A Pittsburgh Themed Wedding

My first Pittsburgh themed wedding was with Diana and Ryan, aka the new Mr. and Mrs. Woodske!  The ceremony was held in the heart of Pittsburgh's Polish Hill at the gorgeous Immaculate Heart of Mary church.  (There was a bird in the basement area where the girls were supposed to enter.  As myself and assistant Ryan Zarichnak waited for the bridal party to arrive, my fear of birds strongly showed as it took flight a few times.  When the girls arrived, we all decided it was best to just wait in the hallway. I won't share the photo Ryan got of me having a panic attack, hahaha.)

This wedding day was a scorcher in the Burgh so we moved quickly to keep everyone cool.  On our way to the reception at Heinz Field, we took a few photos on the Riverwalk.  Ducky Tour passengers yelled "Congratulations, QUACK QUACK" as they drove by.  One of the great thing about having a reception at Heinz Field, is that they allow the bridal party on the field and in the locker room for photos.  We definitely had a blast with this as you can see below.

Keeping the Pittsburgh theme going, the newlyweds walked into the reception as the DJ played Donnie Iris' "Love is Like a Rock."  You got a view of the city from your dinner seats and guests could enter the stadium for some fresh air and photos.  The bride, groom, bridal party, friends and family all kept the dance floor full as the night went on.  Heres to Ryan and Diana, Congratulations!

Bridal Gown, hairpiece, and Bridesmaids dresses: Ribbon Bridal, Beaver
Mens Tux: Tuxedo Junction
Florist: Harold's Flower Shop, Downtown Pittsburgh
Ceremony: Immaculate Heart of Mary, Polish Hill
Reception: Heinz Field, North Shore, Pittsburgh

Mr. and Mrs. Baleno

I had so much fun with Lori and Char on their wedding day!!  There were so many little touches that added great color to day. Lori's something blue was a pair of Badgley Mischka heels (which I loved photographing,) and Char's only request was that his boutiner was orange like he had seen at a previous wedding because he had liked how it looked!  I love how these things stand out in some of the photos. 

I do have to say, this was my favorite church to shoot in so far. The stain glass windows were incredible and added so much color and character to the setting during the ceremony. We were also lucky to have a beautiful day for outdoor photos before the reception began. This was my first time shooting on Mount Washington and I loved it. Congrats Lori and Char! Here is the sneak peak of the new Mr. and Mrs. Baleno.

 

Ryan and Christina

 Meet the new Mr. and Mrs. Mann!  Ryan and Christina got married a few weekends ago and I was lucky enough to get to photograph their beautiful wedding.  While rain moved their ceremony inside, we still snuck in a few photos out in the courtyard after the ceremony at the hotel their wedding was held at.  I love brides and grooms who are ready to take on any challenge of a few rain drops!  This adorable couple loved to get their dance on at the reception, the guests were right along with them too. I swear the dance floor was full the entire night, hah.  Here is a sneak peek, congrats Ryan and Christina!

Julie and Mike

I traveled up to North East, PA to shoot an engagement session with Mike and Julie this past weekend.   This adorable couple has been together since April of 2009 and got engaged this August.  We started off at a vineyard (North East is known for their grape growing and Wine Festival in the Fall!)   From there we stopped along the way at a few other spots before hitting the beach on Lake Erie.  While the sky threatened rain all day, some thunder rolled and sprinkles fell, we lucked out and had the sun shining by the time we set off to start the shoot!  This adorable couple was so fun to shoot, I wish them the best and hope the planning for their destination wedding goes smoothly :)

Meet William

Wow.  I have known William since he was like 3 years old.  His oldest sister is one of my best friends and it's crazy to think I remember him being so small and now he's all grown up and graduating high school!!  Today we ventured out to take his senior portraits.  Will kept it casual which was a lot of fun but he also is a great athlete so we threw in some of that while shooting.  Here is a sneak peek!