Westin Downtown Cleveland Wedding

Kelly and Pete’s Westin Downtown Cleveland wedding was a super fun day!

Please enjoy, Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer

Kelly and Pete like to have fun! Who doesn’t right? Still some of the moments captured with
the bridal party during their portrait session after the ceremony were
uniquely fun so that’s why I mentioned it.

I’d never photographed in St. Peter Church in downtown Cleveland before and I must say how
much I enjoyed the setting. The seating was different than anything I’d
encountered before and the architecture in the 150 plus years church is gorgeous.

Afterwards we encountered some closed highways due to road construction and lost some portrait
time. Luckily we still found plenty of great photographs before we
headed back to the Westin Hotel for the reception.

Pete sent me some notes about the day and I’ll just share his writing: “Thankfully the most
stressful part of the day was at 11:30 in the morning and over with
before the ceremony started. With hair replacement and makeup complete and waiting
for her bridesmaids to return to the suite in their dresses, Kelly decided
to “sneak” in the bathroom and try on her dress herself. Delays with the
designer, miscommunication, even traffic accidents, and a nail appointment
that went long the day before prevented my Chicago-based bride from ever
having a final fitting. Which turned out to be as nutty as it seems. Luckily,
understanding the bride’s anxiety over this reality, the seamstress Cora
made her herself available to come to the hotel Saturday morning if needed.
And needed she was. Everyone adjusted their schedules well and bride
regrouped after maybe a few initial tears – the celebration and adventure
of a lifetime were only just beginning!

“Post-ceremony everyone was ready to have shake-off the solemnity of the ceremony and have a little
fun. From the bridesmaids challenging themselves to lift the groom up
for photos, to icebreakers and 90s dance parties on the bus, to the bride
flipping a layer of her dress over her head and wearing it like a veil,
everyone let loose and arrived at the ceremony still singing Britney Spears.”

Madeline was ready to be flower girl but Mikey wasn’t so sure about the ring bearer business.

Kelly and her father Tom greeted Pete.

A loose microphone gives Pete some trouble as they walked out of the ceremony.

I’ve never seen this happen before!

More fun with the dress-remind anyone of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic photo?

Pete was doing a dance for Kelly and when the bus took off the couple got a
surprise as he tried to hang on.

The Westin Downtown Cleveland always has one of the nicest cocktail hours in the area.

The parents dance with Pete and his mother Pamela and Kelly and her father Tom.

The band Stiletto Fire were full of energy and kept the dance floor packed all night. The air guitar was a big hit with everyone.

The couple’s friends Libby and Dave with singer Jeff did some interesting dancing.

Vendors:

Reception-Westin Downtown Cleveland
Band- Stiletto Fire, lead singers Jeff Fab & Kerri Brown
Flowers- Twig Florals
Bride’s dress- purchased at Moon and Back Bridal in Lakewood with alterations done by Sew Cora
Officiant- Monsignor Kenneth Velo with Father Robert Kropac
Hair- Fabrizio Salon
Makeup- Ramona Dauksa Studio
Video- Big Day Video
Limo- All Occasion Limo
Bride’s dress- purchased at Moon and Back bridal in Lakewood with alterations done by Sew Cora
Officiant- Monsignor Kenneth Velo with Father Robert Kropac

One more note from Pete: “Kelly is an OSU football fan while Pete comes from generations
of Notre Dame football alumni and fans. Neither are fans of each other’s
team. Last year, the two teams met in a bowl game and the bride and groom
made a bet. Fast-forward to October and as a result of the Irish losing,
Pete – much to the shock of his family – got on stage with the band and led
the entire reception in signing “Hang on Sloopy.” Eventually Kelly joined him
on stage as together they also led the party in singing the Notre Dame victory
march as well.”

And the honeymoon? “Honeymooned in Tanzania- climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti safari and relax in Zanzibar.”

Thank you for viewing this wedding,

– Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer