If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear today’s bride was moonlighting as a wedding planner. The thought that went into the details of Kelly and Nate’s September wedding makes me so happy! Knowing that the dress and venue set the tone for a wedding, Kelly went to town planning after nailing down those two aspects. She drew inspiration from her vintage-style lace gown and the gardens and architecture of the Longue Vue Club, where both the ceremony and reception were held. From timing the engagement photos and dress fittings with hair and makeup trials to creating a wedding brand and making sure guests had a incredible time at their wedding, Kelly and Nate literally thought of everything. And it makes my detail-loving heart do a little happy dance!
Beth Insalaco was there to photograph all of the amazingness of the big day. My favorites? It was really hard to narrow down and I felt saying “everything” wasn’t fair so here goes:
- A soft, romantic color palette of peach, pink, cream, and lavender made dramatic with touches of eggplant
- A wedding brand! Ladies who attended the design and styling workshop, THIS is what I’m talking about! From their website and invitations to their bar signs, table numbers, and menu cards, Kelly and Nate created a consistent, cohesive look with colors, fonts, and even a “logo” of sorts, all of which coordinated with the overall style and feel of the wedding. It helps that Nate is a super talented graphic designer and made all of these amazing pieces himself!
- The most darling recessional ever! After they were pronounced husband and wife, Kelly and Nate were showered in colorful confetti thrown by their guests! The photos are so cute I almost can’t stand it.
- Bouquets that are stop-you-in-your-tracks stunning. Really. There is something about the softness of the colors and the various textures that has me majorly swooning.
- A bride and groom who are so obviously in love. The way Nate looks at Kelly is so adorably sweet.
Oh, and just because her own wedding is over doesn’t mean that Kelly is out of the wedding biz. Shortly after getting married, she began launching Fox Petal, a floral design business that is just getting started in the Burgh. Kelly was also the talent behind the dramatic but oh-so-romantic flowers for Jaymie and Jonas’s epic wedding. In addition, she and Nate also took care of the styling, logo design, and website for that wedding. This duo is a creative powerhouse.
Kelly and Nate are just the cutest. Their wedding wasn’t bad either. See for yourself.
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
We met through a mutual friend, Kristin. She and Nate were former roommates and Kristin and I worked together. She arranged for Nate and I to meet without telling either of us it was a setup. Lucky for us, we really hit it off and the rest is history.
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
We had gone to see a Cirque du Soleil matinee on a surprisingly warm Sunday in April, 2012. After the show, we decided to take our dog, Lincoln, who we got together as a puppy in 2011, for a walk along the river trail by our house in Lawrenceville. Nate brought our new camera on the walk, but I thought nothing of it since we often took the camera with us to take photos of our puppy. Half way down the trail, Nate stopped and had the idea to use the camera’s timer setting to get a picture of all three of us. He directed me to stand with Lincoln while he got the camera set up on a bench. He asked if I was ready and then hit the timer button. As he turned and walked towards me, he pulled out the ring and got down on one knee to propose. I was completely shocked and overwhelmed with joy. The best part was the camera snapped a photo of the exact moment capturing the surprised look on my face. Nate is very into gadgets and cameras so it was a very “Nate” way to propose, which I loved. It was just the two of us and Lincoln. It was perfect. And now we have that beautiful moment captured forever, which is so romantic.
Describe the wedding. The look, theme, style, colors, etc.
We had a 16 month engagement, which seemed long to me at first but ended up being the perfect amount of time for planning. I also feel like we really got to enjoy being engaged! For our wedding date, we chose late September because we both love fall in Pittsburgh. Once we narrowed down the time frame, we started looking at venues. We wanted to find somewhere different, but also a place that would allow our own style to come through. When we toured the Longue Vue Club, we fell in love with the venue within the first five minutes. It’s such a hidden gem in Pittsburgh and it feels like it should be tucked away in an English hillside. Its sophisticated elegance balanced with a rustic cottage-feel became the inspiration for our wedding theme. Nate is also a designer, so he designed our custom letterpress invitations, as well as our wedding website. He also made all the signs by hand and was very involved in the entire creative process. He designed a whimsical logo with our names and even made a special K+N moniker that we used throughout our wedding pieces. The fact that he designed everything gave all of our pieces a really personal touch.
We chose eggplant as the bridesmaids’ dress color and used cream, peach, and varying shades of purple as accent colors. We went with eggplant since it was technically a fall wedding, but we used lighter accent colors since the weather still felt like summer.
What inspired your vision?
I think the venue and the dress can really set the tone for a wedding. Once those two important decisions are made, it can sway you towards a more modern or classic style. Longue Vue Club is such a beautiful, historic landmark with its unique architectural style and understated elegance. Longue Vue’s gardens and breathtaking views also provided a gorgeous backdrop for our big day. The dress I chose was classic but romantic – an ivory lace gown with no beading or embellishments, just a simple sash. The fabric was a vintage style point d’esprit lace layered over champagne satin. We also chose soft, romantic florals like lush Juliet garden roses, assorted dahlias, including cafe au lait, dusty miller, and other textural elements. With our ceremony being outside on the terrace and the ballroom having floor-to-ceiling picture windows overlooking the Allegheny River, we chose to incorporate some nature-inspired elements like curly willow branches and birds.
Bride to Bride
What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
If you’re planning to do an engagement shoot, try to schedule your makeup practice run the same day. The practice run is often the same cost as the real one, so why not get something out of it? I did this, and it was such a great call. I got to have beautiful, professionally-done makeup for my engagement photos and I also got to see how it photographed to decide if I needed to tweak anything before the wedding.
Try to schedule your practice hair appointment the same day as one of your dress fittings. This way you get to see the whole look put together before the big day.
I recommend investing in a good DJ and photographer. In my opinion, they are two of the most important vendors. The DJ can make or break a wedding and the photos are what you’ll always have to remember your amazing day. We’re honestly so glad we splurged on those two things!
When the big day finally arrives, remember to breathe, relax, and enjoy it. Try to make sure every minute of the day isn’t overly planned so you have time to soak it all in and do some of the unplanned, spontaneous stuff.
Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts? Anything you would do differently?
We did a first look before the ceremony and it honestly was the best decision we made. That would be my “must-do” recommendation to all brides. We also did all of our bridal party and family photos before the ceremony. I know it’s a bit non-traditional, but seeing each other before the ceremony was amazing for so many reasons. It allowed us to have a more intimate first look where we got to shake off the jitters, embrace one another, laugh, cry, and just really absorb all the overwhelming feelings of our special day. I felt like I could be myself and show all my emotions without worrying about the crowd of guests. It also gave us so much more time together throughout the day. You often hear brides talk about how fast their day flew by and how they felt like they barely got to talk to their groom. By doing our photos first, we got to be together with our bridal party and really enjoy the day. We both felt like the day was long and that we didn’t miss out on anything. I also felt much more relaxed when the ceremony time came. And I can tell you, seeing Nate before the ceremony made walking down the aisle no less special. I was even more excited and overwhelmed with love. It was just as special, and I don’t think anything could have changed that moment for us.
Vendors
Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero at Bridal Beginning | Bride’s Accessories: Som’s Studio | Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridemaids’ Dresses: Kennedy Blue | Cake & Cupcakes: Vanilla Pastry Studio | Calligraphy: Honey Honey | Ceremony & Reception Location & Catering: Longue Vue Club | Confetti: Pom Love | DJ & Uplighting: Eric Schiemer of Schiemer Entertainment | Favors: Pittsburgh Popcorn Company | Flowers: Bloom Brigade | Hair: Brooke Rockwell Hair Design | Linens: Mosaic Linens | Makeup: Kiss and Makeup | Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse | Photo Booth Backdrop & Props: Etsy | Photographer: Beth Insalaco Photography | Stationery: Designed by the groom | Transportation: Elite Transportation
