Wedding Photographers & Videographers at St. Peter Church (Brownsville), Brownsville

A wedding at St. Peter Church in Brownsville, known as the Historic Church of St. Peter, puts you in a Gothic Revival church built of local stone on the bluff above the Monongahela River. Its founders hoped it would one day be a cathedral, so it was laid out like one, with the pulpit to the left of the altar. Rough stone walls, a bell tower and stained glass make wedding photos and video here feel old-world, both inside on the aisle and outside, where the stone front is a natural backdrop for the wedding party.

Your wedding ceremony here is a Catholic one. The stained glass deserves a close look before the day: one window shows the first Catholic Mass celebrated in this area, on the spot where the church now stands. Stone churches can echo, so your videographer will want to listen during the rehearsal and plan where to place microphones for the vows. The church is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers tours, which is a good excuse to bring your photographer for a walk-through and to choose spots for formal pictures outside.

St. Peter is partnered with St. Cecilia Church in Grindstone, and the main parish office is on Church Street in Brownsville. The parish doesn't post marriage guidelines online, so call the office to ask about dates, marriage preparation through the Diocese of Greensburg, and whether couples who aren't parishioners may get married here. Ask too about photography and video guidelines for your wedding day.

• Call the parish office early to check your date and the steps for getting married at St. Peter.
• Book a tour of the church and bring your photographer and videographer.
• Ask which areas outside you may use for wedding pictures.

A little about St. Peter Church

The present church was built in the early 1840s and is the third church on this site; the first two were lost to fire, and brick from the second lines the crypt and bell tower. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.