Brandi & Brian had a hot, but beautiful July day for their wedding at Phipps Conservatory in Oakland.  I began the day at the Holiday Inn conveniently located just a couple blocks from Phipps, where Brian and the groomsman were getting ready.

What’s this? What, is this an unusual sight or something? It’s the robotic ring bearer, of course.The wedding ceremony took place in the outdoor garden at Phipps. It’s such a pretty spot right in front of the fountain. I was pleased that the Phipps staff thinks of everything – they turned the fountain off just as the ceremony started to make it easier to hear.

It was hot out there! I am sure the guests appreciated these fans.

Bravo for not only having a robotic ring bearer, but giving the robot a boutonniere. That is one classy robot.

How awesome is this place card table?! Of course I’m partial to the color of the tablecloth, but I love the stones, too.

The reception was held in the beautiful, bright special events room next to Phipps’s Tropical Rainforest.

Congratulations, Brandi & Brian!

Venue:

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-622-6914

Debbie & Chris lucked out. While weather can change in an instant, once I looked outside Saturday morning, I knew Debbie & Chris were going to have a perfect day for their wedding at the Mansion at Maple Heights in Shadyside.

Here comes the bride!You wouldn’t think that a round of push-ups would be a pre-wedding activity, but that’s what bride Ashley did too, just a few weeks ago. Looks like push-ups for brides are all the rage! Photo by my assistant, Jennifer Stein. This is Mary, one of the lovely sisters of the groom. Groom Chris has two brothers and two sisters. I have to wonder if these siblings ever squabbled. I think this is the closest set of siblings I’ve ever seen! Just behind Mary is makeup artist Jen Palermo, who did a fabulous job with everyone’s makeup.

I looooooved Debbie’s dress. It was so light and airy, perfect for a hot July day. When I picked it up, it felt almost weightless. Meanwhile, upstairs… Chris was getting ready too.

First look time! Debbie and Chris chose to see each other before the ceremony. They got to have a few minutes all by themselves before heading off for photos. Next photo by Jennifer.

True love. Photo by Jennifer. We had less time than we expected for pre-ceremony pictures, but sill plenty of time for some portraits of Debbie and Chris at Mellon Park. I don’t think they minded being along together. Swept off her feet!Then back for the ceremony, set up outside, behind the Mansion.There were two toasts, one by each of Chris’s brothers. I hope that as my two boys grow up, they are as close as these brothers!Beautiful cake by Oakmont Bakery.

Weddings are so unpredictable. Debbie & Chris had planned to dance inside in the Mansion’s foyer. But it was such a beautiful summer night! After dinner, guests moved outside to enjoy the fresh air. DJ Steve of Eventures mentioned to me how nice it would be to set up outside instead. I thought it would take too long to move all his equipment. I have to commend Steve for being willing and able to make the switch. The Mansion at Maple Heights staff pitched in too, helping Steve carrying everything outside so that the move went as quickly as possible.

While that was going on, Debbie & Chris took a few minutes for a few more portraits.

First dance, “Better Together” by Jack Johnson.

Joining them on the dance floor is their flower girl, Sage. Nice shoes, Sage! Debbie & Chris, congratulations! Thank you so much for including me in your celebration. I had such a great time getting to know you and your families. Have a great time in Mexico!

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The Credits

Reception Venue: The Mansion at Maple Heights

Caterer: La Creme

DJ: Steve, Eventures

Florist: DesignSpace

Debbie’s dress: David’s Bridal

Cake: Oakmont Bakery

Hair: Nikki James

Makeup: Jen Palermo

Check out Trisha’s cute shoes!

Trisha’s dad beamed all day, so proud and happy for his second daughter to be married. Older sister Shelly, here helping him with his tie, was married a year and a half ago, so the whole family were old pros at this getting ready business.

Trisha’s bouquet featured hydrangeas. There were lots of them everywhere – so pretty for June.

After the ceremony, the bridal party traveled in a decked out limo bus. To my amazement, Trisha managed to stand in the limo while her skilled pit crew of bridesmaids bustled her dress. I thought I’d add a little in-camera radial blur by using a slow shutter speed and spinning the camera. Fun!

Trisha & Eric’s wedding reception was held at the picturesque South Hills Country Club.

Photo by Randi.

Wedding days are always exciting. On Saturday, I had an extra treat: my second shooter for the day was none other than the fun, spirited, talented and tall Randi Voss. Not only is Randi a fabulous photographer, but she’s also a great friend, and I was glad to have the opportunity to work together again. And I definitely appreciated all her help carrying light stands and bags and cameras. We sure bring a lot of stuff, and amazingly, we do use almost all of it.

This photo by Randi.  The hydrangea centerpieces were gorgeous and coordinated so nicely with the blue ribbons on the chair covers.

I love cake photos.

Eric’s brother, Best Man Paul, told a great story from their childhood. That’s their mom in the blue, very amused.

That cake above looked fabulous, but that wasn’t it for desserts. A cookie table, of course. I managed some restraint and only had one, an iced sugar cookie. Delicious!

There was also a dessert table full of beautiful cakes and pies like this one.

“Just the Way You Are” – Billy Joel

Lots of dancing, with music supplied by DJ Les Holliday.

I noticed that the sun was setting over the golf course and suggested to Trisha and Eric that we step outside for a few minutes for a few more portraits. I highly recommend to brides and grooms taking a few minutes to do this! As the night goes on, you’ll feel more relaxed, and in the summer, this beautiful evening light comes late in the evening.

Last two shots by Randi.

Trisha and Eric – I hope you have a wonderful week in Mexico!

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The Credits

Ceremony: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish

Reception: South Hills Country Club

Florist: Donati’s

Bride and Bridesmaids’ Gowns: David’s Bridal

Cake and desserts: Signature Desserts

DJ: Les Holliday

Ashley & Jason’s day began at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church. Ashley wore a stunning strapless beaded gown by Maggie Sottero.

I’ll let this next one speak for itself first…

Yep, Ashley decided to do a few push-ups before putting her dress on. I don’t think that it would be humanly possible to be more fit and toned than she already was, but a few more never hurts.

Ashley kept an eye on the arriving guests.

After the ceremony, the bridal party stopped at the Mellon Institute in Oakland. It’s a popular spot. There were two other bridal parties there at the same time, and another arrived just as we were leaving.

I loved the turquoise J. Crew bridesmaid dresses (with pockets!) paired with the hot pink shoes.

Here Jason was going to dip Ashley – I think he dipped her a little lower than she expected!

Jason thinks socks are for the birds. Never wears them. Why change that on wedding day? No reason. You saw Ashley’s shoes above with the bridesmaids’ shoes, but she opted to change into something a bit more comfortable. And representative of her. Sneakers, of course!

This beautiful portrait is by my second shooter du jour, Jennifer Stein.

At this point, our hot, sunny day was evolving into a humid, overcast day with rather ominous skies. After a quick stop to refresh at the reception venue, The Circuit Center, we opted to hope for the best and head over to the Hot Metal Street bridge. I had a good feeling this time that we would have just enough time for a few pictures on the bridge, and that it would start to rain as soon as we returned. That was more or less was happened. This was the last posed photo… … and then we started to feel a few raindrops. Good thing Ashley had those sneakers on. I had a hard time keeping up! My favorite detail to photograph is always the cake. It’s a mystery to me, because I’m not that into eating cake. But they’re so gorgeous to look at.

Ashley & Jason met at Penn State. There were about 50 alumni and students (plus me, class of ’96) among the guests! As you might expect from the #1 Party School, the reception was one big party. Which began with some spirited entrances…

Photo by Jennifer.

Below, Ashley reacts to the Best Man’s toast. Next to her is her maid of honor and sister, Allison. I’m so, so happy to be photographing Allison’s wedding in November. I cannot wait to see what Ashley has to say when she gets to toast Allison and has the last word. Like I said… the reception was one big party. The dance floor was packed nonstop. See you too in November, Dennis…Nothing makes me happier than to see the bride and groom together during the reception. And on the dance floor – bonus! When wearing sneakers, always keep them tied. What a great maid of honor, doing her duty and tying the bride’s shoes for her. I like that Dennis just keeps right on dancing here. Congratulations, Ashley and Jason!

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The Credits

Ceremony: Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church

Reception: The Circuit Center

Caterer: Fluted Mushroom

Cake: Lincoln Bakery Bellevue

Florist: Jim Ludwig’s Blumengarten

Bride’s Gown: Maggie Sottero/MB Bride

Hair & Makeup: Salon Cercone

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew

DJ: Mike Grecca