Pittsburgh Wedding, Boudoir, Senior Photographer

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

Risa and Andy | Mellon Park Engagement Session

Risa and Andy are one of the most down-to-earth and friendly couples I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. They just have this happy and genuine aura that was completely apparent upon the first hello we spoke! We photographed their session in Mellon Park, and Luna, their sweet black pup, made a cameo in some of the pictures. Risa and Andy have known each other for quite some time- since high school! But I’ll let them tell you the whole story themself in the Q&A section below.

For a November day, the sun couldn’t have given us better light! It was warm and golden, and in a few of these pictures, I had fun playing with sun flare. Take a look at some of my faves from their session!

Q: Tell us how you met!
Risa: We met our sophomore year of high school (2003) when I started at Shadyside Academy. We spent a good bit of our free periods sitting at “the windows” playing cards. I remember telling my mom about him. I definitely had a crush.

Q: When was your first date? Details, please!
A: Sometime in June 2007, summer of our freshman year of college. I found out that his parents were moving to Ligonier where I grew up. I was excited and called to talk to him. Turned out he was still in the middle of his finals but he called me to meet up when he got home. For our first date, I think we were hiking around Cucumber Falls in Ohio Pyle.

Q: How did you know that he was the one?
A: I couldn’t be without him! Everything I did, I wished he could be a part of because I knew that sharing it with him would make every experience exponentially better.

Q: When was the proposal? Tell us about it!
A: June 29, 2014. We took a weekend trip to Deep Creek together to canoe, hike and hang out at the Honi Honi. On the drive back we stopped in Ohio Pyle to get ice cream and take a walk. We were sitting on the cliff overlooking the valley, where we had gone on one of our first dates, that’s when he proposed.

Q: What do you like most about your fiancé?
Risa: I don’t think I could choose between his personality and his heart. He is so smart and funny and he is the most caring, kind and generous person I know. We always keep each other laughing and I love that!
Andy: Her goofiness and how much we complement each other. No matter what the situation or where we are were having fun and comfortable on any adventure.

Stay Tuned!
Wedding Date: August 20, 2016
Ceremony and Reception Location: Seven Springs Mountain Resort

Paige and Nate | City Engagement Session

When I first met Paige and Nate, we were sipping on some coffee and talking about the venues they were scoping out that weekend for their wedding day. The Grand Concourse being one of them, which ended up being the winner, and I was thrilled because this is one of my favorite restaurants in the city! What I loved even more was how genuine and fun-loving Paige and Nate are, it was evident within minutes of meeting them. Theirs will be a beautiful day!

For Paige and Nate’s engagement session, we hopped around the city. I grabbed pictures of them at some of my favorite spots, and just had fun getting to know them! Pittsburgh was a windy city that day, which actually adds a beautifully dramatic touch to these pictures! Take a look at some of their engagement photos, and keep scrolling to learn a little bit more about this couple!

Q: Tell us how you met!
A: We met at Duquesne University, while Nate was working on his Master’s Degree and coaching for the football team and I was working on my undergraduate degree and playing soccer.

Q: When was your first date? Details, please!
A: March 2012. Our first date was the classic dinner and a movie! We went to the cute little restaurant, 17^th Street Café followed by watching The Other Guys.

Q: How did you know that he/she was the one?
Nate: I knew she was the one based on how comfortable I am being with her and the fact that we can be silly together
Paige: I knew he was the one when he came to Cleveland to spend Christmas with my family and me and he became as competitive as the rest of us at Pictionary!

Q: What was the date of the proposal? Tell us about it!
A: Nate proposed on September 6, 2015! We had planned an afternoon of kayaking. We had a rough start because Nate’s kayak tipped and went into the river as soon as he got into his kayak. Once he got himself back into the kayak, we had a mellow trip down the river. After about 2 hours we stopped to get out and stretch our legs. I was taking my good ‘ole time getting out of my kayak while Nate was patiently waiting. When I finally got to where he was standing, he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket (thankfully it hadn’t fell out of his pocket when he took his dip in the river) and asked me to marry him!

Q: What is your favorite part about your fiancé?
Paige: My favorite part about Nate is his laugh, especially the way he giggles when he finds something REALLY funny.
Nate: Paige’s goofy sense of humor, which often results in random chest bumps any chance she gets!

Wedding Date: 9/4/2016
Ceremony Location: West End Overlook
Reception Location: The Grand Concourse

Jen and Jeremy | Jay Verno Studios Wedding

Life is about having fun. With friends. With family. And especially the love of your life on your wedding day. Jen and Jeremy’s wedding day was the epitome of fun, from start to finish. Not just the average fun, but the type of fun that screams “THAT WAS AWESOME!”

Which was really the theme of this wedding. Every single detail reflected who this light-hearted and loving couple is: the school bus transportation,

Jen’s red Chuck Taylor shoes, the sunglasses and glow sticks passed out at the party, err, I mean reception. And not to mention one of my favorite parts of the day- when the officiant gave Jen and Jeremy gifts AND cake to eat during the ceremony at the altar, seconds before they said their vows!

This couple means business when it comes to laughter, love and fun. It didn’t stop with their guests, we had such a great time just being around them on their day. I kept thinking, “how lucky were we to be a part of all of this?!”

<alt>wedding rings on chuck taylor shoes</alt>

<alt>a bride's nails being painted</alt>

<alt>bride and bridesmaids in lawn</alt>

Kim and Nick | West Park Engagement Session

It was a beautiful day for Kim and Nick’s engagement session! The fall leaves couldn’t have been any riper and vibrant. We started in West Park, and then headed over to the Mexican War Streets to include the cool neighborhood vibe surrounding the park. We are excited to photograph this couple’s wedding next June at Shannopin Country Club!

I absolutely loved watching Kim and Nick’s interactions between each other- especially the larger-than-life smile that Nick put on Kim’s face. It is quite clear that they are simply smitten with each other! And also smitten with their dog, Tucker! Tucker made an appearance in some of the pictures. Take a look, and keep scrolling down to learn a little bit more about this couple!

Q: Tell us how you met!
A: We met at my best friend Catie’s Halloween party. She was working with Nick at the time and thought we might like each other. She was right!

Q: When was your first date and give us details!
A: October 29^th, 2010. Hanging out at the Halloween party! We can’t remember what our first date was after that, oops!

Q: How did you know he/she was the one?
A: I knew Nick was the one right away, it was just a feeling, I felt so comfortable around him and he was always so sweet and nice.

Q: When was the date of the proposal, and tell us about it!
A: December 25, 2014. We had both of our families over for a big Christmas dinner for the first time and it all went really smoothly! After everybody left, we were chatting about the day, and he asked me if I got everything I wanted for Christmas. I said yes, it was a great Christmas! He said well I have one more present for you…. And pulled out the ring!

Q: What do you like most about your fiancé?
Kim: I like how calm and level-headed he is, the fact that he is always there for me and willing to help me with anything, and that he makes me laugh and is my best friend!
Nick: Her smile and how happy she makes me.

Wedding Date: 6/25/16
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Shannopin Country Club

Lauren and Nick | Cioppino Wedding

Risa and Andy | Mellon Park Engagement Session

Paige and Nate | City Engagement Session

Jen and Jeremy | Jay Verno Studios Wedding

Kim and Nick | West Park Engagement Session

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leigh@lavenderleigh.com