Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

First time we meet

Preston and Yaya met while both working for the Iowa State International Ambassador's program. They immediatley hit it off after meeting and talking about their summer plans. Yaya found Preston charming and kind, while Preston found Yaya quite cute and intelligent.

We fall in love each other

Soon after meeting they realized they had some quite similar interests like singing (though Preston quite terribly so) and musicals and other nerdy stuff. Shortly after a trip to see Hamilton together, Preston realized that he wanted Yaya in his life and finally decided to ask her out. A wonderful date and some fried pickles later, the two ended up together spending late nights chatting about their shared interests and dreams for after college.&nbsp;

Shortly after Preston and Yaya graduated college, Preston moved to Cedar Rapids, and with Covid Yaya didn't have to move to Nebraska and instead moved to Cedar Rapids as well and worked remotely. After a while, Preston convinced Yaya to move in with him and they discovered a new shared love, cooking. The two would continuously "one up" each other making tastier and tastier dishes for the other. However, Preston soon conceded that there are very few things that beat Thai food. Preston and Yaya continued this love for food often making and sharing meals with each other and learning all kinds of new recepies.

He asked?..She said Yes

After a couple of years in Cedar Rapids Preston and Yaya decided that with the benefit of both being remote, they could pack up and move, compromising on Pittsburgh, not too big, not too small. The first date after moving to Pittsburgh was at the Phipps and it was gorgeous and amazing. Shortly into living in Pittsburgh Preston realized through all the small moments together that this was the girl he wanted to be with for the rest of his life (I mean he should after convincing her to move to Pittsburgh with him). He covertly used his friends to order a ring and brought her out to an apple orchard in the fall, and it was in their flower field that it felt like the right moment to pop the question. Luckily for him, she said yes.

Our Story

Sneak Peek of Our Cute Photos

Earlier this year, we both had the privilege of traveling across the world to Thailand. We got to explore&nbsp;amazing markets, beautiful white sand beaches, snorkeling, and eating all the amazing Thai food. Yaya's Mom did a great job capturing these beautiful photos, here are some picture our 'Earlymoon'. 🥰

Hehe 😎 it gonna get better from here🌊

And, now these are our favorites!! 🩷

Photos

Jake Smith

Josh Hutchens

Tommy Krohn

Team Bride

Anaelle Corbett

Anya Arreola-Gedlinske

Cassie Enterline

Taglao Jeeravivivtapon

Team Groom

Alex DiVarco

Cullen Walsh

Francisco Arreola-Gedlinske

Jacob McLaughlin

Joe Musielewicz

Kellan Hoffman

Landon West

Reed Herner

Yannick Fels

Wedding Party

Q + A

WHERE TO STAY

We recommended you stay at The Residence Inn by Marriott and have reserved a block of rooms for that purpose.&nbsp;&nbsp;But we completely understand if you would be more comfortable to stay elsewhere. We've included some other nearby lodging options below.

Here are the discount group rate:1. Studio, 1 King Bedroom, Sofa Bed: $169/night plus tax2. Studio, 2 Doubles Bedroom, Sofa Bed: $169/night plus tax

Residence Inn by Marriott Pittsburgh Oakland/University Place

15-minute walk from/to our venue

Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place

10-minute walk from/to our venue

The Oaklander Hotel, Autograph Collection

HOW TO GET THERE

We recommend flying into Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)From there, you can rent a car from the airport or take a Bus, Lyft or Uber to your hotel.

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)

IF YOU DECIDED TO TAKE A BUS

YOU CAN TAKE 28X FROM THE AIRPORT TO OUR PREFERRED HOTEL.Check Bus Schedule <a href="https://www.rideprt.org/all-schedules/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rideprt.org/all-schedules/</a>

Travel & Stay

Take the Historic Duqeusne incline up to Mount Washington and see the gorgeous view of Pittsburgh, explore the nearby bars and restaurants on Shiloh St. (Incline is 5$ cash for a two way ticket)

Duquesne Incline

Check out the strip for a walk around Pittsburghs shopping area including clothes, candy, and wonderful restaurants. Including Coop DeVille, an arcade and fried chicken restaurant, the original Primanti Bros, and an Asian food hall.

Strip District Terminal

A gorgeous museum right on campus and near the hotel, includes natural and American history with a Pittsburgh lense.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Check out the science center and the area around the stadiums where I work! with 4 floors of engaging exhibits!

Carnegie Science Center

Things to Do

Registry

1. Noodlehead

Delicious, cheap, Thai street food in Shadyside. <a href="https://noodleheadpgh.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://noodleheadpgh.com/</a>

2. Senyai Thai Kitchen

Noodlehead may be cheap and fast, but if you're looking for great sit-down Thai food in Pittsburgh you can't beat Senyai Thai Kitchen. <a href="https://senyaipgh.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://senyaipgh.com/</a>

3. Treat Liege Waffles and Ice Cream

5 stars with over 400 reviews, this little ice cream shop in Shadyside is amazing, great ice cream with warm Belgian waffles and one of the kindest owners you'll ever meet. If you have time to stop by at any point in the day we highly recommend it.

4. Gaucho Parilla Argentina

Argentinian Steakhouse with absolutely delicious steaks and chimichurri. <a href="https://eatgaucho.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://eatgaucho.com/</a>

5. Apteka

Vegan Polish/Eastern European Dumpling house with some of the most delicious and creative dishes. rated as one of the top 50 restaurants in the US. <a href="https://aptekapgh.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://aptekapgh.com/</a>

6. Cafe 33

Amazing Taiwanese restaurant in Squirrel Hill, everything on the menu is amazing. <a href="https://twcafe33.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twcafe33.com/</a>

7. Pigeon Bagels

Amazing Bagel Place in Squirrel Hill, bakes the bagels every morning fresh and goes generous on the schmear. <a href="https://pigeonbagels.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://pigeonbagels.com/</a>

8. Primanti Bros.

Last but certainly not least is the Pittsburgh institution known for putting fries on their sandwich, and there's one in Oakland! <a href="https://primantibros.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://primantibros.com/</a>

What Else?

Pittsburgh has so many great restaurants we could make this page nearly infinite, feel free to ask Preston for any other recommendations for restaurants/breweries, and food trucks. I am more than happy to help.

Apichaya & Preston

Apichaya & Preston

Wedding Party

Team Bride

Team Groom