Harry & Liz // Church of the Ascension in Pittsburgh, PA Wedding

This past Saturday, with snow on the ground & rain threatening all day, Liz & Harry got married in Pittsburgh, PA. Originally wanting to elope, Liz & Harry decided instead on an intimate ceremony, followed by a laid-back, cozy, & fun reception. The entire day was centered around The Church of the Ascension and for good reason: because without this church, Liz & Harry would have never met.

Some might say that it was fate or destiny, but I say that their story clearly illustrates just how beautifully & perfectly the hands of the Lord were orchestrating both Liz & Harry’s lives. Both attended Grove City College, and even though their time there overlapped by 2 years, their paths never crossed on campus. Neither of them are from Pittsburgh, but jobs after college brought them here. Different life circumstances brought them both to Ascension, at different times. Harry first – who instantly fell in love with the atmosphere, the teaching, and the people. He quickly jumped into the community at Ascension, getting involved in study groups & different leadership teams. Liz started coming after that, on her brother’s invitation, and she too felt that same pull toward the people, the teaching, and the atmosphere.

They met just a few Sundays after Liz began attending. At the end of each service, the altar is open for people to come & pray, with teams of people waiting there to pray with people. Liz went forward & who did she meet, but Harry. He was instantly smitten with this tall, gorgeous girl – he had never been rendered utterly speechless before at just the sight of someone! Thankfully his partner jumped in & began to pray for Liz & by the time she was finished, Harry had recovered enough to also pray.

A few more weeks passed before they were officially introduced to each other in a young adults study group. They became fast friends. They’d go for walks after church to enjoy the fresh air & get coffee, and it was pretty obvious to everyone watching what was happening between the two of them.

10 months passed.
Marriage was talked about. They even did some counseling at the church, as each had come from different backgrounds that they wanted help sorting through. They looked at rings. The big question was obviously on the horizon.

It was a Tuesday evening when Harry talked to Liz’s parents & asked for their permission to marry their daughter. They wholeheartedly agreed. He went into work the next morning, literally floating on Cloud 9 & was greeted by his overly enthusiastic boss. He had good news! They were going to give Harry a huge promotion! Harry could hardly believe his ears. There was just one small catch: he would have to move to Columbus, Ohio. Harry explained that he was literally in the middle of asking his girlfriend to marry him. He now realized, that not only would he need to ask Liz the marriage question, but also a big moving question too.

That night, he brought up the promotion & move to Liz. She was excited for him! They had already decided that they didn’t want a long engagement, and now they agreed that they didn’t want a long-distance engagement either. Liz ended the conversation by telling Harry: “You better go by that ring.”

Harry flew to the jewelry store & ordered the ring they had picked out. The jeweler didn’t have it in stock, so they would have to ship it to him. Since his company was taking him out to Columbus to finalize the promotion over the next few days, he paid extra for the ring to be delivered to him on Monday, during a very specific window of time. The last thing he wanted was for the ring to sit in his mailbox over the weekend.

Monday came and Harry set his plan into motion. He called Liz & told her that he was going to pick her up from work to take her out to dinner that night. He arranged his work schedule so that he would be home during the window of time the ring was to arrive. Now, all he had to do was wait for the day to unfold.

That is until he got an email from UPS: stating that his package had been delayed. Not only were they canceling his delivery that day, but they couldn’t confirm when it would be delivered. That was simply not going to work – the plan was already set in motion – Harry was going to propose that night! He jumped on the phone with UPS and multiple supervisors & 2 hours later, he had gotten himself absolutely nowhere. His boss suggested he go buy a “fake” ring, in order to still carry out his proposal plans, and then just return it when the real ring came in. Harry didn’t feel like that was right, so he headed off to Macy’s to buy an inexpensive ring he could propose with, and ultimately Liz would keep both.

On his way home from Macy’s, he realized that the UPS warehouse was just a few miles away. He figured, what could hurt stopping in, right? He pulled into the warehouse and walked into the office. The moment he introduced himself to the secretary, she knew exactly who he was: “The ring guy.” She gave him the glimmer of hope that the truck had arrived, and the managers were in the back, sorting it by hand right now. He begged to be given permission to go back & help, but that simply wasn’t allowed. She promised that they would call him as soon as they found his package. “Can I just wait, right here?” he asked. She laughed & said that that would be fine.

About 90 minutes later, the door to the warehouse opened, and into the waiting room walked the secretary, with a very special box in her hands. “I better get invited to the wedding,” she teased him. Harry ripped open the box & there it was: the real ring. He flew home, changed his clothes, and was back out the door to pick up Liz.

Totally oblivious to all of this happening, Liz finished work for the day & came out to meet Harry. Calmly, he told her that on their way to dinner, he needed to stop at the church. He explained that he had forgotten something there and needed to pick it up. Still completely unexpecting anything, they walked into the church. Liz followed Harry over to where he had “forgotten” something – which also happened to be the exact spot where they had met that Sunday that Liz had come forward for prayer.

I’ll leave your imagination to put the pieces together of what happened next (I’ll give you a hint, she said, “Yes!”)

And this picture is taken in that exact, very special spot.

So, over the course of 12-weeks, Harry & Liz planned their wedding. They wanted it to be small & intimate – only their closest friends & family. They wanted it to be cozy & fun – and completely centered around this incredible church that has such special meaning to them & their story. Especially, as they move to Ohio and leave this beautiful community of people behind.

Harry & Liz – your story still gives me goosebumps! It’s simply incredible the Providence that is interwoven in your lives & story – to bring the two of you together in the perfect way & time. I wish you both every happiness as you make this move to Ohio & begin married life together (and I can’t wait to catch up with you guys in a few months for your “post-wedding engagement session”)!

Huge shout-out and thank you to the amazing team of vendors, as well as friends & family, who helped make Harry & Liz’s wedding day absolutely perfect!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: The Church of the Ascension in Pittsburgh, PA
Catering: Taste of Ireland Catering in Grove City, PA
Bridal Gown Retailer: MB Bride in Greensburg, PA
Hair & Makeup: Kayla Falcone in Pittsburgh, PA
Florist: Jim Ludwig’s Blumengarten in Pittsburgh, PA
Cake: Kristin’s Cake Creations in Pittsburgh, PA
Invitations: DIY by the bride & her Dad
Bride’s Ring: Front Jewelers
Groom’s Ring: Kay Jewelers
Favors: WeddingFavors.com
Guest Book: ArrowSarah on Etsy
Photographer: Kara Abbey Photography in Irwin, PA