10 Years Of Wedding Photography

August 6, 2018 Steve Vansak

Modern bride portrait in a vintage tone.

In 2007 I began my portrait photography business that still exists today. I photographed my friends, their kids, their events and more. Late that year I received a phone call from a father of the bride who saw one of my portraits hanging at a local car repair shop. He wanted me to photograph his daughter's wedding based upon these images. I promptly said no.

Weddings are too important and frankly too difficult a task for newbies with only a year of experience in portraits. I told him this again and again and it was all true. He recognized my voice. It turns out I had worked for him in the past and based upon these images in the store and the fact that I "always showed up on time and worked hard" he was going to hire me, case closed. He would not take no for an answer. Oh, and his daughter liked the portraits too. I had 10 months to prepare and in August 2008 I shot my first wedding. It took a number of years, but it soon became my full time job and this is what I do today. Oh, and Teresa and Jimmy (my first clients) are doing well and I ran into them a few years ago here in Crown Point. You can see them at the 47 second mark of the video below.

If I write anymore, this could become my LONGEST POST EVER, so I'll just simply say that I love the job and I'm very much looking forward to all of the upcoming weddings here in 2018, my Anniversary Year and the 2019 weddings already on the calendar and beyond. To all of my clients - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Now, and if I start posting images from the past 10 years into this article, your computer may very well blow up. So..... how about we press play on the video slideshow below for a condensed version of the past 10 years of weddings in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Southwest Michigan. Enjoy!!

A collection of images from 10 years of wedding photography in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and southwest Michigan from Steve Vansak, lead photographer at Region Weddings.

As always, to inquire about wedding photography for your big day, simply fill out the Contact Form. I can't wait to hear from you.

Did you know I started this blog in 2010? Yep, keep clicking on older post and eventually you will get there. The Region Weddings Instagram feed is another place to see my latest work and once in awhile I post some throwback images.

Chicago Wedding At The Signature Room At The 95th

July 23, 2018 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom take a walk through Lurie Garden.

I just spent an incredible Sunday with Lauren and Mark for their Chicago wedding at The Signature Room At The 95th floor of the John Hancock building. We met up at the Cambria Hotel where the soon to be wed couple scribed some messages onto the colorful bulletin board in the lobby. Then we taxi'd off to the Chicago River area for some downtown Chicago wedding photos.

Bride and groom at the Cambria Hotel in Chicago.

Wedding photos on the Dearborn and State Street bridges at the Chicago River.

Bride and groom on the State Street bridge at the Chicago River with skyscrapers as a backdrop.

The Chicago River and skyscrapers and busy streets were all part of the Chicago / city vibe we were going for, and the L train passing by above was also too good of a classic to pass up.

Romantic black and white wedding photo with the Chicago L train.

I was told that Mark had a penchant for candy so off to Dylan's Candy Bar we went. Kudos to the tourists of Chicago who let us have the entrance all to ourselves for a brief 30 seconds.

Cute wedding photo in front of Dylan's Candy Bar on Michigan Avenue.

Lauren's request was an iconic shot of a dip on Michigan Avenue....

The groom dips his bride on Michigan Avenue as traffic passes by.

To get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, our next destination was the serene Lurie Garden with a brief stop at Cloud Gate. Then we were off to Museum Campus area for a 10 degree temperature drop and..... fog. (more on that later)

Wedding portraits at Lurie Garden and Cloud Gate in Chicago.

Clouds and fog accumulate over the city skyline for this Chicago wedding photo.

While I love the clouds and fog forming over the city in the above image, it turned out to be our nemesis when we got back to the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. Chicago also started to live up to it's nickname of the windy city so after a few images here, we headed to The Signature Room At The 95th for the ceremony and reception.

Wedding ceremony at The Signature Room At The 95th.

The wedding ceremony saw Lauren walked out by her Dad and included the emotion of the couple's children joining them. Mark made light of the fact that there was NO CITY VIEW DUE TO FOG and everybody had a laugh or two. We were still hopeful. Perhaps after dinner when it got dark the fog would burn off. The staff the Signature Room by the way were terrific and very accommodating to us all. A big thank you to them!!

Getting married at The Signature Room in Chicago.

The reception featured a caricaturist (something the groom's Dad once did) and the singing voice of Blake Alexander. After the couple's first dance, my assistant Michelle gave me the news that we all needed to get to an unused ballroom on the other side of the building immediately.

Wedding reception at The Signature Room At The 95th inside the John Hancock building.

First dance for the bride and groom at The Signature Room.

I'll end the suspense now. Yes, the fog finally did clear out for a bit on one side of the skyscraper (thanks for notifying us Michelle) and we nabbed a few night time portraits of the bride and groom with the lights of the city down below.

Night portrait of the bride and groom on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building in Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Lauren and Mark's Chicago wedding at The Signature Room At The 95th. To inquire about photography for your big day, whether it be Chicago, Northwest Indiana or elsewhere, be sure to fill out the Contact Form.

The 2017 Northwest Indiana Wedding Photography Year In Review

December 26, 2017 Steve Vansak

Bride applies lipstick at Barker Mansion in Michigan City, Indiana.

Welcome once again to the Region Weddings Year In Review for wedding photography in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and southern Michigan. Settle in as it was another full year of weddings and this my longest article of the year with lots of images. To see a video slideshow of this post, check out The 2017 Year In Review video.

The 2017 wedding season saw me photograph for the first time at the historic Barker Mansion in Michigan City. My goal with this series of bridal portraits was to showcase the vintage history of the iconic building with a very modern bride. This resulted in some glorious color right next to sepia tones.

Bride on red staircase at Barker Mansion in Michigan City, IN.

There were quite a few winter wedding this year starting with Annie and Paul at Fair Oaks Farmhouse and then Lynne and Dale with a church ceremony at a stop at One Trick Pony brewery. Samantha and Dale were married at Saint Maria Goretti Church with a very chilly stop by Centennial Park.

As winter gave way to Spring (very begrudgingly), Sam and Alex and Amanda and Mike were on board for a pair of church weddings along with stops at Buckley Homestead.

Spring wedding photos in Northwest Indiana.

Bride and groom strike a magazine style pose at Centennial Park.

Late summer and early Spring saw Emily and Zach with an outdoor ceremony at Villa Cesare and Amanda and Josh at St. Michael's Church.

High fives, neon love, sisters / bridesmaids and church wedding ceremonies.

Summer weddings saw the flowers of Northwest Indiana in full bloom at Hans and Karla's outdoor ceremony at The Inn At Aberdeen with lakeside photos for Jill and Johnny.

July wedding photos in Northwest Indiana.

Bride and groom kiss in front of the old Crown Point Courthouse.

Ashlee and Ryan took a tour of downtown Crown Point for their wedding photos while Samantha and Tyler stayed in Valparaiso for their Aberdeen Chapel ceremony with pictures at Taltree Arboretum and a reception at The Market.

August weddings in Crown Point and Valparaiso.

Post ceremony kiss at The Chapel at Aberdeen Manor.

The groom spins his bride near the cornfields of Indiana.

Late summer say another new venue, Meadow Springs Manor with Karlie and Corey and a spectacular day at The Pavilion At Sandy Pines with Bethany and Keenin and their classic Mustang.

Late summer weddings at Meadow Springs Manor and Sandy Pines.

Bride and groom ride away in a classic Mustang.

September and October were definitely the busiest for weddings as well as engagement sessions. This part of the season saw Christina and Melvin at the incredible Uptown Center and Emily and Todd who were married at the final event at the bride's (soon to be torn down) childhood church next to her parent's home.

Bride on stage at The Uptown Center in Michigan City.

Bride and groom kiss in front an old chapel in Hebron, Indiana.

Romantic wedding photo in downtown Michigan City.

I photographed two Serbian weddings in 2017 with Jessica and Marinko at St. Simeon Church in Chicago and Tanja and Kevin at St. George in Schererville. The circle dances never stopped on either day.

Serbian weddings in Chicago and Schererville, Indiana.

The sun sets as the bride and groom gaze at each other beneath the tall trees in the forest.

As Fall kicked in, I photographed two weddings on opposite ends of the region both in style and geography - Katie and Mike at Lighthouse Restaurant with it's nautical vibe and The Allure in South Bend with Morganne and Chris.

Fall weddings at Lighthouse Restaurant and The Allure.

Bride and groom on the pier at Lighthouse Restaurant.

Bride and groom on a leaf filled bridge near Coffee Creek in Chesterton, Indiana.

The Autumn weddings also saw stops at Sand Creek Country Club with Jessica and Mitchell and The Spa in Porter, Indiana with Julia and Evan. Both weddings featured a deluge of leaves and Fall color.

Autumn leaves at wedding venues Sand Creek Country Club and The Spa.

The bride and groom share a kiss surrounded by Fall color at The Inn At Aberdeen.

November saw a pair of church weddings with Gina and Marcus at The Chapel At Avalon Manor and Emily and Jeff at Holy Name Catholic Church and reception at The Center For Performing Arts. Both had an abundance of unique Fall colors.

Bride in mirror before walking down the aisle.

I certainly can't forget Jeremiah and Kevin with their big Christmas wedding at The Uptown Center or Whinchester and Whinchester (aka Jennifer and David) - my first ever bride and groom with the same last name.

Christmas red and a bride and groom in blue.

Thank you so much for a terrific 2017 in weddings!! I have one more on December 30th so be sure to stay tuned here for the final wedding of 2017. To inquire about your big day, as always please complete the Contact Form. I hope you have a terrific New Year and let's hope for a 2018 filled with love.

Bride inside the "red room" at Barker Mansion.

Chicago Wedding At St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church

October 29, 2015 Steve Vansak

Wedding ceremony at St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church

Jennifer and Nathan were married at the spectacular St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church in Chicago. This Fall wedding had it all - beautiful colors of Autumn, great architecture in the church and all around Chicago, celebrity sightings, and fun, fun fun...

The day started in Northwest Indiana with preparations for the trip to the windy city. We photographed the details and then it was time to hit the highway. Nathan had a gift ready for Jennifer to open before she left as friends and family looked on.

Bridal prep at the home of the bride's parents.

St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church was built in 1902 in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago. I definitely wanted to show off the architecture of the storied church during photographs of the bride and groom as well as during the ceremony itself.

Bride and groom at St. Josaphat Church in Chicago.

There was plenty of emotion during the ceremony from Jennifer's happy tears to Nathan's exhilarating fist pump during the first kiss.

Wedding ceremony photos from St. Josaphat Church in Chicago.

The bride and groom pray at Saint Josaphat Roman Catholic Church.

After family photos inside the church, we trekked around Chicago to Lincoln Park Zoo area as well as Adler Planeterium for wedding party photos. My goal was to showcase the bride and groom of course, but to also show off the wonderful Fall color as well as the city itself.

Fall colors in the background as the bride and groom kiss near Lincoln Park.

Jennifer and Nathan were great when I requested that they do crazy things such as climb up a stone wall so I can shoot the incredible sky, get a Chicago building AND some fall color into one shot!!

The bride and groom kiss at their Fall wedding in Chicago.

We took a PARTY bus back to Indiana for the reception at Cloister In The Woods. The room was decked out for Fall with an orange and amber hue as fun times ensued with hilarious toasts and a full dance floor.

Wedding reception at Cloister In The Woods in Munster, indiana.

First dance for the bride and groom at Cloister In The Woods reception venue.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Jennifer and Nathan's Fall wedding. Stay tuned to social media below for more updates!!