Summer | Shell Bailey Photography

Sep

Duquesne Power Center Wedding | Marissa & Tony

Weddings / 0 Comments / September 11, 2015

Marissa & Tony. The Duquesne Power Center. <3

Aug

National Aviary Pittsburgh Weddings | Jess & Steve

Weddings / 0 Comments / August 28, 2015

Weddings like this make me feel lucky to be a photographer. Jess & Steve were married at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. It was a gorgeous summer evening, the ceremony lovely, the sunlight golden. It was full of smiles and beautiful moments and it just couldn’t have been a more perfect day. I’m so happy to have been there to capture these moments and excited to share them with you. :)

Jul

Pittsburgh Wedding | Anne & Nilesh

Weddings / 0 Comments / July 7, 2015

So much love for this wedding. Anne & Nilesh got married at the Monroeville Convention Center. They had two ceremonies; the first, American, casual, personalized and adorable, with Anne wearing her mother’s original wedding gown; the second, a traditional Indian ceremony, beautiful and meaningful and joining both of their families. I don’t think I have ever been to any ceremony that fit the couple’s personality and sense of humor so well (let alone two of them!) Many thanks to Anne & Nilesh for inviting us to work with them, and wishing them many, many years of happiness together.

Jun

Hotel Conneaut Destination Wedding | Katie & Mike

Weddings / 0 Comments / June 1, 2015

Mike & Katie turned their wedding into a weekend getaway, booking out the entire Hotel Conneaut near Erie, PA for three days. Many people brought their dogs (Mike & Katie’s even served as the ring bearers), and the weekend was filled with lawn games, pizza parties, and culminated on Saturday with their beautiful ceremony at the pier and dancing for the rest of the night. The whole wedding was so beautifully and thoughtfully handcrafted, from the signs & reception details to all of gift bags and other little things Katie & Mike did to make sure their guests had a fantastic time. Their joy was infectious. It was a reunion of good friends, a union of families, and a party I’m sure everyone will be talking about for years to come.

Sep

Heinz History Center Wedding | Tara & Tom

Weddings / 0 Comments / September 19, 2014

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start telling about a wedding. It’s such a huge day, you know? So much planning & preparation. For Tara & Tom, the day was sunny and very hot (just like Tara wanted it.) The ceremony was small & lovely & touching, at a dear little church in their neighborhood. The dresses & the details were beautiful and pinterest-worthy (can I just tell you about those mint dresses + coral flowers? Yes please.) We had lots of time for lots of amazing portraits. The reception was at the Heinz History Center, which is epic in itself, and I already can’t wait to shoot there again.

With all of those things, though, the most important thing to say about this wedding day is: Tara and Tom smiled all. day. long. And it was pretty fantastic.

And their bridal party? They smiled all day too. When they weren’t breaking down in hysterical laughter from one joke or another. Which was a lot of the time. That was pretty good too.

So, yeah. The day was beautiful, the style of the entire day was gorgeous, and Tara & Tom’s happiness just swept the entire thing away. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Sep

Pittsburgh Weddings | Brigid & Adam

Weddings / 1 Comment / September 11, 2014

This is one of those weddings where the whole big families opened up & welcomed us in. I learned quickly from all of our conversation and the engagement session that Brigid & Adam are kind and good-hearted and easy to work with. I should not have been surprised to find that their family and friends, likewise, are amazingly warm people- they told us stories, checked on us often, and made the day generally wonderful. That seemed to set the tone for the day- not just for us as photographers, but for the entire event.

Brigid had told me early on how so many people were coming to join them from near & far away, and how important that was to them. It seemed like everyone was involved in some way, whether handcrafting details or simply with their presence and support, and I’m not sure there is any better tribute to such a loving couple. I couldn’t help but feel that maybe the term wedding “guests” was inadequate in this case- maybe call them participants, instead, for all of these people came with joy to join in the celebration of Adam & Brigid’s love.

Here’s to families, then; chosen and blood, old and new. I was honoured to be part of this day.

Jun

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers | Kristina and Jason

Weddings / 0 Comments / June 19, 2014

I’ve mentioned before how much I love working with families and friends groups at multiple weddings- it’s like walking into a big reunion. I shot Kristina’s sister, Kelly’s wedding, last year, and it was lovely working with this family again. Kristina and Jason got married at St Bernadette’s, in Monroeville, and had the reception at the Greek Orthodox Hall in Oakmont- with a stopover at the Cathedral of Learning for some really fun portraits in between. Kristina & Jason couldn’t be easier to work with-they’re just the sweetest people and so enthusiastic. I loved this wedding- there was so much laughter, dancing, probably the most touching best man & maid of honor speeches I’ve ever heard, celebrating with their friends and family. Grateful to have been a part of this wonderful day.

Sep

Morgantown WVU Engagement | Amanda & Ken

lifestyle portraits / 2 Comments / September 17, 2012

While most of my weddings are in and around the Pittsburgh area, I am always excited when photography takes me a little outside of my usual realm. I love traveling and seeing new places and don’t always get the chance to do that as much as I would like. Whenever I do get to explore somewhere new, my favorite thing to do is to walk around and take pictures, so of course I’m thrilled whenever a couple has somewhere in particular in mind. :)

Amanda and Ken are getting married at WVU in Morgantown during the summer of next year, and wanted to take the opportunity to get shots of some of the more scenic locations for their engagement portraits. We had so much fun- they gave Andy & I a tour of the campus and told us all about going to school there and the best places to eat. And they both have a great eye for style & what looks good, I absolutely love working with them.

If you’re considering something similar, I am always interested in doing destination portraits- it’s especially a great option if you have to keep the wedding a little closer to home! I am always on the lookout for neat places. In the meantime, I’m totally looking forward to Amanda & Ken’s wedding at WVU next year. :)