A photographer friend of ours in Pittsburgh, Jorge Santiago (look him up he does lots of the city’s most amazing Indian Weddings), knows how much we adore elopements; so when a sweet bride asked him who she should contact for her secret vows at the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History he messaged me right away to ask if I was interested in talking with her.

My answer?

HELL. YES.

So Olya and I met for coffee and chatted for hours - sharing details from our lives, giggling over elopement ideas, and embracing as we parted ways, knowing we were about to create something amazing together.

Next step - help her get ready for the big day.

I immediately contacted my favorite florist Jimmy at GreenSinner and my fave makeup artist Marie Miclot to see if they were available, and thankfully they were - and both excited to be involved.

Then I gave her some ideas for the perfect low-key dress.

(I think I’ll make that it’s own blog post, but her dress came from BHLDN, an offshoot of Anthropologie.)

When the big day came, I documented her hair and makeup, went back and forth between taking photos of and helping her get dressed, and then took her to meet the love of her life on top of the world (ok it was Mt Washington which overlooks the city of Pittsburgh but hey close enough).

Side Note: One of things I love so much about elopements and micro weddings is how close we become with our couples. I often find myself in a photographer / maid of honor role, and on the best of days I get to document my husband sign off on their union (yep, he’s an ordained officiant).

So we arrive at the museum.

Now I can back off and try to catch as many little moments as possible.

They buy tickets and wait for their closest friends and family.

Hugs are given, tears are shed, and a little girl even thought Olya was a princess.

We then go off to a little corner of the Carnegie Museum where they pledge their undying love, trade rings, and sign some papers.

HOORAY! YOU’RE MARRIED!

What’s left to do?

Run around the museum a la Ferris Bueller, pose in front of some giant fish bones, buy a ceramic dinosaur, go to the Mellon Institute columns for a first dance, play around at our secret Pittsburgh city skyline overlook, and end back with guests at one of their favorite restaurants.

But what’s way better than me telling you about all this?

Showing you.

So here are some of my favorite images from the day, and of course, their epic timelapse.

Love, K