Wedding Photography at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Hotel

While looking over this wedding photography at the Pittsburgh Renaissance hotel as I prepared this post, I was struck by how much laughter played a part in Kara and Brian’s wedding day. It’s been a while since their wedding last summer and I can’t help but smile thinking back on that day.

Bride and groom embrace and laugh on a beautiful summer afternoon in downtown Pittsburgh

The crew at the Renaissance Pittsburgh did a wonderful job with the Symphony Ballroom doing double duty as both the ceremony and reception site. The room was beautifully appointed for the ceremony and within a short span of time it was transformed into a grand space for dining and dancing. All of that took planning and I know that Kara and her mother Jenny along with the hotel staff put a lot of effort into the event. The results were outstanding.

Getting Ready

Kara gets a look at herself in a full-length mirror as she and her bridesmaids got ready for the ceremony.

A bride looks at her dress in a full-length mirror at the renaissance hotel in pittsburgh before her wedding ceremony

Lots of laughs while they waited.

a bride and her bridesmaids share a laugh during a silly moment as they get ready for her wedding at the renaissance hotel in Pittsburgh

A note to bridesmaids out there, Eat n’ Park Smiley Cookies with blue icing will turn your tongue blue. But hey, it matched her dress and eyes perfectly 😀

a blue tongue is the result of a bridesmaid eating a lollypop prior to a wedding

Kara’s mom looks at her beautiful daughter.

The mother of a bride looks lovingly at her daughter before the wedding ceremony a bride and her bridesmaids relax as they wait for the wedding ceremony to begin

Ceremony in the Symphony Ballroom

In the arcade on the second floor of the hotel just before the ceremony.

a bride watches as her bridesmaids process into the wedding ceremony

Kara and her dad Joe before the entering the ceremony.

a bride and her father stand together and smile at each other before a wedding ceremony

Brian and Kara obviously enjoyed the ceremony, there were lots of laughs (Lisa’s photo).

a groom smiles at his bride as they say their vows to each other

Reverend Larry Goyda officiated. He’s a great guy.

a bride bends over with laughter as she says her vows to her groom during their wedding ceremony

The light coming in through the windows couldn’t have been more beautiful. The ceremony had such an open and airy feeling.

a bride and groom are introduced as husband and wife at the end of their wedding ceremony in a hotel in pittsburgh pennsylvania

The Pirate’s Parrot buzzed past while we were out on the Clemente Bridge taking portraits of the bridal party. It was nice of him to dress for the occasion 😄

the mascot of the pittsburgh pirates, the pirate parrot, rides a bicycle past a wedding party on the Roberto Clemente Bridge

The Reception

Details are an important part of any wedding. Couples put a lot of thought into the look and feeling of their big day.

wedding details including blue and white flowers, a guest signing print in the shape of a tree, wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses hanging on hangers with the women's names on them, petit fours and champagne

Kara and Brian are introduced.

a bride and groom raise their hands triumphantly as they're introduced into their wedding reception in downtown Pittsburgh

Joe’s speech was very funny!

father of the bride laughs as he gives a humorous speech during a wedding reception

Matron of Honor Stephanie’s speech was very heartfelt.

matron of honor smiles at the bride during her speech at the wedding reception

Remember, when you ask your brother to be your best man, you’re asking someone who has intimate knowledge of you and a lifetime of embarrassing stories. Brian’s brother Jason shared some of those, but kept it all in good fun.

best man gives a speech as bride and groom laugh during their wedding reception

First dance.

first dance of a bride and groom in a beautifully lit ballroom with yellow and purple colors

This was a dancing crowd, for sure. I’ve got so many wonderful photos from that part of the evening, but here’s a sampling of my favorites.

a cute little girl dances at a wedding reception in pittsburgh pennsylvania a bride dances with her aunt during a wedding reception mother of the bride dances with her brother while they make funny faces at a wedding reception a woman in a hot pink dress dances sandwiched between two men during a wedding reception a young man is lifted on the shoulders of an older relative as they dance during a wedding reception two men play air guitar on their ties as they dance during a wedding reception

At the end of the evening, Kara’s family got together with an encouraging message for an injured relative who couldn’t attend the wedding.

family members hold signs up in support of an injured relative who couldn't attend a wedding reception

The sunset that evening was as beautiful as I’ve ever seen. It was the perfect end to the day!

a luridly beautiful sunset over the Roberto Clemente Bridge and PNC park across the Allegheny River from the Renaissance Hotel

Rachel from Pittsburgh Wedding Cinema made a couple of wonderful films from the day. Here’s a link to the shorter of the two – the Highlight Reel. Check it out.