It was love at first sight when Rachelle Miller and Ben Brooks came across photos of the Music Hall Foyer at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh as a wedding venue destination. They promptly took their first trip to Pittsburgh and upon stepping into the venue, “We both cried! We were like, ‘This is so magical and pretty. This is our spot,’” says Rachelle.
A Pittsburgh Destination Wedding
Long before their destination wedding to Pittsburgh, the pair first met in Frederick, MD, when Rachelle was living above an Irish pub named Bushwaller’s. They officially signed their wedding license in that same bar before heading west for the celebration!
Dreaming Up a Roman-tasy Wedding in the City
They filled the museum’s hall with cascading flowers and fruit-filled centerpieces, designed by The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers. “We wanted the aesthetic to feel Games of Thrones-y, almost Renaissance: like tables with grapes spilling out of cups.”
“I didn’t want to feel like I was cosplaying,” says Rachelle of her vision. “I wanted elements that were fantasy-inspired — I’m a huge fantasy nerd, I love roman-tasy novels — but then some elements of pure glam.”
The bride brought the glamour with a full neck of Vivienne Westwood pearls, Fendi boots, opera-length gloves, and two stunning gowns. “Are pearls really fantasy? No. But I like it, so I went with it. It was very much a blending of all of the things Ben and I think are cool, rather than ‘We’re doing this because it fits the theme.’”
Ben chose his own look, a custom-made suit from Milan, Italy, while the bridal party and guests were invited to wear black. Though Rachelle jokes she feared appearing like a “mean bridezilla,” the matching color scheme brought the entire aesthetic together. Turns out, “I made it easy for everybody, and everybody looks good in black.”
Adding a Personal Touch to the Venue
The couple named the tables after bars in Frederick that held a connection to the guests seated together. A lottery scratch ticket and a thank you note, complete with a wax seal “to make it look all cute,” waited atop each place setting. For kids in attendance, they curated activity bags, complete with custom coloring books.
Rachelle, a product designer, created custom stationary and signage. She also spent months searching for thoughtful touches from Etsy, like the “very cool, Goth-looking, lacy” guestbook, foam glow sticks that simply read, “’Til Death,” and monogrammed, edible drink toppers for the signature cocktails named after their cats and dog. Guests sipped Trash Can’s Tonic, an elderflower gin and tonic, Snake’s Triple Threat, a Long Island iced tea, and Tiny’s ’Tini, an espresso martini. Special treats made an appearance at the end of the reception when late-night snacks were served: Uncrustables — “our favorite thing ever” — alongside deviled eggs, sliders, and fries.
Music was the final, meaningful touch. Drella String Quartet played as the bride walked down the aisle, and Rachelle curated three personalized playlists for the DJ, ensuring there’d be plenty of people on the floor all night.
The newlyweds shared a first dance to Odeza’s Better Now, a song they heard for the first time, where else? Rachelle’s first apartment above Bushwaller’s.
Story by Nicole Barley
Photography by Rachel Rowland
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