IF YOU WANT THE WEDDING OF YOUR DREAMS – LOOK NO FURTHER THAN SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.
I have tried to write this review so many times in a quick hit summary that is easy for future ...brides to read, but it is simply impossible to explain our amazing experience in just a few sentences.
A little background, when I got engaged, I had only been to Pittsburgh once in my life. At the time, we lived states away and I essentially knew nothing about the city in general, let alone the wedding scene. Back in 2023, I made the (big) mistake of contracting a different venue for our reception. Fast forward 20 months, and I received word less than 2 months before our big day that our venue would be undergoing construction. Immediately, I reached out to Soldiers and Sailors, and by the grace of God, they had one date available left, and it was our date… Amber (THE BEST wedding coordinator who can be dubbed a miracle worker) responded to my note moments after I reached out, and we ended up on a Zoom the next day. Not only was Amber extremely empathetic to our situation, but she also showed up to our call with a plan for how she would be able to execute the wedding of our dreams on such short notice.
What had originally been an extremely overwhelming, gut-wrenching experience, quickly turned into something I was excited about. Amber seamlessly restored my trust in the wedding planning process and essentially took the reigns as she navigated the transition of all my vendors to Soldiers and Sailors. My husband and I were blown away by how she traversed this tricky situation with such grace and professionalism.
I could go on and on about how incredible Amber and the team at Soldiers and Sailors were – but I will leave you with this. Amber was supposed to be out of town the weekend of my wedding; she and her partner changed their vacation plans to make sure she could be there for our big day…. If that doesn’t show you how deeply the team at S&S cares, I do not know what will.
I am sure some of you reading this review probably think that my view is skewed because Amber/S&S literally saved our wedding..but as someone who has a background in events/operations, I can confidently say that I am able to separate the two. Yes – Amber/S&S have a special place in my heart for what they did in our time of chaos.. but Soldiers and Sailors is truly a BEAUTIFUL venue that provides great flexibility and can make any vision come to life.
Our guests absolutely raved about our cocktail hour in the lobby. It was beautiful, and our guests really enjoyed having the opportunity to take in the exhibits while they waited for our wedding party to arrive. We had a 3-piece band playing, and a bar on each end. The space was fluid, the bartenders were efficient, the acoustics were perfect, and the transition upstairs to the ballroom was seamless.
Now, the best for last. The Ballroom is truly unbelievable! We brought in string lights, a band, flipped the bars so they were facing inside the space, and positioned the tables to make such a large space feel warm and comfortable for a smaller wedding (128 people). The pictures of the space don’t do nearly enough justice, as it truly transforms when you bring in the tables, bars, lighting, etc.. Our guests had the best time, and we would not have changed a thing.
Honestly – we are so thankful that we ended up at Soldiers and Sailors and would strongly encourage everyone to work with them.