Weddings at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh are a great mix of modern and elegance, with so many fun opportunities to showcase the city in order to get epic Pittsburgh wedding photos. This venue can be very challenging to light, with the gorgeous grand staircase and vaulted ceilings with dark purple glass dome - but luckily this isn’t my first day on the job!

I got to know Camille and Zachary when we did their adorable engagement session at Mellon Park with their pup Olive - and even though we had to work around the timing of the Pittsburgh Marathon and then got caught in a downpour, it was one of the best engagement sessions ever because THEY were just so happy and in love. It makes a huge difference in front of the camera working with couples that just love to be around each other. The two met online in the early days of the pandemic, and when they had their first date, they tackled all of the hard topics - religion, politics, etc. to really “cut to the chase” and see if they were compatible. Things worked out well, and they decided to quarantine together with Zach’s roommates during lockdown and their relationship grew at warp-speed! It was so fun getting to learn about them and just seeing the down right GIDDINESS they have around each other. Oh, and they are both super-smart scientist grad-students. They are perfect together!

We started the day in the gorgeous Heaven Suite at the Renaissance Hotel, where I was greeted with the MOST KIND group of friends and family ever (like seriously, they offered us snacks, lunch, and drinks!). The whole vibe was calm, happy, and pleasant, which means EVERYTHING on wedding morning! I always start wedding day photographing the small touches that make the day feel like “you.” Camille’s details featured a water-color rendition of the Renaissance Hotel on their invitation suite, and a hand-drawn Pittsburgh skyline for the save the dates! Jewelry was of course the timeless yet very trendy-for-2022 pearls found on her necklace, earrings, and hairpiece. The wedding dress was the perfect combination of classy and whimsical with a beautiful satin top and a full skirt covered in flowers.

When we went to spend some time with the groomsmen, we found Zachary helping head up the floral decorations on the grand staircase when we arrived. He and his groomsmen looked sharp in their classic black tuxedos and bowties. Once everything was set for the ceremony and everyone was ready, the couple opted for a first look so we could get some photos outside in downtown Pittsburgh before the ceremony started.

The Renaissance Hotel is conveniently located just steps away from one of the most iconic bridges in Pittsburgh, the Roberto Clemente bridge, which always makes for a great photo-op… except when it’s under construction! Luckily the bridal party was happy to walk just a block down the street to the bridge’s twin, the Andy Warhol bridge. Even though there were TONS of people out and about for a Kenny Chesney concert AND a summer festival happening on the same block, we were able to get some great photos by the tree-covered walkways, on the sides of the bridge, and even a few quick snaps walking across!

The ceremony was very sweet, drawing on the love and closeness that Camille and Zachary had grown over the last 2 years. With a quick kiss and a breaking of the glass (Mazel tov!), the two were officially Mr. and Mrs. Since most of the photos were done beforehand, we had time to get a GIANT photo will all 100 guests in on the grand staircase, which was a logistical and lighting challenge that we happily rose to!

Guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the second floor, strolling the marble halls with cookies and cocktails in hand. The Symphony Ballroom was stunning with gold Charivari chairs, floral centerpieces from Blumengarten, and custom etched drink ware for guests. My husband provided music with his company Royal Heir DJ Services, and after a quick getaway to take some night-time photos on the terrace of the Heaven Suite, it was officially a successful wedding day!

I loved being back at the Renaissance - I hope you enjoy some of the highlights from this special day!

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Vendors:

Photography: Jill Gearhart Photography assisted by Tommy Seibert

Venue: Renaissance Hotel Pittsburgh

Invitation Suite: Brown Fox Creative

Gown: Bridal Beginning

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal

Hair and Makeup: Black Label Society

Florals: Jim Ludwig’s Blumengarten Florist

Cake: Pastries a la Carte

Officiant: Brandon Stiffler

DJ: Royal Heir DJ Services

When COVID wrecked their original plans to get married at the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh, Janelle and Zac rolled with the punches like so many 2020 couples had to and planned two separate events to incorporate both safety AND their original dream and vision for their day.

The first event, the ceremony and reception, was a totally outdoor event at a friend’s property, high on a hilltop in the beautiful McDonald, PA. They were still able to incorporate elements from the original plan, like their beautiful invites from Paper Chasers, their sentimental details including Janelle’s grandma’s ring and handkerchief, and much of their original vendors for the reception (check those out below!)

We started the day at the couple’s beautiful new home where their sweet pups Sophie and Barley got to join in on the action too along with friends and family. We even got to do a first look right in front of the home Janelle and Zac built together, which was a very special moment. The ceremony, reception, and fireworks display (!!) were gorgeous in the pastoral hilltop setting, and the DJ threw one heck of a party under the stars!

Even though the “Plan B” day was perfect, we still wanted to capture their wedding portraits in the city that Janelle and Zac both love, so a month later we reconnected for a few hours of strictly portraits downtown and at the Renaissance, their original venue.

The city portraits were something we ALL were looking forward to, and that urban atmosphere plays a big part in their relationship. When I asked Janelle about how they got engaged, she said “Zac and myself both love New York City. New York city is one of the first big trips we went on together a few years back and we have been visiting yearly ever since. We always talked about getting engaged on an ice skating rink at Christmas time. In November 2018 we went to New York to see the Christmas lights and went skating at Bryant Park. After skating for an hour, Zac requested a picture and then proposed! He planned a romantic dinner across the river with the skyline in the background.”

Capturing the Pittsburgh skyline was something that was paramount, so the couple booked the Heaven Suite in the Renaissance, a gorgeous upscale room with a private terrace showcasing the best views of Pittsburgh. After some stunning and unique photos on the iconic yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge, and in the grand marble staircase in the hotel lobby, we headed to the terrace in the Heaven Suite to experience a rooftop view of Pittsburgh that was breath taking and the perfect way to end our wedding photo experience! I hope you enjoy the highlights of both days, and be encouraged that if you too have to go “plan B”, there’s always a creative way to incorporate some of what you originally dreamed of.

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Vendors:

Photography - Lead Photographer: Jill Gearhart Photography; Second Shooter: Jonathan Blanchard

Gown - Exquisite Bride, Murrysville

Hair - CC Salon

Makeup - Emily Van Scoy & Co.

Bridesmaids Dresses - Exquisite Bride, Murrysville

Suits - Top Hat Tuxedo

Rings - LJ Marks Jewelers

Invitations - Paper Chaser

Florals - Berries and Birch Flower Design Studio

Cake: Oakmont Bakery

Catering: Renaissance Pittsburgh

DJ - DJ Climax (Bobby Kramer)

Videographer - Legendary Celebrations Cinematography

Coordinator - Fallon DiRiggi, Renaissance Pittsburgh

The Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh is a gorgeous venue to have your wedding - with a sweeping grand staircase, cozy but elegant reception room, and incredible views of the city from it’s modern suites, it’s everything you could want for your wedding AND after! Not to mention the city’s most iconic yellow bridge, The Roberto Clemente, just steps away from its doors.