Lauren and Nick | Cioppino Wedding

December 12^th was one of those days that made you feel like it was a different season.  It was a bright day with blue skies, the birds were chirping, and the 65 degree weather felt so hot that I had to take off my suit jacket as we photographed outside.  Many of you reading this blog post experienced the exact same beautiful weather.  And this beautiful spurt of weather just so happened to occur on Lauren and Nick’s wedding day!

Lauren and Nick were married at St. Stanislaus, the big and stoic church at the end of the Strip District.  It was a beautifully unique wedding because they not only had one but TWO receptions!  The first reception was a cocktail reception held at the lovely upscale Italian restaurant and cigar bar Cioppino, just a stone’s throw away from St. Stanislaus.  The second reception was a dinner party, held at Lauren’s father’s house in Murrysville.

Hand in hand with this grand day were some phenomenally grand details, such as Lauren’s two wedding dresses, two pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes, two sets of invitations (one for each reception), two cakes (well three, actually), and two guest favors.  And that’s just to name a few.

One of my favorite moments during Lauren and Nick’s day was watching Lauren glow with excitement as she showed me each of the amazing details she had coordinated for the day.  From her earrings to the guest favors, her elation about it all coming together was contagious.  I also loved watching Nick soak in his radiant bride that day.  Watching the still little moments between the two was pretty endearing; a quick glance of excitement, a smile of anticipation, a tight hug in between picture taking.  Sweet moments between a sweet couple.

Take a look to see what I mean…

Two dresses:

Because Christian Louboutin shoes need a dedicated spread of their own…

Two guest favors…

I love the unique calligraphy on these invitations!

And to top it all off, a sweet Kate Spade purse…

I took Lauren to one of my favorite spots to photograph at, and she was incredibly excited about the gritty urban scene.  I’ve photographed in this spot on a few separate occasions, and can’t get enough of the beautiful juxtaposition of urban and nature.

She’s like an ethereal Snow White! So. Gorgeous.

Shout out to Pure Beauty Makeup Artistry for Lauren’s amazing look!

One of my favorite moments is right after the processional when the bride and groom step up to the alter… the groom always takes it all in as he looks at his bride.  Like so…

Some of the fun pictures we took while scooting around the cocktail hour…

And on to the second reception…

Cake at Cocktail Reception: Cioppino Pastry Chef Meghann Walsh
Cakes at Dinner Party: Prantl’s Bakery
Ceremony Venue: St. Stanislaus
Ceremony and Cocktail Reception Flowers: Carrie Anne Powell Floral Designs
Cocktail Reception Location: Cioppino Restaurant and Cigar Bar
Dinner Party Caterer: Jaden’s Catering
Hair Artistry: MCN Salon
Makeup Artistry: Pure Beauty Makeup Artistry
Photographer: Lavender Leigh