Heinz History Center Wedding

Abby and Nick had a totally Heinz-themed event with a Heinz Chapel and Heinz History Center Wedding 🙂

Heinz History Center

Everyone thinks of ketchup when they think of Heinz, but here in Pittsburgh the family’s name is attached to some of the most iconic institutions ranging from buildings to charitable foundations. The Heinz History Center is located in the Strip District, so it’s convenient to downtown. That makes it easy for guests to get out and enjoy themselves for the whole weekend. Abby and Nick don’t live here any longer, but the connection to Pittsburgh is strong so it made sense to gather here for their wedding. I’m glad they did, because it was a terrific day. Here are some of my favorite photos.

A smiling couple embraces beneath the red neon sign atop of the building during their Heinz History Center wedding.

Abby eyes up her dress as it hangs by the window. The dress dates from the 1950’s and was worn by her grandmother and her mother. She had it restyled for her modern-day wedding. It was lovely:

A woman wearing a plaid shirt crosses her arms in front of her as she looks up at her wedding dress hanging by a window.A detail photo of a group of hands working together to button up the back of a bride's dress. The other photo shows the bride looking out of the window of the Westin Convention Center prior to her Heinz History Center wedding.Detail photos of a vintage pearl necklace, a 6 pence, white Tom's shoes, and a lace handkerchief with a blue ribbon. A card addressed to the bride is seen through a plastic tiara that she wore to her wedding rehearsal.

The beautiful bride:

A smiling bride with striking blue eyes looks at the camera before heading to her Heinz History Center wedding.

A detail from Abby’s veil stands out against the overcast skies outside of the window at the Westin Convention Center:

A bride spreads out her long cathedral veil in front of a window at the Westin Convention Center hotel in Pittsburgh.

Abby and Nick get ready in their separate rooms (Nick’s photo by Lisa):

Two photos: A bride is silhouetted against a window in one picture while a groom wearing glasses concentrates as he puts on a tie while looking in a mirror.

Abby holds the custom-made coloring book that they gave to their guests. Nick’s contrasting tie and pocket square completed the look of his bespoke navy blue suit:

Detail photos of a bride in a white dress holding a coloring book custom made for her wedding guests.Two portraits of a bride and a groom prior to their Heinz History Center wedding. The bride wears a silk dress with bare shoulders and the groom a navy suit with gray tie.Detail photos of a groom's navy suit with a gray tie and contrasting pocket square. Embroidered inside of the suit is the couple's initials and wedding date.

Abby heads to the first look on the path beneath the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center:

A bride holds her bouquet as she walks down the path beneath the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center with three other women holding her dress.

The First Look

Nick waits patiently. It was a little rainy, so this was the perfect place to stay dry while they had their first look:

Silhouette of a groom in a suit standing at the end of the walkway beneath the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center as he faces the Allegheny River and the falling rain outside.A groom smiles as his bride touches his shoulder during their first look. There is a waterfall illuminated by green LED lights behind them.

Photo by Lisa:

A bride in a white silk dress and veil laughs as she and her groom hold hands while facing each other during their first look. There is a green-lit waterfall behind them.A bride in a white silk dress holds a white bouquet as she kisses her groom in front of a green-lit waterfall.Portrait of a bride and groom standing beneath the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center in front of a green-lit waterfall. The bride wears an off-the-shoulder white silk dress and the groom wears a navy blue suit and brown shoes.

The rest of the bridal party joined us for photos. They guys looked great in their favorite blue suits and brown shoes:

6 men wearing different styles of blue suits hike up their pants legs to show off their bright blue patterned socks.

And the ladies were lovely in their choice of steel-gray dresses:

A bride in a white silk dress smiles while hugging her 5 bridesmaids who are dressed in different styles of gray dresses.

They guys look at the Shinola watches that Nick got for everybody. Nice!:

A group of men in suits walk up the path beneath the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Transportation was in a vintage 1957 GMC bus provided by Antique Coach Excursions:

A vintage 1957 city bus painted orange and white waits to take a bridal party to a Heinz History Center wedding.A driver dressed in a vintage uniform sits at the wheel of a 1957 GM bus.

The driver pulled under the Convention Center so that the bridal party could keep out of the rain. I love the bridesmaid holding the bouquets over her head to stay dry 😄

A group of women walk through a rainstorm escorting a bride wearing a white silk dress beneath an umbrella. They're walking to a vintage, orange bus.

Off to Heinz Chapel!

A young man wearing tortoise shell glasses looks out of a rain speckled bus window. There is a raindrop on the shoulder of his blue suit.

Photos by Lisa.

Detail photo of the red front door of Heinz Chapel with wrought iron rivets and decorations. Another photo of the facade of the church with trees in the foreground.

The Ceremony

Everyone was smiling during the ceremony at Heinz Memorial Chapel.

An old priest talks to the congregation as a smiling young bride and groom stand side-by-side at a right angle to him on the altar during their Heinz Chapel wedding.Two photos: one showing a groom facing his bride as they hold hands. He's smiling. The second photo shows the bride looking at her groom with a broad smile as they exchange vows during their Heinz Chapel Wedding. A bride and groom link arms and smile as they are introduced to the congregation at the end of their Heinz Chapel Wedding.

The couple shares a quiet moment just after the end of the ceremony while their guests file out of the church.

A groom kisses his bride on the forehead while they stand behind a stone column at the side of the church during their Heinz Chapel Wedding.Silhouette of a bride and groom embracing in the doorway after their Heinz Chapel wedding. The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning is in the background.

Back on the bus with a champagne toast.

A bride and groom toast with plastic flutes filled with champagne as they sit side-by-side on a vintage bus.

The Reception

Common Plea Catering provided a magnificent meal:

Three photos of delicious food including passed hors d'oeuvres, a salad of mixed greens, and a fajita bar during a Heinz History Center wedding.

The cookie table was well stocked with homemade treats.

Six photos of various homemade cookies on a traditional Western Pennsylvania cookie table during a Heinz History Center wedding.

Hepatica always does such a tasteful and beautiful job with the flowers. The place cards attached to nectarines is a lovely idea:

Orange and pink roses in bouquets by Hepatica flower shop and place cards attached to nectarines with a gold arrow pin.

Abby and Nick love to travel and I loved their idea of having their guests leave messages for them in a guidebook that Nick gave to Abby:

A menu card leans against a centerpiece made of a glass goldfish bowl with flowers, detail of a place card on a nectarine, and a travel guide with a sign asking guests to leave messages in it.

One of the cool things about a Heinz History Center wedding is that you and your guests get to explore the exhibits. During Abby and Nick’s wedding, the exhibit was all about toys through the decades. We had a very fun portrait session with the stuff that was there.

Three photos of a bride and groom playing with toys including a pinball machine, a giant barrel of monkeys and hula hoops during their Heinz History Center wedding.

I love that couch so much!

Two photos of a married couple enjoying the exhibits during their Heinz History Center wedding. In one photo is a replica of the Peanuts psychiatrist's booth. The other is a mid-century orange and chartreuse checked sofa with zebra skin pillows.

First Dance

A smiling couple dances during their Heinz History Center wedding.A groom reaches out his arm as he spins his wife during the first dance at their Heinz History Center wedding.

It’s always a great party when the Bachelor Boys Band plays:

Two photos. One features a saxophone player wearing a dark suit and a brimmed hat. The other one shows a young male singer in the foreground with a young female singer in the background during a Heinz History Center wedding.

Some creative guest got the idea of making a rope out of glow necklaces for a Limbo dance!

Two men wearing shirts and ties limbo dance beneath a green line made of glow necklaces during a Heinz History Center wedding.A bride smiles as she dances with two female friends one of who is yelling and holding a glass of liquor during a Heinz History Center weddingA finger points at a couple dancing where a man backs into his partner who is wearing a red dress and smiling during a Heinz History Center wedding.A woman in a black lace dress holds out her hand and laughs while dancing with a man in a gray suit and blue tie.A bride in a white silk dress smiles while watching a woman in a pink dress make a face while she dances with a blonde woman during a Heinz History Center wedding.

Abby and Nick’s Heinz History Center wedding took place in the Mueller Center on the 5th floor.

A bride in a white dress holds the bunched silk of the train up as she leads a conga line with her groom who wears a blue suit at their Heinz History Center wedding.A couple dances together with amused faces as they throw their elbows into the air during a Heinz History Center wedding.

Nick does a little crowd surfing:

A groom laughs as he is thrown into the air while by his friends during his Heinz History Center wedding.Seen from above, a bride and groom dance in the middle of large crowd of guests at their Heinz History Center wedding.

At the end of the night the couple’s guests cleared the dance floor and serenaded them during their last dance.

A bride and groom dance in the middle of an empty dance floor as their guests surround the edges and serenade them at the end of their Heinz History Center wedding.

Filed under: Heinz History Center Wedding and Heinz Chapel Weddings

For more photos from a Heinz History Center wedding take a look at Lisa and Armando’s wedding here.