Haley & John: Summer Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Wedding

Haley & John met in Panera Bread, of all places, while ordering their food! And a few weeks ago, they celebrated their marriage at the beautiful Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, surrounded by a small group of their closest friends & family during a GORGEOUS outdoor ceremony, followed by the sweetest reception!

If you’ve never been to the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens, you might just be missing out! Not only is it a lovely reception venue, but it has gardens and trails (and a cute little shop/food spot!) where you could easily spend a whole day taking in the beauty of creation.

And when it comes to weddings… PBG knows how to do it! They have the prettiest ceremony backdrop, and lots beautiful backdrops for photos. Haley & John decided on a mid-day wedding featuring a brunch menu (DELISH, thanks to Hazelnut Catering!) and a very laid back atmosphere, which was so much fun and such a nice change of pace! They had the sweetest, most thoughtful details, too - both had lockets they wore on their person in memory of loved ones who had passed. Haley chose her veil (covered with gorgeous pearls!) as a nod to her mom’s wedding dress, which was also covered in pearls! Her something blue was her toenails. They had everyone sign a vintage record as their guest book and had John’s grandfather’s record player displaying it, and they had signature cocktails named after their cats!

Because they opted for a shorter, earlier reception, they opted to use more of their photo coverage towards portraits of the two of them… and THAT was so much fun, too! We were able to hit so many beautiful spots around PBG, including the Japanese Gardens, the fields, a few beautiful pathways, and the cozy inside of the welcome center! They even take you to all the spots on a golf cart… which was a blessing for such a hot day! We were also able to use the last bit of our time to travel to Allegheny Commons Park on the North Side of Pittsburgh for a few extra portraits!

But above all of the meaningful details and the pretty backdrops, what stuck out the most to me on Haley & John’s wedding day was their genuine joy with becoming husband and wife. There were many happy tears shed by loving family & friends (and by the bride & groom themselves), beautiful, heartfelt toasts given, and just an overall atmosphere of love. What a joy to be a part of!

Haley & John, a HUGE congrats to you on your wedding day! Thank you so much for letting us celebrate with you! ❤️

Vendors: Bethel Bakery, See Jane Blush - Pittsburgh Makeup Artist, Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh, Birdy Grey, Hazelnut Catering

Logan D: Franklin Regional High School Senior Photos at Mellon Park

Meet Logan, who is graduating with the class of 2023! He plays football and loves Chipotle. I photographed his brother just a few months ago (who graduated with the class of 2022!) - it is always so much fun to work with the same families again!

And speaking of families, Logan's came along for some updated family photos before his session began! And they stayed with us for the rest of his session, which made the evening all the more fun. Stay tuned for some photos of the family coming soon!

Congratulations on your senior year, Logan!

Mellon Park Family Photos

Did you know that a mini family session can be added onto any full senior package purchase? If one member of your family is getting photo ready, it can be a great time to bring the rest of the family along for some photos of you all together! And that’s exactly what we did for this sweet family!

Family mini sessions paired with a senior session take place either at the beginning or the end of the senior session. They last 20 minutes, and in that timeframe, we get as many different combinations as we can, along with some more posed photos and some more candid photos.

If you would be interested in adding a mini family session to your senior package, you can do so while booking with me! Or, if you’ve already booked and would like to add one on, feel free to reach out and we can get it added on for you!

Emily & Dave: Italian Inspired Bella Sera Event Villa Wedding Photos

Emily & Dave had the perfect Italian villa inspired summer wedding day at the most gorgeous Bella Sera!

While it may have been one of the hottest days of the year at that point, it surely did not dampen this epic celebration! Emily & Dave really wanted to enjoy cocktail hour with their friends and family, so they decided to opt for a first look, which allowed us to complete the vast majority of their portraits (bride & groom, bridal party, and family formals) prior to the ceremony. It also allowed us to get some candids of cocktail hour, and gave us a solid chunk of time to photograph all of the gorgeous reception details at Bella Sera!

Right after dinner, we snuck back out into a grassy area for a few extra portraits of just Emily & Dave! I always LOVE this part of the day, when (if) couples decide to sneak out during sunset or golden hour for a few photos. Couples are typically so much more relaxed at this point in the day, and it really lets us get some different types of images!

After their golden hour photos, we headed back into the reception for parent dances and for LOTS more dancing. Emily & Dave had a huge dancing crowd, and we got so many fun photos of Emily & Dave with their guests on the dance floor (don’t worry… you’ll see!)

We absolutely LOVED getting to be a part of Emily & Dave’s day and capture the beginning of this next chapter. A HUGE thank you to Emily, Dave, and their friends & family for braving the heat for photos and for just being amazing to work with!

Congratulations, Emily & Dave! ❤️

In addition to having a wonderful couple, bridal party, and family members to work with, we were able to work with an incredible vendor team, too… check them out below!

Vendors: Bella Sera, AConti Media (Videographer), Fragile Paradise Florist, Bethel Bakery (Cake), Kevin H. Redford (DJ), Dana Burns (hair), Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh (Bride's dress), AZAZIE (bridesmaid dresses)

I love when we are able to get a photo with our couples! ❤️ A big thank you to the guest who took on my “fancy camera” for this sweet shot!

Max G: Butler High School Senior Photos at Succop Nature Park

We had a great summer night for senior photos at Succop Nature Park for Max’s senior photos!

Max is a Butler senior graduating with the class of 2023. He plays football, volleyball, and basketball, and his favorite type of food is breakfast food!

Succop Nature Park is a great senior photo location for those looking for a location North of Pittsburgh. There is lots of variety - tall grass, trees, a fence, a barn, a willow tree, a pond, and a small old greenhouse (and more!)! There’s also a large house on the property that we didn’t use for this particular session, but it still a great spot!

Congratulations on your senior year, Max!

Bridget & Sean: Sheraton Station Square Wedding Photos

Imagine the perfect June summer day - the sun is shining, it's 70°F - not too hot, but oh-so beautiful. Bridget & Sean truly had the most perfect weather (and day!) for their wedding!

Their ceremony took place at Duquesne University, and their reception took place at the iconic Sheraton Station Square Hotel! Their families & bridal party were a BLAST to work with, and it was just an all around amazing day celebrating an amazing, fun couple!

Congratulations, Bridget & Sean! Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your wedding day!

Vendors: Sheraton Station Square Hotel, Something Borrowed Blooms, Bethel Bakery, Fireside Events LLC, Pretty Hair Salon, Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh, AZAZIE

Also, if you’d like to check out their North Shore engagement photos from last year, feel free to click here!

Abby & Austin: Mellon Park Engagement Photos

Abby & Austin currently live in Seattle, but came back to Abby's home town of Pittsburgh for their engagement session just a few weeks ago!

These two are super smart and super fun to be around! It was so easy to tell how much they love, admire, and respect each other just from the 90 minutes we were privileged to spend with them. And that made taking their photos so, so easy!

Mellon Park was looking extra beautiful the night of their session, too, with the most beautiful light! It is always a great go-to at any time of year for a variety of backdrops… it is it’s own little oasis within the city!

Congratulations on your engagement, Abby & Austin! We cannot wait for your wedding day later this year!!!

Summer North Park Family Photos

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family a few years ago when we had a surprise snow storm at the beginning of November… and this time was much different! Rather than a surprise snow storm, we had a heat wave the day of their session this time, which they muscled through so well! Thankfully, we had some beautiful sunlight and scenery to work with, which made the heat seem not so bad!

Family photo sessions with young ones are so much fun! Of course, I’m always aiming to get some photos of the kids looking at the camera, but often times, it’s important to embrace the more candid-nature of a family session with young kids to get some genuine smiles. We played Simon Says, laughed, yelled, talked about our favorite foods, animals, and colors, and hugged, and ran! And we had a great time. A huge thanks to this family for letting me photograph you all again! ❤️

Courtney & Matt: Antonelli's Event Center Wedding Photos

I have SO many favorite photos from Courtney & Matt’s wedding day... and what a beautiful day it was! Not too hot, but still full of sunshine - Courtney & Matt had the most ideal summer day for their wedding! ❤️ (PS - if you missed their engagement photo session at Succop Nature Park last year, feel free to click here to check it out!)

The day begin at Courtney's parents' home, where the ladies were getting ready! The church where their ceremony was held was the epitome of a quintessential small town church, and after the ceremony, we hopped over to White Oak park for lots of portraits! After, we moved over to Antonelli's for their celebratory reception (they just have the best food!) and LOTS of dancing!

Courtney & Matt, a HUGE congratulations to you both on your wedding day - we are so honored to have been a part of it!

Vendors: Antonelli Event Center, Just Hitched Wedding Films, Lea's Floral Shop, Inc., Prantl's Bakery, DJ Bryan Hoover, Michelle's Bella Boutique & Day Spa, Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh, AZAZIE, Immaculate Conception Church, Irwin PA

Pittsburgh Extended Family Photos

This was a special extended family session, featuring both sides of Malorie & Johan's family! These extended family members have come together in support of their newest and littlest member, so it was only fitting to document this sweet season before some head out of state in the place that brought them all together in this season!

Interested in an immediate or extended family session? Feel free to click this link for more info!

Malorie & Johan, thank you so much for the honor of photographing your sweet families during this special time!