Allen and Jessica's New Years Wedding

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Allen and Jessica had a rocking good time ushering in the New Year of 2012.  You saw the sneak peek a couple of weeks ago, now let's take a deeper look at their New Years Eve wedding.

The day started off with Jessica being tended to by the flower girls inside the Bride's Room at Bethel Church in Crown Point.  Her mom helped her with the tying of the dress along with the garter placement...

I spent the day covering the events of their winter wedding - from their first look (behind a door) to the first kiss and fireworks enhanced exit after midnight - a wonderful way to spend New Years Eve.

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In this ceremony photo, the bridesmaids look on as the pastor enlightens the happy couple on the joys of marriage....

The groom places the ring upon his bride with the glowing cross of Bethel Church in the background...

Look up 'happy' in the dictionary and this photograph appears....

Uh oh, somebody isn't paying attention...

Allen and Jessica's first kiss as husband and wife...

We assembled family and close friends in the auditorium at Bethel and began formal wedding photos starting with this large family group shot...

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One of my favorite images inside the church is this one of the newly married couple with the bridesmaids at the piano and the Christmas tree in the background.

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Above is a set up formal photo of the bride and groom with some dramatic lighting effects to demonstrate the majesty of their marriage and beautiful church.

We braved the winter cold to do a few outside photos in front of the old courthouse in the Crown Point Square. Here, the bride and groom hold up gigantic thank you cards for their wedding guests, family and friends...

As the groom attempts to escape (just kidding), the bridesmaids hold him hostage with their ever deadly nerf guns!!

As guests entered Andorra Banquet Hall for the New Years Eve wedding reception they would see Christmas ornaments with their name and table number attached.  A very cool idea for seating guests!!

The newlyweds had a lovely first dance with the friends looking on...

When I do these highlight posts I almost always show off the father and daughter dance, but this time we turn the tables with a spotlight on mother and son...

The bride and groom taunt each other with the first bites of their wedding cake...

As the night progressed, the flower girls showed no signs of slowing down on the dance floor...

A packed New Years Eve dance floor at Andorra...

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At midnight the newlyweds exited into the cold night sky while friends and family serenaded them with sparklers and fireworks...

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Congratulations to Allen and Jessica on getting married New Years Eve 2011.  You'll never forget that anniversary date!!

Weddings at St. Michael's Church

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As a Northwest Indiana wedding photographer, I make images at many different venues and churches with many different faiths.  Today I'm showcasing Catholic wedding ceremonies and specifically those at St. Michael's Church in Schererville.  The priests at St. Michael's are very traditional and it's important as a photographer to respect that.  I always talk to the officiators to find out their boundaries before I shoot.  In a Catholic church this usually means no flash photography and being limited to certain areas of the room at certain times.

St. Michael's Church has very dramatic architecture so I definitely take a lot of wide shots to show this off....

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While my goal is to never be the center of attention at any wedding ceremony, it's especially important at Catholic churches.  So what's a photographer to do when he's limited to the outer reaches of the building and still want to capture expressions and emotion?  If the wide angle camera is on my right hip, the one with the zoom lens is on my left...

While most of my attention is given to the bride and groom and family, I will capture the priests as well.  The outpouring of their faith while delivering a mass to a wedding couple and their guests can be quite captivating...

Part of the tradition at a wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Church is having the bride and groom praying under the Virgin Mary while out of view of the congregation.  I'm always grateful to be allowed to capture this special moment...

While Catholic wedding ceremonies can be longer than most, this gives plenty of time for me to capture the wedding photos in a variety of styles and angles.  I try to always be aware and ready to focus on the first kiss...

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Keep in mind that after the ceremony, we will only have 30 minutes (if that) to take family formal pictures.  It would be best to have all family members aware and to not have a receiving line.  While I love to take different, creative and fun group photos, the rules of the church dictate that we keep it simple and traditional.

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No matter what your faith may be, let's discuss how to approach your wedding photography at your church. Chances are I will have already photographed there and will know the rules.  Nonetheless, I want to make sure I capture your wedding ceremony in all it's grandeur.  

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Wedding in Barrington, Illinois: Molly & Steve Sneak Peek

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Molly and Steve were married just last week at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Barrington, Illinois.  I caught up with the bride just before the ceremony for last minute powdering of her make up before walking down the aisle.  

It was a windy, but fairly warm winter day so we did a few family formals photos outside the church before guests arrived...

On Molly's shot list of requested photographs was the choir's bells which sounded fabulous as they played during parts of the church ceremony...

The children were great as they walked down the long aisle of the majestic looking church....

As our groom Steve awaited, Molly walked down the aisle with her brother giving her away...

After the ceremony we began taking family photos inside the church and eventually ended our session with the bride and groom alone and sharing a kiss in the darkened room...

The reception took place at Pine Crest Golf course which served a fantastic meal.  Here the maid of honor gives a speech to toast the newlyweds...

Soon the first dance was underway as my assistant and I put the happy couple in our spotlight...

This is just a sneek peak with many more images to come.  Subscibe to this Journal or the SBV Photography Facebook Page for updates and links to the entire photo gallery of Molly and Steve's wedding in Barrington, Illinois.  For now, as this family here might say - peace out!!

The Fall Wedding of Jackie and Brandon

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A few week's back I did a sneak peak at Jackie and Brandon's Fall wedding.  I finally get a chance to follow up with more images and stories from their beautiful wedding day.  I got a little behind due to shooting about 6 more weddings this Autumn!!  So let's play catch up here and let me take you through their day...

The wedding day started out at Jackie's parent's Schererville home with the bride (and her bridesmaids) in her flannel shirt and veil getting her make up applied.

I remember a flurry of activity with the occasional stop for bagels and orange juice....

These Getting Ready sessions are where I become a fly on the wall taking photo journalistic shots of the wedding day - fun candids, detail shots and some casually posed photos like the one below of mom and her daughter.

I had done engagement photos of Jackie and Brandon the previous year and it was great to come across the save the date magenet tucked into these flowers....

I try to never leave the Getting Ready area until I can get a photo of the bride's mom zipping up her dress. This one was taken in the bedroom of the house just before the limousine was scheduled to arrive. 

We were able to sneak in some nice photos of the girls in their dresses at the house.  In this one we walked over to the side of a neighbors yard and did a quick celebratory shot with flowers in the air against the gorgeous field and blue skies...

My assistant and I arrived at St. Michael's Church for the ceremony and immediately began taking formal pictures of the groom and his family including this GQ cover shot of the groomsmen...

St. Michael's church in Schererville Indiana is a beautiful setting for a wedding with great architecture. I like to take many wide shots here to capture the grandeur of the setting.  Here is the bride and groom praying in front of the Virgin Mary during the ceremony...

Another wide shot of the catholic ceremony....

The areas that a photographer can go within the church are restricted so this is why I carry an extra camera body with a telephoto lens so I can get up close when I need to.  

Perfect examples of this would be Jackie giving a hug to the groom's parents...

.... and the bride and groom sharing a laugh during the ceremony.

There were two priests present on this day and I thought they made for great subjects as they conducted the catholic mass...

Capturing the first kiss is often done by zooming in tight and anticipating the moment.  I love it when the bride and groom linger for awhile.  Keep smootching - I want more shots!!  :)

St. Michael's Church allows 30 minutes for formal photography so I like to get the large groups done first.  I often say I like to mix different styles and here is a great example of a traditional pose for Grandparent's to hang on the wall followed up by a fun one for the young couple to show off...

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The jumping bridal party photo from above was taken at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.  This location is becoming quite popular for formal photographs as well as outdoor ceremonies.  There is a golf course at the park and i often uses the carts as props for group photographs.

It's a wide open area with many different scenes such as this winding road to a lake complete with a running fountain...

We went behind the amphitheater stage and used this wood wall for some edgier bride and groom shots.  This first one features a tired bride holding here shoes and flowers and awaiting the groom to wisk her away.  He certainly does so, but not before some major kissing ensues...

To view the entire gallery of Jackie and Brandon's Fall Wedding, including the reception at Villa Cesare Banquet Hall in Highland, please follow the link.