Pittsburgh Wedding, Boudoir, Senior Photographer

Julie and Matthew | Pittsburgh Field Club Wedding

As we pulled up to the getting ready location, Julie’s sweet father Tim comes out of the front door to greet us, clad in his festive wedding suit (we loved his colorful bowtie and suspenders), and a large smile on his face. He introduces himself, and also their pet dog, who was meandering around the yard. Tim invited us into the house, and we climbed up the steps to the second floor to gather the wedding dress and shoes and begin photographing. Ann, Julie’s mother who I met at a pre-wedding timeline meeting, was at the top of the steps and said “Hi Leigh! Can you help me with my dress?” She turns around, and I zip the last inch of the neck of her dress to the top. What I absolutely adore about this family is, not only that they are some of the most kind and genuine people you will ever meet, but also that they made us feel comfortable and right at home instantly after stepping out of our car.

We hear the front door open. Julie and her bridesmaids had just finished at the salon. Julie’s beautiful strawberry blonde locks had been styled into elegant, long curls (which stayed in throughout the wedding day) and her eyes gleamed with excitement and she was absolutely radiant. So began the story of Julie and Matthew’s wedding day.

Watching Julie and Matthew together that day, they had so many subtle yet beautiful moments of love. They would gently squeeze of the other’s hand, laugh upon hugging each other, and exchange smiles when people talked about how perfect they are for each other. One of my favorite moments of their wedding day was watching their reactions to the toasts at the reception- happy tears and laughter were split seconds apart. Tim’s welcome toast made me tear up the most; it was the earnest words when he said that Matthew was absolutely everything he could ask for in a husband for Julie (but Tim said these words one million times more eloquently.) After the toasts, the dance floor opened up with the most amazing music, and it created a vibrant and lively celebration! (Barry and I couldn’t help but to dance as we took pictures!)

Take a look to see what I mean…

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Pittsburgh field club, wedding, reception, ceremony, Pennsylvania, sophistication, stylish, classy, st. scholastica, church, dusty pink and ivory, English garden bouquet, white flowers, striped bridesmaid skirt, photographer, photos, images, pictures, photography, camera, fox chapel, aspinwall, lavender leigh photography
Pittsburgh field club, wedding, reception, ceremony, Pennsylvania, sophistication, stylish, classy, st. scholastica, church, dusty pink and ivory, English garden bouquet, white flowers, striped bridesmaid skirt, photographer, photos, images, pictures, photography, camera, fox chapel, aspinwall, lavender leigh photography
Pittsburgh field club, wedding, reception, ceremony, Pennsylvania, sophistication, stylish, classy, st. scholastica, church, dusty pink and ivory, English garden bouquet, white flowers, striped bridesmaid skirt, photographer, photos, images, pictures, photography, camera, fox chapel, aspinwall, lavender leigh photography
Pittsburgh field club, wedding, reception, ceremony, Pennsylvania, sophistication, stylish, classy, st. scholastica, church, dusty pink and ivory, English garden bouquet, white flowers, striped bridesmaid skirt, photographer, photos, images, pictures, photography, camera, fox chapel, aspinwall, lavender leigh photography

Cake: Bella Christie and Lil Z’s Sweet Boutique
Ceremony Musicians: Hilal String Trio
Ceremony Venue: Saint Scholastica
Entertainment: Studio e Entertainment, LLC
Florist: My Garden Floral
Hair Artistry: eDry Bar: ESSpa Kozmetika
Makeup Artistry: ESSpa Kozmetika
Photographer: Lavender Leigh
Reception Venue: Pittsburgh Field Club
Transportation: Regency Transportation

Eugenia and Robert | Montour Heights Country Club Wedding

When the email titled “Another wedding?” popped up in my inbox, and when I saw the familiar name of one of my clients as the sender, I was so excited and curious to read it! As it turned out, Robert, who is the brother to Kristina, (we photographed Kristina and Scott’s wedding in April), was engaged to be married. He and his lovely fiancé Eugenia decided to get married before they moved away from Pittsburgh at the end of summer.

It is one of the greatest honors to capture and share one of the most important days of a couple’s life, especially when you have the chance to photograph the weddings for multiple members in a family! Robert and Eugenia’s wedding is the third wedding for Robert’s family that we have photographed! Prior to Kristina and Scott’s wedding, we photographed Robert’s brother’s wedding- Gordon and Anne were married in 2014. Having been a part of this family’s love and laughter for each of these occasions, we really feel like we got to know them.

Eugenia and Robert make such an elegant and beautiful couple! Behind their calm and collected demeanor, you will find their fun and light-hearted personalities! Eugenia has an energetic spunk and a tremendous sense of humor. As we photographed, one moment she would give a look that was sultry and she looked like a high fashion model, and the next minute you would see her giggling and giddy (like when she drove the golf cart around the green for the first time!) Robert has a smooth and patient personality, and he was up for anything that we asked of him! He is incredibly romantic- he would carry Eugenia across the puddles of water that had collected on the green- and to our delight, Eugenia would joke and act as if she were a damsel in distress! These two are such a fun couple!

Take a look to see what I mean…

(To view Kristina and Scott’s wedding, click here.)
(To view Gordon and Anne’s wedding, click here.)

Cake: Brenda’s Bakery
Ceremony Venue: St. James Parish
DJ: All Pro USA
Florist: Patti’s Petals
Makeup Artistry: Valarie Panei
Photographer: Lavender Leigh
Reception Venue: Montour Heights Country Club

Cara and Chris | The Club at Nevillewood Wedding

One of the most beautiful churches because it is enveloped in floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows, St. Thomas More was the ceremony location for Cara and Chris’s wedding ceremony. As we entered the getting ready room at the church, Cara and her bridesmaids were hanging out, snacking on fruit, laughing, and just enjoying being in each other’s company. It was a refreshingly calm atmosphere, and a great way to start a wedding day!

Cara and Chris have that same sense of calm, cool, collected vibe to their personalities. They are incredibly sweet on each other- Chris was giving Cara kisses on the cheek throughout the day, and when he hugged her, he closed his eyes tightly to enjoy the moment. Cara simply glowed every time she looked at Chris. Behind their calm, cool, and collected personalities are two people that are a ton of fun, and have a tremendous sense of humor. One of my favorite parts of their wedding day was listening to the bridal party introductions. Cara and Chris decided to “roast” each member of their bridal party during their introduction, and then awarded each with a “Most Likely To… (fill in the blank)” award. This, or maybe it was Cara’s tap dance that she performed with her former dance instructor, while she was in her wedding dress! Cara tapped so quickly, I could barely see her feet moving! Or, maybe my favorite moment was when Cara and Chris had some alone time at sunset- it was sweet to watch them laugh and enjoy each other after a long, tight hug.

Take a look to see what I mean…

Kristen and Bill | Heinz History Center Wedding

White balloons tied to the mailbox and a beautiful white wedding wreath on the front door let us know that we were undoubtedly at the right place to begin Kristen and Bill’s wedding photos! We entered Kristen’s parents’ home, and multiple bridesmaids in long, flowing taupe dresses head up the steps to where Kristen was getting ready for her wedding day. The bubbly was popped and poured into decorative glasses- Kristen’s being white with decorative tulle to signify the bride. There is excitement and chatter all around, and energy radiates around the room. This was the start to Kristen and Bill’s radiant wedding day.

Kristen and Bill planned their wedding from San Francisco, and the first time that I had met them both in person was just days leading up to the wedding, when we were discussing the timeline for their day. They are very close to their families, which is a reason why they planned a Pittsburgh wedding. Watching Kristen and Bill together on their wedding day, it was just so sweet to see them hold hands, and intermittently kiss in between and during picture taking. You could see the excitement they had to be husband and wife- it was so sweet!

I had a lot of favorite moments throughout their wedding day – Kristen’s reveal to her brothers and father, watching Kristen and Bill find little moments throughout the day to wrap their arms around each other and give a kiss, or maybe it was the geese photo bomb as Kristen and the bridesmaids too their pictures!

The entire day was full of excitement, happy tears, smiles, and love. Take a look at Kristen and Bill’s wedding day…

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Unexpected Photo Bomb!

Bridal Party’s entrances are so much fun to capture!

Sara and Tim | University Club Wedding

“So… do you think it would be possible to photograph our wedding pictures with a 1950s Chevy?” Sara asks as she opens up a conversation on the days leading up to her wedding. We were talking on the phone, so she couldn’t see my movement, but my hands flew up in the air, I looked towards the sky and cried “YEEEESSSS!” You know it is going to be an amazing wedding when the bride and groom have an AWESOME vision for their wedding photos.

But I already knew that it was going to be an amazing wedding from the second I met Sara and Tim. They are fun, sincere, giving, and energetic. Which is why they are so perfect for one another. Their first dance said it all- instead of swaying to a slow song, they chose to perform a choreographed dance, inclusive of a lift, to the Michael Jackson classic song, “The Way You Make Me Feel!” Watching their first dance was one of my favorite parts of their wedding day, but honestly, I also loved how laid back the day was. Usually wedding days are full of frenzy, but their day seemed to be a go with the flow, and focus on the fun type of day.

At the end of the night, I opened a card that Sara had given to me. “One of the best things I’ve done throughout this whole wedding process was choosing you to be our photographer!” My heart soared when I read this, and then I got a little choked up. Yes, photographing weddings is my job, but it means so much to me to photograph couples that you *really* connect with, and it is the best feeling when they think the same way about you.

So here’s to Sara and Tim, and their gorgeous wedding day on Saturday (complete with a 1950’s Chevy!)