New to the Knot - Planning a Pittsburgh Wedding from Philadelphia!

chelseyb412

Hi Knotties!! I've been lurking for a while, but I've updated my bio and I'm ready to dive in!!  FH proposed on 4/20/12 - which would've been my grandmother's 97th birthday! - and we're starting to plan our Pittsburgh wedding from Philadelphia!  Anyone else on these Pittsburgh boards planning from the Philadelphia area?  Would LOVE to chat about it...   Can't wait to hear from you ladies!!

xoxo!! 

cgyvhu

congrats and welcome! 

I planned from boston and plenty of girls planned from the DC area.  We had an older knottie plan from philly last year, and she managed!

FutureMrsKupko

Welcome and Congrats! 420 is my bday btw : We live in Harrisburg but planning our wedding to be in Pitt fiance is a pitt alum so I know all about planning for a wedding from far away. Look forward to more of your posts, enjoy!

erbear84

I'm a Pittsburgh native who's never been to Philly - I stayed in New Hope and went to a wedding around the area in March, but I've never been out there!  Welcome!  It's great to have you here.  When is your wedding?

blondieb0912

I've been planning from San Francisco, so you can do it! Welcome to the board!

[Deleted User]

Welcome, Chelsey and Congrats!

I currently live in Pittsburgh but will be moving to New Jersey this summer so I will be doing the majority of my planning from there. Wedding is 9.20.13. We'll be living right near the PA border, around the Easton, Pa area. I think that's relatively close to Philadelphia!

chelseyb412

Hi Eveyone!! Thanks for the quick replies

We don't know when the wedding will be yet... I guess we'll have to go to Pittsburgh and visit some places first / see what's available!! We'd love to have April 12, 2013, but I'm pretty sure most April dates will be LONG gone.

I'm sure it will be doable... Maybe even easier since it will limit me (and force me to make choices instead of visiting venues for 2 months straight, etc!).  I'm glad there are some other ladies out there dealing with this, too!

...And yes, I think Easton is pretty close to Philadelphia!

Anyone have any specific advice for planning from 300 miles away?

Thanks!!

xoxo!

chelseyb412

PS - Belated Happy Birthday, FutureMrsKupko

FutureMrsKupko

chelseyb412 thank you : My advice to you is to choose a venue that includes pretty much everything. Our reception is at the Holiday Inn Airport and it includes, cake, food alcohol, linen, chair covers, flower centerpieces that we pick out ourselves, rooms for fam and friends they usually include a few free rooms for stay, and more. This way you don't have to run around to a million vendors to get everything you need. If you have any questions or need recommendations for anything, we are all here to help you c:

Britt0412

Congratulations on your engagement and welcome to the board!

Caitlynmk

I'm planning a Pittsburgh wedding from Florida! It's been very challenging but doable as long as you give yourself enough time in between the proposal and wedding date.

Our wedding is in March and we're planning long weekend trips in June, October, December, and then one last one before the wedding in February for just me- dress fittings and such. Just be ready to cram a lot of appointments into a short period of time, and don't get stressed because it will all work out! I've found that emailing has been really helpful, all of our vendors so far are very quick to respond to our questions.

Also I agree with an earlier post about sticking to a reception site that includes catering, linens, etc. Just the thought of having to meet with seperate vendors for all of those things stressed me out!

Flowerstar1023

Also, consider getting your dress in Philadelphia and then bringing it to Pittsburgh to have steamed right before the wedding. With multiple dress fittings, the time factor really adds up. Should you choose to do so, you can get it steamed at Clarissa's for $35.

Ditto on the reception site that includes a lot of stuff like linens, catering, even alcohol or has a close working relationship with vendors that you like who are used to the space. Makes it easier than having a ton of vendors to coordinate that aren't "related" for any bride!

JoyjoshM

Hi Chelsey, Welcome & Congrats!

I am planning a wedding in Pittsburgh from Delaware (2 minutes from the PA sign so i'm very close to you)! It is very doable, hard and frustrating at times from the distance but it's very much doable. My advice is to stay on the board. I was late to the Pgh discussion board but the women here are really awesome and extremely helpful.

My wedding is in 3 weeks but I am here to help with anything you need. Good planning!!!

rhandler2

Congrats!  I am actually planning a wedding in Philly while living in Pittsburgh...so I understand how it will be!  Previous post recommendations of choosing a venue that is as all inclusive as possible is fantastic advice.  Also, hiring a day-of coordinator (if you're interested) can be extremely helpful as well.  Enjoy the planning process

chelseyb412

Hi Rhandler2!  Let me know if I can check anything out for you to help!  When's your big day? 

bellaitalia330

Congrats Chelsey!!

I am planning a wedding from Philadelphia/N.J area and from Pitsburgh. My date is 5.4.13 and my ceremony and venue is on Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh!  I'm so excited and can't wait for the big day.

I booked my venue and church about 1.5 years in advance and the venue was already booked for the original date I wanted, it's crazy! Also, I recently said "yes to the dress", while visiting for Mother's Day in the Wexford area. I originally had my family come to NJ to shop for dresses, but realized it will be easier to get my dress where I'm getting married. I go home frequently to visit and don't want to have to worry about transporting my dress for the wedding. I'll work the fittings around family visits, taste testings for the venue, and my shower.
If you have any questions feel free to message me! 

acmiller83

I am planning an Oct 13 2012 wedding from the Philly/S. Jersey area... it can DEFINITELY be a pain with so much to do leading up to the wedding and being far away (especially when your fiance is studying for the bar exam and not available for travel this summer!). I would say try to maximize your time when you are home to get a lot of things done at a time and start early. Let me know if you have any questions! Congratulations :-)