A Hokie Wedding...

Back in April Andy and I hopped on a bird and flew to Pittsburgh for one of my best buds wedding weekends! Dave and I met our very first night as freshman at Virginia Tech. His group of friends from Pittsburgh were sitting on a bench waiting for the bus while my group of friends from high school were sitting on the next bench over. Turns out we were all waiting for a bus that would never arrive. Not sure who finally broke the silence and engaged with the opposite bench but I can say it was one of those life changing moments that I'll never forget. That night I got introduced to some of the very best friends I would make at Virginia Tech and I was so excited to go spend a long overdue weekend with them as we celebrated Dave (finally!) tying the knot. 

Having never been to Pittsburgh, Andy and I did some research ahead of time to figure, of course, the best places to eat! We knew Primanti Brothers had to be one of our stops and it also turned out to be our first one. We shared bites of one of their infamous sandwiches and OMG it was so good - but oh so huge! 

That night we met up for happy hour with some of our buddies, namely Jon whom I was so excited to see again. He and his wife are expecting their 5th child later this year and I can hardly believe it - we've all got fingers crossed that he'll finally get a boy! After a few drinks we all went our separate ways (most of us don't get date night dinners all that often) and Andy and I ended up at one of the best restaurants we've eaten at in a long time. It was simply called Meat and Potatoes and we heard we just had to get the 45 ounce ribeye which comes with bone marrow. Holy. Moly. It was insane - and we are now both bone marrow fanatics. We could hardly finish any of the food, but it was a meal we won't soon forget. 

Afterwards we met back up with everyone and finally got to see the bride and groom (whom had been at their rehearsal festivities earlier.) It was so nice to meet Hillary (the bride) and I think she is the perfect match for Dave (not an easy task - he'll be the first to admit it). Turns out she is a therapist that works in the local NICU - so we had plenty to discuss - and in fact Dave had been keeping her updated about Harper and asking her questions as he witnessed our journey from afar. 

The next day Andy and I went out and explored the local markets. We were overwhelmed by all the fresh seafood, cheeses, olives, etc that were lining the counters at the various stores we popped into. It was really cool and right up our alley. For brunch we couldn't resist heading to the local Hofbrauhaus - it was great food, cold beer, and some festive music. 

Finally it was time for the wedding which was being held at the Heinz History Center - such a cool venue. The ceremony was intimate and included some great stories - unique and perfect for this couple. Afterwards we had a cocktail hour where we got to wander around the museum and take in some of the exhibits. 

The reception was great - really good food, hilarious and touching speeches from the maid of honor, best man and surprisingly the mother of the bride in lieu of the father of the bride. Then in true wedding reception tradition we danced the night away! 

I'll forever be grateful for the friendships I made that first night in Blacksburg and while we don't all get to see each other nearly as often as we'd like - when we do - it's like being home again. Cheers Dave & Hillary!