We're aiming for Semi-formal aka "Classy Casual" - we want everyone to be comfortable but we also want everyone looking sharp on the dance floor and in the countless photos of the evening. So what does this actually mean? A blouse with pants or a skirt, or a spring dress. Or if it's more of your flavor, dress pants/nice khakis with a buttoned shirt or polo would be perfect. Feel free to rock a tie if you want but definitely not required. While I know it's a Pittsburgh thing for some people to wear shorts year-round. We humbly ask that shorts, t-shirts and jeans are left at home :-)
If you're staying at one of our hotels, there will be a shuttle that cycles around between them and our venue periodically. Check out the Hotels & Transportation page for more specific details as we get closer to the big day. If you aren't staying and decide to drive in, then you'll need to look for on-street parking or go further down to the garage near Coop De Ville. If you're a local, I'd probably recommend taking an Uber or Lyft so you're not drinking and driving, plus you don't need to worry about finding parking.
Yep! One of the two big Pittsburgh/Polish wedding traditions involves lining up to dance with the bride to a seemingly never-ending polka (Pani Mloda to be exact). If you've never been to one of these, one of the Bride's party will have an apron to collect donations (not required!) to get some time to dance with the Bride and then get a "shot" before you likely get back in line and do it again. Instead of full shots, we'll be doing mini Jack and Cokes along with Pineapple Breezes (Pineapple Juice & Rum). If you want to be extra devilish, sometimes people will tie their donation into knots to make the newlyweds have some work to do after the wedding.
Yep! It wouldn't be a Pittsburgh wedding without a proper cookie table and we're planning on an epic one. So epic that it's going to be about 24ft of cookie table.....I think by our last count, we're averaging about 3 dozen cookies per attendee...Not joking... Sean's Aunt Arn aka Maddie aka Marty aka the Aunt with many names has been coordinating with lots of family and friends to put together this spread and our guests will be invited to take home MANY of their favorites as the wedding favor. If you'd like to see the available selections, copy and paste the link below: https://the.wedding/PGHCookieTable
For drinks: -Tito's Vodka- -Bacardi Rum- -Bombay Sapphire Gin- -Makers Mark- -Jack Daniels- -Dewar's Scotch- -El Jimador Tequila- -The Applicant Cabernet & Sauvignon Blanc- -Cielo Rose- -Yuengling- -Penn Pilsner- -Stella Artois- -Angry Orchard- Mixers and Non-Alcoholic Drinks -Coke- -Diet Coke- -Sprite- -Ginger Ale- -Tonic Water- -Soda Water- -Cranberry/Orange/Pineapple Juices- For food: Provided by Bistro to Go Grand Hors d’oeuvre Table -Seasonal Fruit + Cheese- -Charcuterie- Chef Grand Carver Station -Prime Rib- -Smoked Turkey Breast- -Roasted Baby Bakers w/Sour Cream + Cheddar- -Caesar Salad Martinis- Pittsburgh Station -Pierogi w/toppings bar- -Kielbasa with sauces/rolls- -Mini-Pittsburgh Salads- -Primanti’s style sandwiches- Texas Roadhouse Station -Gourmet Sliders – Burgers, BBQ Pork, Brisket, Crispy Chicken- -Pecan Sweet Potato Cups- -Mac + Cheese Bar w/Toppings-
We collected the various food sensitivities and allergies from the RSVPs and passed it along to our caterer. Foods will be labeled for applicable sensitivities and we also added a Black Bean slider to expand our vegetarian options.
Yep! Please drink responsibly and if you're going to be enjoying drinks, take advantage of Uber, Lyft or the shuttle we're providing between the venue and our preferred hotels.
While we're excited to see everyone's pictures (*hint hint* #SarahAndSeanPGH, we ask that pictures not be taken during the ceremony in order to not interfere with our amazing photographers. We will share our pictures after the wedding! During the reception though, we encourage everyone to take as many pictures as possible but please be mindful of our photographers during "big" moments. We'll also have a photo booth downstairs where you can take some pics since you'll be dressed up and obviously look amazing and then take home a 4x6 print to commemorate the night.
As things stand now, there aren't any COVID restrictions or accommodations that will be in place for the wedding. For all of our guests' safety, we humbly ask that if you can get vaccinated, that you do so. This is to not only protect you, but to protect those in attendance that may not be able to get vaccinated or have compromised immune systems.
While we know this may be a burden for some of our guests, we politely ask that we keep this as an adult only event. The only minors that are exempted are our flower girl, MJ and Roxy the ring-bearer.
Unfortunately if you didn't include your +1 on your RSVP, we didn't account for them with our venue, caterer or the seating layout. If this is an issue, please reach out to us as we may have a bit of wiggle room but we can't promise that we can accommodate.
When we started planning this wedding (while COVID was still rampant), we planned for an intimate ceremony with only immediate family and our closest friends, with hopes for a larger reception to be held at a later time. Now that COVID is mostly mitigated now though, we decided to have our big shindig with everyone but kept the ceremony nice and small since we grew to like that idea. The ceremony is limited to 30ish people (including us!) because most of the attendees will be tagging along on a Molly's Trolley around the city for photos afterwards. This way anyone that's not obligated for photo duty won't have to put up with that awkward post-ceremony/pre-reception downtime :) If you REALLY want to attend the ceremony and didn't see it on your RSVP list, please reach out to us and we'll see if we can accommodate. If you are invited to the ceremony and you'd rather just show up for the party, that's fine too! In the end, we're just excited to spend the day with the people we <3!
If you aren't staying at The Hampton Inn and wish to join us for Brunch on Sunday, the hotel has graciously offered to let people park at no cost. When you buzz at the parking gate, mention that you're there for the Cowing-Porter brunch and they'll let you in. There's also another buzzer at the door when you go to enter, tell them the same thing.