It was very fitting for Elise and Craig, who will be getting married this coming September, to schedule their engagement session in the Winter. They originally met on the ski slopes – where they volunteered their time teaching disabled individuals to ski. In fact, Elise told us that they hardly have any photos of themselves where they aren’t wearing their ski gear. Needless to say, they LOVE Winter sports! So we thought it would be great to take advantage of a chilly January afternoon and photograph the two of them “heating it up” in the freezing cold weather. We even got lucky enough to have some snow flurries towards the end of the session – a perfect surprise for the couple who loves the cold! Check out a few of our favorites from the session.

Shooting a friend’s wedding is great for two reasons. It’s awesome to share in a friend’s big day and also an excellent way to catch up with old friends. Chris and Kristy’s wedding certainly fulfilled both of these expectations. We started the day downtown at the always stunning Fairmont Hotel for Kristy’s preparations. The beautifully lit lobby provided a perfect location for pictures as this particular wedding day greeted us with some early morning precipitation.

We’re always happy to be shooting a ceremony at St. Mary of the Mount Church in Mt. Washington, and Chris and Kristy’s was no exception. The church’s interior combined with Grandview Avenue’s unique perspective of Pittsburgh is a great way to show off the city to out-of-town guests. After a quick stop for pictures outside of the church, we headed to West Park on the North Side where the bridal party braved the rain and cold for some additional pictures.

We got to do a bit of traveling for the reception and headed over to Youngstown, Ohio’s B&O Station. This former train station has since been converted to a banquet hall and beer brewery on the bank of the Mahoning River. By the time we arrived, the sun was shining and we were lucky enough to grab a few more shots of the bride and groom before heading into the reception for a night of dinner and dancing with a great guest list of family and friends. The excellent DJ Sam Crawford rocked the B&O until last call. Congratulations Chris and Kristy!

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2011 was a year full of wonderful weddings and fabulous couples, and we were thrilled to end our season photographing Ann Marie and Doug’s big day. We LOVE how we get to experience the changing seasons in Pittsburgh and these two gave us the chance to photograph both a wonderful autumn engagement session AND a winter wedding. We greatly enjoyed both, mostly because Ann Marie and Doug are a perfect match!

In our opinion, they planned an exceptional winter wedding. We started the day with Ann Marie and her sister at the Renaissance Hotel for early morning preparations before heading to Heinz Chapel for the ceremony. Ann Marie continued to get ready in the bridal room at Heinz Chapel while Doug braved the cold (and some snow) for a few pictures outside.

Doug and Ann Marie shared a beautiful ceremony as the sun slowly set outside. The lights outside the chapel beautifully accentuated the massive stained glass work giving their ceremony a peaceful and serene feel.

After their beautiful ceremony, we headed back to the Renaissance Hotel and took advantage of its gorgeous interior for some fabulous shots – safe from the Pittsburgh weather outside. Ann Marie and Doug enjoyed the rest of their wedding day with an elegant night of dancing and live music with their closest family and friends.

Thank you Ann Marie and Doug for letting us be a part of your day and giving us a great way to end the 2011 wedding season! Check out some of our favorite images below:

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Megan and Ed had a lot to smile about on their wedding day. Let’s start with a mid November wedding with absolutely beautiful weather. Next, they were surrounded with an AMAZING group of family and friends who love to laugh and have a good time. Lastly, did we mention what a perfect match these two are? Megan and Ed are totally connected – and it really shows in their photos. What a dream day!

We started the day at Megan’s house and really enjoyed hanging out with her family and bridal party. As an added bonus, the fabulous Justine from Beauty Justified (who is also Megan’s cousin) did her makeup. As you can see below, the results were breathtaking!

Megan and Ed decided to kick off the day with a “first look” at Megan’s house. If you follow our blog, you know by now that we love when our couples choose to incorporate this into their wedding day.

After a great “first look” (Ed totally rocked it and Megan looked FANTASTIC) we headed to Peter’s Lake Park to hang out with the bridal party for a few photos. Next up was the ceremony at St. Louise de Marillac Church in the South Hills. This was our first time photographing there, and its unique architecture made for great pictures both inside and out.

We also had the pleasure of another Studio Bash first – shooting at The University Club in Oakland. Eric Schiemer of Schiemer Entertainment Services joined us at the reception and threw one awesome party. Eric is a class act and we always look forward to spending a night partying with him.

We really love it when our couples incorporate personal details into their weddings, and Megan and Ed had a truly original idea. Ed is a professional runner, so each table featured numbers from different races Ed had run. Love it!

The University Club was a perfectly elegant setting for a night of celebrating. Thank you Megan and Ed for choosing us to be part of your day! Check out more of our favorite photos below: