Coptic Wedding at the William Penn
Photography from Cassie and Ash’s Coptic wedding at the William Penn hotel in Pittsburgh.
Getting Ready at the Omni William Penn
Cassie’s matron of honor, Sarah helps out with the garter belt.
Sarah and Cassie hold hands while bridesmaids Jackie and Koko button up the dress.
Cassie had her gown displayed on a vintage dress form alongside her sparkly blue shoes.
Cassie’s bouquet was constructed from jewelry that was donated by members of both her and Ash’s families. The blue and gold theme was reflected in the bridesmaids’ bouquets and the boutonnieres which were made of silk flowers.
Cassie shows off her bouquet.
Next, Cassie got her dress on. Her dad helped with the veil. I think every mother of the bride knows the look on Sharon’s face.
The blue walls of the suite fit perfectly with Cassie’s color scheme.
The bridesmaids each had a blue and gold scarf to keep them warm.
Cassie and Ash met at Johns Hopkins University Hospital where they worked as a clinical research coordinator and a surgeon in the transplant department. Pretty impressive!
Coptic Orthodox Ceremony
Cassie and Ash wait for their ceremony to begin. They were married at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Ambridge. I photographed the consecration of the church when I worked as a news photographer. It was a pretty big deal to have the Coptic Christian Pope lead the ceremony.
At the beginning of the ceremony Cassie and Ash walked down the aisle. I like the Coptic tradition of the couple entering the church together.
The priest blessed their rings while Ash wore a golden cape.
It was a beautiful ceremony.
I was able to get close to the action. Closer almost always makes for better photographs.
After the ceremony was over Cassie and Ash walked out to their guests blowing bubbles. Lisa’s photo above.
This photo was from my angle.
Reception at the Omni William Penn Hotel
Before we went into the hotel I insisted that we take a couple of minutes to go across the street to Mellon Square Park. I really wanted to do some portraits before it got dark. A quick check of the timestamp on the photo files shows that we spent 3-1/2 minutes on outside portraits. When time is tight I’ll take whatever I can get!
Cassie and Ash danced as they made their entrance to the Omni William Penn. Shouldn’t every couple dance when they enter their reception? I think so.
Soon after the entrance, the procession made its way up to the 17th floor for the reception in the Urban Room. That lady’s lamp headpiece was amazing!
Ash danced with his dad.
They were having a great time!
Earlier I’d mentioned the jewelry that made up Cassie’s bouquet. It was beautifully displayed in this small cage with a note describing who had contributed to the bouquet. The results were lovely but I really like the connection to family that the bouquet represented.
Of course there was a cookie table! The blue and gold theme was carried through to their wedding cake. Cookies with their names on them were a special touch. They were almost too pretty to eat. Almost 😋
Portraits
When you have a winter wedding the weather outside is a big question mark. Even though I insisted that we do some outdoor portraits, I wasn’t too concerned. The interior of the Omni William Penn offers so many possibilities and with a little bit of lighting magic you can make some pretty great portraits there.
The chandeliers are Pittsburgh landmarks in themselves. When I saw the glass tabletop I was excited to add another element to the composition of this portrait!
Dancing
After dinner there was a night of dancing. First up was Cassie and her dad.
Followed by Ash and his mom.
Pretty soon the guests were out on the dance floor in force.
I love Ash’s expression as he takes the garter from Cassie’s leg.
More dancing. And tattoos about dancing.
This photo of Cassie and Ash dancing at the end of the evening under the Urban Room’s fabulous Art Deco chandelier says everything about how they feel about each other. It was a great day for a wedding and I’m very grateful to have been there to tell their story.
Here’s another great winter wedding I photographed at the William Penn hotel.
Filed under: Coptic wedding at the William Penn