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St. Paul Cathedral Wedding Photography | Lauren and Matt

mary — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:55:35 +0000

There’s no denying it, Lauren and Matt got a rainy day for their wedding. Yet in spite of the rain and cold, they had a fun-filled and beautiful wedding at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland. Lauren had the best philosophy when it came to her wedding dress getting wet and dirty: Hey, you only wear it once. So true! Honestly, when it comes down to it–marrying your soulmate is way, way more important than nice weather, details, and pristine dresses. I was so glad Lauren and Matt had the right perspective and were able to enjoy their day. I know their guests had a great time, too!

A big congratulations to Lauren and Matt. Here are a few of my favorite moments from their day.

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Wedding | Abby and Matthew

mary — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:09:29 +0000

With the blue sky above Mellon Park in the background, Abby and Matthew exchanged vows and rings and later partied with their guests at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. I have to say that this was one crazy dancing crowd at their wedding. Abby and Matthew set the bar high with their creative and fun first dance (it’s hard to have a coordinated first dance without looking staged or forced–they certainly didn’t have those problems), and everyone joined in later for the horah.

A big congratulations to Abby and Matthew. Here are just a few favorites moments from their day.

Double Tree Hotel Pittsburgh Wedding | Amanda and Steve

mary — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:43:28 +0000

Surrounded by family and friends, Amanda and Steve celebrated their marriage in the modern and chic Double Tree Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. With the sun still in the sky, they exchanged vows earlier in the day at the beautiful St. Bernard’s in Mt. Lebanon. Everyone enjoyed the great music and food, and I think Amanda and Steve had the best cookie table I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying something because I’ve seen a lot! I’ll share more on it later.

For now, here a just a few of my favorite photos from their day. A big congratulations to Amanda and Steve.

Sheraton Station Square Wedding | Kristen and Mike

mary — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:28:53 +0000

Although clouds threatened in the morning, the sky stayed clear and beautiful for Kristen and Mike’s wedding celebration at the Sheraton Station Square. After separate trolley rides to St. Louise de Marillac, Kristen and Mike exchanged rings and vows in a quiet ceremony with their friends and family. The night heated up with a fabulous reception at the Sheraton Station Square with guests enjoying the music from a Three Rivers Entertainment band.

A big congratulations to Kristen and Mike. Here are just a few of my favorite moments from their day. Also, a big thanks to Beth Insalaco who assisted me as my second photographer.

Longue Vue Club Wedding | Lindsay and Ben

mary — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:53:47 +0000

On a warm summer day overlooking the Allegheny river, Lindsay and Ben exchanged vows and celebrated their marriage with family and friends at the Longue Vue Club in Verona. Lindsay and Ben’s wedding day was particularly special to me, as it was my wedding anniversary, too. Not only that, many of their guests and family are also friends of ours, so it was great to celebrate their wedding as I reflected on my own.

Lindsay and Ben’s Longue Vue Club wedding was unique in that they chose to have their ceremony on the skeet field with the beautiful overlook behind them. Following the ceremony, family and friends enjoyed a cocktail hour on the patio followed by a great reception in the ballroom.

A big congratulations to Lindsay and Ben. Here are just a few of my favorite moments from their day.

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Wedding | Katie and Max

mary — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:59:16 +0000

On the beautiful grounds of the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Katie and Max celebrated their wedding surrounded by family and friends. Once again, the warned-of rain showers never appeared, and Katie and Max’s day was simply perfect. Tears of joy definitely flowed at this wedding.

Katie and Max held their ceremony on the Frank Lloyd Wright-esque Horizon Point veranda, and followed it up with an incredible reception in the ballroom. Everyone enjoyed the impeccable service, food, and fun dancing. Here are just a few of my favorite moments from their wedding. A big congratulations to Katie and Max.

Pittsburgh Wedding Photography | Erin and Ken

mary — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:10:10 +0000

Over the 4th of July weekend, Erin and Ken enjoyed a beautiful wedding surrounded by their family and friends. They exchanged vows at Erin’s home church, which also happened to have a great field nearby for photos. After the ceremony, everyone headed over to the Chadwick in Wexford to celebrate. Since Erin is the oldest of several siblings, the reception was very kid-friendly and fun, with a candy table that I think adults and children alike enjoyed (mmm…Swedish fish anyone?).

And if celebrating their wedding wasn’t enough for one week, three days after their wedding, Erin and Ken embarked on a cross-country honeymoon/road trip to California for Erin to attend grad school. A big congratulations to them both! I wish you guys the best!

Pittsburgh Backyard Wedding Photos | Laura and James

mary — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:51:44 +0000

On a warm day in June, Laura and James enjoyed an intimate backyard wedding reception surrounded by family and friends. After a beautiful ceremony at the (hot) Heinz Chapel, everyone headed over to the reception just north of Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the rain showers followed suit, which made for a quick scramble to the tents. Despite the rain showers, though, everyone had a great time celebrating with Laura and James, and the sun later came out to dry up the grass.

A big congratulations to Laura and James! Here are a few of my favorite moments from their day.

The University Club Wedding Photography | Samantha and Danny

mary — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:50:07 +0000

On a beautiful Saturday over Memorial Day Weekend, Samantha and Danny celebrated their marriage with family and friends at the University Club in Oakland. The weather finally cleared up for their day, although it was a bit warm! Seems like we jumped from winter to summer overnight! After they exchanged vows in Heinz Chapel, Samantha and Danny and their guests enjoyed a rooftop cocktail hour at the University Club, followed by a wonderful reception in the ballroom.

A big congratulations to them both! Here are a few favorites from their day.

I think we must have been quacked at 10 times while we were taking photos along the North Shore.

And of course we had our share of photo bombers.

These two ladies happened upon Heinz Chapel and figured they’d take some wedding photos, too.

Samantha is a music teacher and can sing well herself. She surprised everyone by singing a song to Danny at the reception. Beautiful.

The Priory Winter Wedding | Christy and Jared

mary — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:43:12 +0000

When I photographed my first wedding several years ago, I had only second shot one other wedding with another photographer. Looking back, it was probably naive and foolish on my part, though I had clearly explained my experience level to the bride and groom. I leaned on my experience photographing sporting events, and I ended up getting great photos of their day that they were very happy with.

I never looked back, which meant I never worked with another photographer as a second shooter again..until this month. I finally got to second shoot with my good friend and excellent photographer, Milla Chappell of Milla C. Photography on the 1st of this year. I didn’t have a wedding of my own to photograph, so I volunteered my services just for fun. Yes, for fun.

You see, when you’re the primary photographer at a wedding, you have a lot of responsibility. Everything is riding on your shoulders to make sure you capture all the “important” (expected) moments…as well as all the little (unexpected) ones in between. This means that sometimes you’re not exactly free to photograph whatever catches your eye, especially when it’s time for group photos. Ideally, your clients trust you enough to let you photograph what you think will make for the most powerful image…but there’s always the weight of responsibility on your back.

So I really wanted to work as a second (or third in this case!) photographer to push myself to look for things I might not usually see, to capture a different aspect of a story I may not normally notice. Thanks to Milla for letting me tag along, and thanks to the beautiful bride and groom, Christy and Jared, who also made me feel so welcome. I really appreciated that! A big congratulations to you both.

All of these photos were taken for Milla C. Photography.