Renaissance Hotel Wedding in Pittsburgh

Renaissance Hotel Wedding in Pittsburgh

newlywed couple walks hand in hand across the roberto clemente bridge in pittsburghI’ve had this post from Courtney and Rick’s Renaissance Hotel Wedding in Pittsburgh on the schedule for a couple of weeks now. It’s been a busy start to the wedding season and frankly the task of updating my website has fallen by the wayside.

Coincidentally, I talked with Rick on the phone yesterday and I was glad to hear that both he and Courtney are very happy and enjoying full lives and busy careers. It’s always a pleasure to find out what’s going on with couples in the months and years after their weddings. I’m privileged to be with them on Day 1 of their marriage. Life goes on and changes happen, which is why I believe that having a set of photos that document what the day was like and show how you felt on Day 1 is so important.

Getting Ready at The Ren

Courtney and her girls share a toast.

bride and her bridesmaids share a toast in their room at the renaissance hotel

Courtney’s mom Sheila helps her get her dress on as the bridesmaids look on.

dramatic side light as a bride's mom helps her get her gown on while bridesmaids peek through the door to the hotel room

Since the wedding ceremony was to be downstairs and the guests were already downstairs, Courtney and Rick had their first look in the suite. It was a beautiful and private moment, just like it ought to be.

a groom smiles as his bride walks up behind him before the first looka bride smiles as her groom sees her in her wedding dress for the first time

There was great light coming in the windows, so why not do a few portraits in the suite? Courtney’s bouquet was by the amazing Allison McGeary.

gorgeous portraits of a bride and groom on their wedding day

Ceremony on the Grand Staircase

The ceremony was on the grand staircase in the lobby of the Renaissance.

a bride's mom kisses her on the cheek before she walks up the stairs at the pittsburgh renaissance hotel to meet her groom

The combination of white marble and red carpeting is beautiful and timeless.

bride and groom have their wedding ceremony on the grand staircase at the pittsburgh renaissance

a bride laughs while saying her wedding vows

First kiss (photo by Lisa).

bride and groom have their first kiss

A beautiful bride in a beautiful gown.

a bride stands facing away from the camera revealing the scoop back of her wedding gown

Reception in the Symphony Ballroom

The couple is introduced into the reception.

bride and groom wave as they are introduced during their wedding reception

Courtney laughs as DJ Kelli Burns talks about members of the bridal party (Lisa’s photo below).

bride laughs with her bridesmaids during a wedding reception

The ring bearer, Zayden, smells the flowers of his mom Tessie’s bouquet while Courtney and Rick have their first dance.

a little boy sniffs the flowers on a bridesmaid's bouquet as a bride and groom have their first dance together

I love this photo by Lisa of Courtney and Rick as they feed each other cake.

closeup shot of a bride and groom feeding each other wedding cake

The couple listens to toasts while sitting at the sweetheart table.

bride and groom laugh during toasts from the best man and maid of honor

Sheila surprised Courtney by having her favorite teacher from high school perform a song during the reception. While still a teenager, Courtney said that when she got married she wanted him to perform at her wedding.

bride and groom dance to a song from a guitar player

Parent’s dances.

bride dances with her mothergroom and his mom walk to the dance floor

These guys were so sweet!

two men hold hands while dancing with their datesbride and her friends sing a song on the dance floor during a wedding reception

Nothing like a little AC/DC to bring out the air guitar players in the crowd!

a man plays air guitar during a wedding receptiona lady yells as she dances with the groom during his wedding reception

Sheila bangs on a pot to signal time t0 change partners during the money dance.

mother of the bride bangs a pot with a wooden spoon during the money dance at a wedding receptionbride and groom wear sunglasses as they dance.

So there you have it, some of my favorite photos from the day. One of my main goals this season is to keep the site updated. I’ve got a lot of really great weddings in the pipeline and I’m excited to share the photos with you. So check back soon.