My First Greek Wedding

Meet Dan and Fani.  We had an engagement session last winter downtown in Pittsburgh's Market Square and PPG Place (where Dan proposed) and I knew they were going to be so much fun!  Dan and I always talk hockey, and he was at the opening of a new hockey store the morning of his wedding, hah.  Fani and her family are from Crete, Greece and they had many friends and family members travel in to Pittsburgh for the nuptials.

There are so many Greeks traditions I learned about.  Before Fani's father put her shoes on her, she wrote the names of the unmarried women on the bottom of one of the shoes.  The name most worn off at the end of the night would be the next to find their partner!  (Fani even included my name in the mix, hahah!)  Honey and nuts were fed to the newlyweds at the beginning of the reception by the brides mother, it symbolizes having a sweet life together.  Music was played by family friends and Fani's Uncle as the guests danced the night away!  Money was also thrown to show appreciation for the musicians.  The bride dance called the Horos tis Nifis takes place at the reception, the bride starts dancing and everyone gets a chance to dance with her holding the handkerchief in her right hand. Everyone takes turns during this throughout the night.  Some of the other Cretan dances were the Sirtos, Sousta, Malebiziotis and Pentozali.  Both Fani and Dan's families were on the dance floor the entire night!  This bridal party was also a blast and so much fun to take photos of.

I am so happy to get their preview up before they head off to Greece for their honeymoon tomorrow!! Congrats again Dan and Fani, thank you for being so amazing :) Safe travels!!

 The Mothers of the Groom and Bride :) One of my favorite from that night!!

This was the third wedding where I had friend and fellow photographer Ryan Zarichnak helping out.  (He will be launching his website/blog soon so I will be sure to post his information when that is available!)  He is a great person to work with and I could not have shot this wedding myself!  Thank you Ry!!!!  At the end of the night as we were saying our goodbyes, the brides father pulled me into the crowd to learn some Greek dancing.  Ryan got this open mouthed laughing shot of me as I tried to pick up the moves. You can see the groom Dan in the bottom left trying to capture the action as well, hahaha.  Thanks again Ryan :)

Wedding Gown: David Bridal
Rings: Esken Jewelers
Flowers: Dee's Florals
Videographer: Brandon Keenan of KVT Productions (He was great to work with!!)
Church: All Saints Greek Orthodox Church
Reception: Hilton Garden Inn South Pointe  

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Cooper

This wedding was extra special to me because the beautiful bride here is my cousin!  While it was a challenge to be in the wedding party and shoot, I loved every minute of it!  Sarah and and Andrew held their ceremony and reception at a barn last weekend.  The new Mrs. Cooper rode in on a black horse where she was helped off by the barn owner and then greeted by her father to walk her down the isle. (Being a part of the bridal party I didn't get to snap any of these happenings.)  After the ceremony we had so much fun shooting in the field and with horses. She always modeled for me in school hah so ended up doing our own little shoot while the groom and his friends relaxed before the reception.  Here is a sneak peek.  Welcome to the family Andrew! Love you both!

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!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Telin

Today we celebrated the marriage of Josh and Heidi!  This couple was so natural and easy going, I had so much fun shooting with them, their bridal party, and families.  Two of my favorite little details today were the hanger the bride had made that said "Mrs. Telin."  And the six pence glued to the bottom of her shoe that goes along with the says... "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. And a six pence for her shoe."  

Even though the day started off pouring down rain,  it was just our luck that after the ceremony it had all cleared up! Once we got to the country club to shoot portraits,  I tried something different with the new Mr. and Mrs. They were to write something that they loved about one another on a card and not see what each other wrote.  The best part about this was that they both wrote the same exact thing!  You can see the bride and groom surprised and happy about what one of the things they both love about each other.  This was such a beautiful wedding! Congratulations Josh and Heidi :)

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Binkley

Yesterday was the wedding of Bailey Noll and Alexander Binkley.  The rain definitely did not put a damper on these nuptials. This is probably one of the cutest couples I have ever seen! There ceremony was beautiful, the isle was lit by candlelight as her father walked her down to give her away. After the couple exchanged their vows, and a few portraits were taken, (with zebra and cheetah umbrellas) the party began. There was never an empty dance floor, and the group was relentless on letting the groom get to his bride after the "Money Dance." So much love and happiness at this wedding. I wish the new Mr. and Mrs. Binkley happiness and all the very best!