by: Sara & Peter
June 18, 2011
A gorgeous spring day, a beautiful bride, a handsome groom, and the loving support of family and friends are all the ingredients required for a perfect wedding day recipe! And Sara & Peter's wedding day was just that ... perfect. Timeless and traditional, yet contemporary and chic, Sara and Peter's wedding day love story unfolds in front of our eyes. Enjoy these highlights and thoughtful reflections from Sara--as she recounts the many captivating details leading up to, and on their big day.
Photographer: Jenni Grace Photography
Stationery Suite: MagnetStreet Weddings
Ceremony Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church in Plum, Pennsylvania
Reception The LeMont Restaurant on Mt. Washington--boasting a spectacular view of my hometown city, Pittsburgh, PA
Wedding colors: Classic blue with red accents
Wedding style: Peter and I were both looking for a classic style wedding – including the wedding ceremony with a Catholic Mass; the reception location with charming, old-fashioned décor; the bride, feeling like a princess in a strapless bridal gown with a billowing skirt; and the groom, playing the handsome prince in a classic black and gray tuxedo. In with the traditional, we threw a few twists, like a humorous caricature drawing of us on the wine bottle favors and a fancy first dance that had our guests on their feet cheering.
Best part of the whole wedding day: The whole day was amazing—literally my dream wedding—but the best part of the day was bringing our two sets of family and friends together to help us celebrate the beginning of our lives united as husband and wife.
Highlights of the day: So many! The wonderful sermon that Fr. Michael gave during the ceremony – it was so personal and moving; the groom’s joyous tears when saying his vows; the sprinkle of rain that caused a rainbow during our pre-reception photos; the amazing views of downtown Pittsburgh from the LeMont – especially when fireworks were set off at the concert playing at Heinz field; our first dance where my husband led me around the dance floor into spins and twirls and dips and even a lift at the end; three incredible speeches – best man, maid of honor, and the bride’s daddy; the enormous cookie table (a Pittsburgh tradition) filled with cookies that many of my family and friends lovingly contributed; dancing with friends and family, old and new; closing the night out with a big group of friends at a Bar Louie in Station Square.
Sara & Peter personalized "For Your Eyes Only" Mini Save the Date Magnet, "Vision of Love" Wedding Invitation and "Blocks of Red" Thank You Note Card. Each item belonging to separate designs, Sara & Peter did an incredible job of coordinating the stationery look through color and fonts!
Advice you’re glad you took: Someone told us to make sure we take a couple of minutes by ourselves to ‘take it all in’ and Peter and I did that. Right after we finished our dinners we looked around at the wedding reception that held our family and friends, and then looked back at each other as if to say, “all of the effort that we put into planning our perfect day has paid off--all of these people are here to celebrate with us and everyone, including ourselves, is having a great time.” I will have that mental picture of our perfect wedding day forever.
Advice you wished you took: Someone told me I would be disappointed about not hiring a professional videographer and I’m afraid that I do have that regret. I feel that as the bride you are “hidden away” and there are so many things that you miss – the pre-ceremony music while our guests were being seated, our bridal party’s procession, our moms being walked down the aisle and lighting the unity candle, our bridal party being announced at the reception, etc. Additionally, I feel like the ceremony and early parts of the reception like our wedding dance, the cake cutting, and the speeches flew by in a bit of a blur, but if we would have had a videographer, these moments would be preserved forever. We were very lucky that a couple of good friends took short videos throughout the wedding day, so we do have those videos to remind us of the day; but, I would certainly recommend to newly-engaged couples to seriously consider employing a professional videographer to capture all of those priceless moments.
Advice you’d like to give: Keep to your budget – determine where you can cut back on costs by deciding upfront what is most important to you both—for us that was a fancy reception location in the downtown area of the city and a number of private dance classes at The Wedding Dance Specialists. I knew that we would have to cut back in other areas, so we made our own ceremony programs, place cards, and table name cards and had very simple DIY centerpieces. It’s impossible for most people to have the very best of everything, so figure out what is important and focus your finances and effort in those areas. Also, choosing a creative, talented photographer who is easy to work with is absolutely essential!
Congratulations Sara & Peter! We wish you all the best. Thanks once again for sharing your beautiful day as well as the insights and lessons learned with all of us! I'm sure your advice will help many brides-to-be!
