After more than a year of being engaged and with just 5 months until the big day, we finally found the perfect wedding venue! We thought about a Los Angeles wedding, but we ultimately wanted to be closer to our family and friends since we are both originally from the steel city. I scoured the internet to research all of the venues that Pittsburgh had to offer.
Our search criteria was as follows:
– Location within the city of Pittsburgh
– Ability to bring our own caterer (to save $)
– Ability to bring our own alcohol (to save $)
– A non-traditional look & feel
– Ability to host the ceremony & reception
– Ability to transform and make our own
– Bright, airy, loft feel
– Nice spots for photos
– Easy parking for guests
After an intense search, it seemed like the venues that I loved were way over budget and I definitely couldn’t seem to find that DTLA bright loft vibe that I was looking for. Since we weren’t very flexible on date (because of Graham’s medical school graduation and residency start date), I worried that we wouldn’t be able to find a venue for our date, so we settled on a place that we believed to be the best available option at the time. It checked 80% of these boxes, and I was determined to make it work.
6 months later, during some mindless Instagram scrolling, I stumbled upon something magnificent. A BEAUTIFUL, light-filled event space overlooking downtown Pittsburgh. I had to do a double-take. HOW did I miss this in my initial search? It was called the Energy Innovation Center and after some online digging, I discovered that they just started offering weddings. I missed it originally because it didn’t exist yet…!
After a few weeks of debating if I was crazy enough to switch venues this late in the game, I decided to just call and check availability. May 4th, 2019 was open so we decided to go take a look.
As soon as I stepped into their main event space, the Covestro Brightspace, I was sold. I really don’t believe that there’s anything else like it in the city. Even on a dreary, miserable, winter day in Pittsburgh, the space is stunning. Aside from the incredible windows, the room also features original wood flooring from when the Energy Innovation Center was a trade school in the 1930’s. The space is a former machine shop, and has all of the industrial charms you would expect.
Outside of the Covestro Brightspace, the “Roadway” is an incredibly long and wide hallway that can be used to house the buffet, dessert table, photo booth and bar.
For cocktail hour, guests can make their way to the glass elevator and the rooftop garden to enjoy a drink while taking in views of downtown.
Our ceremony will be in the Covestro Brightspace, our cocktail hour will be in the roadway/glass elevator/rooftop, and our reception will be back in the Brightspace after a room flip. We love that guests will have plenty of room to wander and explore this unique space.
Check out our VLOG for a full tour!
