You Got Married Where? Couples Think Outside the Box for Their Big Day

These days, weddings come in a refreshing mix of shapes and sizes. Many couples opt for celebratory days that feel uniquely “them,” even if that means nudging tradition — and conventional venues — to the side.

From a craft-beer-driven alleyway wedding in Bloomfield to book-themed nuptials at a library in Braddock, here’s how a few local brides and grooms pulled off celebrations at extraordinarily unusual venues.

Distinctive Destinations 

ANTHONY SWIDORSKY AND KATE SHEMAK ON THE DUQUESNE INCLINE | PHOTO BY BRITTANY SMELTZER

North Versailles couple Kate Shemak and Anthony Swidorsky exchanged vows 400 feet above ground while on the Duquesne Incline last January — but such nuptials are rare.

The couple was told by an incline attendant that their ceremony overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline was the first wedding to take place on the funicular in recent memory.

Because the incline’s cars are first-come, first-served, the couple decided to “wing it” when inviting their 18 guests to meet them at the Duquesne Incline station on Grandview Avenue atop Mount Washington.

Fortunately for them, after a quick wait behind a few dozen patrons already in line, the couple’s plans came to fruition. They were married in a 52-second ceremony officiated by the bride’s brother.

“If anybody is looking for a short, very quick, intimate gathering that is very price-efficient, I’d absolutely recommend it,” Shemak says.

Then there’s Owen and Anna Gabbey, who got married September 27 in the vibrant, graffiti-laden alleyway of Bloomfield’s Trace Brewing with close to 130 guests in attendance. As craft beer loyalists, the couple had been fans of Trace for years.

SARA ZATAWESKI PHOTOGRAPHY

A freelance writer and senior account executive with City Cast Pittsburgh, Owen even wrote his first cover story for Pittsburgh City Paper about Aadam Soorma, Trace’s head of marketing and guest experience.

Having instantly been drawn to the community space, Owen and Anna joked that Trace would be their perfect wedding venue one day. After getting engaged, there wasn’t a question between them of where they’d hold their ceremony.

Soorma adds the brewery has hosted at least five weddings per year since 2022, either outside in the beer garden, inside in the taproom or a combination of both. He believes Owen and Anna’s ceremony was only the second to be held on Clement Way.

“Pulling a permit to shut down traffic in the graffiti alley adds a whole layer of complexity, but they nailed it,” Soorma says.

SARA ZATAWESKI PHOTOGRAPHY

The vows held in the alleyway preceded a cocktail hour inside the brewery and beer garden. The festivities then moved onto speeches and fare from Blue Sparrow food truck before the dance floor opened up, with Arie Cole spinning the beats.

All drinks came in-house from Trace, and the decor featured a mix of items already at the brewery and Anna’s “incredibly talented DIY brain,” according to her husband. The thoughtful touches included a custom seating chart and crossword about the couple that Anna made.

Local graffiti artist Dejouir Brown also made the day extra special by creating art on the alleyway walls memorializing the couple’s names and wedding date.

“They were such a unique touch, and I think really made something special that people hadn’t seen before at a wedding,” Owen says.

Today, remnants of Brown’s work remain in the alleyway.

“I just think we made the wedding so distinctly ‘us,’” Owen adds. “Basically, every vendor or piece of the wedding was someone deeply Pittsburgh, and someone that helped form the fabric of our experience since we both moved to the city.”

Soorma believes couples choose non-traditional venues such as Trace based on their personal experiences or connections. Trace originally was built around 1900 as a brass and bronze manufacturing foundry, and Soorma credits that type of charmingly repurposed architecture as another factor in attracting attention from brides and grooms.

“The non-traditional venues have their own unique vibe and usually lead to stellar photos, too,” Soorma says. “Ultimately, the biggest reward has to be creating an unforgettable memory and an experience that ‘you just had to be there’ for.”

Behind-the-Scenes Magic Makers

Wedding planner Melissa Crawford, founder of Pittsburgh-based Devoted to You, has been helming weddings for 15 years — and she rarely works with traditional couples or venues.

Her team of 12 has helped couples navigate settings such as a huge warehouse space at Rockwell Park in North Point Breeze to an intimate backyard affair featuring a sage clearing and sound bath.

Devoted to You also was one of the first businesses to organize weddings at the historical Carrie Blast Furnaces at a time when the staff still had to figure out how to bring electricity and bathrooms to the former steel-mill site.

In such spaces, Crawford admits you have to think more about logistics, though she loves the challenge.

“I wouldn’t say that’s difficult,” she says. “We all thrive on that; it’s how our brains work.”

Crawford says its very rare for her team to plan a wedding celebration in a hotel or similar venue. She adds folks seem drawn to her company because of their different approach, and the pride the staff takes in being inclusive and diverse.

“We love non-traditional and eclectic,” Crawford says. “We love when a couple’s doing something reflective of the two of them versus doing something just because they have to.”

She adds Devoted to You’s team members offer support and encouragement in scenarios where it’s common for parents or other family members to question a couple’s non-traditional dream.

“We give them permission to say, ‘That’s not what I want,’” Crawford says.

On June 22, Devoted to You brought to life Alexaundra Baird and Sophie LeGore’s vision at JAVO Studios, a commercial photography space in Lawrenceville. The couple had eloped in 2024, but felt it was time for a celebration in a cozy space where they could dine and dance; affordability also was at the forefront of their minds.

AFTON AULICK WITH AFTERNOON MEDIA

“A 60-person wedding was just small enough to purvey the ’Burgh for unconventional wedding venues,” Baird says.

An inquiry email led to a conversation with JAVO founder Lisa Javornick; that’s when the magic began.

“While the venue is typically used as a photo studio, Lisa was open to trying out using the space for our wedding specifically,” Baird says. “We were the first ‘public’-facing wedding, and it being a queer wedding was of mutual interest.”

The couple felt that the remodeled choir hall, draped in string lights, created the ideal atmosphere of warmth for their dream affair; guests also were able to feast together at one long table.

On-Theme Festivities

COURTNEY GILLILAND OF CTG PHOTOGRAPHY

In September, Devoted to You’s Victoria DeRubeis-Godfrey helped plan a literary-themed wedding for Mandee Williams and Georges D’Eon at Carnegie One Braddock, formerly Braddock Carnegie Library.

Since 2016, Williams has been the children’s librarian at the venue, which reopened in May 2025 after an extensive, three-year-long renovation.

“We were the inaugural couple to marry in the renovated building, which holds a very special place in our hearts due to dear friends and memories made there,” D’Eon says.

The ceremony was held onstage in the Music Hall with 75 guests in attendance. While friends officiated, the couple exchanged “Tie the Knot” bracelets instead of rings; a standout, handbuilt book arch accompanied the wedding vows.

Other personal touches abounded. The reception was held in the Book Dive, originally a swimming pool, while a photo booth entertained guests in front of a wall of books.

The couple also rented a card box painted to look like Pittsburgh’s inclines and incorporated an old card catalogue — which held clues about guests for a cocktail hour icebreaker — as well as a vintage typewriter from Clicksburgh that guests could type out their well wishes on.

In addition, the couple’s dear friend, Pittsburgh artist Cheryl Capezzuti, created puppets representing their dog (Meatball) and cats (Lenny and Squiggy), as well as a groundhog (the couple’s legal wedding took place on Groundhog Day).

D’Eon appreciates that their event was simple, but with non-traditional twists and attention to one-of-a-kind details that delighted their guests. “Plus, they had a chance to celebrate our union in a historical building that is very special to us, and also to many of them,” he says.

Crawford knows that not all couples begin the planning journey confidently. While seeing their final vision is incredible, she says it’s most fulfilling to witness folks feeling validated, safe and welcomed along the way.

“[We’re] encouraging them that they could do this thing they wanted to, even if others tell them they can’t,” she says.