Some of my favorite photos from Kate and Brian’s wonderful Pittsburgh Golf Club wedding.

bride and groom stand outside on a golf course on a sunny day

When Kate told me that her dream had always been to begin her wedding day with a 5K race I got really excited. What a great idea! So on the morning of their wedding day Kate and Brian’s friends and family all got together at the Bartlett Shelter at Schenley Park for bagels, mimosas and a race along the same trails that Kate ran with her high school cross country team.

bride and groom smile after running a race before their wedding

I ran the entire 5K backwards 😉 so that I could get shots like this:

bride and her bridesmaids run a 5k race prior to her wedding

A little bit later we met again at the Golf Club for the wedding. It’s such a beautiful old Pittsburgh place. I’ve photographed other events there, but this was the first time at the club for a wedding. I loved it. There’s an abundance of natural light and the building and surroundings are an elegant oasis in a busy city.

Kate’s mom Sally helps her with a necklace:

mother helps her daughter put a necklace on before her wedding

Kate and Brian wanted to do a first look so that they could have time for formal photos prior to the wedding:

bride taps her groom on the shoulder as they have a first look before their wedding ceremony

Andrew Russell, one of my former newspaper colleagues, joined me for the day. It was great to work with him again. He did a fantastic job! (Andrew’s photo below):

closeup photo of a bride and grooms hands with wedding ringsbride and groom embrace as they first see each other on their wedding day

Brian’s sister couldn’t make it to the wedding as she was almost ready to have a baby so was prevented from traveling. Since she was watching things via Skype I figured out a way to fit her into the family formals:

family portrait at a wedding with one family member on an iPad because she couldn't be there on the wedding day

I love this photo of Brian and his guys (Andrew’s photo below):

groom and his groomsmen around a table

Kate is very beautiful:

portrait of a beautiful bride with short lighting from a window

In the hallway waiting for the ceremony to begin:

complex composition of a bride with her parents before her wedding ceremony

Brian and his parents Carl and Kathleen prepare to enter the room where they held the ceremony:

groom with his parents enters the room at the start of his wedding ceremony

Kate enters with her parents Martin and Sally:

bride and her parents enter the room where her wedding ceremony is held

Brian got a little emotional upon seeing Kate. Sometimes people worry that having a first look will rob them of this kind of moment, but it’s still a thrilling emotion-filled moment for a groom to see his bride walking towards him:

groom gets emotional upon seeing his bride enter the room for the wedding ceremony

(Andrew’s photo below):

groom looks at his bride lovingly

Kate and Brian listen as their friends Caitlin and Sean perform a song:

bride and groom watch a friend sing a song for them during their wedding ceremony

A sweet moment just after the first kiss (Andrew’s photo below):

bride and groom embrace after their first kiss

Brian breaks the glass at the end of the ceremony:

groom breaks the glass beneath the chuppah during a wedding

Kate and Brian had a self-uniting ceremony. Sometimes it’s called a Quaker Wedding. Brian’s childhood friends Joshua and Zachary served as the officiants of the ceremony and then witnessed the signing of the marriage license:

bride and groom sign their marriage certificate

It was a lovely early summer day:

portrait of a bride and groom on a golf courseA couple of cute kids:
a baby squirms on the floor as a little boy watches

First dance (Andrew’s photo below):

bride and groom during their first dance

My view of the first dance:

bride and groom nose to nose during their first dance

The speeches from Matron of Honor, Shari, and Best Man, Samuel, were hilarious. Shari handed out medals for the 5K earlier in the day:

collage of photos from the speeches during a wedding reception

Dancing the Hora (Andrew’s photo below):

bride dances with her guests as seen from a balcony above

I love Kate’s expression in this one!

bride and groom hold on to a napkin while being hoisted in chairs during their wedding reception

June 22nd was the night of a Supermoon – the largest and closest full moon of 2013. Brian is a college physics professor and professional astronomer, so you bet they were going to get their portrait made with the moon in it. The best part was when we went outside their musician friends Caitlin and Sean were already there checking out the sky. So naturally they began to serenade the couple with a lovely rendition of “Blue Moon” while we did the photos. A perfect ending to a lovely day!

bride and groom stand for a portrait during a super moon astrological event