Romantic and contemporary, today’s wedding at the Wintergarden at PPG Place is proof that mauve is the new blush pink! At Ciara and Cody’s celebration, this swoon-worthy and trendy shade was paired with black and white for a classic look and metallic silver for a subtle dose of glam. The result was the prettiest blend of timeless and modern. To start, Ciara was the epitome of a blushing bride, with soft makeup and a picture perfect updo from Glam to Go and a two-in-one Essense of Australia wedding dress from Bridal Beginning. Ciara’s bridesmaids looked dreamy wearing dresses, also from Bridal Beginning, in the rosy hue, while similarly shaded dinner napkins and an ombre cake from Bethel Bakery wove a pop of color into the reception details. Among the lush and textural greenery seen in the bouquets, copper ceremony arch, and mixed high and low reception centerpieces, Community Flower Shop made sure to include tons of roses in the day’s chosen palette. As the sun set outside the greenhouse-like venue, hundreds of lit candles set up around the room became visible and created a magical ambiance. Speaking of magic, just wait until you peep those golden hours portraits from Kayla Bri Photography! Keep scrolling to see just what we mean.
About the Couple
Cody and I first met when we were in high school. I was a freshman and he was a senior. We hung out occasionally but there were never any sparks. In fact, we were not exactly fond of each other. A few years went by and I was a freshman in college. I came home for Christmas break and went out with friends and we ran into Cody. We got to talking and catching up and from there, we realized maybe the other wasn’t so bad after all. After that night, we started spending more and more time together and eventually started dating. Luckily, my college was only 30 minutes from our home town, where Cody still lived, so he would come up to visit on the weekends. After six years of dating (including a few break-ups and make-ups), we bought our first house together and adopted a puppy named Elle. After three years after living together, he finally popped the question on November 22, 2019.
I came home from work and Cody insisted we needed to run an errand. After a long day of work, I did not want to go anywhere but I finally gave in and we headed out. Little did I know that while we were gone, our friends and family were at our house scrambling to decorate the basement for a surprise. On our way home, I could tell Cody was acting strange, but I thought nothing of it. As soon as we walked into the house, our dog greeted us with a bandana on, which I found weird since I did not put it on her before we left the house. Then I realized the bandana said, “Will you marry my dad?” Before I knew it, Cody was on one knee proposing. After saying yes, I realized a few of my best friends and my mom were behind me waiting to congratulate us. I was so excited to see them and thought that they were the only ones there until I walked into our basement to a huge surprise of all of our closest friends and family. I was so shocked to see everyone and that Cody had pulled this off! We all had a toast to the engagement and celebrated the rest of the night.
About the Wedding
The moment I walked into the Wintergarden to tour the venue, I knew immediately this is where we were going to get married. I fell in love with the natural lighting from the glass walls and ceiling, as well as the simplicity of the interior, which made it a clean space to transform it into whatever we desired. I wanted our wedding to feel whimsical and romantic, while still being modern and classic. I stuck with a neutral color pallet incorporating metallics into the decor and mauve for my bridesmaid dresses and table napkins, but I brought in color through my flowers with pops of pinks and beautiful greenery. Because the venue interior is mostly black and white, I wanted my flowers to be the main source of color, which we incorporated on tables and on the stage where the ceremony would take place. We decorated the venue with hundreds of candles; we incorporated them onto every table in all shapes and sizes and as the sun went down and the venue got darker, the candles made it feel so romantic. We did a mix of tall and short centerpieces to add dimension, as well as extra greenery throughout to add that extra pop of color.
Instead of having rows of chairs set up for the ceremony, we had the dinner tables already set. The tables were split into two sides, creating an aisle for the ceremony. They were also set with all of the centerpieces and decor, and the chairs were set facing forward. As our guests arrived, they collected their seating cards and sat at their table. Although this seems unconventional, it really gave that wow factor when our guests arrived. I remember walking down the aisle and seeing all of the beautiful centerpieces. It really changed the space and made it something that people have not seen before. Once the ceremony was over, our guests were able to leave their personal items at their table and start to walk around and mingle for cocktail hour.
As the bride, I actually had two looks – one for the ceremony and one for the reception. For the ceremony, I wore a full tulle belted overskirt with an exaggerated train. I was so in love with the skirt; it made me feel extra bridal and was something out of a fairytale. For the reception, I removed the skirt and went from having more of a ballgown look to now a fitted silhouette. I loved having the two looks in one!
Being from Pittsburgh, we knew we had to have a cookie table. With the help of friends and family, we had over 2,400 cookies! It was a hit!
Favorite Moment
One of my favorite moments was surprising my mom with a special dance. My mom and I have always been very close and I wanted to give her a gift she would always remember, especially after all of her help with planning the wedding. After the father of the bride and mother of the groom dances, the DJ announced one more special dance with the mother of the bride. She was so surprised and honored to get to have this moment with her daughter. This was a surprise to everyone, even the groom, and our guests loved it.
Another moment that was very special to me was seeing the venue completely set for the first time. After a year and a half of planning, it was amazing to see it all come together, and I thank my vendors for making my vision come to life so beautifully.
