If you know me, you know I LOVE the color purple. True story, despite all of the pink you see here. Lavender, wisteria, royal purple, plum, eggplant, I dig them all. So when this submission came across my computer screen, I jumped for joy! A wedding that incorporates EVERY shade of my FAVORITE color? Gimme gimme!
Alexis and Brad’s June wedding was touches of rustic chic effortlessly mixed with a vintage vibe. And of course, lots of purple. From the pew flowers, pocket squares, and bridesmaids’ dresses to the chair sashes, lighting, and even the cake, purple ombre was all over this wedding. Beyond the light-to-rich color palette, this soiree was chock full of thoughtful details that made the day oh-so-lovely. A few examples?
- Gorgeous bouquets! Alexis and her ladies carried pretty blooms from Mt. Lebanon Floral. But my favorite part of their bouquets were the multi-colored, long ribbons that flowed from each. A perfectly whimsical touch!
- An incorporation of keys! Keys are really meaningful to Alexis and Brad. When they closed on their first home together, Brad’s mom presented the couple with 100 skeleton keys that had belonged to Brad’s grandfather, who had passed away before Brad had a chance to meet him. As a way of paying tribute to him, the bride and groom incorporated keys into their big day. A skeleton key was used in each boutonniere, they were attached to the escort cards, and even the guest book (see next bullet point!). What a sweet way of honoring a memory!
- Back to the guest book! This one wins the award for Most Creative! Going along with her key theme, Alexis took some inspiration from the famous lock bridges in Paris. With the help of some chicken wire and a staple gun, Alexis DIY’d her own standing version of a bridge. Guests then wrote a sweet message on their lock before clipping it to the frame. She and Brad even exchanged custom locks with engraved messages to each other! LOVE. THIS. SO. MUCH!
- Homemade favors! These two are a couple of home-brewers. So for the favors, Alexis and Brad gifted each guest with a bottle of their own homemade beer, complete with custom label. They even brewed enough so it could be enjoyed at the reception! Talk about personalizing your wedding!
- An appearance by none other than Pitt’s ROC! Alexis’s family has been attending Pitt games for years, and as a surprise for the bride and groom, Alexis’s mom arranged for the local mascot to make an appearance at their reception. During the couple’s first dance, ROC made his appearance and ended up stealing the show for quite a bit. Dancing with the crowd, taking selfies, and basically getting the party started, ROC was by far the coolest thing I’ve seen at a wedding! Way to go, Mom!!!
Sky’s the Limit Photography was on hand to capture every fun, purple detail of this special day. Alexis and Brad, you look like you throw one hell of a party. Please invite me next time!
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
Brad and I met in high school. We had been best friends for a long time, even setting each other up on dates with our friends. After a short time, we realized that we wanted to date each other. Brad went to Pitt and I went to Duquesne, but we continued to date through college.
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
Brad proposed me me at my sister’s house. When I went to their house, my brother-in-law instructed me to go light a camp fire in the firepit, which seemed unusual but at the time I thought nothing of it. When I went around back, the whole backyard was decorated with tiki torches and candles lining the deck stairs. Brad was waiting at the bottom! I remember being overly concerned with the fact that I wasn’t dressed up. In fact, I was in gym clothes with no bra!! Needless to say, I got over that really quickly and the rest is history!
What inspired your vision?
I really wanted an antique feel for the wedding and obviously anything purple would have to be included!
What made your wedding unique?
When we started planning the wedding, Brad let me have all of the creative decision-making power. I love the color purple so much and was pretty worried that Brad wouldn’t like it. Luckily, Brad was fine it. The next decision I had to make was what shade?! I love them all!!! So I decided ombre purple was the ONLY solution. The girls’ dresses were different shades of purple, as were the flowers, the cake, and even the chair sashes. In the end, I’m so glad I decided to use all shades of purple because it made planning the wedding so much easier. Any mishaps, like a wrong color bridesmaid’s dress, were barely noticeable.
Keys became a really important accessory for our wedding. When Brad and I bought our first house (five days after getting engaged), his parents gifted us about 100 antique skeleton keys that were owned by Brad’s grandfather, whom he never got the chance to meet. I thought it would be a perfect idea to use those keys (and others) in the wedding to bring his grandfather and other missed family members into the day. All of the boutonnieres included had one of Brad’s grandfather’s skeleton keys. In addition, guests were instructed to “find the key to your seat” via the escort cards.
I think another thing that made our wedding unique was all of the handmade details. The table numbers, escort cards, and signs were all done with my Cricut machine, vellum, and textured paper. This gave a really authentic, handmade feel to everything. To bring Brad’s hobbies into the picture, our favors were bottles of our home-brewed beer that we had labeled with a picture of Brad, me, and Jackson, our puppy. We also brewed enough beer that guests could drink some at the reception too!
What was your favorite moment of the day?
Our favorite moment of the day was probably dancing to Sweet Caroline with the University of Pittsburgh’s Panther Roc and all of our family and friends. It was the biggest surprise of the night and beyond amazing to have such a sweet family to set that up for us (GO PITT!)!
Bride to Bride
What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
Focus on what you want that is within your means. It’s YOUR wedding. Don’t let anyone else change your mind on your plans!
Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts? Anything you would do differently?
I really think that a great photographer and DJ is a MUST for a wedding! Luckily, we got the best recommendations!
Vendors
Bride’s Dress: One Enchanted Evening | Bride’s Accessories: Etsy | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy | Cake: Oakmont Bakery | Caterer: Monteverde Catering | Ceremony Location: St. Catherine of Sweden | DJ & Lighting: Thomas Entertainment | Flowers: Mt. Lebanon Floral | Hair: Hairz to You | Makeup: Jae Lee Paredes of JL Makeup Studio | Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse | Photographer: Sky’s the Limit Photography | Reception Venue: Greystone Fields | Stationery: Nota Bene | Transportation: Tortorice Limousine | Videography: Modern Era Weddings
