Brittany and Brian @ Chatham University and West View Hall (Pittsburgh)

Brian and Brittany picked the most popular day of the year for their wedding day, but nobody could have predicted a pandemic to interfere!

This bride and groom rolled with it, though… They held strong to 10/10/2020 and adapted to every single one of the punches that the wedding planning roller coaster threw at them… including a venue switch a week before their wedding!

The day was perfect, with sunshine and just the right amount of fall foliage. Both bride and groom got ready at Brittany’s childhood home before heading to her family’s church in Etna.

Brittany and Brian chose to touch each other before the ceremony, through a door, as their priest prayed over them. It was a very emotional moment, especially as the day they’d been praying for for so long was finally here.

When couples are married in a church, I adapt my shooting style to stealth mode. ? Of course I capture the must-have moments (processional, recessional, kiss, ring exchange, etc), but I do so while moving around the outer corners of the room up to the front sides. From so many vantage points I am able to capture candids of the couple interacting, up close details like their hands coming together, and of course guest reactions to everything that is happening. Of course I focus my attention on the front few rows, where all the VIPs are seated!

Toward the end of the ceremony I move to the center aisle to capture the kiss/recessional. Knowing when and where to stand is a skill I’ve fine tuned through the past 20 years of photographing weddings!

As this groom works at the Chatham University campus here in Pittsburgh, it was natural for us to pick the beautiful local college for their bridal party and bride/groom portraits. We knocked out the pictures with bridesmaids and groomsmen first, so that we could give this bride and groom some time alone together. The schedule was relaxed, so we had time to take a stroll around the campus and give them a break before their wild party!

I love this moment between Brian and his new bride, as he is showing off some of his fighting skills. ?

I mentioned that Brittany and Brian had to roll with a lot of wedding planning punches, but did I explain they had to scramble to FIND a new VENUE exactly one week before their wedding day?? #pandemicwedding

(Brittany, I give you soooo much props for handling this with grace! I know how challenging everything was, especially with buying a house at the same time, but you and Brian pulled it off beautifully! Now you should really take a few years off to recover haha)

Anyway this lucky bride and groom found availability at the West View Banquet Hall, and the wedding date was saved.

(AND there was a pandemic-friendly cookie table, so that’s always a Pittsburgh wedding win.)

I’ve included a handful of my favorite pictures from Brittany and Brian’s wedding ceremony and reception in the gallery below, and there are a lot more where those came from… feel free to reach out if you’d like to see more, or to chat about your own wedding photography!