You could plan and host an entire wedding without leaving Mt. Lebanon, featuring some of the region’s best bridal gowns, suits, catering, flowers, hair, makeup and locations. Experts from each of these areas share what’s trending and their tips for planning the perfect day.
Attire: All dressed in white?
Brides looking for high-end and designer gowns have two shops to consider: Anne Gregory Couture, 733 Washington Road, and Bridal Beginnings, 450 Cochran Road.
The most popular dresses are simple and clean, with one special element or twist, according to Greg Cherico, owner of Anne Gregory Couture. Ball gowns are huge and a Basque waist, also known as a corset waist, is trending for the first time since the ’80s. Cherico is a fan of the Basque waist, as he said it suits every body type.
Some brides are opting for less traditional options, like a gown from designer Anne Barge with soft, blue morning glory flowers printed over flowing fabric, or dresses in blush, light blue or other non-white colors.
Many brides choose veils but often remove them after the ceremony. Jewelry is minimal, with statement earrings dominating the look. Headpieces, tiaras, beads, glitz and glam are the least popular options of today.
“Our clients are looking for more fashion-forward,” said Cherico. “And everything we do is custom.” Gowns at his store start at $3,000 and average delivery is six to eight months. Mothers of the bride or groom can also find a dress at Anne Gregory Couture.
“I started in this business in 1979. Back then, it was very different,” Cherico said. Brides would look to magazines for inspiration and come to the store without much direction. Today, brides spend hours online looking for the perfect gown, before they even walk through the door. Prior to an appointment, Cherico asks brides to provide their wedding date, budget and number of people they’re bringing with them. He suggests brides shop a year in advance of the wedding to account for long shipping times. “Dresses just take longer these days.”
Those in the market for suits can head just a few blocks down to David Alan Clothing, 620 Washington Road. They create custom suits for both men and women, owner David Alan said, including wedding suit packages for groomsmen. It starts with a free fitting with a stylist in the store lounge, followed by expert tailoring and design to create suits, tuxedos and shirts in a variety of colors and patterns. Plus, clients can add unique details, like one groom did by embroidering an anniversary date in his jacket.
Catering for a variety of tastes
“We’ve probably never served the same menu at any event — and that’s over 40 years,” said Melanie Hoover, owner of Rania’s Catering at 100 Central Square.
“We’re open to cooking anything, from your grandmother’s recipe to your favorite dish.”
Rania’s caters around 45 weddings per year, traveling up to two hours from their Mt. Lebanon location. They meet with couples to create a fully customized menu, prepared by chefs on-site using quality local ingredients. That means if there’s no kitchen at the wedding venue, Rania’s will bring one with them. “We will set up a kitchen in the middle of a field, outside a museum … places that aren’t meant to be kitchens,” Hoover said.
Menu testing before the event is important. “We want couples to love what they’re serving guests,” Hoover added. “The biggest trend that we’re seeing: there’s a lot of people moving toward cocktail-style stations.” Filet remains their biggest seller for dinners.
A typical Rania’s wedding menu includes six passed appetizers, bread service, a seasonal salad course, entrée selection or themed stations, followed by coffee service. Whether the couple chooses a plated, family style, buffet or station dinner, Hoover said “the service and food [will] go hand in hand.”
For dessert, La Gourmandine, 300 Cochran Road, offers a variety of cakes and pastries, including vanilla mousseline with fresh strawberries, chocolate mousse with crème brûlée and vanilla sponge cake, and a sponge cake with mascarpone cream and raspberry preserve. Or, if you’re in the mood for a Pittsburgh cookie table, there are plenty of local bakeries to hit up, including Mediterra, Uptown Coffee, Café Flore and Panaderia Jazmin, to name a few.
Flown-in flowers
Flowers are a huge part of almost every wedding. They add freshness, seasonal flair and individuality to the venue. Mt. Lebanon Floral owner Carmel Vandale tells couples to “not be afraid to take chances or risks with the flower choices … Anything goes anymore.”
Vandale and her team can cater to any tastes, including a wedding with a purely black and white color palette.
Mt. Lebanon Floral, 725 Washington Road, specializes in high-end products, ordered from a wholesaler that purchases directly from Holland, famous for its tulips and other bright flowers. They’ve also placed special orders from South America for flowers native to the southern hemisphere, such as orchids or birds of paradise.
Popular choices include dahlias, deep plum and dark tones in the fall, and peonies, blush and cream tones in the spring. Overall, “people aren’t afraid of color” as much in the last five years, said Vandale. She prefers clients have bridesmaid dresses, a venue and inspiration pictures chosen before an appointment. Mt. Lebanon Floral has no minimum cost and “can adhere to any budget,” added Vandale.
Vandale’s favorite part of the job is setting up florals at the venue on the wedding day, especially when she can see the bride in her dress. Her team will travel within a two-hour distance for weddings.
Another local floral shop is Blooming Dahlia, 304 Beverly Road, which focuses on smaller events with no more than 15 tables.
Understated glamour in hair and makeup
Natural, clean hair and makeup is trending, matching the trends in dresses and flowers. Brides and bridesmaids tell Salon Vivace manager Lauren Heald, “I want to feel put together, but I don’t want to feel overdone, cakey or plastered.”
Glenn Rengers, owner of Salon Vivace at 642 Washington Road, highly recommends the bride have a trial for makeup and hair before the wedding day. The stylists want to know the budget, what works and what doesn’t, inspiration pictures, number of people in the bridal party, and whether getting ready will take place in the salon or on location.
Heald shared some dos and don’ts when it comes to preparing the week before your big day. No facials seven days before; no day-of manicures or pedicures; wash hair the day before and everyday skin care should be used the morning ofthe ceremony. Same goes for grooms — but Rengers said many grooms come in the week before the wedding for facials, haircuts and manicures to decompress and prepare.
Heald and Rengers communicate preparation details with wedding parties far in advance. “It’s probably the most important day of their life — and you have to make them all happy,” Rengers said.
Airbrush foundation is popular for makeup longevity. “Clean girl” makeup with peaches, pinks and taupe tones are in, but Kristen Peckich, owner of La Pomponnée Salon at 659 Washington Road, said she encourages false lashes to complete a look, as they make for better photos. Hairstyles largely depend on the season, with updos more common in warmer, humid months, noted Peckich. Half-up half-down styles are also trendy.
Heald said often the dress leads the hairstyle. “We want to know the things you love about the dress, so you can accentuate it.”
The salon can get hectic, quickly, on wedding days. They can accommodate entire wedding parties, complete with photographers and a champagne and doughnut table. For those who prefer hair and makeup be done elsewhere, Salon Vivace will travel, if you provide enough advance notice (at least one year in advance for several-hour travel times). La Pomponnee mostly provides in-salon services but will occasionally travel.
Rengers said the salon is happy to work with clients, especially longtime ones on custom requests. “I’ve been in the business for 40-plus years. I’ve done four generations. People become family; you become so close to them.”
Location, location, location
Mt. Lebanon is home to two synagogues, more than a dozen churches, one magistrate court, five rentable park pavilions, a hotel with event space, and plenty of backyards — all of which are budget-friendly potential wedding venues.
Houses of worship: Find a full list of the churches and synagogues in Mt. Lebanon, with their direct contact information, at www.mtlebanon.org/worship [1].
District Court, 680 Washington Road: To schedule a wedding ceremony, call 412-561-4415. Cost is $56, set by Allegheny County.
Pavilions: Bird Park, Williamsburg Park and Mt. Lebanon Park each have pavilions for rent, starting at $45. To rent, visit www.mtlebanon.org/facilities [2].
Springhill Suites, 611 Washington Road: 406 square foot versatile event space, suitable for a small reception dinner capped at 27 people.
One young Mt. Lebanon couple secretly tied the knot at the magistrate court, prior to their “official” wedding in April 2026, for practical reasons: health insurance. Nonetheless, Margaret Donley and Tyler Reilly, Bower Hill Road, were dressed for the occasion. Donley in a silky white dress, originally used for her engagement photos, and Reilly in a black suit and tie.
Some people arrive at the courtroom in casual street clothes, others in full wedding outfits, said Judge Hilary Wheatley, Cedarhurst Manor, who has officiated more than 150 weddings since taking office in January, 2022.
The Donley-Reilly ceremony was quick. Wheatley entered the room, announcing “It’s a beautiful day to get married.” (Even though you couldn’t see outside from the courtroom, it was a beautiful, sunny day in October). A clerk took some documents to the back to process while the couple chatted with Wheatley. The clerk returned, the ceremony commenced, and the whole thing was over in a few minutes.
Afterward, Reilly said, “Today we’re just going to enjoy the day to ourselves. A little date day,” which would include their dog, a Bernedoodle named Oso.
Wheatley said couples marry at the magistrate for many reasons, including immediacy, cost-efficiency and simplicity. She’s even married a lesbian couple in June 2023 from a town in western Pennsylvania, who traveled to Mt. Lebanon because they couldn’t find a judge closer to them who would agree to officiate.
Magistrate judges “are given instructions and information that you either have to officiate all weddings or no weddings,” said Wheatley. She happily agreed to marry the couple. After all, weddings are the favorite part of her job.
“Nearly everybody else who comes to my court is there for not a great thing,” said Wheatley. “These are the only people who are there voluntarily, willingly and happily. And so, I’m thrilled and honored to be asked to be part of the day.”