Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love is in the air!!! Happy Valentine’s Day to all you who are enjoying it this weekend! I hope you’re all having a romantic evening out on the town or cozied up at home, whichever you prefer. Mark is taking me to a dinner theater, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never seen a play while eating before… What a novelty. 😉

I’ll share pictures and tidbits from the evening tomorrow, but until then… Congratulations to all the girlfriends who are joining the ranks of brides-to-be this weekend!! I’d love to see your shiny new rings! 😀

Finally, just a quick reminder of the current promotion I am running: All new 2010 brides who book my services this month will save $250… plus I’ll take free photos of your engagement ring… Yay!

Molly and Frank – a Pittsburgh wedding!

Enjoy some of my favorite pics from Molly and Frank‘s wedding in November! These guys had a very touching church ceremony in Molly’s hometown of Ambridge before celebrating with all their family and friends out by the airport. It was a beautiful day!

Much thanks goes out to the talented Christina for her help!

We’ll start off with a couple of getting ready shots… I loved the light in this next one, coming through Molly’s dress…

And how adorable is this next shot of one of the flower girls playing next to the bride!

What a beautiful bride, positively radiant!

Then it was off to the church for the big moment! While the bridal party was lining up in the back, Christina grabbed this great shot of one of the ring bearers, the groom’s nephew. Adorable!

As always, I’ll share one ceremony shot before moving on to the group pics. I particularly liked the detailing on the runner, with their monogram painted on (and look how great of a job the flower girls did!)…

Look at all this awesome light as we left the church!! I had to grab a shot since I knew it would be gone by the time we hit the park!

Molly and Frank requested pictures at a little park in Sewickley, so off we headed. This next shot is one of my favorite of the group pictures, although it’s a bit hard to see the details in this small format.

These two groomsmen graciously climbed up in the tree for the photo, but then had a heck of a time getting back down…

It was pretty funny 😉

Gotta toss in a detail shot of the beautiful dresses and simple clutch floral arrangements…

And how gorgeous are those necklaces?? Molly had them custom made for her bridesmaids. I love the ribbon detailing!!!

My assistant Christina grabbed this great candid moment while I was grabbing group pictures. Love it!

Since light was fading fast, we only had time for a handful of pictures of the bride and groom… They did a great job working quickly! I’m sure their newlywed status helped with the whole showing affection thing. 😉

These last two might be some of my favorites. Since the light was basically gone, we got a little creative with composition and spotlighting. Gorgeous!

Time for the party!! Loved the red curtain framing the cake, very elegant.

And how about the emotion in this mother-son hug at the end of their showcase dance! That off-camera lighting is just lovin’ this moment!!

I always love listening to the toasts at the reception. All three of Molly and Frank’s toasters gave some touching ones…

And of course gotta share a quick shot that Christina took of Chris and Tracey… These guys married just this October in a beautiful ceremony in Munhall. I love seeing my previous couples out at the parties!! Yay!

Congrats guys!!!!!

Here are some of the talented people who brought it all together…

• Reception Site: Pittsburgh Airport Marriott
• Ceremony: Good Samaritan Church (Ambridge) with Father Terry O’Connor
• DJ: Mark Zini
• Bouquets and Church arrangements: Valerie Brooks
• Centerpieces: Parkway Florist (Greentree)
• Makeup:  Tracy Bukoskey
• Hair: The Hair Gallery

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from the wedding day here. All prints are 50% off for the first week, in this case until midnight on Saturday, December 12. (You will see the discounted rates directly in the price list online when you attempt to buy an individual image. After December 12, the rates will automatically return to their normal level.) If you have any questions, just let me know, using the contact form on my website. Enjoy!!

Brittany and John

Congratulations to Brittany and John for their beautiful Ligonier wedding! Below I’ve shared some of my favorites from the day. I had such a tough time narrowing down my choices that I had to ask my boyfriend to bring it from almost 50 down to 20… so actually here you see Mark’s favorites. 😉 Brittany and John’s friends and family can access the entire collection of pictures from the day by following the directions at the bottom of this post.

You’ll notice I’ve included quite a few black and white photos… by Brittany and John’s request. They’re big fans of that particular monotone look (which is convenient, as I am, too!). 😉

Great thanks goes out to my second shooter Christina as always for her wonderful help, and to Sara who acted as my photobooth assistant for the evening.

Enjoy!!

What a beautiful bouquet! These guys chose to wed at the Ligonier Country Inn (after their original location closed down not long before the wedding!). It worked out perfectly, as the Inn’s simple friendly vibe was a great match for Brittany and John themselves.

The girls got ready in the “bridal suite” at the Inn’s adjacent Shafer House. Brittany’s sister and mom helped her with her garter. Love this moment!

Of course, as always, the guys were goofing off downstairs while waiting. 😉

We decided to grab some photos of the beautiful bride before allowing her groom to see her. Brittany is so gorgeous and willing to work with me on these poses! (I’m not sure she realized how well she could throw a hip in one of the later poses LOL- friends/family, check ’em out in her full galleries!)

Then of course John met her for an intimate first look in the bridal suite. Love this next pic!

Since the weather wasn’t cooperating, we ended up shooting the entire session in the Shafer House. It wasn’t the most ideal location (cramped with iffy lighting) but with quite a bit of creative maneuvering we ended up with a variety of beautiful images.

I loved this large window on the house’s enclosed porch. You can’t even tell that this corner space was entirely surrounded by trash, tools, maintenance materials, and displaced random furniture!

I’d say that the unfinished walls and trim only added interest to the photos…

And of course we had to make use of the bridal suite, too! Love this intimate moment in the next picture… might be one of my favorites from the day…

Loved all the kids sitting on a church pew, watching the girls ready themselves over in the corner!

The actual ceremony held out by the Inn’s gazebo, a nice intimate spot for the nuptials. I snuck inside the reception hall for a different viewpoint…

What a reception! Loved the cake (and great lighting!)…

Their first dance was to “Over the Rainbow.” So incredibly sweet!

Had to share a pic of the kids running around. Love it!!

Finally, a pic of the bride and her maid of honor (and sister) in the photo booth. Brittany and John decided the week before their wedding that they wanted to use the photo booth I also offer. It worked out great- the booth was a hit, with people in there all night long!!

(If you’re interested in including a photo booth in your own wedding, just ask me about rates.)

Brittany and John, I wish you only the best!!

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from the wedding day here. As before, all prints are 50% off for the first week, in this case until next Saturday evening, September 26! (You will see the discounted rates directly in the price list online when you attempt to buy an individual image. After September 26, 2009, the rates will automatically return to their normal level.) If you have any questions, just let me know, using the contact form on my website. Enjoy!