Justin & Molly | Intimate Summer Wedding at St. Agnes Church & Antonelli Event Center in Irwin, PA

Molly is a teacher – so that means she is on break during the summer.
Justin was working as a warehouse manager & one day, while he was picking something up with another manager, he experienced a “freak” accident that resulted in terrible nerve damage in his arm. After surgery & physical therapy – he found himself on “break” during the summer of 2018 as well.

Since he had some time to kill (and was bored), Justin decided to hop on Match.com.
Since Molly was off & had some time to kill (and was also a little bored), she decided to hop on Match.com at the same time.

And you could say, the rest is history: they connected with one another & began chatting. Since they were both off of work, they decided to meet in person & go on a date. And over the next 10 days, they went on 4 or 5 more dates. They quickly found that they really enjoyed getting to know one another & since neither of them were working, they just kept hanging out.

As their 4th date (or 5th – the number is up for debate), Justin took Molly to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. On their way, they stopped at Starbucks to grab some coffee. It was the middle of summer & a super hot day – and Molly doesn’t drink a ton of coffee. Toss all of those elements in a pot together & as they strolled thru the museum, Molly began to feel light-headed. She realized she was probably dehydrated & suddenly she felt like she was going to pass out. Slightly panicking, she debated what she should do – on one hand, she didn’t want to tell Justin – the last thing she wanted was for him to write her off as crazy. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to end up passed out on the floor!

She let Justin walk ahead of her & spotting a bench, she quietly sat down. A few moments passed & Justin realized that she wasn’t behind him any longer. He turned around to look for her & found Molly sitting on a bench with her head in her hands.

He rushed over: “Is everything okay? Are you alright?”
She looked up, apologizing: “I’m so sorry – I don’t feel well. I think I might pass out.”
Trying not to panic, Justin asked what she needed & how he could help. Molly said she needed to find a restroom. He looked around & realized that the floor they were on did not have a restroom on it – they would need to go down a flight of stairs to get to the closest one. He helped her down the steps & then Molly disappeared into the restroom. Justin anxiously waited outside, completely at a loss for what to do. After a few minutes, he texted Molly, asking if she was okay, but since they were now in the basement of the building, she had no cell service & never received his texts.

Some time passed & so did Molly’s light-headed feeling. Once she knew she was recovering, she came out to find a super anxious Justin, pretty much now sick with worry himself over what he should do to help his date.

Since then, they’ve learned: keep Molly hydrated & don’t let her drink too much coffee.

Since then, Molly & Justin have traveled a lot together & last December, they went on a cruise. Everyone just assumed that Justin would propose on the ship & teased Molly that an engagement ring must be coming soon! She had her own “test” – she figured that when they dropped off their luggage while checking in – if Justin handed over all of their bags, that he must not have a ring – but if he kept one bag back to carry onto the ship himself – then he might have a ring. As they arrived – Justin unloaded all of their luggage & Molly relaxed – a proposal would not be coming on their cruise.

About a week after they got home, they decided to go to Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh to see the display of holiday lights in the gardens. This time, Justin had a ring in his pocket all day long – just waiting for the opportune moment. They had gone to the mall & out to dinner, and then they found themselves walking around Phipps. And that’s when Justin spotted it – a small path that led away from the main walkway that everyone else was on. He directed her down that path & they found themselves in a completely quiet, private corner of the garden – the perfect place to propose. Justin asked Molly to marry him & of course, she said yes.

This past Saturday was the big day! Never mind all the craziness going on in the world right now – it was Molly & Justin’s wedding day. Thankfully, they had planned a smaller wedding from the beginning, so not too much tweaking was needed in order to fit into the new guidelines for gatherings. It was the perfect summer day – absolutely beautiful & filled to the brim with love & joy & celebration for this sweet couple who were finally tying the knot!

Molly & Justin – you guys have been incredible to work with thru this whole process! Things might be crazy out in the world, but I feel like, in your world – the one centered around the two of you – everything is completely calm & safe & secure. I felt so privileged to be a part of celebrating your beautiful day on Saturday – I wish you both all the happiness in the world as you begin this journey of marriage.

As her “something borrowed”, Molly carried her Dad’s ring tucked inside of her bouquet. She said that she has vivid memories of him wearing this ring all through her childhood, so she wanted it close on her wedding day.

Molly & Justin’s ceremony was held at the beautiful St. Agnes Catholic Parish in Irwin, PA.

After the ceremony, we drove over to Braddock’s Trail Park for portraits. Molly loves the woods & really wanted that “forest” feeling in her portraits – I’m pretty sure we knocked it out of the park!

And then it was off to the reception! I’ve photographed wedding receptions at the Antonelli Event Center before, but I had never been in the Capri room – it was the perfect setting for an intimate reception.

One of my favorite things is pulling a bride & groom out of their reception for just a few quiet moments to themselves (and a few more photos). Whether that means it’s during sunset or after the sun has gone down, those 5-10 minutes are always so precious. Fortunately for us – there was no reception going on in Antonelli’s main ball room, so we were able to sneak in there for a few moments & use their wall of lights for some last portraits!

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

Ceremony Venue: St. Agnes Catholic Parish in Irwin, PA
Reception Venue: Antonelli Event Center in Irwin, PA – The Capri Room
Getting Ready Prep: The Hampton Inn in Irwin, PA
Catering: Antonelli Event Center in Irwin, PA
Cake Bakery: Giant Eagle in North Huntingdon, PA
Hair Stylist: D. Michael Salon in North Huntingdon, PA
Bridal Gown & Bridesmaids Gowns Retailer: David’s Bridal in Monroeville, PA
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Berk’s Menswear in Irwin, PA
Florals: Moleya via Amazon
Invitations: Amazon
DJ: Eagle DJ – Jason Johnston in Beaver, PA
Photographer: Kara Abbey Photography in Irwin, PA