Shooting a friend’s wedding is great for two reasons. It’s awesome to share in a friend’s big day and also an excellent way to catch up with old friends. Chris and Kristy’s wedding certainly fulfilled both of these expectations. We started the day downtown at the always stunning Fairmont Hotel for Kristy’s preparations. The beautifully lit lobby provided a perfect location for pictures as this particular wedding day greeted us with some early morning precipitation.

We’re always happy to be shooting a ceremony at St. Mary of the Mount Church in Mt. Washington, and Chris and Kristy’s was no exception. The church’s interior combined with Grandview Avenue’s unique perspective of Pittsburgh is a great way to show off the city to out-of-town guests. After a quick stop for pictures outside of the church, we headed to West Park on the North Side where the bridal party braved the rain and cold for some additional pictures.

We got to do a bit of traveling for the reception and headed over to Youngstown, Ohio’s B&O Station. This former train station has since been converted to a banquet hall and beer brewery on the bank of the Mahoning River. By the time we arrived, the sun was shining and we were lucky enough to grab a few more shots of the bride and groom before heading into the reception for a night of dinner and dancing with a great guest list of family and friends. The excellent DJ Sam Crawford rocked the B&O until last call. Congratulations Chris and Kristy!