This wedding at the Pennsylvanian is literally what dreams are made of. It’s soft, light, airy, and full of pure romance. After years of dating long distance, Mackenzie and Michael chose the ornate Pittsburgh wedding venue to host their celebration. To off-set the built-in grandeur, the couple kept things chic and clean. A palette of white and gray was accented with metallic details, tons of fresh greenery, and a sea of candlelight. While the bride wore an ethereal Truvelle wedding dress from Blanc de Blanc Bridal and beaded Bella Belle shoes, her maids coordinated in a variety of gray gowns. Mirror calligraphy signs, lush florals of eucalyptus and anemones by Pittsburgh wedding florist The Blue Daisy Floral Designs, and a fun Polaroid wedding guest book rounded out the beauty. Thanks to expert planning by Soiree by Souleret and dreamy images from Levana Melamed Photography, this wedding is sure to be a fast favorite!
About the Couple
Michael and I first met briefly in physics class as sophomores at Penn State. We reconnected senior year through THON (Penn State’s dance marathon) and became friends. The year after we graduated, we both moved back to Pittsburgh. Michael moved in with one of my good friends from college, which allowed us to see more of each other. I had a huge crush on him, and his roommate knew that, so Tommy invited me to all of their outings. We started dating, and just a few months after that, I moved to Philadelphia for medical school. We figured we would give long distance a try, and somehow we made it through four very long years of driving back and forth across the turnpike.
We got engaged my fourth year of medical school, while I was still living in Philadelphia. I was coming home for a bridal shower and we had plans to go to Redfin Blues with our best friends that night. Of course, I was tired from the shower and was trying very hard to bail on our plans but Michael was insistent. In retrospect, I should have known something was going on, because he even convinced me to change out my jean shorts and t-shirt into something a little bit nicer. The couple we were supposed to be meeting eventually called to let us know that they weren’t going to make it because their new dog was sick. After getting a drink or two, Michael asked if we could take a walk by the water to see a friend of his. At that point, I started to think something was up. We eventually made it to the overlook, which was all lit up. He got down on one knee, I screamed, said yes, and the rest is history! Afterwards, we went to Mt. Washington for dinner, where I was surprised with all of our family and friends waiting for us. It was the best night ever.
About the Wedding
Fortunately for us, Michael and I have very similar taste. We were having a big wedding with over 300 people, so our options were a little bit limited. I really wanted to steer clear of hotels, which limited our options even further. When we saw The Pennsylvanian, it was unlike anything we had ever seen (and we’ve been to a lot of weddings!) We loved the venue, but our style is a lot more casual. So we tried to sort of soften the grandeur of The Pennsylvanian by making it feel elegant and intimate. Shayne totally delivered! The candles everywhere made the room feel so romantic. Our color scheme was mostly white, grey, and greenery. Even though we got married in the spring, we’re more neutral, classic people so we kept the palate pretty neutral as well.
Favorite Moment
I don’t know if we could pick a favorite moment of our day. After the atrocity that was our practice first kiss at our rehearsal , I think we can both say that we were extremely excited that we nailed the real one! I also think being introduced into cocktail hour as husband and wife was a pretty amazing feeling, and Levana captured some awesome pictures of that moment!
