Timmy and Shannon Wed: Details and DIY

Timmy is a graphic designer, so when it came to wedding details he and Shannon were a true DIY bride and groom.

All of the wedding details began with a logo of sorts combining a T and an S:Timmy and Shannon's aisle runner

The T and S designs with the antlers and swan were combined into a heart that Timmy had engraved into his wedding band.
The programs also designed and made by the couple.

Their favors, which I assume were inspired by Mrs. Penguin, were boxes filled with candy, coasters and a note to share photos on Flickr.

Also on the tables were velum wrapped votive candles made by the couple:

The tables were named after bridges in New York and Pittsburgh. The signs, of course, were also made and designed by the couple:

For the escort cards Timmy and Shannon made a huge board with ribbon to hold the cards. Interspersed within the cards were wedding photos of their family:
During the cocktail hour, after guests found their card, they were instructed to take a Polaroid of themselves and tape it to the spot where their card used to be.
Everyone really seemed to have a blast with the photos.
And by the end of the night the board was completely filled:

Timmy and Shannon provided the alcohol served by their caterer. They had these adorable signs described the alcohol content of the different beers on hand:
They even made napkins with the logos on them, like several bees have shown us in the past.

The cake was an Almond Torte, the delicious specialty of Prentl's Bakery in Pittsburgh.

The room was stunning. The tables were draped with black cloths and the addition of the all the little details made it really pretty and personal.

Are you doing any of these projects for your wedding?

Timmy and Shannon Wed: The Reception

In the second of three installments about Tim and Shannon's wedding we have the reception and a couple portraits (the final part will be all the DIY and detail goodies). The reception was held at Soldiers and Sailors museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, right across the street from where Mr. Pineapple and I first met. It was a really cool location, complete with cannons and Abe Lincoln.
A few days before the wedding Mingwei and I (who shot our rehearsal dinner and was one of the photogs at our wedding) scoped out some portrait locations. The weather report was calling for rain so we knew there was a good chance we would have to take most if not all of the photos indoors. My favorite spot ended up being a tiny hallway with nothing more than a couple chairs and a lamp.
We also did a couple shots outside, quickly.
And some in the stairwell.
Timmy said he loved Abe Lincoln, so we snuck away and took this photo in one of the museum's little rooms.
Where we caught Timmy's mom, hiding away from the chaos for a minute or two.
While we were running around taking photos, guests were filtering in for the cocktail hour.
You know how kids dressed like grown-ups are amazingly adorable? Well, these two kids were also amazingly hard to photograph. Anytime they would see me point my camera at them they would run and hide behind someones leg... or a column... or wiggle their noses and disappear.
Unless the groom caught one!
The bride and groom's entrance was very lively, complete with a towel wave rivaling the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The couple's first dance was wonderful. You could tell they definitely put a lot of work into making it special. (Which also made it difficult to photograph without being intrusive.)

Next up was time for everyone to hit the dance floor. Even though I couldn't dance myself, being on the dance floor was a blast. Her guests were so lively, my cheeks hurt from laughing.
The young man in green was all over the dance floor. Watch out ladies, ten years from now this one will be a heart breaker.

Do you plan on there being a lot of dancing at your reception or are your guests more of the mingling types?

Timmy and Shannon Wed: The Ceremony

Let me start off by saying I am not a wedding photographer. I studied photography for 8 years, but a minor in college (after choosing design over photography) was the most that really came of my passion. This summer my former professor, whose work you have seen in our engagement photos, e-mailed me and asked if I would be interested in photographing a wedding. Timmy had contacted her looking for cheap labor and I was her recommendation. The wedding was stunning and the bride and groom were amazingly sweet. They were a true DIY couple, with the groom doing a lot of the design work. So, I would love to share with you their inspirational Pittsburgh wedding.

The day began at the apartment of Shannon's cousin, where the bridal party met and Shannon got ready.Shannon wore a stunning gown that looked simply amazing on her.For her shoes, Shannon chose simple gold ballet flats:
Shannon taking one last look in the mirror as she opens a card from her soon to be husband.
It was a typical late fall Pittsburgh day, wet and windy.
The bridesmaids all wore a black dress of their choice.
The church was beautiful, with light streaming in from stained glass windows.
The ceremony was sweet and romantic. I was lucky that the ceremony was long, giving me a lot of time to take photos from every angle I could imagine. This was by far the most stressful part of the day for me. I was worried about the photos turning out when it was so dark and stressed about capturing every important moment.

After the ceremony the families gather for some portraits and the groom sat down for a minute to take it all in.
Have you ever been asked to play a major role in a wedding? You know, other than being the bride :)