Real Weddings, the wonderful Ali and AJ featured in Pittsburgh Magazine

It's finally here! Ali and I have been talking about this for months. It is an honor to be a part of Pittsburgh Magazine's Wedding issue that came out on Valentine's Day. You can see the wedding of the fabulous Ali and AJ Dorogi featured in the "Real Weddings" section. They were wed this past summer on June 30th at the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in the Strip District. The beautiful flowers were from Kerry Kennedy of KS Kennedy Distinctive Floral on the North Side and the cake was made by Carol’s Cakes in Aliquippa. You can pick one of these magazines up at your local Giant Eagle, Barnes and Nobel or CVS to check this issue out yourself!

A Pittsburgh Themed Wedding

My first Pittsburgh themed wedding was with Diana and Ryan, aka the new Mr. and Mrs. Woodske!  The ceremony was held in the heart of Pittsburgh's Polish Hill at the gorgeous Immaculate Heart of Mary church.  (There was a bird in the basement area where the girls were supposed to enter.  As myself and assistant Ryan Zarichnak waited for the bridal party to arrive, my fear of birds strongly showed as it took flight a few times.  When the girls arrived, we all decided it was best to just wait in the hallway. I won't share the photo Ryan got of me having a panic attack, hahaha.)

This wedding day was a scorcher in the Burgh so we moved quickly to keep everyone cool.  On our way to the reception at Heinz Field, we took a few photos on the Riverwalk.  Ducky Tour passengers yelled "Congratulations, QUACK QUACK" as they drove by.  One of the great thing about having a reception at Heinz Field, is that they allow the bridal party on the field and in the locker room for photos.  We definitely had a blast with this as you can see below.

Keeping the Pittsburgh theme going, the newlyweds walked into the reception as the DJ played Donnie Iris' "Love is Like a Rock."  You got a view of the city from your dinner seats and guests could enter the stadium for some fresh air and photos.  The bride, groom, bridal party, friends and family all kept the dance floor full as the night went on.  Heres to Ryan and Diana, Congratulations!

Bridal Gown, hairpiece, and Bridesmaids dresses: Ribbon Bridal, Beaver
Mens Tux: Tuxedo Junction
Florist: Harold's Flower Shop, Downtown Pittsburgh
Ceremony: Immaculate Heart of Mary, Polish Hill
Reception: Heinz Field, North Shore, Pittsburgh

My First Greek Wedding

Meet Dan and Fani.  We had an engagement session last winter downtown in Pittsburgh's Market Square and PPG Place (where Dan proposed) and I knew they were going to be so much fun!  Dan and I always talk hockey, and he was at the opening of a new hockey store the morning of his wedding, hah.  Fani and her family are from Crete, Greece and they had many friends and family members travel in to Pittsburgh for the nuptials.

There are so many Greeks traditions I learned about.  Before Fani's father put her shoes on her, she wrote the names of the unmarried women on the bottom of one of the shoes.  The name most worn off at the end of the night would be the next to find their partner!  (Fani even included my name in the mix, hahah!)  Honey and nuts were fed to the newlyweds at the beginning of the reception by the brides mother, it symbolizes having a sweet life together.  Music was played by family friends and Fani's Uncle as the guests danced the night away!  Money was also thrown to show appreciation for the musicians.  The bride dance called the Horos tis Nifis takes place at the reception, the bride starts dancing and everyone gets a chance to dance with her holding the handkerchief in her right hand. Everyone takes turns during this throughout the night.  Some of the other Cretan dances were the Sirtos, Sousta, Malebiziotis and Pentozali.  Both Fani and Dan's families were on the dance floor the entire night!  This bridal party was also a blast and so much fun to take photos of.

I am so happy to get their preview up before they head off to Greece for their honeymoon tomorrow!! Congrats again Dan and Fani, thank you for being so amazing :) Safe travels!!

 The Mothers of the Groom and Bride :) One of my favorite from that night!!

This was the third wedding where I had friend and fellow photographer Ryan Zarichnak helping out.  (He will be launching his website/blog soon so I will be sure to post his information when that is available!)  He is a great person to work with and I could not have shot this wedding myself!  Thank you Ry!!!!  At the end of the night as we were saying our goodbyes, the brides father pulled me into the crowd to learn some Greek dancing.  Ryan got this open mouthed laughing shot of me as I tried to pick up the moves. You can see the groom Dan in the bottom left trying to capture the action as well, hahaha.  Thanks again Ryan :)

Wedding Gown: David Bridal
Rings: Esken Jewelers
Flowers: Dee's Florals
Videographer: Brandon Keenan of KVT Productions (He was great to work with!!)
Church: All Saints Greek Orthodox Church
Reception: Hilton Garden Inn South Pointe  

Engagement Session with Alison and AJ

 A few weeks ago I shot with Alison and AJ at the Frick Park Environmental Center.  I am also shooting their wedding this summer so it felt great to get out with them and take some photos.  We had a beautiful fall day, here is a sneak peak at their engagement session!

Mr. and Mrs. Baleno

I had so much fun with Lori and Char on their wedding day!!  There were so many little touches that added great color to day. Lori's something blue was a pair of Badgley Mischka heels (which I loved photographing,) and Char's only request was that his boutiner was orange like he had seen at a previous wedding because he had liked how it looked!  I love how these things stand out in some of the photos. 

I do have to say, this was my favorite church to shoot in so far. The stain glass windows were incredible and added so much color and character to the setting during the ceremony. We were also lucky to have a beautiful day for outdoor photos before the reception began. This was my first time shooting on Mount Washington and I loved it. Congrats Lori and Char! Here is the sneak peak of the new Mr. and Mrs. Baleno.