Krista & Jeffrey
July 14, 2018
National Aviary, Pittsburgh, PA
Krista and Jeff are dear friends who moved to Pittsburgh not long before their wedding, and decided to kick off their married life in their new hometown. And they truly embraced the city, from a first look with a backdrop of the Pittsburgh skyline to a ceremony and reception at the National Aviary. To top things off, Daniel and I shot this wedding together, which made the day even more special.
The couple got ready in the Springhill Suites near the first look site (in separate suites, of course - I was happy to see the bride’s suite had lots of windows and beautiful light!). They each wrote each other sweet notes to read before they saw each other in person, and spent some quality time with their ten bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Two things: First, this was my first time in Pittsburgh, and I was surprised by the beauty of the city - it’s known as “The City of Bridges,” and the bridges, water, and surrounding landscape beautifully frame the more urban pieces. Second - and I don’t need to tell you this, because you can see them - Krista and Jeff are one photogenic couple. Like, wow. (And they’re as nice as they are hot…I know, how do they exist?!)
We headed to the venue early for some more portraits and some shots with the wedding party. As it happens, there’s a gorgeous park right behind the National Aviary that offers a lot of good spots for portraits. It was about 100 degrees that day, but this gorgeous wedding party didn’t show a drop of sweat.
The ceremony site was beautifully laid out, with gorgeous flowers by local florist Bloom Brigade. Jeff surprised Krista by splurging on an incredible floral installation to decorate the ceremony arch (which Krista’s father built), so we had to snap a few more bridal portraits to memorialize the sweetness.
The ceremony, performed by a friend of the couple, was full of joy, a few tears (the happy kind!), and laughter, just as you want a ceremony to be. Afterwards, there was a cocktail hour inside the Aviary’s main building (does that mean we got to see birds and a BABY SLOTH, you ask? Yes, yes it does.) and then dinner and dancing in a tent in the Aviary’s garden. The Pittsburgh heat stayed well into the night, but nothing could stop the celebration - or the dancing - from continuing until they kicked us out.
CREDITS
Dress | Essense of Australia
Hair & Makeup | JL Makeup Studio
Venue | The National Aviary
Florals | Bloom Brigade
Bakery | Oakmont Bakery
Catering | Atria’s Catering
Rentals | Affordable Tents
Entertainment | DJ Digital Dave
Coordinator | Sidekick for Hire
