Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh was still under construction when Erissa and Nick chose it as the venue for their wedding reception. Though planning the wedding from out of town, the duo knew they wanted to host a fun party that their friends and family could enjoy, which meant delicious food, tasty drinks, and great music. They settled on a navy, ivory, and green color palette, and they filled the ballroom with disposables cameras and a few Go Pro cameras so their guests could take pictures and videos throughout the glamorous night.
The Couple:
Erissa and Nick
The Wedding:
Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
We worked with Rachel Rowland Photography and I have nothing but amazing things to say! Rachel is super talented, and also funny, kind, and easy to work with. She put us totally at ease on our wedding day, and captured really fantastic moments.
We were looking at different venue styles, but ultimately decided that a hotel would be best for a variety of reasons—full catering and bar service, proximity to other downtown attractions for out-of-towners, and an easy “commute” home for guests staying in the hotel.
We wanted our wedding vibe to reflect our personal vibe, which I would describe as simple and somewhat modern but with touches of the unexpected, and definitely welcoming. We kept things very clean and bright for the most part—white and metallic and simple table designs—but let the flowers feel a little wilder and more natural.
Our first dance was pretty special. We had a small, three-piece band from New York playing—headlined by one of Nick‘s musical idols, Vic Ruggiero. They performed a cover of one of our favorite Hot Chip songs, “Look At Where We Are,” and our friend Sarah sang the vocals. To top it all off, we were surrounded by some of our favorite people in the entire world. It was such an amazing way to share our first dance as a married couple.
Because we were long-distance planning, it was important for us to work with vendors that understood our style and vibe. My husband and I were very closely involved in all decisions being made about the wedding. While this was definitely exhausting at times, the compliments we received from people telling us how much the wedding really reflected who we are as people made the whole thing worth it.
The Wedding Team:
Photography – Rachel Rowland
Ceremony Venue – Smithfield United Church of Christ
Reception Venue – Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
Floral Design – greenSinner
Cake – Oakmont Bakery
DJ – Modern Era Weddings
Live Music – Vic Ruggiero
Invitations – Cody Boehmig
Hair Styling – Valerie Zotter Bailey
Wedding Dress – Houghton NYC
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Reformation
Groom’s Apparel – Freemans Sporting Club
Rings – Mathew Jewelers
The ballroom of Hotel Monaco Pittsburg looked absolutely smashing for this couple’s glamorous evening! For more ballroom wedding inspiration, head on over to this modern classic wedding at The Room on Main!
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