A Catholic Wedding Ceremony and County Line Orchard Reception Celebration

May 27, 2025 Steve Vansak

The veil surrounds the bride and groom as they intimately stare into each other's eyes.

As a wedding photography and videography team, we love when couples choose to begin their day with a Catholic ceremony at St. Thomas More Church in Munster, Indiana. The church’s stunning architecture, warm natural light, and deeply rooted traditions provide an elegant and reverent atmosphere that translates beautifully on camera.

Following Estefani and Victor's ceremony, heading to County Line Orchard in Hobart for the reception felt like stepping into a storybook. Especially in May, the temperatures are just right, offering a dreamy mix of rustic charm and vibrant greenery—perfect for golden hour portraits and candid moments.

Summer Wedding At St. Maria Goretti Church

August 14, 2018 Steve Vansak

A celebratory dip for the bride and groom after their church wedding at St. Maria Goretti.

Wow - I had a lot of fun capturing Kim and Tim's summer wedding at St. Maria Goretti Church with photos afterward at Centennial Park and the reception at Halls of St. George. From the welcoming hospitality of each of their families to the "singing bridesmaids", it was an inspirational day for sure.

We started the day with myself capturing bridal prep and Bridget with the guys.

Wedding day bridal prep for Kim and her bridesmaids.

Getting ready at the bride's parent's home.

Groom prep for a church wedding at St. Maria Goretti.

Bride and groom dressed and ready for their summer wedding.

Kim's Dad escorted her to the church in his vintage car and in his arms down the aisle of St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana as Tim looked on.

The bride and her father at a catholic wedding ceremony at St. Maria Goretti Church.

Wedding ceremony at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana.

Bubble exit at St. Maria Goretti Church.

After the exit we went inside for family pictures and I also took the couple around the church for photos. Kim wanted to show off the stained glass behind the altar and we did just that with them in a classic kiss down below. Then we were off to Centennial Park.

Bride and groom at the altar of St. Maria Goretti Church.

Stained glass windows overlook the bride and groom for their church wedding photos.

Showing off the bride's wonderful dress at church.

At Centennial Park, once again I went off with the girls while Bridget photographed the guys. And then we let the girls goof off with Tim and the same with Kim and the guys.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen photos at Centennial Park in Dyer, Indiana.

Bride with groomsmen and groom with bridesmaids.

Summer wedding photos at Centennial Park.

Centennial Park is a popular destination for wedding pictures in Northwest Indiana and we utilized all of the wonderful backgrounds there including the lake and greenery as we walked the perimeter of the park.

Bride and groom walk along the greenery at Centennial Park.

Bride and groom at the edge of the Centennial lake.

It had been awhile since a wedding party had attempted a jumping shot, but Kim and Tim's group were up for it with shoes flying. Soon it would be time to celebrate indoors at the Halls of St. George.

Ninja masters and shoe throwers in the summer sun of Centennial Park.

The fun continued at the reception at Halls of St. George with intros, speeches and cake cutting. A special appearance was make via cardboard cutout of "a guy named Mike" and then it was time to hit the dance floor.

Fun times at Halls of St. George for a summer wedding reception.

“It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you”

— Africa by Toto - Songwriters: David Paich / Jeff Porcaro

It appears the "singing bridesmaids" only know the chorus of the song Africa, but they did a fine job of it!!

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Kim and Tim's summer wedding at St. Maria Goretti Church. Be sure to tune in to the social media channels below for more images. As always, to inquire about wedding photography for your big day, please use the Contact Form to set up a meeting. I'd love to chat with you about your wedding.

Catholic Wedding Ceremony At Immaculate Heart Of Mary Church

September 29, 2015 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom stroll down the aisle at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

I sometimes refer to some of the weddings I shoot as an "epic wedding". Maria and Seth's Fall wedding truly was an EPIC wedding!! The 20 bridesmaids and groomsmen, Maria's beautifully long veil, the couple's wonderfully large families, the rocking dance floor at the reception are a few of the highlights that made it such a memorable day. Let's take a look...

When I walked in to photograph bridal prep at Maria's parents home I found a very welcoming, very happy and jovial group who were like worker bees on a mission. The laughter and the tears were flowing, but these girls were serious. They snuck in a few selfies and oggled some adorable babies, but when it was time to get Maria into her dress, they were all over it.

Mom and bride share a moment on wedding day.

I checked in with my second photographer who was with the groom and his guys. She said they were terrific and they were getting some fun shots. Soon it was time to trek off to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Kingsford Heights, Indiana near LaPorte.

The quaint church is tucked away amid farmland. It was filled up with friends and family as you can see from this balcony shot. The altar provided some wonderful architechture as a backdrop to the grand ceremony. A little under two hours later and we were taking family photos and then off to Chesterton for the reception.

A view from the balcony at Immaculate Heart Of Mary Church.

Catholic wedding ceremony in Kingsford Heights, Indiana.

The church gave us a nice wooded area to shoot in where we had a bunch of fun capturing Maria and Seth and the entire wedding party.

Wedding party has fun after the ceremony.

With such a long and flowing veil, I had to get a shot of it floating in the air as the bride and groom kissed.

The veil floats on air as the bride and groom kiss.

We got back to the hall before guests arrived, but this group was already ready to dance. This was a good sign. While I sometimes had to fight my way through the crowded dance floor, it was perfect as there were so many fun moments to capture. Pure joy on everyone's faces...

Wedding reception fun at Trinity Hall in Chesterton, Indiana.

The groom lifts the bride into the air at Trinity Hall in Chesterton, Indiana.

So many more images to come from Maria and Seth's Catholic wedding ceremony at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and the reception at Trinity Hall in Chesterton, Indiana. Stay tuned here and on social media sites below.

I leave you with the bride and groom dancing in the picturesque garden and gazebo of Trinity Hall just before the reception started...

The bride gets dipped in the garden area at Trinity Hall.

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!!