An Epic Spring Wedding At The Allure On The Lake

May 19, 2025 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom stand on rocks while looking out onto Lake Michigan at an Indiana Dunes Beach.

There’s a timeless romance to the Indiana Dunes beach, where the golden sands meet the rolling waves of Lake Michigan under an endless sky. After photographing their engagement session here and now, they chose this breathtaking backdrop for their wedding photos. It’s clear that Katie and Matt are drawn to its natural beauty.

The gentle rustle of dune grasses and the light reflecting off the water created a serene, dreamlike setting—perfect for starting their lifelong journey together.

Before we could get to this moment, they needed to prepare to unite and be married. I captured all of the wonderful moments of bridal prep, while Wendy documented groom prep.

Here is a sneak peek at the details, emotions, and laughs of their epic day—from a first look with Dad to a blue hour slow dance on the back deck of Allure On The Lake wedding reception venue.

2023 Year In Review By Northwest Indiana Photographer Region Weddings

December 20, 2023 Steve Vansak

As the sun sets on the 2023 wedding season, I’m looking back at all the weddings I photographed (and filmed) this past year. I’ve visited many venues in Northwest Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, some very familiar and some brand new to me.

Epic Chicago Wedding Photos On The Beach

August 15, 2023 Steve Vansak

A groom lifts his bride into the air during sunset on the beach in Chicago.

It was a perfect later afternoon / early evening at Ohio Street Beach in Chicago for this epic wedding photo session with Olivia and Dylan.

The sunset brought us some awesome hues in the sky, but most importantly, our couple was game to embrace the water of Lake Michigan and get down and dirty in the sand, Trash the Dress style.

Beach Wedding At Lighthouse Lodge

August 2, 2021 Steve Vansak

A romantic sunset wedding photo at Lighthouse lodge in Monticello, Indiana.

The last name is Winters, but the wedding was pure summer for Jill and Pro at Lighthouse Lodge in Monticello, Indiana. Located on Shafer Lake, the bed and breakfast wedding venue features lakeside beach weddings and receptions on their large deck underneath a tent.

We started our day with bridal prep inside the bed and breakfast and groomsmen getting ready in one of the cottages of the lake.

The father of the bride wore a commemorative tee shirt for the occasion and he also rocked the dance floor later in the evening.

The groom gets ready for the day before an outdoor, lakeside wedding ceremony.

The bride and groom are all dressed for their summer wedding in Monticello, Indiana.

The first look occurred with an audience of wedding part and family members watching. Boaters on the lake also took notice of the big reveal. Afterwards we did photos lakeside of the bride and groom and wedding party.

First look for the bride and groom on Shafer Lake.

Blue skies with puffy clouds over Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana as the bride and groom kiss.

The wedding party with Shafer Lake in the background.

The outdoor ceremony faced the lake with the lighthouse towering over the proceedings. Boaters and jet skiers honked their support for the newlyweds as they made their way back down the aisle after the first kiss. Jill raised her bridal bouquet into the air with a celebratory yell.

Outdoor wedding ceremony in Monticello, Indiana.

Outdoor wedding ceremony at Shafer Lake.

The open air tent wedding reception saw guests out by the lake as well as on the deck for tasty treats as well as a full on dinner.

Dad almost got thrown into the water by the ring bearer but no lifeguards were called upon!

A wedding reception on the large deck of Lighthouse Lodge in Monticello, Indiana.

Wedding reception fun under the big tent in Monticello, Indiana.

I had two special shots in mind for the bride and groom and those were a few sunset images as well as a blue hour photo once the light dimmed. A silhouetted version is below along with the blue hour image and a lighted sunset wedding photos is at the top of this post.

Bride and groom in silhouette at sunset.

Bride and groom during blue hour at Lighthouse Lodge in Monticello, Indiana.

This is just the sneak peek of Jill and Pro’s beach wedding at Lighthouse Lodge. For more images from this and other weddings please follow the social media channels below. Of course, please do Contact me to inquire about your own wedding photography and video right here.