Alexa, play “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles because Carrie and Michael’s Allegheny County Courthouse elopement has got us in the mood! It’s obvious that we love sharing lots of pretty wedding details. But when you strip away the grand design and fancy things, we can only hope that the foundation of the day is built on as strong a love as Carrie and Michael’s. The two connected during a time when the world slowed down. Perhaps it’s the very thing that led them to having a simplistic wedding day. They focused on the blending of their families with their three sons standing by their side during their ceremony officiated by ASimpleVow. The boys all wore navy blue with Carrie donning a beautiful gown with embellished cap sleeves from The Exquisite Bride. The grand allure of the venue didn’t call for much decor, but the personalized details like the unity rope and photos of loved ones past were the perfect touch. Iris Marie Photography captured amazing portraits of the special day, but it’s the first touch against a corner column of the courthouse that really shows the bond these two share. Intimate and sweet, this elopement is the perfect celebration of a crazy little thing called love.
About the Couple
We met in April 2020 through Bumble. Due to the pandemic, we had to find creative ways to date (FaceTiming, walks in the park, and at-home dates, etc.). The one bonus to the world slowing down was that we got to spend a lot of time together without distractions and we used that time to build a strong foundation in our relationship.
On a cold and rainy day at the end of October 2021, we decided to go hiking. Hiking is one of our favorite things to do together, so despite the dreary weather, we put on our boots and went on our way. We brought ours sons with us and hiked about a mile into the woods. We made it to the Beam Rocks overlook, one of the most scenic mountain vistas in the Laurel Highlands. We took a few selfies of our group first, then Michael asked Jack to take a picture of the two of us with the beautiful backdrop. Jack was secretly prompted earlier by Michael to record a video. As we started to pose for the “picture”, Michael reached into his pocket and got down on one knee. He expressed how much he loved me and asked me to marry him.
About the Wedding
The theme was simple and elegant. We wanted an uncomplicated and stress-free day that focused on our love and the blending of our families above all else. The courthouse was the perfect place to do this. Minimal decor, photos of lost loved ones watching from Heaven, some gold lanterns, and our uniting rope knot board – hardly any decor was needed because the beauty of the building speaks for itself. This is exactly what we wanted: grand, simple, elegant.
Talia was the perfect setting for a small intimate dinner with our immediate family following our nuptials.
Favorite Moment
While we loved every moment of our day, we both agree our favorite moment was our first touch. We were so excited to get married and having a moment for just the two of us before the ceremony was so special. We didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony, so we stood on adjacent sides of a pillar in the courthouse. We held hands and exchanged words of excitement and a sentimental gift for Michael – a reminder that his late father was with him on his wedding day. This was truly a special moment we will never forget.
