OK, so here’s where I make my pitch that every couple ought to have a brunch wedding reception. I’m serious! Well, mostly serious 😊 No really, what’s not to like about getting up early, having a cup of coffee and getting married? Well, that’s what Yasmine and Andrew did during their wedding at the Hotel Monaco.

A bride and groom embrace on the roof of the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Getting Ready

A woman smiles as a makeup brush applies blush to her face. An older woman looks on and smiles in the background.

Yasmine had the pros from Glam to Go in to do her hair and makeup.

A Maggie Sottero wedding dress and other bridal details including a pair of Badgely and Mischka shoes.

Some details include Yasmine’s elegant Maggie Sottero dress and these beautiful Badgley Mischka open-toed shoes that I would later make her walk through snow while wearing them 😄

A bride looks in the mirror as her mother helps her zip up the back of her wedding dress.

Yasmine’s mom helps her with her dress.

A man holds the lapels of his gray suit. He's wearing a brown patterned tie and a hexagon pin.

Andrew shows off his gray suit with a brown patterned tie. The hexagon pin was a symbol that appeared throughout the day. It represents harmony and balance, among many other things.

A bride in a white dress smiles as she sits in a window and reads a card at the Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh.

Yasmine reads a letter from Andrew before the ceremony begins. She was so lovely sitting there in the window.

A bride smiles and laughs with her father before her winter wedding at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Yasmine and her dad share a laugh before the ceremony.

Ceremony in the Sofia Ballroom

A groom wearing a gray suit and brown shoes walks in to the Sophia ballroom at the Hotel Monaco before his winter wedding.

Andrew enters the Sofia Ballroom at the beginning of the wedding ceremony.

A blond woman in a dark blue dress walks with a bernadoodle dog bearing wedding rings at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Andrew’s sister walks with the ring bearer Rooney, Yasmine and Andrew’s Bernadoodle.

A smiling bride walks with her father into her winter wedding at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Yasmine and her dad smile as they walk down the aisle.

A groom smiles as he watches his bride walk towards him at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Andrew smiles as Yasmine approaches.

A bride and groom stand in front of a hexagon arch while holding hands during their wedding ceremony at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Andrew and his dad made the wooden hexagon arch that served as the backdrop to their ceremony.

A bride smiles as her groom raises his fist in the air at the end of their wedding ceremony at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

All smiles!

Bridesmaids wearing fur wraps and groomsmen with brown patterned ties during a winter wedding at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen.

A bride smiles as she looks over her shoulder while wearing a Maggie Sottero dress at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

A photo of Yasmine showing off the back of her lovely dress.

Brunch Wedding Reception

Brunch wedding reception foods at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh including cereal, various quiches, and a breakfast burrito bar.

The folks at the Hotel Monaco had brunch ready when the ceremony was over. Cereal, quiche, and breakfast burritos!!!

The contents of a bloody mary bar and signature cocktails at a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

There were signature cocktails along with a Bloody Mary bar. When it comes to hot sauce I’m a Cholula guy but Satan’s Rage sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Different varieties of donuts on offer during a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Donuts!!!

The tables are set for a brunch wedding reception in the Sheffield ballroom at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

The meal happened in the Sheffield ballroom.

Details of place settings during a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Each table had copy of the couple’s wedding program in the form of a newspaper. Instead of gifts Yasmine and Andrew asked for donations to the S.Y.STEM Coalition – an educational charity that Yasmine is deeply involved in.

Flowers and candles at a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Five different kinds of wedding cakes during a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh. A display shelf with five different kinds of wedding cake during a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Why have one cake when you can have five? I like the way these folks think!

A bride laughs as she and her groom cut their wedding cake during a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

DancingA bride and groom dance during their brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Dancing took place in the hall between the Sheffield and Sofia ballrooms.

A bride dances with her bridesmaids during a brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco.

Sometimes I worry that when it’s light out people will be reluctant to dance. I should have known better with Kelli Burns in charge of the music.

A man with a beard and a woman with bright red hair dance during a wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

A blond woman dances with her elderly grandparents during a wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Andrew’s sister dances with their grandparents.

A bride and groom dance during their brunch wedding reception at the Hotel Monaco.

Portraits

A bride and groom sit together on the yellow couch at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

Another bonus of a brunch wedding reception is that we had the rest of the afternoon to make portraits. That yellow couch is a great spot to start.

A smiling bride and groom are illuminated by a shaft of sunlight at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

I should have mentioned that this was a winter wedding. On the days we actually see the sun in January the quality of the light is amazing! We got lucky and had a bright, cold, sunny day.

A bride smiles and looks to the right during a portrait session at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

A groom kisses the side of his bride's head as he stands behind her while she holds his hands.

They fit together well, don’t they?

A bride and groom hold hands and laugh as they stand on a snow covered patio at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

I told you that I made Yasmine walk through the snow! She was totally on board with the idea and the results were worth it.

A silhouette of a bride and groom in front of a window at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

A groom holds his brides' hand as he spins her at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

A bride and groom sit together and pet their Bernadoodle dog on a sofa at the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh.

We ended the day in their suite where we took some photos with Rooney. That face❤️❤️❤️

This was actually Yasmine and Andrew’s second wedding of the weekend. They had another ceremony the day before at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Mt. Lebanon. I’ll share some of those photos on my instagram.

Here’s another great winter wedding you’ll enjoy looking at.