Wedding Ceremony at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church is tucked away amongst the many fields and farms in the southern portion of Valparaiso, Indiana.  I've shot many weddings there with Evan and Stephanie being my most recent.

 

Light rays stream through the windows at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church during a wedding ceremony.

After spending time with bride and bridesmaids taking Getting ready photographs, I will often meet up with groom and his groomsmen at the site of the ceremony for pictures.  I took Evan and his guys to a farm field in back of the church for a Reservoir Dogs like image.  The black and white treatment worked really well for the tough guy look we were going for.

The groomsmen walk in an Indiana field for this black and white wedding photo.

Stpehanie and Evan requested what i call the bride and groom peek-a-boo shot before the ceremony.  It was an emotional, yet fun moment as I placed them on each side of the door while holding hands.   Soon he would be seeing her walking down the aisle in her dress for the first time.

The bride and groom hold hands on each side of a door for their peek-a-boo almost first look wedding photo.

As Stephanie prepared, I was able to sneak in some family wedding photos on the groom's side as guests were arriving...

The groom poses for family wedding photos with his parents and brother.

I always meet with the pastor or priest at any wedding to go over their rules.  At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, the wedding photographer must shoot from the last pews during the ceremony and not fire any flash.  This was no problem as I was able to zoom in on many wonderful candid moments of the bride and groom as well as family.

The bride and groom share a laugh during their wedding ceremony in Valparaiso.

A family member does a reading during the a wedding ceremony at a Valparaiso church.

An important part of capturing photographs at a church wedding ceremony, is showing off the architecture of the building in wide angle shots such as this one.  I love too capture the up close moments as well as the granduer of the wedding day. 

A view from the pews of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, Indiana. 

The bride places a wedding band upon the groom's finger during their church wedding ceremony.

After Evan and Stephanie exited the church amidst a sea of bubbles, we immediately started family photos.

The bride and groom exit the church as family and friends shower them with bubbles.

Formal wedding photo for the bride and her parents.

For this dramatic looking shot, I simply put our beautiful bride on the edge of the altar and shot upwards to reveal the rays of light streaming in through the windows of this wonderful church.   My assistant illuminated the bride with some soft light just out of range of the camera.

A dramatic looking wedding photo of the bride alone at the altar of a Valparaiso church.

For wedding party pictures inside a church, I will organize everyone for an elegant looking photo with the idea that afterwards we will go to another location for some fun group shots.

Wedding party group photo at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.

The wedding party has fun on the bridge at Deep River County Park.

I hope you have enjoyed my article on this fantastic church wedding.  for more updates on all types of weddings, please give a like to the Region Weddings Facebook Page.

June Wedding Reception at Aberdeen Manor

Evan and Stephanie's June wedding reception at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso had some of the most emotional speeches of any wedding I've photographed.  Incredibly heartfelt words from the maid of honor, best man, brides brother and the respective fathers of the bride and groom.  Their summer wedding also featured some incredibly fun moments on the dance floor.  Aberdeen Manor was decorated beautifully as the bride and her father took to the floor for their dance.   Music was provided by 27 Entertainment.

Father and bride dance together at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana.

The bride and her maid of honor spent their college years supporting one another and many emotional and fun stories were told during her toast to the bride. 

Bride and maid of honor share a tender moment at a wedding reception at Aberdeen Manor.

Stephanie and Evan's summer wedding actually started out in Crown Point at the Thomas William Hair Salon for hair, makeup and a few laughs with mom and the bridesmaids. 

Bride has lipstick applied for her wedding day at Thomas William Salon in Crown Point, Indiana. 

Mother of the bride and a bridesmaid share a laugh at a Crown Point hair salon on wedding day.

Beautiful window light falls upon the bride as she gets ready for her summer wedding in Crown Point.

The laughs continued at the parents of the bride's home in Lakes of the Four Seasons. We took detail shots as the girls got dressed and did a few fun photos in the living area of their home.

The bride's earrings are draped over her garter and her shoes with her wedding dress in the background. 

The bridesmaids blow kisses to the wedding photographer in their pink single strap bridesmaid dresses.

It was my female assistant's idea to have all the girls blow kisses at me up in the balcony, but i certainly didn't mind.  They are a fun bunch and we went back and forth between some staged fun shots and candids as they prepared to take off for the ceremony at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.

We used window light once again for a bridal portrait and it gave Stephanie a wonderfully warm glow.  We backlit her beautiful veil with some of our lighting during this rare moment of wedding day tranquility. 

The bride looks out the window of her childhood home as sun bathes her in warm light illuminating her beautiful wedding veil.

When we arrived at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, we immediately took the groom out to the farm field for an outdoor portrait in his tuxedo.  We also took formal shots of his family inside the church as we waited for Stephanie's arrival.

The groom smiles for his wedding portrait amongst the farm land outside Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Emotions were all over the place for the ceremony.  The ring bearer made a stop to visit me as he made his way toward the altar.  This brought on quite a bit of laughter. Minutes later,  joyful tears ran down the bride's face as she walked down the aisle with her Dad. 

Tears of joy stream down the bride's face as she walks down the aisle with her Dad at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Friends and family fill up the pews at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for a June wedding ceremony.

Family photos took place inside the church after the ceremony along with a few portraits of the bride and groom at the altar. 

A formal wedding photo of the bride and groom at the altar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso.

The bridal party and I snuck off to Deep River Park in the late afternoon for couple's shots and some fun wedding party group photos before taking off for Aberdeen Manor Ballroom for the reception.

Bride and groom kiss as they cross over the bridge at Deep River Park in Hobart, Indiana.

Bride holds her summer bouquet of wedding flowers in the garden at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana just after her wedding.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Evan and Stephanie's June wedding ceremony at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and reception at Aberdeen Manor Ballroom in Valparaiso, Indiana.  For more updates, stay tuned to this Journal and like the Facebook Page listed below this posting.

Bride and groom hold out wedding thank you signs in front of the garden gazebo at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana. 

Ceremony at Bethel Church

I first met Kelley and Marcus at the Wicker Park Bridal Show in Munster, Indiana.  One of the first questions they asked me was how I would go about photographing an African American wedding and darker skinned people in general.  That was a great question as dark skinned people very often suffer at the hands of inexperienced photographers with nuclear bomb like flash thrown upon them as well as other photographic sins.

Without getting needlessly technical, as I take you through Marcus and Kelley's wedding day from Bethel Church in Gary, Indiana to the Centennial Park clubhouse in Munster, you will notice the wonderful skin tones and lack of hot spots upon their skin.  I take great care to soften the light when using flash and to also look for great natural light as well.  When the harsh lights of a church aren't something we can avoid, then a bit of work in the digital darkroom is in order.

While Kelley was getting ready in the rooms below the regal church, the groom was busy getting his groomsmen their buttoners as ceremony time approached.  The cute flower girl roamed the aisle of church pew while keeping an eye on my camera lens.  She was always ready for a smile!!

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Bethel Temple church in Gary is a large and beautiful room that filled with family and friends for Marcus and Kelley's wedding day.  The bride's father is a pastor and her both gave her away and performed the ceremony!!

The traditional puring of the sand took place and was color coordinated to match the bride's color of choice - ruby red.

The pastor (and father of the bride) told the groom to kiss his daughter, but not to go on for too long.  :)

We started with family photos inside the church after the ceremony before taking off to Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.

Centennial Park was a bit chilly in October, but the bride and groom braved it for some wedding photos by the lake and it's wonderful fountain.

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After arriving at the clubhouse, Kelley immediately went inside to see her decorated room.  She was very excited to see all that she had planned come to life.

Several family members and friends took to the microphone to good naturedly roast the happy couple before dinner and dancing began.

The grooms mom got a bit emotional during the parent's dance while Kelley and her dad laughed it up.

A big thank you to Marcus and Kelley for entrusting me to capture their big day.  Can't wait to do those studio newborn shots we talked about!!  Also, special thanks to their wedding coordinator Mia Mack who helped my assistant and I gather groups together and more.