Lakeside Pittsburgh Wedding from JPC Event Group + Michaelwill Photography

JPC Event Group blew it out of the water at this waterside Pittsburgh wedding. They provided a phenomenal cake and mouth-watering nosh, which perfectly complimented this nautical bride and groom’s style. They put together a fabulous wedding that has us all looking forward toward warm summer weddings by the lake (even this winter-lovin’ blogger). Plus, Michaelwill Photography + Sarah Winkler Photography loaded up a gallery with so many images, it’ll take you all weekend to get your fill!

Jon and I met in college through mutual friends at an annual beach themed party. The night after we met Jon called me to go on a date but I got so nervous on the phone that I turned him down. When I told my roommate that I had said “no” to going on a date she immediately convinced me that it was a bad decision and that I had to change my mind. I think her words were “Why would you say no? It’s just a date…it’s not like you’re going to marry the guy!” I sent Jon a message apologizing for not being available that night and suggested we get together another night that week. He luckily took me up on my counter offer. It was because of my roommate’s convincing that I went on that first date – little did we all know that five years later Jon and I would be getting married!

My family has been spending our summers on Conneaut Lake for three generations now and it has always been a special place to me – there is just something about the laid back lifestyle we live while staying at our lakehouse that I love – the air is fresh, the days are spent with friends on the lake and there is always time for a cocktail while watching the sunset. Jon knew how much I loved it there and even decided that it would be the perfect location to propose (which it was!).

My mom is an assistant to an interior decorator and just has impeccable taste in decorating our house– so I knew that I would never find a location that was as unique and had as much meaning to me – so having the wedding at our lake house was an easy decision. The house has a classic shabby chic cottage feel to it with splashes of color all over the house. Since the scenery at the lake is naturally so beautiful and colorful– we wanted the outside tenting to be open and airy with a “shabby chic but elegant” feel to it. I chose soft blooms with mostly hydrangeas and large open garden roses for floral arrangement with crisp navy blue and white table linens. We complimented the shabby chic feeling with lace accents throughout many other wedding details including my dress and veil, our invitations, bouquets, vases on the tables and even our cake.

We wanted our guests to feel like we thought about them in the planning process as much as we thought about ourselves. Be it from the transportation we offered (a shuttle bus, valet parking and water taxis) or the food we picked (five courses so everyone could taste a little of everything!), we wanted each of our guests to enjoy the day just as much as we did.

Even though we had almost 230 people at our wedding, we personalized a menu at each person’s seat so that they could feel a little personal touch when they sat down for dinner. Also, since most of our guests came from out of town – we wanted people to have the experience of “the lake” so we offered mini boat cruises around the lake after dinner so that our guests could get a tour of Conneaut Lake and see the tents and wedding from the water. All of the décor, flowers and food were impeccable and better than I could have ever imagined thanks to my amazing vendors but I think that our guests really enjoyed the little touches of “us” too!

It was very important to us that we try to incorporate things about the two of us into our wedding. We did this through a number of ways – our tables were all named after our favorite places at Virginia Tech (where we met), the appetizers were all of Jon’s favorite foods, and Jamie loves to drink wine, so we had a wine bar with wines that we could tell stories about that involved the two of us. Each of the details had a purpose behind it from adding a silk rose from Jamie’s Mom’s wedding gown to her bouquet to offering classic Pittsburgh (where the Jamie is from) and Baltimore (where Jon is from) beers after dinner and having a cigar bar, which reminds us of Jamie’s Dad.

Photography: Michaelwill Photography + Sarah Winkler Photography of JPC Event Group / Cuisine and Bar Services: JPC Event Group / Wedding Cake: JPC Event Group / Wedding Gown: Priscilla of Boston / Wedding shoes: Jimmy Choo / Ceremony location: Our Lady Queen of the Americas / DJ Service: Elegant Performances, Kirk Dietrich / Table Linens: La Tavola Linens, JPC Event Group, + Chaircovers & Linens / Floral: Mocha Rose Floral Design / Tent & Equipment Rental: All Occasion / Hair: Brooke Rockwell / Make-up: Simply Beautiful / Day of Coordination: Simply Perfect Weddings / Stationery: More Than Words