Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos

Soldiers and Sailors Wedding PhotosA bride and groom hold hands as they stand in front of PPG Place in downtown Pittsburgh.

I’m pretty sure that you’re going to enjoy Mary and Frank’s Soldiers and Sailors wedding photos as much as I’ve been enjoying them for the past couple of months. The wedding was everything that I love – it was heartfelt and traditional while at the same time a reflection of who Mary and Frank are as individuals and as a couple.

Planning

Mary and Frank live out of state so their planning was done via the internet and during short visits to Mary’s parents. I’m really glad that technology has progressed to the point where it’s easy and perfectly natural to meet up on a video conference because by the time we met in person I already had a pretty good idea of their vision and their priorities for photos. One thing that was obvious from the get go was just how close they are with their families. I went to the rehearsal dinner so that I had a little bit of a handle on who was who. That’s something that I like to do when I have the opportunity and it helped me get a bead on Mary’s 8 siblings!

Getting Ready

The couple got ready at The Renaissance in downtown Pittsburgh. It was a great spot to use as home base for their wedding weekend, especially since they had so many folks from out of town attending their wedding.

Mary has a terrific laugh! I loved the look on her face as she unwrapped her wedding dress. Her mom Anne has a very calming presence about her.

A bride laughs while she unwraps her wedding dress as it hangs on a door in a hotel room. A young woman and her mother stand face to face while linking arms and meditating.

Frank got ready in a room a couple of floors above Mary and the ladies. His mom made the diagonal-striped vest! Oh hey, I was so glad to have my friend Veronica Varos shoot with me for this wedding. She did such a great job with the guys and throughout the rest of the day!

A bearded man looks in a mirror as he puts on his necktie in a hotel room. He's wearing a black and white striped vest.

I saw this scene in the mirror as Mary’s bridesmaids helped her into her dress.

A framed mirror hanging on a wall reflects a bunch of hands holding a wedding dress as a bride gets dressed.A bride smiles as her mother and a bridesmaid button up the back of the dress. A woman in a green t-shirt watches behind them and a young girl lays on a bed next to them watching.

Before too long each of them was ready for the first look.

A bride holds hands with her mother and a bridesmaid as they talk. A groom wearing a black suit holds up a glass while toasting with his friends who are all wearing t-shirts.

First Look

After some discussion and scouting we decided on the landing of the grand staircase in the lobby of the Renaissance as a site for the first look. It’s a pretty grand space.

A bride reaches out to touch her groom as they stand on the landing of the grand staircase at The Renaissance hotel in Pittsburgh. The purple room light is reflected on the white marble around them.A bride and groom embrace on the landing of the grand white marble staircase at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh. Purple light reflects from the white surfaces.

Then it was back upstairs for a quick portrait under the purple domed ceiling.

A bride laughs as her groom kisses her on the shoulder beneath the purple skylight in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel Pittsburgh.

Portraits

Before going to Oakland we headed over to Stanwix Street for some portraits. While I was setting up my lights Veronica made this cool photo of the guys in the old Chevy pickup looking at what was going on.

A bride and groom stand on the street as a couple of men seated in a rusty old Chevy pickup truck drive past them on Stanwix Street in downtown Pittsburgh.

A bride and groom embrace on the street in front of PPG Place in downtown Pittsburgh. The pointed mirrored glass structure provides a dramatic backdrop.

The next stop was the Cathedral of Learning.

A bride and groom embrace and smile at each other in front of the red wooden door on the Stephen Foster Memorial in Pittsburgh.

Mary was so elegant in her silk dress.

A smiling bride holds her bouquet as she looks over her shoulder while standing in front of a set of red wooden doors at the Stephen Foster Memorial.Smiling bride and groom facing each other. Groom walking as bride holds on to him from behind.

Frank is an architecture buff, so inside and outside of the Cathedral were great places for portraits for them.

Bride and groom smile at the camera as the bride holds the groom from behind. A groom kisses the hand of his bride as they stand beneath an arch in the interior of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

On to some Soldiers and Sailors wedding photos! It was just a short walk from the Cathedral of Learning to the ceremony site. Kind of a nice way to arrive, don’t you think?

A bride and groom hold hands as they walk towards Soldiers and Sailors hall for their Soldiers and Sailors wedding photos.

We did formal photos before the ceremony. Mary and her sisters gathered around for some motherly words of wisdom. It’s pretty obvious how the girls feel about their mom.

A group of young women gather around their mother for words of wisdom during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Mary walked down the aisle with her mom Anne and her dad John.

A bride stands between her parents as they prepare to walk down the aisle for Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

The flower girls went first.

A smiling flower girl throws petals at the camera during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

I love this moment when Mary’s parents got her to the front of the auditorium.

A bride stands in an auditorium and is kissed on each of her cheeks by her parents during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.Bridesmaids wearing black and white striped skirts stand on the stage during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Mary’s brother Erik and Frank’s sister Margaret officiated the wedding ceremony.

A bride and groom smile and laugh during their wedding ceremony at Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Such a beautiful space.

An overall interior view of the auditorium at Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.A bride slides a wedding band on the finger of her husband beneath the words of the Gettysburg Address during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.A bride and groom kiss as their bridal party looks on during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Their parents and the rest of the guests were pretty happy!

Looking back from the stage, wedding guests at Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos as they applaud the marriage of a couple.

Upstairs is where the real action was. Frank and Mary had a self-uniting ceremony, also known as a Quaker Wedding, so signing the document was what made it official. They live in Springfield, Illinois which made it kind of cool that this was all done under the profile of Abraham Lincoln.

A groom signs a document on a desk while the bride holds the paper down and looks up and to the right laughing. There is a bust of Abraham Lincoln behind them at Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.A bride and groom kiss after signing their wedding license while their witnesses run towards each other smiling Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Details

Some details include Mary’s shoes and jewelry as well as a lovely bouquet of flowers that Frank sent to Mary on their wedding morning. Guys, take note here – this was a classy move!

Teal colored shoes and silver jewelry along with a bouquet of yellow and white flowers.

Between the invitations and the centerpieces (that the couple made themselves) I’m thinking that you’re beginning to see the theme.

Brightly colored shapes make up the centerpiece of a table. Those brightly colored shapes are reflected in the design of the couple's wedding invitations.Tables set for dinner feature centerpieces with brightly colored shapes during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

The Reception

The reception was upstairs in the ballroom. It’s a huge, open space that comfortably accommodated their guests and left plenty of room for dancing. Here are a couple of photos of the first dance.

A bride and groom during their first dance Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

The speeches by the best man, Frank’s brother Edward and matron of honor, Mary’s sister Rebekah were heartfelt and very funny!

A man an woman laugh while giving speeches Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.A bride and groom seated at their table laugh at the speeches Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Mary’s dad John had a few things to say so he pulled up a chair 😄

The father of the bride pulls up a white folding chair in front of a bride and groom. He sits and talks to them while they laugh Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

The parents dances were done together.

A bride dances with her father and a groom with his mother during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Next up was a bit of Irish Step Dancing. Frank and his siblings along with his niece and nephew are all skilled dancers. Mary loved it!

A group of people perform Irish step dance and a dancing boy jumps in the air before an applauding bride Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

The rest of the night was a big old dance party! Thanks to Pittsburgh DJ Company for keeping things rocking 🙂

A bride and groom hold hands and dance during their Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.A man in a white shirt and a bow tie dances with young girls in blue dresses during a Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

I guess catching and lifting one of the guys must have seemed like a good idea at first but we all saw how it was going to end!

A man tries to catch and lift another man on the dance floor of Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos. They both fell on to the dance floor.A crowded dance floor with a bride and groom at the center during their Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Everybody danced, young and old alike!

A man holds a young girl as she flops backwards while they dance. Two boys lay on the edge of a stage with their legs dangling over during Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.Dancing guests at Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

The pointy cones of the centerpieces were too tempting for these guys who really want to be unicorns 🦄

Two men use pointed centerpiece decorations as horns as they charge towards each other on the dance floor of a Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.A bride and groom embrace as they share a slow dance at their Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos.

Such a great time! I hope you enjoyed these Soldiers and Sailors wedding photos. Here’s another wedding that I’m sure that you’ll like.

Filed under: Soldiers and Sailors Wedding Photos, summer weddings in Pittsburgh, Cathedral of Learning