Take oodles of glamorous decor and two of the hottest wedding colors in recent history and you get this rich marsala & blush wedding. Last October, Jennine and Troy exchanged vows at Pittsburgh’s infamous Heinz Chapel before celebrating with their nearest and dearest at the Heinz History Center. Throughout the planning process, the bride and groom approached everything with the same goal in mind: to create a wedding day that reflected their love of family and friends, that was joyful and fun, and that included lots of DIY elements. Oh and one other thing…it had to have lots of COLOR! When Jennine found her beaded, blush pink, sweetheart neck gown from Essense of Australia at The Exquisite Bride, she fell in love and knew the rest of her wedding day had to accented with lots and lots of color. Here are just a few ways she did that, plus a few of my other favorite details:
- From the gents’ navy three piece suits to the ladies’ gorgeous marsala bridesmaids dresses, jewel tones were center stage at this wedding. The color palette was rich, dramatic, and oh-so-stunning, especially for a fall wedding!
- Speaking of stunning, what until you get a load of these florals. Mocha Rose took the color palette and ran away with it, combining dark burgundy with white and light pink blooms for a romantic contrast. Throw in lots of texture and you’ve got yourself a winning combination when it comes to wedding flowers.
- Lots of metallic details gave this wedding a little bit of pizzazz. Mercury glass votives, tons of candlelight, glitter escort cards, and sequin linens and table runners added the healthy dose of sparkle that I just love.
- With eight bridesmaids, one bridesman, and seven groomsmen, Jennine and Troy had one massive bridal party! But it worked beautifully for them! And I love how this bride involved her really good guy friend into the wedding day…who ever said that your “bridesmaids” have to be ladies?! No one! Your bridal party should consist of your BFFs…male, female, feline, canine, it doesn’t matter who/what they are!
- And with a bridal party that large, where do you seat all of them at the reception? A king’s table of course! Don’t know what that is? Revisit this post from earlier this year! This is one of my FAVORITE ideas and I’m so glad Jennine and Troy included this at their reception!
Who better to capture this pretty day than Leeann Marie, Wedding Photographers? The portraits are totally unreal. Oh and P.S…you might recognize Jennine from Dance Moms! Yes, THAT Dance Moms! Get it girl!
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
Troy and I met through mutual friends, but it was a long-anticipated meeting. I lived across the street from his best friends for over a year, but somehow, we always seemed to miss each other until one night. Two of our best friends were pulling out some pretty awesome dance moves, and Troy and I were playfully teasing them together. We bonded over a good laugh, and it was history from there.
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
Time was not on our side, so to say that Troy surprised me, is an understatement. Being a dance instructor, I was in Australia for a month, teaching and traveling. A few days before my return to the states, we had planned a nice dinner and night out to celebrate my return home. However, my flight got cancelled and I was stuck in Australia for another 36 hours! A downward spiral from there, the connection flights were delayed and all of my luggage was lost. When I finally arrived in Pittsburgh, Troy picked me up at baggage claim, and later said “I decided I was going to wing it based on how tired and stressed out you were”. Despite all of the craziness, I was so relieved to be home with him, and couldn’t have been happier. He was convinced it was the right time. As we got into the car, he got down on one knee, and I of course said “YES”!
What inspired your vision for the wedding?
Color, color, and more color! I started by picking my dress, which was a blush pink – I will forever be in love with it. I then knew I wanted to accent it with more color! The fall has always been my favorite season and I was really inspired by the trend of rich, jewel tones – marsala and navy were everything for me. I decided to accent these tones and my dress with metallics to create a very whimsical setting. The venue we chose was in the middle of the city and had an industrial feel. It was gorgeous, but at the same time, a canvas where we could create everything we ever dreamed of.
What made your wedding unique?
From the very beginning, Troy and I approached the wedding from a very unique perspective. Although tradition is great, we wanted it to completely reflect our personalities and values: our love for our families and friends, our desire for a joyful, fun life, and my personal obsession with DIY. We had mixed bridal parties, we skipped a few wedding traditions so we could focus on the fun, and we added our personal touch to as much as we possibly could.
We spent hours choosing our best friends to stand by our sides: I had eight bridesmaids and one bridesman, and Troy had seven groomsmen. We then tackled how we could make the experience as best as possible for them. So we chose a HUGE kings table – with 32 seats – where we could sit all of them plus their dates! We also focused on our families and wanted them to be treated like the special people they are. From the preparations to the ceremony, the reception to the dances, we tried to make sure they had every ounce of fun possible by including them in every moment we could.
For DIY, we did what we could! Our families contributed to the delicious homemade desserts and famous Pittsburgh cookie table. We created all of our welcome and thank you signs, I made all of our programs, escort and place cards, and we added a special note to our edible favors. We had so much fun crafting in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and we were so happy with all of the details that added our own personal touch.
What was your favorite moment of the day?
My two favorite memories of the day were getting ready with my bridesmaids and mother and then also dancing all night – literally all night! The preparations were so much fun and all of the girls were so relaxed and truly enjoyed every moment. We had such a great morning just spending time with each other, pampering ourselves, and hanging out. It was completely stress free and the time and love I shared with my girls and guy is something I will remember forever.
We were so fortunate to have amazing vendors who kept us on track with time and knew how much dancing meant to us. We were able to have three full hours of fun on the dance floor and it was packed the entire night. We had so much fun with our families and friends literally dancing the night away. There was so much joy and laughter that filled the room!
Bride to Bride
What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
Everyone says it, but it’s the most important advice you will get – don’t let the things that go wrong ruin your day! It’s inevitable – not everything will be perfect, and that’s ok! And most likely, no one will notice these things except for you. For example, it rained on our wedding day and at our last picture location, I got mud all over my dress. We were so caught up in the moment that we didn’t even notice until we were finished! But you know what, it made for funny pictures and memories! All of my bridesmaids and I whipped out my emergency kit, mixed some Tide with water, and started scrubbing away. I couldn’t help but laugh and I definitely wasn’t going to let it ruin my day. There was so much love and joy around me, I was too happy to let anything bring me down. Don’t let the little things stress you out!
Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts? Anything you would do differently?
Other than wishing it could have lasted forever…no. Every minute of the day was perfect for us.
Vendors
Bride’s Dress: Essense of Australia from The Exquisite Bride | Bride’s Accessories: Kate Spade | Bride’s Shoes: Chinese Laundry | Cake: Bekah Yerecic | Caterer: Common Plea Catering | Ceremony Location: Heinz Chapel | DJ & Lighting: Anthony Griffith | Flowers: Mocha Rose | Hair: EnV Hair Salon | Linens: Mosaic | Makeup: Valarie Panei | Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse | Photographer: Leeann Marie, Wedding Photographers | Reception Location: Heinz History Center | Stationery: DIY | Transportation: TDF Limousine
Photographer: Leeann Marie, Wedding Photographers
What a beautiful wedding! I’m not sure if I missed it, but where are the bridesmaids dresses from? I’m obsessed with that color! Thanks 🙂
Isn’t that color gorgeous? They are Jenny Yoo!