{"id":116161,"date":"2026-02-17T16:27:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/116161\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T16:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:27:09","slug":"real-pittsburgh-weddings-brendan-and-ellie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/116161\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Pittsburgh Weddings: Brendan and Ellie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Murray<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY<\/p>\n

Brendan Murray and Ellie Tiskus
August 2, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Murray<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY<\/p>\n

When Brendan Met Ellie<\/p>\n

Brendan Murray and Ellie Tiskus first connected at a bar in the summer of 2022 \u2014 a meeting Ellie calls ironic as she describes the couple as \u201cold souls.\u201d At the time, Brendan was working as a bouncer at Doggie\u2019s Pub in State College following his graduation from Penn State University\u2019s Naval ROTC program.<\/p>\n

After meeting Brendan during a night out with her friends, Ellie asked for his number; the pair agreed to go on a breakfast date the next morning. Brendan was transparent about his Navy plans and Ellie, who at the time had one more year of her undergraduate program at Penn State, was clear about her plans to attend law school following graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just said we\u2019d give it a shot,\u201d Ellie says. \u201cIf we want to make this work, we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Murray<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY<\/p>\n

She Said Yes<\/p>\n

The couple dated long distance for more than a year, with Brendan in Pensacola, Fla., completing naval flight school and Ellie attending law school at the University of San Diego.<\/p>\n

Ahead of Ellie\u2019s first Thanksgiving away from her family, Brendan flew out to see her. He proposed on Thanksgiving day \u2014 but not before the couple ran a turkey trot race and hiked at Torrey Pines State Beach, which is where Brendan popped the question. \u201cHe made me work for my ring,\u201d Ellie says.<\/p>\n

\"Murray<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY<\/p>\n

The Big Day<\/p>\n

Brendan and Ellie\u2019s wedding day was a simple, elegant celebration highlighting their faith and time with their loved ones.<\/p>\n

As the eldest daughter, Ellie\u2019s first look with her dad was a special moment \u2014 and a way to ease the nerves of father and daughter alike. The couple crafted their own Mass for a ceremony at Heinz Chapel in Oakland, performed by the Rev. Michael Darcy, which included a veneration to Mary.<\/p>\n

The couple exited the chapel under a traditional military sword arch, with help from Brendan\u2019s fellow servicemembers to honor the couple and welcome Ellie to military life. Brendan wore his Service Dress Whites, which were complemented by the bright-pink pop of color worn by the bridesmaids.<\/p>\n

Beginning with a balcony entrance at Downtown\u2019s Duquesne Club, the couple\u2019s reception included an ice cream bar as a nod to Brendan\u2019s sweet tooth and to one of their first dates \u2014 an ice cream crawl in State College.<\/p>\n

Happily Ever After<\/p>\n

After years of being long distance, Brendan, who turns 26 in February, and Ellie, 24, moved to San Diego; Brendan is a Naval Officer serving as an MH-60 Romeo Pilot and Ellie is completing her final year of law school at the University of San Diego.<\/p>\n

Vendors<\/p>\n

Venue
Heinz Memorial Chapel<\/p>\n

Organ
Nicholas Will<\/p>\n

Vocals
Sarah Richards<\/p>\n

Reception, Catering, Dessert & Cake
Duquesne Club<\/p>\n

Hair\/Makeup
Studio Twenty Three<\/p>\n

Rings
Wedding Bands \u2014 Orrs Jewelers; Engagement Ring \u2014 Elebash Jewelers (Pensacola, Fla.)<\/p>\n

Flowers
Donati Florals<\/p>\n

Music
DJ Steve Spins \u2014 BPM Deejays<\/p>\n

Stationery\/Invitations
Minted<\/p>\n

Photography
Leeann Marie Photography<\/p>\n

Transportation
Red Carpet Limousine<\/p>\n

Officiant
Father Michael Darcy \u2014 Pittsburgh Oratory & Catholic Newman Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY Brendan Murray and Ellie TiskusAugust 2, 2025 PHOTO BY LEEANN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY When…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-116161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-pittsburgh","9":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","10":"tag-pittsburgh-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}