If you’re having trouble choosing wedding colors, today’s rainbow inspired wedding at The Westin Pittsburgh should be enough to convince you to just choose all of them. Hannah has always loved a variety of hues, and she leaned into a cheerful, colorful palette for her and Will’s nuptials. Yellow, blue, purple, orange, pink, coral, red, turquoise, and just about every shade in between made their appearance in everything from the floral-lined stationery suite from Loree Mayer Design to the playful balloon installation from Funk Balloon. However, the most jaw-dropping detail came in the form of flowers. From Hannah’s bouquet of peonies, anemones, ranunculus, and more, to the upside-down garden that hung from the ballroom’s chandeliers, Community Flower Shop knocked it out of the park with fresh blooms in a wide-range of colors and types. It was as if an entire garden bloomed right indoors and we are HERE.FOR.IT. Other noteworthy elements include macarons in lieu of a wedding cake, ribbon installations to increase the whimsical vibes even more, and trendy marquee letters spelling out the couple’s last name. There is beauty at just about every turn and Adam Michaels Photography and Embark Media Productions didn’t miss a beat. This is how color is done, friends!
About the Couple
Believe it or not, Will and I met on spring break in Punta Cana. I was going to Duquesne and Will was going to Ohio University, and both schools had the same spring break week in 2015. We struck up conversation in the resort’s lobby bar one night and we realized we went to neighboring high schools…crazy. There was a huge spark, but we parted ways for the evening. A few more days into the trip, we boarded the same booze cruise, spent the whole sunny afternoon together, and the rest really is history. Upon arriving home, Will reached out to a mutual high school friend for my phone number, and we’ve been on an absolute adventure ever since.
Fast forward four and a half years later, Will’s sister and her husband asked us out for an evening at Phipps then drinks. Flowers are one of my biggest joys in life, so it was natural for Will to have planned this night. Will and I arrived but Kirstie and Nick were “running late,” so the two of us walked around for a bit. We entered into the next room and Will knelt down and asked me to marry him! Crying and beaming, I said “Yes!” Then Will pointed over to Kirstie and Nick, hiding and capturing the moment on camera! They created the most perfect mini-engagement session. Another surprise awaited me – we drove to my parents’ house where about 50 of our family and friends were waiting to celebrate with us!
About the Wedding
I’ve always loved rainbow colors, so we chose them all as our wedding inspiration. Our goal was to throw a party where our guests felt our love for each other and for them by incorporating our personalities into every detail of the day. We knew we wanted our ceremony and reception in one location, and through an EXTENSIVE list of COVID-19 twists and turns, the Westin made our dreams come true!
Guests opened their invitation envelope to an explosion of color, surrounded by elegance. At the reception, the jaw-dropping floral chandelier, accompanied by mixed high and low floral centerpieces, complemented both my rainbow bridal bouquet and the room’s crystal chairs. After the ceremony setup was flipped, two chandeliers were decorated with ribbons of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Adding perfectly to the colorful theme was an extravagant balloon display, complete with marquee lights spelling our last name. For dessert, we chose colorful macarons in place of cake. Our dance floor was packed all night while guests enjoyed our “Punta Prosecco” and “Burgh Bourbon” signature drinks!
Some traditional touches included the “old” bracelet I’ve had of my mom’s since I was young, the glistening “new” custom hairpiece from Clarissa Boutique, the “borrowed” earrings of Will’s only sister that she wore on her wedding day, and my “blue” nail polish!
Favorite Moment
It is a tie between our personalized vows we read aloud at the ceremony and our first dance. We danced to “You!” by our favorite band, LANY, and I cried my eyes out.
