Weekend in Pittsburgh - Wedding at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church

We had a great long weekend in Pittsburgh, where I officiated at the wedding of the daughter of dear friends, whom I have known all her life. The photo above is of Downtown Pittsburgh from the 16th Street Bridge.  The photo below is of the bride and groom at the conclusion of the wedding.  They met in high school and have been dating for 10 1/2 years; both are 26 years old.

The wedding was held at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, where I served as associate pastor for the ten years before I was called to Wekiva Presbyterian Church.  In the photo above you can see me, in the chancel, with the string quartet behind me.  Also on each side are the members of the women's choir who sang at the wedding.  Below is a photo of the Peace Candle “A Prayer for Peace” which was created in the 1980's by noted twentieth century sculptor Eleanor Shaw Milleville (1921-1991).

The Sanctuary is simply gorgeous (as you can see, above).  The proportions are said to be the same as King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.  The Chancel Window is the church's "signature" architectural feature, with its mostly clear glass, with stained glass insets.  Several of Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church's bridal consultants have said that this is the longest asile in Pittsburgh.  They may be right.

Above is the portico to the 1953 Chapel - the first worship space of the congregation, now a multi use room.  Below is the entrance to the Atrium which leads into the Sanctuary, and you can see the steeple at the background.

It was a joy to be with dear friends, for the wedding and the festivities surrounding the wedding.  The bride and groom are high school sweethearts, and met by their lockers at Fox Chapel High School.  By the way the father of the bride was the head of the music department at the high school and the groom's mother is secretary to the principal.  The groom is also an identical twin (his brother served as the best man).  They could have switched places and fooled me.

The weather the whole weekend was marvelous.  Sunny.  Hot but not as hot as Florida.  On Saturday morning while Judy attended the bridesmaids' breakfast, I went for a walk and got some "calendar worthy" photos of Downtown Pittsburgh, which is my hometown.