Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh Wedding

Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh Wedding

Lizzie and Stephen’s Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh wedding was one heck of a good time at one of the city’s premiere venues. I’d been looking forward to the wedding for a long time. Lizzie is one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. Her enthusiasm is infectious and she makes sure that everyone around her feels welcome and valued. Stephen is the quieter one of the two and his thoughtful, steady nature is the perfect match for Lizzie. Here are some of my favorite photos from their wedding day.

a bride and groom hold hands in front of the large green cabinet with images of owls and french revolutionary figures at the Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh wedding.

Getting Ready

The Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh is a classy place. Management left a welcome card and a couple of beautiful chocolate covered strawberries in Lizzie and Stephen’s suite.

chocolate covered strawberries with silver and gold sugar crystals at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

Lizzie got ready in a suite upstairs for her Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh wedding, while Stephen got ready down the street in a room at the venerable Duquesne Club. The decor at the Monaco is eclectic and fun, which gave me a few ideas for photos 😉

a bride and groom get their hair done before their wedding. The bride sits beneath the picture of a lightbulb at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding. The groom fixes his hair in a mirror.

Lizzie’s shoes with bows by Kate Spade along with an heirloom jeweled clutch decorated with flowers by Sapphire and Lace.

high heeled shoes with bows and a jewel encrusted purse with white roses sit on a counter in a suite at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

Stephen had initialed cufflinks made for himself and his groomsmen. So no, they’re not junior, senior, mister 😃

a grooms engraved cuff links are reflected on a glass table. Detail of the groom putting on the cuff links on his french cuff shirt.

Stephen walked up Sixth Ave. from the Duquesne Club with Lizzie’s brother Max (left) and his brother Michael. They looked great in their tuxes from The Black Tux!

a groom and two groomsmen walk on the street in downtown pittsburgh with the 71B bus in the background to a hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

The Ceremony

Lizzie and her dad Michael laugh as they walk down the aisle in the Sofia ballroom at the beginning of her Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh wedding.

a bride laughs as her father walks her down the aisle at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding. she holds a bouquet of pink and white roses.

With candles bordering the aisle, the Sofia ballroom was transformed into a beautiful wedding ceremony site.

guests watch the bride and groom say their vows at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding. candles in glass cylinders burn on the edge of the carpet runner.

Lizzie slides a wedding band on to Stephen’s finger as the Honorable Alexander P. Bicket looks on. Judge Bicket is a friend of the family so it was special to have him officiate the wedding.

a bride and groom smile at each other as the bride slides the wedding band onto the groom's finger.guests watch the bride and groom walk down the aisle at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

Let’s Do Some Portraits!

Even though it was a little chilly, Lizzie and Stephen were all in for a photo session on the Emperor Rooftop. I knew it was going to be dark early so I hired an assistant whose only job was to carry my lights while we were doing portraits throughout the hotel.

a bride and groom dance on the rooftop of the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding at night. the lights of the city and strings of lights illuminate them.a groom hugs his smiling bride in the soft glow of the string lights on the roof of the hotel monaco

A wedding party portrait on the big yellow couch:

a bride and groom sit on a yellow couch with their wedding party at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

After the group photo we did a few with Lizzie, her sister Corey, her brother Max and his wife Addison (left).

a bride poses with her family at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

Then Stephen with his brothers Michael (left) and Jonathan.

a groom sits crosslegged on a yellow couch with his brothers as they make funny faces at each other.a bride and groom embrace on a blue couch with a chess set and a blue covered book on the table in front of them during their hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding.

The Reception

The Sheffield ballroom was ready for the guests to arrive. The candlelit ambiance provided an intimate atmosphere for a fantastic dinner.

white flowers on white dinner tables in a candlelit ballroom at the hotel monaco pittsburgh weddingpersonalized wedding favors on a gold charger and a cake topper on a white wedding cake with the names elizabeth & stephen in script above flowers at a hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding.

Lizzie’s dad Michael gave an emotional greeting to the assembled guests. I love this moment between him and Lizzie.

a bride cries as her father gives a speech while holding her hand during a hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

Corey taped masks of Lizzie and Stephen under the guests’ chairs and at the right moment had everyone reach beneath and hold them up. It was hilarious – and a little surreal.

guests hold masks with the bride and grooms faces at the hotel monaco pittsburgh weddinga bride and groom hold masks of each other as the maid of honor gives a speech

The cake from Lincoln Bakery was very tasty.

a bride laughs as the groom shoves a huge forkful of their wedding cake into his mouth

First dance. The Elite Show Band was amazing, as always.

a bride and groom smile and dance as the band sings at the hotel monaco pittsburgh weddinga bride in a white lace dress and groom laugh as the groom in a black tuxedo spins his bride around on the dance floor at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding.

The parents dances were filled with sweet moments between Lizzie and her dad, and Stephen and his mom Denise.

three photos of a bride and groom dancing with their parents. In two of the photos the parents embrace their children tightly.

The dancing got started right after the parents dances. It wasn’t long before Corey and Lizzie having fun on the dance floor.

a bride drinks and dances with her maid of honor. They're both sweating and laughing.wedding guests including a man in a blue checked shirt and a woman in a black dress with floral print dance with candle light in the foreground

Stephen had pizza from Mineo’s brought in for a late night snack, it was right next to a tater tot bar 😋

a black tuxedoed groom and two male guests also in black pick pieces of pizza from a box. The second photo shows an extensive tater tot bar with cheese, sauces, green onions, guacamole, and bacon during a hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding.a bride in a white lace dress with sleeves and her friend in a black strap dress jump and dance as their hair flies around them.

Stephen and his dad David on the dance floor, while at the same time…

a groom dances with his father, they're both wearing black tuxedos.

…Lizzie and her mom Cathy were out there, too.

a bride in a white lace dress dances with her mother who is wearing glasses and a red sleeved dress.

A lovely ending to a wonderful day.

guests clap as the bride and groom dance and kiss under a spotlight at the end of the evening at the hotel monaco pittsburgh wedding

 

Here’s a page with more Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh weddings.