Unmatched views of the Pittsburgh skyline, the sweetest personal touches, and a vendor dream team… talk about hitting the jackpot! After saying “I do” at the beautiful Heinz Memorial Chapel, Kaitlyn and Tim shared a private preview of their dream wedding at the Rivers Casino reception— the highlight of their perfect day! The stunning ballroom with its floor-to-ceiling windows and breathtaking city views (a selling point for the couple!) was decorated in sophisticated ivory and gold with hints of burgundy. Tables were dressed in lush linens from Lendable Linens and elevated centerpieces from Dormont Florist, while ornate velvet chairs from Vintage Alley Rentals sat behind the sweetheart table throne chairs. The cookie table featured take-home dog biscuits and custom Miami Dolphins treats – a homage to their beloved pup and the day they met at Hard Rock Stadium. Kaitlyn and Tim kept the entertainment going all night with a little help from Bachelor Boys Band and Lux Photobooth! The night concluded with after-party celebrations in the casino. Needless to say, these lucky lovebirds played their cards right! Enjoy these cheerful memories captured by Leeann Marie Photography and BridgePerspective.
About the Couple
On a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon, I was enjoying a day off from studying at a Miami Dolphins football game with my physical therapy school classmates. Taylor, my college sorority sister and at that time, Tim’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, had invited me over to her and Tim’s brother, Joey’s, tailgate. Once I arrived to the East Orange 23 lot, I was introduced to Tim, who immediately commented on my “funky sunglasses”. (I was super proud of how the white frames matched my authentic, white Dan Marino jersey – gotta rep Pittsburgh!) Since that day, I could not get Tim off of my mind. I was definitely interested in learning more about this guy with a deep voice, dark hair, scruffy beard, and infectious smile.
Fast forward almost three years later. Tim had flown into Fort Lauderdale late Sunday night to begin the Major League Baseball All-Star break. That night, Tim told me that he wanted to get a nice, new photograph of us with our four-legged fur child, Hank. Anyone who knows us will definitely say this is not something out of the ordinary. After the gym that afternoon, we got dressed and headed to Quiet Waters Park where we met Tim’s sister, Erin, who was the photographer. As Erin snapped a few photos of our little family on a park bench, she stopped and placed a black bandana around Hank’s neck. I noticed the bandana had some white script written across the front. I leaned forward to get a better look at what it said. By the time I was able to comprehend the cursive saying “Will you marry me?”, I turned back around and there was Tim down in front of me on one knee.
About the Wedding
We chose to have our wedding ceremony take place the Heinz Memorial Chapel due to their inclusiveness of all faiths and backgrounds. The stunning architecture speaks for itself. Our reception took place at the Rivers Casino. We chose this venue to showcase the beautiful city of Pittsburgh through the large glass windows in the ballroom. Guests went downstairs after the reception to continue celebrating the evening.
Our wedding colors were kept clean and crisp with the sophisticated elegance of ivory and gold. Hints of burgundy were included throughout the reception, including rose petals and throne chairs for our sweetheart table. The bridal party was dressed in chic black. My shoes served as my “something blue”.
A vinyl record of our first dance song served as our guestbook, while a gold bird cage accompanied by two golden “love birds” housed our wedding cards. Tables kept the color scheme with gold embossed chargers and ivory napkins.
We had a traditional Pittsburgh cookie table with additions including bride and groom cake pops, custom cookies displaying our favorite football teams and our dog, as well as custom fortune cookies in ivory and gold with the fortune reading “Love is more precious than gold” – a lyric from our first dance.
Our love for our dog runs deep and we featured “Hank’s biscuit bar” at the reception. This included custom, individually wrapped dog biscuits for guests to take home to their four-legged friends. Steph from Lux Photobooth created custom photo booth props of Hank, which were a huge hit! Although Hank couldn’t be present with us on our special day, he was certainly incorporated throughout the details!
After a night of dancing, guests were treated to a late night pizza snack station with three choices of pizza and garlic breadsticks.
Favorite Moment
Having a first look of the reception ballroom with my husband prior to guests entering. Everything was absolutely stunning and even better than I imagined!
