Muse: Pittsburgh wedding and portrait photography

Lauren and Corey got engaged on New Year’s Eve  at the outdoor ice rink at PPG Place. He faked an injury while skating to get down on his knees to propose. She may or may not have noticed that he was down and might have kept skating. Totally cute story and a beautiful couple.

These two braved a very chilly day to walk around the campus at the University of Pittsburgh and Schenley park with me.

Jack, their adorable black lab, made an appearance too! Thanks to Kelly, Corey’s sister, for helping Jack be on his best behavior.

I’m so excited to see Lauren as a bride. When you have a gorgeous lady and a smashing dress, the end results can only be smashingly gorgeous.

Corey, you’re great too.

This is my new nephew. He’s pretty awesome.

An extremely belated (but no less important) post – Congratulations to Carisa and Ryan, one of our featured weddings from 2012, for being published in The Knot Weddings magazine!

Sweet, sweet love.

I am blessed to have two beautiful and pregnant sister-in-laws.

With the trees rapidly changing colors, I convinced one of them to hang out with me and my camera for a little while at Hartwood Acres.

Can’t wait to meet baby Reese!

On this day, I had the perfect light and the perfect mother and child in front of my lens.

More to come…

It is always such a joy to spend one of the happiest days of someone’s life with them… especially when they are artists themselves, when their father cries, when there are beautiful details, and when their love is so sweet.

Stephanie and Josh were married at the Walled Garden at Mellon Park in Pittsburgh, with the reception at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. It was a tranquil day full of laughter and tears.

Here is a glimpse of their wonderful wedding day:

Stephanie opted to make her own bouquet. Her brooch bouquet was so amazingly unique!

Seriously guys, I don’t think you understand how difficult it is to get into a wedding dress. There was a debate about when to put the makeup on so the dress wouldn’t get dirty, and techniques on how to get into the dress. In the end, Stephanie made it out safely.

Stephanie has a smile that lights up the room. She was radiant on her big day.

It seems that little kids are always more interested in the camera than in what’s going on in the ceremony. Image below by Dan.

Thanks Stephanie and Josh for sharing your laughter and tears with Dan and I. We want to wish you a wonderful start on your life together!

Jara and Josh had an incredible day.

Several days before their wedding, there were some crazy storms in the area. On their big day, the rain took a break and the sun even decided to peek through. However, because of the storms, they learned that their reception at the Barn at Fallingwater would be without electricity.

Now, I don’t know how most brides would have handled this news, but all I can say is Jara handled it way better than I would have. She was calm, sweet, patient, and just incredible. Her smile never left her face (one of her friends told me later that night, that they have never seen her without a smile on her face).

Jara and Josh got married that beautiful day. It didn’t matter that things didn’t go exactly as planned. They were together with their friends and family…

and love was all they needed.

Some of Jara’s close friends stopped by to give her a gift before her wedding. I wish I knew what the story was behind the underwear. I might have overheard “sisterhood of the traveling granny panties” or I might be making that up.

Just gorgeous.

This was totally Josh’s idea. He had a fantastic sense of humor.

Josh’s ring was a little tight.

Besides the spectacular ceremony location, another perk of having your wedding at the Barn at Fallingwater was the access to Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Fallingwater house for a photography session.

Love these.

Remember how there’s no power? Jara decided to move the dancing outdoors into the cooler air. The DJ was able to get a generator so there was music and no one had to hum.

This was one serious chicken dance. Love the expressions.

Jara and Josh, thank you for being an inspiration and for inviting Andrea and I to celebrate with you.

“All you need is Love.” Very fitting.

Oh how I love engagement sessions!

A couple totally in love + the city + a few hours = happy photographer.

Stephanie and Josh met up with me at their alma mater, Point Park University. They were easy going, fun, and up for anything. Here are some of my favorites from their session:

Haha! This was Josh’s idea. Although, I can’t say I wasn’t thinking the same thing.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

A wedding is a celebration of love and of family.

When I first met Carisa and Ryan, I asked them to tell me what they wanted their wedding to be like. Carisa, tearing up, tells me that they wanted it to be about family because their families have done so much for them.

And that is exactly what their wedding was like… joy, love, food and family.

Carisa and Ryan were married at the Reed Smith building in downtown Pittsburgh. It was a gorgeous setting, full of clean lines and modern simplicity. Here are just a few of my favorite images from their day:

Love, LOVE these.

Sometimes, I giggle to myself while I take pictures.

Carisa laughed with such ease. They were beautiful together.

Love this one of her veil!

The food at the reception was spectacular! Having a meal as a whole family was important to Carisa (it’s the Italian in her). Mouthwatering goodness by Amy.

The Sensations from Youngstown kicked off a fun evening on the dance floor. This gave the flower girl and her dad a chance to practice their synchronized routine (as captured by Amy).

Some doggie love!

Carisa and Ryan, thank you for inviting Amy and I to share in your joy.

Dress Designer- Angel Sanchez

Bridal Salon- Lewis in Shadyside

Caterer- Parkhurst

Bakery- Vanilla

Florist- Bill Chisnell

Entertainment- The Sensations