Winter Pittsburgh Airport Marriott Wedding

Hello! Hello!  What a way to enter into the 2021 wedding photography season, huh?  You all gave this sweet couple lots of love for their sneak peek so let’s keep that going, shall we?!  Rachel and Andrew became Mr. and Mrs. Hedman last Saturday!  But first, Rachel had to get her second dose of her COVID vaccine…that’s right!  She’s a nurse and she was due for her second so before she could even THINK of getting married, she went off and got her shot.  I mean, what a way to start a positive blog, right?!  It’s going to be a GREAT year!

So THEN, after being vaccinated during a global pandemic (who would have thought), she was ready to get married!  Boy Ooo boy.  We woke up to quite the snowy beautifulness, didn’t we?!  That was the one thing Rachel really wanted…snow.  I’ve only ever had one January wedding that actually had snow so I assumed the chances were low.  Nope.  The odds were in our favor last Saturday!  We got so much that many vendors had difficulty getting to the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott (including Ashleigh who left early and STILL got stopped by the National Guard).  Emily (you’ll recognize her) opted to start shooting with me and she arrived before I even did, however.  We were good to go!  So, at 11:00 am last Saturday, we rolled in ready to get the day started.  I texted Andrew to let him know I had arrived and then he met me at Rachel’s suite to let me in the door.  We were ready for details!

Simple and elegant and I love it!

Then, Rachel arrived…and her sister arrived too and “in style”, if I might add.  I’d planned all day for the many ways I was going to keep the gals’ hair dry.  Well, she beat me to it and I loved it!

These ladies were stars…and so easy to be around!

The puffy snow kept falling and I didn’t even need to prompt Rachel.  She jumped right up on that couch and just enjoyed the beauty that was this winter wonderland!

Time to get her all ready!  We were laughing about the way she was holding her dress up so I snapped a shot.  Mom was also starting to tear up…and then, when I was editing, I realized you could see one of her best friends (and bridesmaid) getting all excited in the window reflection!  That made this one a keeper!

EEEKKK!! These are always some of my favorite photos of the day!

Rachel!  You are a beautiful bride!

Can we also talk about Rachel’s dad?!  He reminded me so much of my own dad.  He even sent her a “dad selfie” before they got to see one another!

Then, Andrew got ready too!

I always promise the men I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible.  I know they’ve been fed those lines from other photographers too though.  Well, I was in and out in maybe five minutes.  This guy asked when he was going to get his photos…so, I took some, of course!

And I mean…priorities, I tell ya!  My husband is a whiskey drinker too.  I understand that men sometimes care about these details.

Then, we had a dad and daughter first look back upstairs!

Then, he told her they’d practice walking down the aisle as they headed back to the room.  Little did we know, that would cause everyone to positively tear up and tissues needed to be shared!

NOW, it was time for the couple’s first look!  Just look at their reactions to seeing one another! AHHH!  These are my favorite moments!  These photos are a combination of Ashleigh’s and mine!

I’ve said it over and over but one of my very favorite things about these two is the sincerity of their love and you can most certainly see it when they look at one another and talk to one another…even when cameras are capturing it!

Then, we brought the bridal party out for photos!  Do not let those photos above fool you because it was COLD.  I had had Emily unpack and unwrap some hand warmers but that didn’t stop the fact that ONLY their hands would be warm.  I’m pretty sure I heard someone say, “Quick.  Rub them on your body!”  HA!  And if you didn’t catch it before, Andrew is a true gentleman…keeping the gals warm and holding masks.

For real though…it was chilly!

Alright!  Back to the ladies!  This green…THIS GREEN! GAH!  The color palette with that snow…yea, it’s doing things for my wedding photographer heart!  Well done, Rachel!

WHAT A WAY TO START OFF THE YEAR!  Not only did we get snow in January, but just check out these beautiful bridal shots!

You all know I have a system and I like to stick to it!  I had photographed all the ladies…so I finished them up with a full bridal party shot and sent them inside.

Now, it was time for the men!  We let Andrew go first.  And yes, Ashleigh was in the bushes creeping per her usual and I still love it!

We did personality shots with everyone, of course.  THIS ONE (below)…needed blog time though!  I still can’t quit laughing!

EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.  You can scroll back up to see the ladies’ version of the “group hug”…Then, there is the men’s version below.  Every wedding…every single time.  It makes me giggle.  We’re all really the same and think the same on a base level, huh?

I snapped this shot real quick because I was loving the groomsmen’s flowers!  I’m a winter bride.  This spoke to me – melted snow and all!

So, we all headed in to get warm!  My cameras needed to warm up too.  I also knew I NEEDED a ring on the flower shot because this wedding was everything I love…winter, classic, white, black tux…It had it allllll!

Then, we got right into bride and groom shots!  Again, Ashleigh and I tag teamed this like never before because we wanted to do it quickly so the couple didn’t freeze before their ceremony.  Emily wasn’t just standing by and watching either.  She had umbrellas over Rachel’s head when we weren’t actively shooting (to keep the snow from melting and wetting her hair down).  She held the couple’s masks.  She held lenses for me as I switched them out (more like grabbed them off the ground as I left them laying around) and she helped Rachel get her fur shawl on and off.  I definitely knew I was going to need a third set of hands for this wedding and I was so thankful she came along and wants to be a part of the team!

I do love my color but these black and whites and their emotions just screamed, “Put me in the blog!”

It didn’t matter what angle.  It didn’t matter what pose.  It didn’t matter who was taking the photos…it was amazing all around!

Cold January day with a fire and a dip?  YES! YES! YES!

I wanted some foreground in the images for some variety too!  Against my better judgement, I put my knees down in the wetness and got this one!  It may be one of my favorites!

AHHHHH!! That black and white!  It’s getting me!

I could go on and on but we must get to the ceremony!  Just a few more though!

But wait!  Rachel decided she was going to go for it and let her dress touch the wet ground for some walking!  Up to this point, we were putting her on top of a white plastic tablecloth and tucking it underneath!  She’s braver than me!  I think I started to sweat a little even out in that cold!

…and they are done!  Let’s go get them married!

OOo WAITTTTT.  Andrew read his card without me!  So, we did it again!  I love love love these cards!  They were so pretty to photograph!

Time for the ceremony!  This was definitely a COVID wedding.  They got their guest list down to 28 people and then Andrew’s sister fell ill with a fever the day before.  COVID test negative, she still wasn’t able to make it and we missed her!

Here comes the bride!

It was a beautiful ceremony at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott and it was indoors so we were WARM!

Mr. and Mrs. Hedman, everyone!

We flew through family and friend formals and then we all headed to cocktail hour!

I know I said it over on IG (Follow me HERE), but I love the little date thingy (what shall we call it?).  It’s not a topper!

Can we just talk about this addition to the traditional, Pittsburgh cookie table?!  IT’S A BRIDGE!  I think Ash, Emily, and I just stood there for a while and stared…because we loved it!

Time for the couple to enter their reception…”terrible towels” and all!  If you’re not from Pittsburgh, this isn’t going to make any sense to you!

They shared their first dance!

Then, they cut their cake!

I creeped over mom’s shoulder and caught dad and daughter sharing a dance!

Then, the party got started!  I’d like to point out this was Emily’s very first wedding AND very first wedding second shooting.  She absolutely rocked it and she’s a natural!  This is a combination or her photos and my photos!  I gotta give credit where credit is due, right?!

This is Emily’s photo, as well!  She caught this from the side while I was blocked in the back! WOOOOO!

It may have been a smaller group than originally planned but there was no lack of love, laughter, and “party”!  We ended the night with a tater tot bar (YUM!) and a masked selfie with the couple!  I particularly LOVE that that last photo with me shows their personalities because THAT is what I think about when I think of Rachel and Andrew and that’s how I’ll always remember them!

That’s it!  The first wedding of 2021 is complete!  HOW CAN IT BE?!  I don’t even understand how it came be!  Rachel and Andrew don’t know this, but I put off emailing them leading up to their wedding because I was SO afraid it would get cancelled because of COVID.  I didn’t want it to get cancelled or moved to warmer months.  I had visions of this wedding and them as the bride and groom in the winter and I wanted them to be the first of the year.  I KNEW they’d be the perfect way to come into this wedding season and year because they are just so sweet and genuine and easy to photograph!  The coordinator (Hi, Jeanie) at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott said the same thing.  THIS is the kind of wedding us wedding vendors want to set the bar for the rest of the year.  AND THEY DID IT!  I couldn’t be happier for these two!  They’re off to Disney!

Once last time!  Congrats to the Hedmans!

---

Bride’s Gown – MB Bride

Bridesmaid’ Dresses – David’s Bridal

Men’s Attire – Liberty Men’s Formals

Hair/Makeup – Sergio’s Style

Florist – Parkway Florist

Videographer – Parker Productions (Brian Parker)

Cake/Other Desserts – Bethel Bakery

2nd II None Productions – DJ John Mitch

Save the Dates – HeyLovelyCo on Etsy (Printed on Vistaprint)

Invitations – FabLabStationary on Etsy

Venue – Pittsburgh Airport Marriott

Officiant – Scott Carney (weddingchaplain.com)