Navy Blue Wedding at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Navy blue is one of my favorite colors so it’s no wonder that this wedding totally stole my heart. With a color palette of varying shades of blue – navy, turquoise, teal, and even a grayish blue – punched with peach, blush, and mint, Monica and Conrad’s big day was modeled after the bride’s love of flowers. With this theme in mind, no reception space made more sense than the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. The beautiful grounds, lush foliage, and blooming florals provided a picture perfect backdrop to the garden-inspired affair. And oh, boy did Community Flower Shop not disappoint with these arrangements. Textural and voluminous with intricate detailing and modern touches, the centerpieces were show-stopping. However, Monica’s bouquet will literally make your jaw drop. A lovely floral motif in the stationery and other paper pieces from Blush Paper Co. helped to bring the look full circle. Other darling details include:

A nod to many family ties and traditions. Monica and Conrad had their first look in her parent’s backyard. They presented pink carnations – Monica’s grandmother’s favorite flower – to the Blessed Mother during their Catholic ceremony. A horse shoe charm attached to Monica’s bouquet paid tribute to the one her grandfather gave to her mom on her own wedding day. All of these small acts proved just how big family is to this bride and groom.
The cutest laser cut cake topper. This wooden number was made by Pittsburgh’s own Pennwood Co. and it make the sweetest part of the wedding reception even sweeter.
A beautiful acrylic seating chart that will make even the most hard core DIY bride jealous. With a little help from a Something Turquoise tutorial, Monica made the massive, hand-lettered sign that let everyone know their place for the evening. Monica, are you taking orders????
One heck of a sweetheart table. I don’t want to give away too much but I’ll just say this: a floral chandelier is involved. I’m dying.
Dance floor fun thanks to the help of a few hula hoops. Monica’s parents had them at their wedding reception, so she and Conrad incorporated them into their own big day. Not only were they such a fun addition, but they were also another family connection. Plus, as Monica put it, “Who doesn’t love to hula hoop?”

Devoted to You Events helped to bring all of the elements together and Tyler Norman Photography was on site to make sure it was all documented. Dainty but dramatic, this wedding brings the prettiest garden to life in all the best ways.

From the bride…

When and how did you two meet?
We met our freshman year at Mercyhurst University. He had a class with my roommate and they were working on a project together. The next term, we ended up having a class together. I liked him but was too shy to do anything, so my friends kept getting him to hang out with us. We quickly ended up becoming best friends and started dating the next year.

Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
The night we got engaged, he took me out to dinner at Six Penn. We had an amazing meal and after dinner, he suggested we walk down to the park on the corner of 7th and Penn. I have always loved the magnolia trees there. It was raining just a little bit. When we got to the center of the park, he got down on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring.

My engagement ring (and our bands) are from L.J. Marks Jewelers. Conrad had my engagement ring custom made to resemble Celtic knots. He knows I love Celtic knots because of my Irish heritage and because Celtic knots traditionally have no beginning and no end. On our wedding day, he gave me a locket with a Celtic knot on it and inside was the penny I had given him the night before. It was from the year we started dating.

Describe the wedding. The look, theme, style, colors, etc.
We wanted our wedding to be fun and laid back. We decided on the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden because a.) I love flowers, b.) It’s gorgeous, and c.) It gave us the perfect place to host a beautiful and fun reception. I guess if we had a theme it would be garden/flowers. I love flowers more than anything so our decorations were floral and greenery based. Our favorite color is blue so we chose navy for the girls and grey suits with navy ties for the guys. We had a traditional Catholic mass and then celebrated at the beautiful Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. We couldn’t have asked for better weather that day and were able to spend a lot of time outside before the wedding and after.

We had a first look before the wedding in my parent’s backyard. It was wonderful to see him before the ceremony. It was really nice to just spend a quiet few moments together before hand.

During the reception, we snuck off for a little while into the garden with the photographer for some pictures at sunset. It was fun to walk around and also to just enjoy a few moments together.

What inspired your vision?
Well, I love flowers, and we both love the color blue and being outside. I love to garden and grew up gardening with my Pap and parents. We didn’t so much have a “theme”; just as long as there were flowers and greens, I was happy!

What made your wedding unique?
I would say that having family traditions as well as adding our own touches made it feel special that day. We took flowers to the Blessed Mother during Mass, which many couples do. However, the flowers we took were all pink carnations. My grandmother on my mom’s side passed away in 2013, and pink carnations were her favorite flower. It was a special reminder that she was there with me.

In my bouquet, I had a picture of both she and my Pap and a horse shoe for good luck. My Pap gave my mom a horse shoe for her bouquet on her wedding day, so I also carried one in mine. It was a gift from my godmother.

What was your favorite moment of the day?
It’s hard to pick just one! I loved seeing him for the first time before the wedding – it really calmed my nerves and just made me incredibly happy. I loved when we went to take pictures at sunset. I grabbed his hand and we ran off into the field. At one point when we were heading back down, I just stopped him and we stood there together to just watch the sunset. Everyone tells you to stop and enjoy the moment, so we did. At the end of the night, we ended up inside a huge crowded circle of our friends and family as they sang Daft Punk’s “One More Time”. It was incredible, as you could feel all the love and happiness exuding from everyone there.

Bride to Bride

What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
Enjoy the ride and don’t sweat the small stuff. Wear comfy shoes and make sure you eat something. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you both end up married.

Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts? Anything you would do differently?
I wouldn’t change a thing! In my eyes, our day was perfect.