Chicago Wedding At Saint Andrew The Apostle Church and Loft On Lake

May 13, 2019 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom walk the center aisle at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Calumet City, Illinois.

I spent last Saturday with Breana and Kevin for their Chicago wedding with a ceremony at Saint Andrew the Apostle and reception at Loft On Lake in the west Loop area. We also stopped by Millennium Park and blacked traffic on State Street by the Chicago Theater. It’s been a rainy Spring in the Chicago area so the outside photos are all romantic walks in the rain. It’s all good, we had a blast with them on their windy city adventure.

We started our day with bridal prep at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place with second photographer capturing the guys while I was with the bridesmaids.

Bridal Prep at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago.

The bride and friends get ready for her big day at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place hotel.

In addition to rain, the Chicago area also was serving up thousands of 12 year old BTS fans for their concert at Soldier Field that night. The groomsmen had their brush with teen Korean boy band fame during a picture before exiting the hotel for the ceremony.

Groomsmen wedding day prep at the Hyatt Regency McCormick hotel in downtown Chicago.

Saint Andrew The Apostle Church is a wonderful old church in Calumet City. I certainly love to capture the architecture their during wedding ceremonies in addition to all of the emotional moments taking place on the altar.

Wedding ceremony at Saint Andrew Church.

A view from the center aisle during a Chicago wedding ceremony at Saint Andrew The Apostle Church.

Bubbles and raindrops descend upon the bride and groom during their church wedding exit.

Bride on the altar at Saint Andrew The Apostle Church.

Breana looked spectacular in her dress as we photographed her and Kevin upon the altar. I had to get a few from the balcony as well.

Bride and groom walk toward the church exit of Saint Andrew The Apostle Church.

Wedding party group photos at Saint Andrew The Apostle Church in Calumet City, Illinois.

The party bus back into Chicago was a wedding celebration on wheels. It was decided to brave the rain for some couples shots in Millennium Park and the some fun group pictures at the Chicago Theater.

The wedding party celebrates on the party bus.

Rainy day wedding photos at Millennium Park in Chicago.

Bride and groom kiss under an umbrella as rain falls in downtown Chicago.

Wedding party group photo underneath the marquee of the Chicago Theater.

The party took place at the West Loop Chicago reception venue Loft On Lake with it’s elegant string lights located behind the head table. A band was there to greet guests and the priest who married the couple earlier in the day (and who also flew in from Connecticut) was there to bless the dance floor during Shout.

Wedding reception cocktail hour at Loft on Lake in Chicago, Illinois.

Wedding reception fun at Loft On Lake in the West Loop of Chicago.

Wonderful speeches from the maid of honor and best man at Loft On Lake Chicago wedding venue.

First dance for the bride and groom at Loft On Lake wedding venue in Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Breana and Kevin’s Chicago wedding at Saint Andrew The Apostle Church and Loft On Lake. Please visit the Region Weddings instagram feed for more images of this wedding and others. To inquire about your big day, please fill out the Contact Form right here.

Winter Wedding at Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish

January 27, 2014 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom kiss in the aisle of the spectacular Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish in Calumet City.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into 8.14 Hair Studio was the bond between bride Jessica and her mom. Although I was somewhat of a stranger to them, they never seemed nervous or put off when they sat and discussed the plans of the day or looked over books on hair styles. I really enjoyed their sense of fun and it was an honor to be invited to capture it all for Jess and Adam's big day.

And what a day it was - the cold and the snow would not damper spirits. This was truly a fun wedding. As the sign in the salon says "Enjoy life. It's not a dress rehearsal."

Mother and daughter share a laugh on wedding day.

Enjoy life.  It's not a dress rehearsal. — Enjoy life. It's not a dress rehearsal.

Tender moment between mom and daughter as the bride gets into her wedding dress.

For the brides to be out there who often wonder what the guys do as they get ready for a wedding, well let me tell you. if there is a pool table around it's going to get played. More than likely if there's a TV close by, it will be tuned into ESPN.

Groomsman gets ready to sink a solid ball in a game of pool on wedding day.

Dad watches ESPN during the morning of his daughter's wedding.

Seriously though, I could not have asked for a better group of guys. If I didn't have a job to do this day, I could have easily played a round of eight ball with them although I think I would have certainly lost. As you can see above, Dad is deep in thought about wedding preparations. College basketball just happened to be on in the background!!

Adam did get help from his brother Kevin in between his turn at the pool table. Soon he would be awaiting Jessica at the altar of Saint Andrew's Parish.

The best man helps out the groom with his tie the morning of the wedding.

The guys toast the groom on wedding day.

The best way to describe Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish in Calumet City, Illinois is "majestic". It's one of the largest Catholic churches in the area and a joy to photograph. As Jessica walked down the aisle with her Dad, I shot wide to capture the grandness of the beautiful building while my associate photographer took close ups.

Father and daughter walk down the aisle at Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

Dad proudly walks his daughter down the aisle at a Catholic wedding in Chicago.

Father Jack injected a lot of humor into the ceremony as we captured the moments as they happened. In the shots below I was able to capture the view from the altar showing the joy in the faces of the bride and groom as well as see the wonderful church from their perspective.

A wide angle view from the altar of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

The couple reacts with smiles as their priest performs their Catholic wedding ceremony.

A candid moment between the bride and groom at the altar of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

Bride and groom gaze at each other in the balcony overlooking the majestic church.

After the ceremony we took family photos and then set out do something fun and unique. Jessica was an all star Highland HS and Purdue basketball player. With this in mind, we put her at the free throw line along with her wedding party ready to rebound. Do you think she made the shot or did wedding day pressure make her shoot an air ball?!!

The bride shoots free throws at Lincoln Center gym on her wedding day.

The bride makes the shot as the wedding party gets ready to rebound.

Are you kidding me? It was all net baby, all net!! :)

The fun continued on from there as we made our way to Great Oaks Banquet Hall in Cedar Lake, Indiana for the reception.

The groom does a strip tease before taking the garter off to toss to all the single men.

The best man high fives the groom after catching the garter.

The ring bearer helps out during the dollar dance at Great Oaks Banquet Hall in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

It was a great moment when Kevin, the brother of the groom and best man caught the garter and they high fived on the dance floor. This was just one of many fun moments at Adam and Jessica's wedding that took the bite out of winter. The warm spirits of family and friends was all that was needed.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek. For more image updates, please follow this blog or the Region Weddings Facebook page. Much more to come!!

Wedding at Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish

November 13, 2013 Steve Vansak

Wedding ceremony at Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish in Calumet City, Illinois.

Most weddings are all about families. Sure, the spotlight is on the bride and groom - first dance, first kiss, reception toasts, etc. However, it's the little moments that occur throughout the wedding day that glue it all together.

I could tell right at the start that Eric and Maria had tight knit families that cared deeply about them. Our day started at Maria's parent's house in Cedar Lake, Indiana with her sister rewriting the speech she would be giving later on that evening. I love to photograph these precious moments and put them in the album that is to come after the wedding.

The matron of honor's speech rest against the bride's wedding shoes.

The matron of honor writes her speech for her sister's wedding.

While taking detail shots, my assistant and I spotted something old, something new and something blue.

I could tell that Maria was a little bit shy with a camera on her while she was having her make up done. Nonetheless, she handled it all with good humor.

A bride has lip gloss applied while getting ready for her wedding.

The bride is all smiles on the morning of her wedding.

In the shot below, Maria's sister and bridesmaid get her veil secure because the mean photographer guy (that's me) has decided to take them outside on this windy and chilly day for some group shots!!

the bridesmaids help secure the bride's veil before her wedding ceremony in Calumet City, Illinois.

The bride is surrounded by her friends on the porch of her parent's home in Cedar Lake on the morning of her wedding.

When you are the junior bridesmaid and your simply waiting for the bride to be ready, might as well curl up on the sofa with your shoe for awhile. I mean, it's going to be a long day, right?!!

The flower girl curls up on the sofa on the morning of her big sister's wedding.

Maria braved the cold to show off her dress underneath the blue sky and puffy clouds. Soon we were off to Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish for Eric and his family photos along with the groomsmen.

A beautiful bride shows off her dress underneath the blue skies on the morning of her wedding.

The groomsmen take a walk in the autumn leaves outside Saint Andrew's Church.

Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish is simply an amazing building. I can't wait to show off the images I was able to take during this Catholic wedding ceremony.

The congregation gathers for a catholic wedding ceremony at Saint Andrew's Church in Calumet City.

The bride and groom exchange rings on the altar of St. Andrew.

The bride and groom pray during their wedding at Saint Andrew's Church.

We took family pictures inside the church after the ceremony and a few outside as I left the couple alone to simply soak in the fact that they were now united together.

The bride and groom have a tender moment alone outside the steps of St. Andrew Church. — The bride and groom have a tender moment alone outside the steps of St. Andrew Church.

The reception took place at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois and once again the family atmosphere was everywhere in the celebration. Stephanie, the matron of honor finally got to deliver her speech and children celebrated by crowd surfing the dance floor while guests laughed it up during the cocktail hour.

A child crowd surfs at a wedding reception at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois.

The matron of honor delivers her speech at her sister's wedding reception at Dream Palace.

Guests laugh it up during cocktail hour at their friend's wedding reception at the Dream Palace banquet hall in Lynwood.

A delicious dinner (with steaming hot bread rolls!!) was served along with cupcakes for dessert as well as a smores bar.

A mountain of cup cakes are served at a Fall wedding reception at Dream Palace.

Can you guess what 1970's dance song these guys are boogieing down to?

The dance floor is packed while the 1970's disco song YMCA plays loudly.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Eric and Maria's wedding at Saint Andrew the Apostle. Stay tuned for more photo updates here and on the Region Weddings Facebook Page.