Real Weddings 2011 :: Lindsay & Andrew 9.24.11

Lindsay and Andrew were married on a gorgeous fall day in September. We had been keeping a close eye on the weather the week prior (and preparing back-up plans just in case), but September 24th turned out to be a picture perfect fall day. 

Lindsay and Andrew wanted to be able to enjoy themselves during cocktails, so they opted to have the majority of their photos taken prior to the ceremony, including a "First Look". Their photos were taken around the Oakland area - mostly outside of their church, St. Paul's Cathedral, and across the street at the ever popular Mellon Institute. After photos were completed, Lindsay and Andrew made their way over to the church where they tied the knot during a beautiful Catholic mass. {Side note: since their photo locations and both venues were all within walking distance of each other in Oakland, Lindsay & Andrew were able to skip the limo and transportation costs!} 

Following the ceremony, guests were greeted by a bag piper playing outside of the church who led each and every one of them across the street to the Mellon Institute for a group photo. Yep, you read that right - all 181 of their guests were led in a bag piper processional through the streets of Oakland. It took a lot of coordination, but in the end, it turned out fantastic! Kuddos to the couple's fab photographer, Joey Kennedy, for pulling off the great shot (pictured above). Post-amazing group photo, the guests were then led down the street a few blocks to The University Club, where the rooftop cocktail hour and ballroom reception were set to take place. 

It was an amazing day, and we couldn't be more happier for this adorable couple! Congratulations again to Lindsay & Andrew!

The Wedding Team 

Wedding Planner Simply Perfect Weddings
Ceremony Venue St. Paul's Cathedral 
Reception Venue The University Club
Photographer Joey Kennedy Photography
Floral Designer Dee's Florals 
DJ Bill Bara
Makeup Pittsburgh Makeup
Hair Monica Kitta (412.537.5107)
Bag Piper Pittsburgh Piper

All photos courtesy of Joey Kennedy Photography.

Real Weddings 2011 :: Jamie & Jon 9.10.11 {Part 2}

A few weeks ago we shared Part 1 of Jamie & Jon's lakeside nuptials, and today we are bringing you Part 2. 

Following the "I Do's" and a few post-ceremony photos, the entire bridal party was treated to a boat ride around Conneaut Lake on a local boat named "Kaylee Belle". Then, for a fun surprise, the bridal party made their grand entrance into the reception via the boat dock. How many weddings do you see that cool of an entrance?! ;) Following Jamie & Jon's first dance and a few toasts, guests were treated to a lovely sit down dinner service under this gorgeously decorated tent. Towards the end of dinner we were lucky enough to witness an amazing sunset off the lake, which made for some great portrait shots of Jamie & Jon. 

The sunset was definitely icing on the cake, but the fun didn't stop there. After dinner, guests enjoyed lots (and lots!) of dancing, a candy bar, cigar bar, and even a sparkler exit as Jamie & Jon said their farewells at the end of the night. All in all it was an amazing day, and we were thrilled to be a part of it!

Congratulations again to the happy couple! We wish you many long years of love & happiness together!

The Wedding Team

Wedding Planner Simply Perfect Weddings
Catering JPC Event Group
Photographer MichaelWill Photography
Floral Designer Mocha Rose Floral Designs
DJ Kirk Dietrich  (814.504.3562)
Makeup Simply Beautiful Makeup Artistry
Hair Brooke Rockwell Hair Designs 
Rentals All Occasions

All photos courtesy of MichaelWill Photography.

Latest Review :: Laura & George 10.8.11

Here's what Laura & George had to say about our services: 

"Thank you so much for making our day go so smoothly! It was so nice knowing that everything was taken care of…after the wedding I started thinking about the little details and how I didn’t even have to think about them (like getting my bag in the getaway car or getting guests on the buses or setting up place cards, menus...I could go on and on). It was so nice to be able to just enjoy the day!! And the week of, knowing that Sumer was contacting all the vendors and making sure everything was taken care of was a HUGE help! I was able to just focus on getting married!! And the schedule Sumer developed for the day of was perfect…it was so great for our families and bridal party to have…everyone knew when and where they needed to be..and everyone was on time!! (which is very rare for our families). Every email/question I sent was answered w/in 24hrs (well most of the time w/in the hour!) Being an anxious bride it made me really feel at ease w/ everything! The schedule Sumer developed was a HUGE help and the day went so smoothly b/c of it…several ppl asked if there was anything that went wrong the day of, and I honestly cannot think of a single thing. Your services were excellent and I could not be happier with how everything went." 

We'll be sharing more photos from their gorgeous fall wedding in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! 

Photo courtesy of Milla C. Photography.

Latest Review :: Laura & Zack 10.1.11

Laura & Zack hired us for Wedding Day Coordination, here's what they had to say about our services:

"Zack and I loved having you as our day-of coordinator. We had an excellent experience from beginning to end. Zack and I will definitely recommend you in the future to any bride/groom. Thank you for a carefree wedding day!"

Photo courtesy of Craig Photography.

Real Weddings 2011 :: Jamie & Jon 9.10.11 {Part 1}

I am nearly jumping out of my seat with excitement to share one of our recent fall weddings with you today! Meet, Jamie & Jon. Jamie & Jon currently reside in Baltimore, but since Jamie is from the Pittsburgh area, they decided to exchange vows at her family's second home on Conneaut Lake. Because there are just too many great photos to share with you all in one post, their wedding will be posted as a two-part series. First up: getting ready + ceremony! 

Jamie & Jon's wedding day started off as quite a rainy day. While Jamie and her bridesmaids (9 total!) got ready inside the lake house (and Jon and his groomsmen got ready a few miles away at a nearby lake cottage), the vendors immediately went to work prepping the tent for an outdoor cocktail  hour & reception later that evening. Despite the rain, Jamie was still beaming from ear to ear when I went upstairs to greet the ladies who were being pampered with hair, makeup, and massages (lucky ladies!). As if you couldn't tell from these photos, Jamie has one of the most infectious smiles I've seen :)

By late morning, the rain was still falling, and by now, we had decided to implement our back-up weather plans and rearrange some of the decor that was originally going to be placed outdoors. A few hours later after we finished with our set-up we departed for the ceremony.

Their ceremony took place at Our Lady Queen of the Americas, a Catholic church just a few miles away. Given the rain, I kept a close eye on the radar during the hour long Catholic mass just PRAYING for a miracle that the rain clouds would roll away, and to my surprise, I saw that the radar showed the rain moving away from us in the opposite direction. Hallelujah! As soon as the ceremony ended, I showed the radar to Jamie & Jon who decided to re-implement our original plan, which included outdoor photos and a boat ride for the bridal party. Much to our surprise, the rain actually held off the entire rest of the evening. The newlyweds, along with their bridal party were able to enjoy an outdoor photo session along with a boat ride around the lake. 

Be on the look out for part 2 of Jamie & Jon's wedding later this week as I share photos of the reception and the absolutely gorgeous floral + detail shots! 

Photos courtesy of MichaelWill Photography.