These two high school sweethearts started dating when Zia made the first move. Fast forward to last summer and they planned the most gorgeous wedding I’ve seen in quite awhile. Dave’s family’s barn played the perfect rustic backdrop to the day that had a vintage, organic theme. A sage green, white, taupe, and ivory color palette kept things neutral while long farm table and cross back chairs gave a woodsy touch. A pop of metallic was courtesy of hammered brass cutlery and fresh rosemary and thyme were incorporated into the place settings. Everything was soft, chic, and oh-so-romantic. Here are just a few of my favorites!
- That dress! The lace Nicole Miller number from Glitter & Grit featured 3D flowers, a deep V back, and subtle train. I’m done over this one.
- His and her favorites! In honor of Dave’s love of cycling, guests were greeted by a seating chart of escort cards fixed to a bicycle wheel with wooden clothes pins. Zia LOVES popcorn so naturally the evening included a popcorn bar with an assortment of flavors.
- The florals! Sapphire & Lace Design hit a totally home run with textural, cascading bouquets, thistle boutonnieres, greenery table runners, and hanging floral chandeliers. I guarantee you’ll be left breathless!!
Casual, fresh, and as pretty as can be, this wedding was documented by Leeann Marie,Wedding Photographers. Brace yourself. Wedding day perfection is about to explode on your screen.
Feel as if you were right there enjoying every last gorgeous minute with this video from So Fresh Films!
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
Dave and I have been dating since the 11th grade. It will be nine years in October, which is complete insanity. I actually made the first move. He was in my sociology class. I thought he was cute, and was curious. I got him to give me and a friend a ride to the movie theater (because that’s what you did in high school). I hugged him at the end of the night, and the rest is history.
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
Dave and I moved to San Francisco for a summer after college. I quit my job in finance and moved with him on a whim to pursue an entrepreneurial opportunity. His dad purchased his mom’s engagement ring from Henne, so Dave wanted to do the same. It wasn’t ready before we moved to California, so he had the ring mailed across the country so he could propose while we were living out there.
We were out hiking near Highway One when we stopped to sit on some rocks and look out at the view. He took the ring box out of his hiking backpack and asked me to marry him. He didn’t get down on one knee (possibly because we were cliff side), but it’s always been our style to go against the grain and casually invent things that work for us. Looking back on that day, he was being extremely overprotective of the backpack. I thought it was odd at the time that he was carrying the backpack in front of his body with both arms wrapped around it, like a baby carrier.
Describe the look, theme, style, and colors of the wedding.
Our theme was “vintage romanticism”. Everything had a softness to it – simple but highly textural florals, a naked wedding cake, a vintage tandem bike and photo booth, farm tables, and brass cutlery. Our color palette included shades of white, cream, taupe, and sage. Greenery was used everywhere – as table runners, in bouquets, and hanging down from chandeliers.
What inspired the vision?
Since Dave and I first met, we’ve had a casualness to our relationship where we’ve always done what we wanted without being influenced by others. I wanted the wedding to have that casual, organic feel to it. I am not a glitter girl, so it was easy for me to choose muted tones, a dress with 3D embroidered flowers, natural makeup, and sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
What made the wedding unique?
The wedding and reception were held in a private barn on my in law’s property in Cheswick, PA. This was the first event ever held in the barn, which I’m sure will inspire many in the future! We felt like we could own the wedding space because nobody else has been married there. It’s uniquely ours in that sense.
Our wedding had large family involvement. Since nobody had previously held an event there, we had to figure everything out on our own. It was a ton of work, which is why I enjoy sharing it. We had so many hours-long meetings about catering access, bathroom usage, etc. Since we needed so much help, a lot of family stepped in! Dave’s uncle married us, his cousins all came in early and set up the space, my mom wrote the place cards, a family friend made our wedding cake, Dave’s aunt acted as a day-of wedding planner, and two family friends played music during the wedding and cocktail hour.
I wanted to use some of our favorite things as part of the wedding day. I have popcorn every single night before bed, so I naturally needed a popcorn bar. Dave is an avid cyclist, so we had a vintage tandem bike and used bike wheels to display the place cards. I had a champagne cocktail at a restaurant in Chagrin Falls, Ohio and have never forgotten it. I emailed the restaurant for the recipe so we could recreate it, and it was named “Bubbles N’ At” as a tribute to Pittsburgh.
What was your favorite moment of the day?
My favorite moment was when the photographer brought us to the edge of the barn for photos. All of the guests were in the grass below us for cocktail hour. When Dave and I approached the edge of the barn to take photos, all the guests saw us and started cheering and clapping. It was such an amazing feeling to look down on all of those people and know they were all there for you, to share in your genuine happiness.
What advice would you give to other Burgh Brides planning their big day?
My advice would be to be flexible. Problems are going to come up. How couldn’t they trying to manage 200+ people? For example, on the way to our rehearsal dinner, the plan was to have a walk through at the wedding site and then drive to dinner. There was horrible traffic because of an accident, so we ended up skipping the walk through altogether and going straight to dinner. During the wedding reception, the seating cards at the main table were off by one, so nobody was directly across from their dates. The guests were able to figure it out by themselves and adjusted their seats accordingly. You can only control so much, so enjoy all of the things that go right!
Any must haves, must dos, or can’t live withouts? Anything you would do differently?
It meant the world to us to have a bridal party that got along really well. We were lucky in that most of the girls and guys are friends with each other. It made things a lot easier when asking people to order things and help out. We even had a joint bachelor-bachelorette party! I’d say that you must introduce the bridal party before the wedding and try to get everyone together if you can!
You must plan the day according to what you want! It’s so easy for people to insert their opinion into your day. Even though it’s hard, you have the right to be selfish about your own wedding. Everyone has one chance to do it, so pick the unique things that inspire you. My favorite weddings are the weddings where the personalities come across and you can learn about the couple from attending an event they put together.
My must have was a live band! A DJ isn’t the same when you want the heart and soul of a live performer to inspire a large crowd.
Vendors
Band: Bachelor Boys Band | Bride’s Dress: Nicole Miller from Glitter & Grit | Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids Dresses: J. Crew | Caterer: The Common Plea | Ceremony Location: Private residence | Desserts: Pastries by Candace | Favors: 1820 House Candle Company | Flowers: Sapphire & Lace Design | Hair: Metamorphosis | Makeup: Metamorphosis | Menswear: J. Crew | Photo Booth: Pittsburgh Camper Booth | Photographer: Leeann Marie, Wedding Photographers | Popcorn: Pittsburgh Popcorn Company | Rentals: All Occasions Party Rental & Vintage Alley Rentals | Rings: Henne Jewelers | Stationery: Nota Bene | Transportation: Molly’s Trolleys and Antique Coach Excursions | Videography: So Fresh Films
Flowers: Sapphire & Lace Design | Photographer: Leeann Marie, Wedding Photographers | Rentals: All Occasions Party Rental & Vintage Alley Rentals | Videography: So Fresh Films
