Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus and Ariel Pearl Center

Erin and James had two beautiful settings and this was one of the first Ariel Pearl Center weddings.

Please enjoy, Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer

I’d not been to their church before and was excited when they told me they would be having an Ariel
Pearl Center wedding.

We started at her parents house and then went to see the men at the Drury Plaza Hotel in downtown Cleveland.

The church service started a bit later than expected and here’s the story from Erin: “Our priest
somehow thought our ceremony started at 2pm and not 1:30pm. The bridesmaids and I were all crammed
into the small former confessional that they made into a getting ready room at the back of the church
waiting for the ceremony to start. Then 1:30pm comes and goes and we aren’t sure why we aren’t lining up.
Our priest appears and he’s not wearing his robes or anything and he makes a joke about our family and
friends being very punctual (because the church is packed and everyone is seated). My mom comes over and
says, “well you know the ceremony starts at 1:30 right?”. He immediately races to get dressed and we started
about 15 minutes behind schedule!”

The church was beautiful and I look forward to being there for another wedding soon.

It’s always fun when the couple has a classic car for their getaway from the church. Erin’s dad, Todd, has
a 1972 Triumph TR6 that made for great photos. He’s had it since he started dating Erin’s mother and has
been restoring it in recent years.

Although Erin and James live in Chicago they did some research into where we could photograph the bridal party
portraits. First we stopped at a few spots that I’ve not seen anyone use before. Then we were off to
the popular Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

From there it was the old Brooklyn neighborhood and the Ariel Pearl Center wedding reception. Formerly a 1923
bank building housing the Pearl Street Saving and Trust Bank, this year it was opened for
weddings and other events.

“James and I got engaged on a trip to Spain in mid-October. Due to a variety of reasons our marriage date left
us with only 8 1/2 months to plan a wedding. My mom immediately contacted a few venues and one of
them was Ariel International Center where she been to a few weddings previously. They were completely
booked for the following summer, but Radhika, one of their partners, told my mom about a new location that
they were currently renovating, a 1920s bank in Old Brooklyn. My mom went to see it while it was still a
construction zone and loved it! She could definitely see the potential. Two weeks later I came home from
Chicago and toured it myself. It was the only venue we looked at and we were so happy with the result!”

The sunlight streaming through the large windows creates a beautiful light during the reception.

Erin said some highlights were: “My brother, Danny, rolling up his dress pants to show off his Ohio State Buckeye
socks (I had gotten each groomsmen dress socks from their alma maters) and having a dance off with my mom.
My college friends grabbed several bottles of prosecco and passed it around in a circle on the dance floor
and my grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc all drank straight from the bottle! As this was the third wedding
in my immediate family in 14 months, we had developed a tradition to end the night in a big circle linking
arms and singing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel and that was how we ended our night.”

At the end of the photos you’ll see a link for their Chicago engagement session. Don’t forget to check it out!

College roommate Sara helps Erin get ready.

Lois helps her son James with his tie.

Since James and several of the guys are from Illinois I thought it fitting when they walked by the statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Father Todd walks Erin down the aisle.

The rings in the bank’s vault.

Vendors–

Florist: Stephanie Nowak (one of my mom’s friends)
Cake: Michael Angelo’s Bakery
Dress: Pronovias
Caterer: Sausalito Catering
Suit: Men’s Warehouse
Shoes: Kate Spade
Limo: A-1 Mr. Limo
Dj: Billy “J” Full Spectrum Entertainment
Photo booth: Green screen from Billy “J” Full Spectrum Entertainment
Makeup: Dresden Buras
Hair: Mari Garcia/Blushing Beauty
Programs/invitations: 221 Creations
Favors: Old Town Oil
My earrings (borrowed) and wedding bands: Marshall Pierce & Co.

To see their engagement photos in Chicago, please click here:

https://scottshawphoto.com/chicago-engagement-erin-james/

Thank you for viewing this Ariel Pearl Center wedding,

– Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer