Pittsburgh Wedding, Boudoir, Senior Photographer

Amy and Matt | Mellon Park Engagement

There’s just something about Amy and Matt that screams sweet, unadulterated love! On the day of their engagement session, it was another 50+ degree day in Pittsburgh, and the sun’s rays couldn’t compete with the radiant feelings these two have for each other.

Amy and Matt are both avid Frisbee players. In fact, Amy had a game at 10:30PM the same night as their engagement session! Can you imagine playing a competitive game at 10:30PM at night? Talk about hard core! The engagement session must have been a warm up!

It was so wonderful getting to know these two as we took pictures, and also listening to the ideas of what they have in mind for their wedding, which will be in Montgomery, AL (where Amy grew up!) Take a look at some of the engagement pictures of this sweet couple, and keep scrolling down to learn a little bit more about them!

Mellon Park, engagement session, Pittsburgh, wedding photographer, Lavender Leigh Photography, blog

Mellon Park, Engagement, Winter, Couple, Pittsburgh, Wedding, Photographer, Boudoir, Lavender Leigh Photography, Blog

Mellon Park, engagement session, Pittsburgh, wedding photographer, Lavender Leigh Photography, blog

Q: Tell us how you met!
A: We met our first day of college- Emory University in Atlanta. We quickly became close friends, but we didn’t date.

Q: So, you didn’t date at first?!
A: It finally got to the point where both of our moms were always asking why we hadn’t started dating yet!

Q: When did you know that the romantic relationship had started?
Amy: During our junior year, I said “I love you” and he kissed me. 2.5 years later, he proposed!

Wedding date: 3/11/17
Reception location: Montgomery, AL

Sweet and Sultry | Boudoir Photography

What I love most about photographing boudoir is that it celebrates the fun, sexy, sultry, and sweet aspects of femininity all in just one session. It gives each lady the freedom to express themself in a fun and light atmosphere. Most importantly, it makes every lady that steps through my door feel beautiful in their own skin.

Here are some boudoir photos of a lady that is not only lovely on the outside, but just as sweet and lovely on the inside! We had so much fun during her session- which is really what it is all about. Being pampered as you have your hair and makeup styled (strawberries and a little bit of bubbly add to the fun, too!) then feeling on the top of the world and confident as your pictures are being taken. I’ve had quite a few boudoir clients schedule a second and third time because they had such a great experience the first time around, they want to make it a reoccurring event. And yes, these are the same people that entered their initial session with a few jitters, only to find the most fun and amazing experience by the end!

With the huge boudoir success we had in 2015, we are quickly filling 2016 bookings, and couldn’t be happier about it! If you are considering a boudoir session, contact me soon so we can make sure to get you on our schedule! To view more of our boudoir blog posts, click here.

Hannah and Will | Heinz History Center Wedding

It was a day when Pittsburgh was just getting back into the groove after the holidays: work weeks were back in full swing and people were walking about the city and taking advantage of an unusually warm January day. As we enter the hotel room where Hannah and her ladies are getting ready, we are greeted by a “Hi Leigh and Barry!” and Hannah’s most beautiful and warm smile. Hannah jumps off of the bed and starts helping her bridal party get ready by placing sashes on her bridesmaids and the tiara on her flower girl. It is heartwarming to see how the flicker of Hannah’s smile naturally ignites smiles from her entire bridal party. Which isn’t entirely surprising because it is only natural to adore someone who is as genuine and gracious as Hannah. And, what a perfect match for Hannah- she found an equally genuine and sweet gentleman in her husband, Will.

Will and Hannah are incredibly adoring towards each other- watching them interact, you can see that “love at first sight” spark every moment they are together. Their hands are always touching when they stand or sit next to each other, their laugh becomes even larger with they join in together. They just make perfect sense. Take a look to see what I mean…

The ladies spotted Will and the groomsmen taking pictures with Barry in the street below!

The ladies’ view of down below, where Barry is showing the guys where to stand for their pictures

Hannah and Will sat next to each other on the trolley before the ceremony! Will is blindfolded in true Steeler fan fashion.

Hannah’s grandfather worked for USS Steel, so incorporating the USS Steel sign at the Heinz History Center was a must!

One of Hannah’s relatives actually drove this trolley- so special!

Because who doesn’t want a picture with a huge Heinz ketchup bottle?

I love the below image not only because Hannah and her father are dancing, but also because a special moment was caught between Will’s parents and Hannah’s mom as they watched…

Cake: Market District
Caterer: Common Plea
Ceremony Venue: McKnight United Methodist Church
DJ and Ceremony Musician: Klicker Productions
Florist: Blumengarten Florist
Hair Artistry: Greg Jockel
Makeup: Pure Beauty Makeup Artistry
Photography: Lavender Leigh
Reception Décor: Michelle Stiglitz
Reception Venue: Senator John Heinz History Center
Transportation: Molly’s Trolleys
Videography: JHC Videography

Kate and Cory | Engagement Session

Stepping into Kate and Cory’s apartment, I am dazzled by the beautiful and eclectic décor, and am immediately greeted by one of the cutest pups I have ever met- a sweet rescue named Ryder! I instantly understand why this beautiful couple wanted to have some of their engagement photos taken in their charming and welcoming home.

Kate and Cory are equally as charming and welcoming- I instantly fell in love with how relaxed and in love they are with each other. It is evident that they would try to jump to the next continent if the other asked them to do it. I am so lucky to have been referred to these two by another client (thanks, Kelly!) Fun fact about Cory and Kate- they work in really unique fields! Cory plays the double bass in an orchestra, and Kate is in the TV industry!

Their engagement session landed on the warmest day in January, so after their apartment pictures, we strolled around at their local park and took advantage of the warm winter sun! Take a look at some of Kate and Cory’s engagement pictures, and scroll down to learn a little more about this couple!

Q: Tell us how you met!
A: OkCupid! – Turns out online dating isn’t so bad and it’s free!

Q: What was the date of your first date? Details, please!
A: May 28, 2014. We met up for Adventure Bingo at Union Pig and Chicken (upstairs). The theme was 80’s Video Games. The host there is awesome and his crazy off the wall sense of humor really helped to break the ice. After bingo was over we stuck around the bar area and kept talking and talking and talking until we realized what time it was. A hug and some butterflies followed. Then texting and talking and soon another date!

Q: How did you know he/she was the one?
A: Shortly after we started dating Cory was asked to play some gigs down south. One of them turned out to be close to Graceland. Cory thought we should make a big road trip of it since it’s somewhere I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go. Not only did we not kill each other in the many confined hours of the car, but we made tons of memories along the way stopping in Beckley, Nashville and Jackson, culminating in our visit to Memphis to see the King!! It was a blast. We are travel buddies for life now.

Q: When was the proposal? Tell us more about it!
A: October 15, 2015. We were on a family vacation with Cory’s family and it was my first time to Disney World. The first day we all split up in the Magic Kingdom to do our own thing. It was sometime after lunch and Cory and I had just ridden Space Mountain and were flattening pennies when I spotted a photo booth. We love photo booths so I asked him if we could do it. He said sure, in his normal happy, calm demeanor. As soon as the timer started counting down he pulled out all this Kleenex and I was like , “Why the heck are you blowing your nose NOW?? Look at the camera!” That’s when I saw a ring and he asked me and the photos captured the moment pretty perfectly. Shock, disbelief, excitement and pure joy. Disney World really is the happiest place on Earth!

Q: What do you like most about your fiancé?
Kate: He loves me exactly how I am. He accepts and loves my crazy little dog. He has the patience of a saint and a real passion for what he does. Watching him teach little kids piano is pretty adorable too.
Cory: I love her sense of humor, passion, and how creative she is. Everything that she does whether it’s writing, drawing, cross stitch, or whatever has a lot of personality in it.

Wedding Date: November 6, 2016
Ceremony and Reception Location: Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, TN

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends! We hope that you all enjoyed the holidays and had time to relax with friends and family. I write this blog post coming out of a slight hiatus over the holidays- after celebrating three Christmases, two birthdays, and New Years, we needed time to rest at the beginning of January!

The rest didn’t last long, though, because on January 4^th, I drove with some of my photography friends to Washington D.C. to attend The Event, a phenomenal workshop put together by the tremendous wedding photographers Justin and Mary. I even made it on their The Event blog post (twice!) To see these pictures, click on this link: http://justinandmaryblog.com/justin-mary-present-the-event-the-recap/

Then we hit the ground running with the first photo session of the year, an engagement session, on 1/7. There is no “Off Season” here, because over the next few weeks we are photographing a wedding, three boudoir sessions, and another engagement session!

I am writing today to thank you for the support you have given us over the past few years. This support helped to propel us through the busiest year we had yet- 2015. Below are just a few of our accomplishments last year, and we have YOU to thank for the business and referrals that propelled our growth!

In 2015 we photographed…

1.) TWENTY weddings

2.) FIFTEEN boudoir sessions

3.) TWENTY ONE family portrait sessions

4.) SEVEN engagement sessions

When you add all of those up, you get 63 sessions, which translates to photographing a session every single week, and on some weeks, two.

In addition to the booking growth we experienced last year, we also grew professionally by attending two photography workshops- the Mystic Seminars in Portland, Oregon, and a workshop with the world-renowned wedding photographer Jerry Ghionis, in New York City.

2016 brings an exciting year with weddings, engagement sessions, and boudoir already in full swing! In hopes to shift our lives to more of a work-life balance, we are striving to limit the amount of sessions we take on each month. We absolutely love doing what we do, and are blessed to photograph the sweetest people in such beautiful and happy times in their lives! Which makes it hard for us to set limits! But we find that stretching ourselves thin is not a benefit to anyone because it prevents us from bringing our A game to every email, interaction, and session with our clients. So, in 2016, we are attempting to take on slightly fewer bookings in every genre so we can make sure to give 100% to what we do. Full family portrait sessions will change to mini session days twice a year- spring/summer and fall/winter- to make sure we have availability for all of our portrait session clients during the prime photo-taking seasons. If you have interest in learning more about these mini session days, make sure to email me so I can provide you with more information (leigh@lavenderleighphotography.com.)

We hope that this New Year finds you happy and healthy! We look forward to seeing you in 2016!

XOXO,

Leigh, Barry, (and Benny!)

Amy and Matt | Mellon Park Engagement

Sweet and Sultry | Boudoir Photography

Hannah and Will | Heinz History Center Wedding

Kate and Cory | Engagement Session

Happy New Year!

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leigh@lavenderleigh.com