While this downtown Pittsburgh wedding may have been small in size, there was no shortage of stylish and meaningful details. When they couldn’t have the international elopement they originally wanted, Lauren and Jake decided to embrace the best that the ‘Burgh had to offer. That meant a wedding ceremony at the Market Street Pier, a place that holds special meaning to the couple. Oversized, romantic, monochromatic floral installations from May Chester Design helped to transform the small, brick area between PNC Park and Heinz Field. Guests were greeted with charcuterie cups and after the couple exchanged vows with rings handmade by the bride’s father and with the city’s bridges and skyline in the background, they lead their friends and family in a toast with a little help from She’s All Tap’s mobile bar. Afterwards, the party moved to Fl. 2 at the Fairmont Pittsburgh for the restaurant’s very first wedding reception. With a little help from Olive & Rose Events, Lauren and Jake got the wedding they never knew they always wanted and Megan McGreevy Photography was there to capture it all. This one is a good one, folks.
About the Couple
We meet in late 2018 through Hinge. It started off making jokes about Ralph Fiennes and it evolved into texting (he was in my phone as “Lawyer Guy” for quite some time). We finally met in person at Bakersfield downtown, where I walked in, slipped on the floor, slid a few feet, and landed on the ground at the corner of the bar where Jake happened to be sitting. He helped me get back on my feet, we laughed, and then proceeded to have a 7-hour date hopping between downtown restaurants. As we got to know each other, we realized we had been at the same events over the years but we never got to know each other. So maybe there is something to the cliché “timing is everything”.
The day before we closed on our house on Pittsburgh’s Northside, he left me a note that led me on a scavenger hunt across the Northside and downtown. I was sent on an adventure to places important to us as a couple. First stop – Federal Galley, a spot where we often had conversations about our future together over a beer or three in the sunshine before sharing a nice walk in the park or through the city. My parents and sister were already there with the next note. Second stop – The Warren, a bar where we ended our first date and one of our favorite spots in the city. My sister escorted me there, where I found my childhood friend who greeted me with the third note. The third note led me further downtown, ending up at the restaurant where we first met. Jake’s parents were there with the fourth note that led me back to the Northside, where Jake was waiting with my family at this tiny pier between PNC Park and Heinz Field. During long, lockdown walks, we would often comment on how cute it would be to get married on that pier with Pittsburgh as the backdrop. Jake proposed that night, on the pier down the street from our soon-to-be new home, surrounded by our most important people. It is something really special for us, as we pass the spot often, and can relive one of the best days of our lives.
About the Wedding
We both wanted to elope out of the country, but with lockdown, our options were limited. We had planned two other versions of a wedding before we were able to execute our September 5th day. We are so glad it worked out the way it did!
We were both born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs and moved back to the city for grad school. We love Pittsburgh and realized if we couldn’t do the elopement we wanted, we wanted to have a wedding that celebrated the best of Pittsburgh in our eyes. It was important to us that we had a day that was uniquely us but still celebrated some of the creative people we know and love in the city. We worked with the city to turn the pier into a wedding and cocktail hour destination that was classic, simple, and elegant, yet retained Pittsburgh’s essence. The pier transformation would not have been possible without May Chester Designs. They were able to take our vision of oversized, romantic, white flowers and create a beautiful aisle and union space that still showcased the bridges and the Point in the background. Added to the gold arches we made ourselves from spray-painted copper piping, the flowers really made the outdoor space feel intimate.
Our wedding day had 100% chance of rain all day, but thankfully it only rained for 23 minutes (who’s counting?) right at the start of our ceremony. We took cover with our photographers in Federal Gallery and used this time and opportunity for some really pretty and unique portraits. Our guests were able to stay dry nearby and were entertained while we waited for the rain to pass with beverages from She’s All Tap featuring Goodlander Cocktail Brewery cocktails. Three Rivers String Quartet set the mood once the rain let up and we were able to start the ceremony 45 minutes late. We kept the wedding party intimate with my sister as the maid of honor and Jake’s brother as the best man. Jake’s sister-in-law officiated our ceremony where we read the vows we wrote for each other.
When we were looking for a unique reception space in the city, we knew we wanted something downtown, with memorable food, aesthetic, and views that would be the talk of our guests. We reached out to a few places and Fl. 2 checked all of our boxes, and they had never hosted a wedding reception! We loved that we would be the first to do so in such a beautiful space, further adding to our unique day.
Even before we went with an art deco inspiration for the wedding, I knew I loved the look of a solitaire, emerald cut wedding diamond engagement ring. Brooks Diamonds created the most perfect one. The wedding rings were hand-made by my father, Michael Brock, just like the rings he made for himself and his wife of 35 years and my mom, Nancy. Growing up it meant so much to see my parents outwardly symbolize their union with something that my dad created, and I wanted the same personal touch for our rings.
Favorite Moment
From the groom…
We opted to go for a “self-uniting” marriage, which I really felt was our style. Our officiant (my sister-in-law) had us sign the paperwork right after we were announced at the reception. We literally signed it on a bar, next to a few tables of childhood friends and family. The evening was amazing overall, but becoming officially married by signing the paperwork on a bar at a restaurant we love just seemed perfectly on-brand, and it’s a memory that I wasn’t expecting to be so resonant for me.
From the bride…
The moments we got to sneak off and be together. I was so happy we had our closest friends and family to celebrate with us, and finally seeing everyone in person felt so wonderful. But my favorite parts of the day were when we were with each other – doing our first look at our house, in the car going between the ceremony and reception, taking a moment to take rooftop pictures. In those instances, we could stop, catch up with each other, and have that “Oh dang, we’re married” moment.
