Jones for the concept and lighting on that last one! It’s a new favorite. What a great day!

Jefferson Hills United Presbyterian Church and Georgetown Centre Wedding

I just realized I still need to recap the reception for Andrea and Jonathan’s wedding—these last two weeks have just passed me by in a blink. I will get to that, but before I do, I’d like to post about Michelle and John’s wedding in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. They were married over the holiday weekend, which couldn’t have been more gorgeous! We met up two hours before the ceremony for some portraits on the church’s front lawn. Here are some favorites of this lovely couple.

Bride and groom in sepia

Michelle was going for a retro look and noted that she loves sepia toned images.

Smiling bride

We made the most of the space as there wasn’t enough time to go to another location for the portraits.

Focus on the bride

I love this portrait of Michelle—she’s so elegant.

Bridal portrait

From above

This one below is a favorite for sure. I just love seeing a groom put his arms around the bride’s waist!

His ring

Chillin'

They look so happy here. I just love the look on their faces.

Dancing

I hope to post more on this wedding after things slow down a bit. Michelle and John, it was a pleasure working with you. Many blessings to you and your marriage!

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers at Edgewood Country Club: Part One

Congratulations to Andrea and Jonathan! They were married at the beautiful Edgewood Country Club two Saturdays ago. While I’ve gotten to know this couple through their engagement session and through conversations about their wedding over the last year, I’ve witnessed a great partnership in how they’ve made their wedding plans and made sure that every detail was attended to. It’s no wonder that there wedding was gorgeous!

We started with Jonathan and the guys in their room. And these guys were bringing their A game – they were organized and ready to go.

groom photograph in Pittsburgh

I love birdcage veils. And the moment the bride pulls the veil over her eyes is always so satisfying. It’s the last detail that really pulls together the look for the bride.

bride photograph in Pittsburgh

Their aisle runner was hand-painted by a friend.

Pittsburgh wedding photography

Here’s the bridal party – they were a fun group.

Pittsburgh bridal party photography

Pittsburgh groomsmen photography

Pittsburgh bridesmaid photography

We didn’t have to travel far for stunning views. Aren’t they sweet together?

Pittsburgh bride and groom portrait

I love it when the wind cooperates. This is a favorite for sure.

Pittsburgh bride and groom photographers

The sky was overcast and we were seconds away from rain, so we kept a good pace and made a couple of variations in the time we had for just a few poses.

photograph of a Pittsburgh wedding

Ok, it’s misting now, time to move on to the reception!

Pittsburgh wedding reception photography

More photos from the reception to come soon!