Pittsburgh Wedding, Boudoir, Senior Photographer

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…
The Club at Nevillewood Wedding Lavender Leigh Photography-1

The Club at Nevillewood Wedding Lavender Leigh Photography-2

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!)

The groom receives the gift of a puppy from the bride

One of Sara’s gifts to Tim- a dog!

I love how Tim clasps his hands in excitement when he sees Sara!

When you have twelve minutes to spend with a bride, a groom, and a 1950’s Chevy. Here’s how we spent it…

I love how the bridesmaids dapple down the hillside at Schenley Park.

Groom and Groomsmen at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We decided to head over to PPG Paints Arena since Tim’s first love (after Sara) is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Cake and Cookies: Bella Christie & Little Z’s Sweet Boutique
Ceremony Venue: Immaculate Conception Parish
Décor Items: Vintage Alley Rentals
Escort Cards: Oh Joyful Day
Florals: Community Flower Shop
Hair Aritstry: Lauren Rambo
Entertaintment: Modern Era, DJ Tim Harris
Limousine: Tortorice Limousine
Linens: Linen Hero
Makeup Artistry: Valarie Panei
Photo Booth: Shutter Booth
Photographer: Lavender Leigh
Reception Venue: The University Club
Videographer: Just Hitched Wedding Films

Jettie and Russ | Chartiers Country Club Wedding

“He says he doesn’t have it in him to cry. Ever.” Jettie says to me when I ask her if she thought that Russ would tear up when he first saw her. Well, Russ may be right, but the expression on his face when he saw his bride walk down the aisle was undeniable; he was excited and in awe of his radiant lady.

And radiant she was! All smiles throughout the day, and that happiness was exponential when she was near Russ (or Russell, as she calls him.) These two know what it takes to throw an event, and also know how to make an entrance! During their introduction into the reception, a split second after Russ and Jettie entered the reception room, Russ threw Jettie into the air, she landed in his arms, and they ended with a long kiss. And then Russ gracefully spun her out of his arms and back onto the dance floor before they took their seat at the sweetheart table. It was one of those jaw-on-the-floor moments where I said to myself “Dang, now that is an entrance I will never forget!”

It was an emotional day, mostly huge smiles, but also happy tears (for example, when Jettie’s father read the letter she wrote to him, it was such a sweet moment!)

And the fact that all stages of the day took place practically in my back yard, well that was icing on the cake!

Take a look to see Jettie and Russ’s amazing wedding day!

Cake: Bethel Bakery
Ceremony Venue: St. Philp Roman Catholic Parish
Entertainment: Bachelor Boys Band
Florist: Sapphire and Lace Event Design
Hair and Makeup Artistry: JL Studio
Photographer: Lavender Leigh
Reception Venue: Chartiers Country Club
Transportation: Shamrock Limousine
Videographer: Vows to Video

Kendra and Mike | Phipps Botanical Garden Wedding

“Sounds like you may just want to roll the dice!” I say to Kendra as she is checking the weather forecast in between getting ready stages on her wedding day. What started as a foreboding forecast of 90% chance of thunderstorms all day, slowly dwindled in percentage as the afternoon wore on. When your ceremony and reception are planned to be outdoors in the lovely gardens at Phipps, it may seem questionable to roll the dice and keep them outdoors instead of switching to the indoor rain plan. But when we looked outside we saw shining sun, and the forecast *just* took a 180-degree turn; there was a better chance of sun than rain. Kendra made the call. She decided to keep the original plan and have everything outdoors. It was the right thing to do. Especially if you have been dreaming of an outdoor garden wedding from day one.

The day could not have been more perfect. Kendra and Mike just radiate when they are around each other. They are so full of love and laughter, every stage of the day was light-hearted and magical. They found a way to make each other laugh in their vows, when taking pictures, when cutting their cake. It is a match made in musical heaven. Both Kendra and Mike love music, and they found meaningful ways to add fun musical touches into their day. Musicians played during the ceremony and reception. Mike’s brother is a phenomenal opera singer, and sang a lovely piece during the ceremony. During the reception, the video booth turned into a karaoke machine, and the entire dance floor was singing along together. How truly sweet and special!

As the clock struck 11PM, the reception ended, the band played their last song, and the skies opened up. It poured the first rainfall of the day. Everyone was still under the tent, safe and dry. Except for Barry and me, who were in the garden cleaning up equipment from Kendra and Mike’s end of the night shot. Good thing we are fast runners…