1. Real Weddings

A Gold, Blue and Pink Wedding at Pittsburgh Athletic Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Brianna Freeman (31 and in marketing) and Eric Clements's (30 and in marketing) love story started at the University of Pittsburgh, so they wanted the

Brianna Freeman (31 and in marketing) and Eric Clements's (30 and in marketing) love story started at the University of Pittsburgh, so they wanted the campus to be part of their wedding. They picked the Pittsburgh Athletic Association as their reception spot (one block away) and had the ceremony at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (five blocks away). “Having both our venues near campus, where we first met, was an important detail for us,” Brianna says. "We really wanted the day to be about family and friends coming together for good food, wine, dancing and memories. It was absolutely everything we imagined.” Even Pitt’s navy and gold, along with pink hues, were included as their wedding colors. Everything from the DIY table numbers to the sparkling wine wedding favors, charger plates and the breakaway vases of their rose centerpieces fit the color scheme. And the red velvet wedding cake (their favorite flavor) was set on a gold sequin linen. See all favorite details as they were beautifully shot by Ashley Giffin Photography, below.

Brianna and Eric's ceremony program brought out their romantic style. Each blush card had their names in mixed, chic white font and a sweet thank-you note to all their guests.
Each groomsmen was ready for the wedding in a blue tuxedo. They matched Eric with white shirts and brown shoes, but switched things up with blue bow ties instead of ivory. “I loved the look of blue suits instead of a black tux, and they really went well with the color palette,” Brianna says.
Brianna loved the idea of how coral would look against the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So every woman (and girl!) in the wedding party was dressed in a coral, peach or a true pink hue. The flower girl stood out from the others in a knee-length pink dress with a tulle overlay and rosette detailing along the waist.
Brianna loved the idea of having a romantic English garden-inspired theme for their wedding. So she and Eric held the ceremony at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The natural space served as the perfect backdrop for photos.
“Eric has awesome blue eyes that look amazing when he wears blue,” Brianna says. It was no surprise that he waited for her at the altar in a slate blue tuxedo. His accessories only highlighted the look. Eric wore a white shirt, ivory bow tie, matching pocket square and this sweet white freesia boutonniere with a succulent.
Knowing she wanted a mermaid-style dress with a wow factor, Brianna tried on 20 looks. Once she put on her chic dress with tons of tight ruffles along the tulle skirt and feathers on the strapless sweetheart neckline, she knew it was the one. “I felt like a princess and never wanted to take it off,” Brianna says. “It was the most beautiful thing I have ever worn.” The minimal aisle decor at their ceremony made her wedding gown stand out even more.
Brenna's bridesmaids rocked their peach and coral Donna Morgan looks for the spring wedding. The women wore strapless, long dresses with sweetheart necklines and ruching along the bodice. The chiffon skirts matched it with slight pleating that extended from the empire waist. Aside from the different colors, everyone showed their personalities with different hairstyles.
Brianna and Eric met as first-year students at the University of Pittsburgh’s business school. They quickly became friends and fell in love, and got engaged a few years later. Their reception was held just a block away from campus. “The best part of our venue was stepping outside and seeing the buildings where our story started,” Brianna says. “I'm reminded of that every day with our wedding photos.”
Given that Pitt’s colors are navy and gold, it was no surprise that the same hues popped up at Brenna and Eric's reception at Pittsburgh Athletic Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each table was marked with gold vase centerpieces and a DIY navy table number that had handwritten gold script. “We designed the short centerpieces to bring in the feel of our romantic garden ceremony,” Brianna says.
Since Brianna’s favorite drink is champagne, she and Eric sent their friends and family members home with a little something special. Almost every place setting was paired with a mini bottle of sparkling wine by Verdi and a gold-striped straw.
While the rest of their decor was gold, ivory or navy, Brianna and Eric went for a natural look with tall centerpieces. Jim Ludwig’s Blumengarten Florist designed each one with curly willow-tip branches and white larkspur that burst from a clear glass trumpet vase.
While most place settings were accented with sparkling wine wedding favors, Brianna and Eric had a nonalcoholic option. Some friends and family members took home Izze sparkling juice with a gold-striped straw as their wedding favor.
Their sweetheart table definitely stood out with a glitzy, gold sequin tablecloth. The seating was also decorated with white candlesticks, matching chair covers and a different centerpiece from the rest of their reception. It was filled with white roses, pink peonies, greenery, white freesia and seeded eucalyptus from Jim Ludwig’s Blumengarten Florist that cascaded over the table’s edge.
Brianna and Eric chose their favorite flavor for the wedding cake: red velvet. Their pastry chef covered the single-tier confection in cream cheese frosting before adding cascading pink peonies and roses to the side. “We both wanted to give everybody a choice, so we did a mix of different-flavored cupcakes from Oakmont Bakery,” Brianna says. “There was also a traditional Pittsburgh wedding cookie table filled with cookies baked by Eric's mom, his grandma, his aunts, my sister and my mother.”
After searching for that “something different” in 20 other dresses, Brianna found the one. “My dress had two types of lace that made up the bodice, cascading layers of tulle and feathers at the sweetheart neckline—my something different,” she says. The skirt, however, was the most dramatic detail with overlapping ruffles that extended into a chapel-length train.