Chad and Alexandria were married November 16, 2019
How did you meet?
Chad and I have gone to church with each other our whole lives! It is not often that someone can say that they have known their soulmate forever. Our church family claims that before we even showed interest in each other that they were praying we would end up together. In fact, we even had Sunday morning services at the Art Center twenty years ago while our church was being built, making the venue even more special.
Tell us about the proposal…
Chad took me on a surprise trip to Pittsburgh a couple of days before Christmas. I thought we were just going shopping, but I had no idea he had asked my dad the night before for permission to marry me. We spent our day ice skating at PPG Arena, enjoyed a coffee while exploring the shops at downtown Pittsburgh, and then ended the day on the top of Mount Washington where Chad proposed. It truly was a magical day and I was beyond excited coming off the mountain knowing I was going to marry my best friend. A random girl was kind enough to videotape and photograph the engagement. It’s such a sweet memory I can now watch over and over again.
What inspired the vision you had for your big day?
I didn’t really have a theme or a vision for the day, I just wanted something classy and elegant. Chad is a huge WVU fan so he wanted blue and gold incorporated into the color scheme. I made the main color burgundy, the guys wore navy tuxes, and we had a lot of gold accents. The reception was everything I envisioned and so much more!
What made you choose the Art Center as your venue?
I have had several friends get married at the Art Center and I have always been in love with the beauty of the ballroom. I knew from the beginning that the Art Center was going to be our venue, until Lyndsay told us the only fall date she had available was November 16th. Before we met with Lyndsay, I told Chad that we can go look, but there is no way I am going to be a November bride, it is way too cold! We both instantly fell in love with the venue and knew that November 16th must be the date for us. Lyndsay and the Art Center itself won us over and I contacted her the next day to reserve the date.
What other vendors did you choose and can you tell us a little about your experiences?
Elizabeth Michaels was the main vendor as they did my dress/veil, all the bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dress, and all of the jewelry and accessories! I may be a little partial to the business, but Kristina Davis and Donna McKinniss are beyond wonderful. If you need a wedding gown I would highly recommend Elizabeth Michaels. Their service is top notch and truly helped make my day perfect. The seamstress, Chris Conrad, is also phenomenal!!
Hornor and Harrison did all of the tuxes and they were great as well. We had some out of town groomsmen, and surprisingly everything fit just right! Stephanie and Michael were quick to get any replacement pieces in we needed.
Chris from Two Peas in a Pod florist did a wonderful job on my bouquet and Chad’s boutonnière. My bouquet was everything I wanted with lots of ivory colored flowers and greenery!
Morgan Trippett and Rachelle Satow from Studio Luxe did hair and makeup,
and they made my “wedding look” come to life. They even came to our room at the Blennerhassett Hotel to style myself and all my bridesmaids.
I also have an endless amount of friends and family that put so much work into making our wedding day everything we could ever hope for. We could never thank them enough! I never realized how many people it takes to make a wedding come together.
What is your favorite memory of your wedding day?
My favorite memory of the wedding day was when the church doors opened and I saw Chad waiting at the end of the aisle for me. We did a first look before the ceremony, and I swore I was not going to cry, but I just couldn’t hold back the tears...so I ugly cried down the aisle.
Any last bits of advice?
My biggest piece of advice is to enjoy every minute of the day because it goes by way too quick. There were so many people I didn’t get to talk to or dance with, but at the end of the day I soaked up all the special moments I got with my husband. We didn’t stress about anything that day, just simply enjoyed our time together.
Also, save yourself some time/stress and rent your table linens! No matter how much cheaper it is to buy them, renting them is still worth every penny. Lyndsay was kind enough to allow us to use her office to steam all 40 table linens the Wednesday before. That was a rough day, and I’m honestly not sure how my mom and I got it all done. We did get a couple of items from Grants Rental, and they were super easy to work with.