Reception Hall Family Portraits

I love photo booths at weddings!!  What a fun, retro idea it is to have your guests crowd into the booth with some wacky and creative costumes.  Wedding receptions are the perfect atmosphere for these images.  It reminds me of when disposable cameras used to be at every table.  However, these booths aren't ideal for family portraits.

I offer another type of service that is the complete opposite, but just as cool.  I call it Portraits at the Reception.  Very often there is no time to provide guests or non immediate family members with family photos after the ceremony.  Usually we finish up immediate family and then it's wedding party group photos and images of the main attraction - the bride and groom.  When I arrive at the hall, it's time for detail shots (cake, decorations, etc.) and soon we are into first dance and party time.  Very often guests want to take some nice portraits during this rare opportunity when they are all dressed up together.  Very often this is the one and only time certain combinations of people will be together like this.  

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Grandparents pose for a portrait together at their grand daughter's wedding reception at Casa Maria in Dyer, Indiana.

For wedding season 2014, I've added several improvements.  My associate photographer will now handle the portrait duties while I attend to the event.  This will enable our backdrop and professional studio lighting to be at the outer edges of the room or even in the hallway and there are no worries that we will miss any of the party or impromptu speeches, etc.  We will also be able to keep the portrait area open for 90 minutes instead of an hour so as to not disappoint anyone.

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A mom poses with her son for a portrait against a black backdrop at a wedding reception banquet hall.

All of the images will be up in an online gallery in their own category for viewing and ordering.  As you can tell from the images here, we use really soft and flattering lighting for a studio type of look.  It's a really nice gift from the bride and groom to all of their guests and people really love it.

Wedding Reception Decorations at The Chateau in Merrillville

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Ryan and Sara's wedding reception at The Chateau Banquet Hall in Merrillville, Indiana had some wonderful decorations.  Let me take you around the room to view some of details.  The above shot is the entire cake display with a pedestal and majestic blue fountain underneath.  Let's get a little closer...

You can see the head table in the background.  We had just come from doing formal photos at Portage River Walk and I was able to capture much of the decor before the guests arrived for dinner and dancing.

Sara really loved this photo of the couples rings inside her colorful bouquet of flowers.  It makes for a great image in the wedding album as well.  Many times these details shots serve as background pages when I design the custom made wedding album.

One of the more unique features of this latin flavored wedding was the Mariachi band that performed for much of the evening.  They sounded great, provided some nice color to the ambience of the hall and entertained from the beginning until dinner ended.

The couple provided a wedding bell on every table for friends and family to encourage them to kiss.

It worked....

Sara paid tribute to her dearly departed grandparents by displaying their photograph.

Guests were able to transcribe their best wishes on a large memory board adorned with childhood photographs of the bride and groom...

Ryan and Sara get the award for most wedding cakes at a single reception.  Okay, this one isn't an actual cake, but it sure looks like one!!  The couple's last name intials on this gift box disguised as a white cake was a nice touch...

The thank you card displayed on the gift table was a classy touch from a couple who tremendously cares about all the friends and family who came out to celebrate their big day.

Thank you Ryan and Sara for having me capture your wedding day this summer.  Let's get those family portraits in this Fall.  :)

A Villa Cesare Wedding Reception with Jackie and Brandon

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Wow, what an epic night of fun for Jackie and Brandon's reception at Villa Cesare Banquet Hall in Highland, Indiana.  Great guests, great food, terrific entertainment and a couple deeply in love made for a perfect mix of ingredients.  Let's dig in...

As we waited for the entrance announements, I went around the room taking detail shots and candids like the one above of the flower girl in the air courtesy of her Dad who was one of the groomsmen.

The bride and groom raised their arms in triumph as they entered the vast hall to cheering guest....

Parents of the newlyweds were all smiles as the champagne toast was about to begin.

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The structure of Villa Cesare is quite striking as you can see in this wide shot of guests raising their champagne glasses...

First dances began soon after dinner with the happy couple taking center stage on the vast dance floor...

Jackie's Dad gives her a spin during the Father and Daughter Dance...

It didn't take long after that for the DJ to fire up the fog machine and the crazy fun to begin...

Half woman, half chicken?  It's the chicken dance taken quite literally....

Every direction I turned had smiling faces staring back at me...

Happy wedding guests in hard hats....

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I'm thinking they are playing Y.M.C.A. by the Village People in this next photo....

Mother of the bride hams it up on the dance floor while Dad shares a laugh with one of his bridesmaid daughters...

Balloons, straw hats and dipping brides = good, clean fun!!

It truly was an epic wedding reception at Villa Cesare Banquet Hall in Highland.  Our newly married couple got a chance at a few last dances toward the end of the evening.  A few balloons remained and the fog machine was still running although I have a feeling that the Jackie and Brandon custom wine bottles were all but empty at this point.....

Click here to view the entire gallery of Jackie and Brandon's Fall Wedding.

Studio Portraits at the Wedding Reception

One of the most popular add on features of my wedding packages are Portraits at the Wedding Reception.  This makes for a great gift from the bride and groom to their guests.  Imagine family members who rarely see each other gathering at your wedding and reminiscing about old times. Sure, someone will get them together for a snapshot.  However, a professional photo with studio lighting and background will make a keepsake that they will cherish forever.

There is never any charge to the guests for taking these shots.  It's simply an add on to any of the wedding packages.  

When my assistant and I arrive at the hall, we will look for a spot and set up the backdrop along with lights, softboxes and posing stools.  We won't begin taking any of these shots until after the major events have passed - cake cutting, first dance, garter and bouquet toss, etc.  We will ask the DJ to announce that we will start taking portraits.  If there is action on the dance floor or any other event, we excuse ourselves from our line and cover the action.  Once we are sure we have our shots, we go back to covering the fun of the dance floor.

These portraits at the wedding reception are geared toward couples or small groups of three at the most.  The don't take too much time and folks usually aren't left waiting for long.  I often end up photographing the weddings of engaged couples after I have taken their photo at their friends wedding reception.

I often say "give the gift of photography" and your guests will certainly appreciate this gesture. It will further ensconce your event as the "wedding of the century" in their minds.