I’ve been looking forward to this wedding for a long time! I don’t think there’s a better spot to enjoy the beautiful Pittsburgh skyline than PNC Park. (I’m just going to skip over the expected comments about the quality of baseball you see there.) What better place to show off Pittsburgh to a wedding where the majority of guests are from out of town? I wasn’t just excited for the venue, though. Diane and Chris are such warm, gracious people, and so are there entire families. They could have had their reception in an empty storage facility and it would still have been wonderful. From the moment I first met Diane’s mom, Gail, I felt like she welcomed me as part of the family.  And all day I noticed so many different friends and family members talking to each other, hugging, reminiscing, celebrating, and just glowing with happiness.

Here’s Diane’s amazing gown by Paloma Blanca. When I saw it, my first thought was that it looked so tiny, it was hard to believe a person could fit in there. A moment later I heard one of Diane’s bridesmaids say the same thing.

Gail, Diane’s sister Chrissy, and Diane admire her dress.

Here are some of Diane’s bridesmaids. Only some, because there were nine of them. Diane decided to give her bridesmaids a lot of decision-making power when it came to their dresses – she chose three different colors of J. Crew dresses. I loved the effect – I think this is a fabulous idea and hope others follow her lead.

Such beautiful detail on the gown! Loved it.

Of the 9 bridesmaids, I believe that only Diane’s sister lives in Pittsburgh. Many of them hadn’t been to Pittsburgh before, so there were some oohs and aahs over the wonderful Molly’s Trolley that transported the bridal party.

At the church, Chris’s sister Sarah straightened his slightly crooked tie. After the ceremony, Molly’s Trolley took the bridal party directly to PNC Park, and we made our way to the dugout. Diane and Chris’s bridal party was big, but  not as big as a whole baseball team, so they did all fit in the dugout. This photo by my assistant Alisa Garin. Just the right time of day and perfect light for some portraits. I loved the leading lines of the seats that lead your eye right to the happy couple.

Can’t forget the view in the opposite direction. I could sit and stare at this all day! But you can’t really sit and stare all day when you have pictures to take and celebrating to do! So after stopping traffic on the Clemente Bridge, we sent the bridal party off the cocktail hour and took just a few more portraits of Diane and Chris.

At the last Pirates game I went to this summer, I noticed the ceiling in the area right by the Gunners Lounge and immediately thought it would make an interesting photo background. (Yes, I’m hopeless – even when I’m off duty, I can’t help but remark on photo opportunities everywhere I look.) The idea that formed in my head involved the bride standing on the table. I asked Diane how she’d feel about getting up on the table, and she said, “sure!”

The Gunners Lounge makes an amazing spot for cocktail hour. Diane & Chris told me this was one of the parts of their wedding they were most looking forward to, and I would agree! What a view, and what perfect weather we had.

Diane & Chris love to travel, and incorporated that into some of their reception decor. They’re honeymooning in Argentina, so I sent their rings there for a photo. First dance – “Something” by the Beatles. Tables were all named for places Diane & Chris have been – except for the head table, named for their honeymoon destination.  This was a fun dancing crowd! The dance floor often overflowed onto the surrounding rug.

Photo by Alisa. Last one: a wide angle view of the Lexus Club. This was a great space, and I’ll share more about it in a separate post to come.

Diane & Chris, congratulations! I hope you have a fabulous trip. And I hope you made it through today’s Steelers-Ravens game without a brawl. Chris is from Baltimore, Diane is from Pittsburgh, and they said that they usually can’t even watch the games on TV together. And today they were attending the game at Heinz Field, putting their marriage to the test! I am sure this was not a problem.

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The Credits

Reception Venue: PNC Park Gunners Lounge/Lexus Club

Ceremony: St. John Capistran

Florist: Jim Ludwig with Blumengarten

Gown: Bridal Beginnings – Paloma Blanca

DJ: DJ Dave Geragi

Videographers: Gordon Schu Productions

Hair & Makeup: Caruso’s Salon

Cupcakes: Vanilla Pastry Studio

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Christina Montemurro Photography is a top-rated photography studio specializing in special events, including weddings and bar mitzvahs, serving the greater Pittsburgh area. Christina’s focus is on creating genuine, heartfelt, relaxed images, with extraordinary attention to detail and customer service. Contact Christina now to check availability for your engagement session, wedding, bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah. Christina has been rated among top Pittsburgh photographers. You can read reviews by Christina’s past brides and grooms here and here.