'The Knot' Names Moon Hotel Best Pittsburgh Wedding Venue

The Knot might just be the go-to publication for brides-to-be, said wedding planner Allison Bordogna.

"It's like the Bible of weddings," said Bordogna, who works at the Pittsburgh Airport Holiday Inn. "It's one of those things that as soon as girls get engaged, they go to The Knot."

The Knot, the well known national magazine and website dedicated to all things nuptials, selected Moon's Holiday Inn as one of the top five wedding reception venues in the Pittsburgh region.

On Monday, the magazine's website will list the hotel as one of Pittsburgh's best reception locales of 2012, the same day that the latest issue of the magazine hits newsstands.

"It's a big deal," said hotel wedding maitre d' Fallon DeRiggi. "When we found out [about the selection] we were screaming."

Besides a plug on the website, the honor comes with a plaque, some official marketing materials and the clout that goes along with saying the hotel is Knot-approved. Bordogna said she anticipates the listing will bring more brides to the University Boulevard hotel, which plays host to about 70 wedding receptions each year.

"Brides go to that website and really look at the reviews and what other brides are saying," she said. "I definitely think we'll see more [receptions] booked here from that."

The listing comes just in time for the hotel's annual, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 26. The free event will feature bridal vendors from across the region.

Bordogna said she envisioned the hotel making the The Knot's annual best-of issue when she began at her post at the hotel in March.

"We just didn't think it would happen so quickly," Bordogna said. When the news came in, the hotel gathered its catering staff for a small celebration.

Bordogna said she and DeRiggi work closely with brides and families while planning the wedding fete. One over-the-top Halloween reception included actors outfitted in monster costumes and hotel staff wearing masquerade masks.

"And we had one Italian family who had more cookies than I've ever seen at the cookie tables," DeRiggi said of a recent reception at the hotel.

DeRiggi said that in the past year, good reviews from couples who celebrated their nuptials at the hotel came pouring in via TheKnot.com. She credits the hotel staff and the good working relationship she has with Bordogna for the hotel's recent success.

"I really think it's because we're pretty much the bride's age, and we can relate to them," DeRiggi said. "We work with them, and you really become their friends in the process."