2009 was a year filled with an abundance of BIG LOVE and sheer joy as I photographed a select and special group of couples here in Pittsburgh and beyond. I couldn't have been more honored to have such an important role capturing and creating memories for my couples.

Here's a collage of their love:

Every wedding was so beautiful...so special...
...there was a couple whose sibling from a previous wedding had me as their photographer, one couple was near famous because of the bride's affiliation with a popular TV show, there was one bride with a family association to a beloved local sports team, another couple where the groom's family flew in from across the pond, one who had a band play in the living-room of their house so the bride's beloved bed-ridden grandfather could enjoy and participate in her big day, another whose wedding was on the country estate of her parents - wow! what a transformation that was! - most of the couples were from out of town, some are in the theatrical arts, one bride whose heritage is from La Isla de Encanto (Puerto Rico), another couple whose wedding was entirely family oriented all the way down to her brother, a priest, participated in her ceremony, there was a couple who both are doctors and then my first, official and legal gay wedding where I was flown to a private resort in Massachusetts to partake in perhaps THE most intimate and emotional ceremony I've ever witnessed...  These couples truly value their photography and trusted their photographer, and for that I am so grateful.  I value each and every one of them tremendously in return.

CONGRATULATIONS to all my 2009 couples!  I couldn't be more thrilled for all of you and I look forward to continuing our relationship through the years as your lives progress in a blessed way!  Happy New Year!

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer  ::  www.joannebartone.com  ::  tele: 412.418.8075

You've heard me say it before...I'm fortunate and blessed; I know it. I count my blessings every day...I can't say that enough.

It seems that with each wedding I photograph I'm given the gift of working with some of the most wonderful people; each being authentic individuals that are sweet, sincere, kind, grounded, unpretentious and some of the BEST people you'd ever want to meet and spend the day with. I truly have such a special place in my heart for all my clients, past and current. Laura, Luke and their families were another beautiful example of the kind of client I love and am fortunate to have in my life!

Laura + Luke's wedding was the last of my season and a perfect way to end a great 2009 year of beautiful weddings with wonderful couples!  Please enjoy the images, then read on below for more of my thoughts and information on the vendors that made their day special.  And, for the first person who spots the "mystery guest" in one of the photos below and posts it first HERE ON THE BLOG, you'll receive a gift card from me!  This mystery guest just HAD to be with Laura + Luke on their big day!

I LOVE love!  So for me, photographing weddings is the ultimate gift where I get to immerse myself in happiness and the boundless love of couples and their families while doing what I love to do!  Then, I get to give that gift of love right back to my couples and their families through the beautiful imagery I create for them.

So, to the Gerraro, Wiehagen and Rooney families on my second wedding photographing all of you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for trusting me with your very important memories.  It was an honor and a pleasure to be with you all once again. 

Church: St. Peter Parish, Arch Street in the Historic North Side - reverently beautiful!
Reception: LeMont Restaurant, Grandview Boulevard, Mount Washington - stunning views, efficient service, always the best!
Event Planning and Design: Simone Hudson of 5Senses Events Design - joyous planning + worry-free execution for all your events!
Floral Artistry: Bill Chisnell of Design Space - dramatic floral artistry intended to convey your unique statement!
Photographer: yours truly!

NOTE: Keep checking back to this post for an update in the near future as The New York Times will be publishing both an article on the tradition of the cookie tables at weddings here in Pittsburgh and a video interview of Laura and Luke's Aunts who so lovingly created all the cookies for the occasion!

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer  |  www.joannebartone.com  |  tele: 412.418.8075

Dunno how I get so fortunate nearly all of the time to work with such great couples/families...
Carola + Shawn and their families were no exception to that rule - lucky me!  What a wonderful group of down-to-earth, fun-loving, caring and delightful people. I love you all...BIG!

We had plenty of time to take photos, as Carola and Shawn elected to make their photographs a priority and met prior to the ceremony.  This is such a smart thing to do and I promise to elaborate on why in another blog post. So, we enjoyed photographing family initially at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, then moved on to Oakland for photos of the wedding party and Carola + Shawn at Mellon Institute, otherwise affectionately known as "the columns."  There are so many images from the day that I actually didn't know where to begin to choose, so below is una pequeña muestra sampling so everyone can quell their excitement a bit longer - ENJOY!

This was one well planned and organized wedding, all thanks to the wonderful event designer Simone Hudson of 5Senses Events!  I have had the good fortune of working with Simone on numerous occasions, and can testify first hand to Simone's stellar ability to stylishly dress an event and her delightfully passionate personality towards her work!  Simone took the room with a view on the 31st Floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, and turned it into a chic boutique event! Beautifully executed, Simone!

Destination: Loretto, PA...you see, we don't have to travel far for a destination wedding...  ;-)

Jenna and Jason had a lovely ceremony in Loretto then held their reception in Altoona, PA.  Interwoven between, we were given special permission to use the beautiful grounds of the Charles M. Schwab Estate in Loretto (which is now the local Franciscan Friary) for photographs of the wedding party.  There wasn't enough time for me to photograph like I wanted to, so it was a good thing we had already pre-planned to photo there again this Fall.  We'll be headed back there soon for a post wedding romantic session where we are going to take our time to photograph, just the three of us...I can't wait! 

I really dug the architecture of the church: Holy Name Catholic Church - it was way retro and looked like a flying saucer!  HA!  Seriously, it was so cool!  1970s all the way...BUT the ceremony was simply lovely and delightful...and beautiful too, with so many special touches like Jason's twin brother singing and Jason's father singing and playing the guitar - lots of creative talent in that family, I'll tell you.

The reception at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Altoona was PINK to the max!  You've got to be a secure guy to deal with all that pink all day long!  I'd say that Jason being surrounded in pink was a clear indication of how much he loves Jenna - enough to let her dreams come true on their wedding day!  Jenna's Uncle, Greg Persio took excellent care of his niece and Jason - great job Uncle Greg!

I fell head-over-heels for Jenna's mom - oh my goodness!  She is one of those little angels walking on the earth!  Careful Jenna, I'm thinking of adopting her!!!  Here's a photo of Jenna w/ her mom - so cute and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, now, does it...

Music/DJ expertise at the reception was provided by none other than the FABULOUS Jeremy Ganss of Jeremy Ganss Productions  He rocked the night away like the spin-doctor he is!  Club it up, baby - nice musical job!  You'll find one of my artsy images of Jeremy spinning at the end of the images below!

Hope you enjoy the images below and don't forget to comment below here on the blog too!



BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer  ::  www.joannebartone.com  ::  tele: 412.418.8075