PHOTO BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

PHOTO BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

When Christine Met Madison

Madison Haduck met her future wife through her sorority sister — who happened to be the actual sister of Christine Chiodo. Madison was at the time a pharmacy student at Duquesne University and a member of Sigma Kappa when Victoria Chiodo invited Christine to their sorority’s charity walk.

Christine later asked Victoria if Madison was single, but nothing more came of their first meeting. Their second meeting was by chance. Christine was working as a nurse at St. Clair Hospital in the South Hills when the two bumped into each other in the halls once again; Madison worked there as a pharmacy technician.

They eventually made plans to attend a party in the South Side together and ended the night at Finn McCools, an Irish pub on East Carson Street.

PHOTO BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

They Said Yes

Madison always said she wanted her proposal to mirror the way she and Christine said goodbye each morning: “This is cheesy, but before I leave for work in the morning, I kneel down next to the bed and say, ‘Goodbye and I love you,’” Christine says. “And she would always say, ‘That’s how I want you to propose, just like that.’”

On July 29, 2022, Christine took Madison to Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange in the Strip District, one of their favorite places. Victoria, as well as Christine’s best friend, were at the couple’s house setting up rose petals and a neon “marry me” sign.

“I proposed there in our living room, and I surprised her, and all of her family and friends from out of town came in, and I threw her a surprise engagement party in my parents’ backyard,” Christine says.

Though equally sweet, Madison’s proposal to Christine is now an infamous tale. On Oct. 21, 2022, Madison again enlisted Victoria, this time with her boyfriend, to decorate Christine’s family property in Oakdale. The property’s front porch holds an especially sentimental place in Christine’s heart and thus became the stage for the proposal with a “marry me” sign erected in flowers and candles.

Madison used the same designer Christine had chosen for her engagement ring and gave the ring to Victoria to protect the surprise. She planned everything to a “T” — until the ring was lost.

After a six-hour search, the ring was discovered in a pile of leaves in front of Madison and Christine’s home in Oakdale; it had fallen out of Victoria’s satchel during their errands. Madison tried to stall the proposal, but Christine was coming off of a long shift at work and didn’t want to wait any longer. Madison decided to postpone, until she heard the news the ring had been found. She told Christine she wanted to stop at her grandmother’s house — and Christine refused.

“She’s like, ‘Let’s stop your grandma’s’ and I’m like, ‘No, we’re not stopping my grandma’s, I want to go home, we’ve been waiting for three hours,” Christine says. “We walked down to my grandparents’ house and she was like, ‘Come look at the porch’ and she proposed.”

PHOTO BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

The Big Day

The couple chose to have a circle ceremony so that all of their loved ones could see them as they made their vows. “We wanted to feel like we were in a circle of all the people that loved us,” Christine says.This sentiment carried into the newlyweds’ reception as well: “We wanted it to feel like you were going to dinner at your grandparents’ house on a Sunday afternoon.” The reception was full of lively antics.

Midway through, Madison had Christine’s dad cut her long hair all the way to her chin for a grand reveal. Instead of a cake cutting, the couple opted to cut pizzas instead — but, “of course,” they had a Pittsburgh cookie table. Madison and Christine chose Calum Scott’s “No Matter What” to dance with their parents. Christine says the song is about coming out to your parents and being completely accepted by them. “I think at one point I looked up and everybody was on the dance floor,” Christine says. “It wasn’t so much that they were celebrating us, but they were celebrating love and the meaning behind love. And that was one of my favorite parts.”

PHOTO BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

Happily Ever After

After honeymooning in London and Italy, Madison and Christine bought a house in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. They have two dogs, Finn and Alle, named for their first date location and their favorite coffee spot.

PHOTO BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

Vendors

Ceremony & Reception: Franklin on Penn

Catering: DiAnoia’s Eatery

Dress: Bridal Beginning

Custom Suit: Designer Krista Abboud; David Alan Clothing

Hair: Tina’s Hair Designs (Christine); Simply Captivating (Madison)

Makeup: RC Glam (Christine); See Jane Blush (Madison)

Rings: Custom Rings by Denise Scanlon

Flowers: Field and Hand

Linens: Mosaic Inc.

Welcome Party: Puttery Pittsburgh

Rehearsal: Cadence at the Strip

DJ: Shuges Entertainment, Essex Falls, N.J.

Officiant: Lifelong friend Sarah Stierer

Wedding Planner: Devoted to You

Photography: Full Circle Media