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!!

November Wedding at Our Lady of Grace Church

November 22, 2013 Steve Vansak

A wide angle photo of a wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana.

On the wall at Kristen and Greg's home was a photo frame that said "Live. Laugh. Love". Their November wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Grace Church and the subsequent reception at The Patrician certainly lived up to that motto.

They were surrounded by family all day and I was there to capture the happy tears of Kristen's bridesmaids, the first look for her Dad, the bag pipers who walked them down the aisle after they were married. Let's not forget their smoke and fire entrance at the party or the green themed candy buffet. Let's get to it...

I played roving reporter at Kristen's home as her mom and bridesmaids got ready for the day. she has wonderful tall ceilings there and we were able to take her dress along with slinky black bridesmaid's dresses and arrange them for a group shot. I also took details shots of her rings as well as the silver and green wedding shoes.

A bridesmaid group photo on a balcony with dress hung beneath them.

Wedding rings placed together on a wooden dresser top.

The first moment to evoke happy tears was when Kristen's girls including her mom and sister read a heartfelt note address to them. I ran about the room as they read her words and looked for her to express their gratitude.

Sister of the bride tears up while reading the bride's handwritten note.

Kristen, the soon to be Mrs. McGing was cool, calm and collected as she got ready for her big day. I was glad we were able to get a first look in with her dad as he was busy setting up the hall, but he made it back to the house to see his daughter. It was another emotional moment...

A brides sits in her tiara on her November wedding day.

Wedding dress hanger with the bride's married name.

A father gets a first look at his daughter, the bride to be in her wedding dress.

A bridal portrait of a lovely brunette bride.

After the first look with Dad, I took off for Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana where I took formal pictures of the groom, his family and the groomsmen.

The groomsmen pose in the pews of Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana.

This was a very large wedding and I knew the hall would be filled due to the amount of attendees at the church as Kristen came down the aisle with her Dad.

A bride walks down the aisle with her Dad at Our Lady of Grace Church.

The bride and groom share a smile during their wedding ceremony.

Looks like the flower girl got a little tired out from that long walk down the aisle...

The flower girl takes a nap during a wedding ceremony.

What a celebratory moment when the bag pipes announced them as man and wife...

Men in kilts play bag pipes at a wedding at a Catholic church.

Growing up in the Highland area and having her wedding there as well, we decided a stroll through the downtown area would make for nice shots for the wedding album. We also used the wonderful scenery in the church as well.

The groom kissed the bride underneath her veil.

The bride and groom go nose to nose in this cute wedding photo.

The bride and groom pose for a night time portrait in downtown Highland, Indiana.

The bride and groom gaze at each other lovingly as they sit in the pews at Our Lady of Grace Church.

We did many group shots with the wedding party, but this one on the steps of the Highland Park stage really shows off the large group...

Wedding party poses on the steps to the band shell at Highland Park.

I don't think I can call what took place at The Patrician that night a "reception". It was a flat out party - green themed candy buffet, heartfelt speeches from the matron of honor and best man - oh, and fire and smoke too!!

Guests sign the guest book at The Patrician banquet hall.

The bride and groom enter the ballroom into fire and smoke.

The bride whispers into the grooms ear during the first dance.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Kristen and Greg's November wedding at Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana. Stay tuned here of the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

The bride breaks out into laughter during her first dance with her new husband.

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.

The bride and groom take their first dance during their wedding reception at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois.

Unique Church Wedding Photos

October 20, 2013 Steve Vansak

A balcony view of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Michigan City.

Today's post is all about unique wedding photos inside and outside of churches. This isn't meant to showcase the pivotal wedding images such as the bride coming down the aisle or the first kiss. Those are important images for sure, but today we look at how to get creative during and after a church wedding.

I always strive to provide something different and unique for my clients and still provide the utmost respect to the church. My winter weddings often are in churches with not much daylight left for after the ceremony couples shots in an outdoor scenic location, not too mention the cold. One of my favorite approaches is to use the darkness of the church to our advantage to create some dramatic bride and groom photos.

An intimate bride and groom photo taken at St. Mary's Church in Griffith, Indiana.

In the following image I wanted to make show off the back side of the bride's incredible dress. I don;t often show my lighting in a shot, but the rays shooting off the light made for an interesting take on a standard wedding image. Of course, we took a nice portrait from the front as well.

A dramatic looking image of the back of the bride's dress inside a dark church.

The bride clutches her blue bouquet of flowers while posing for a wedding photo inside of St. Mary's Church in Griffith.

Leave it to the kids to provide some unique ceremony shots. The flower girl obviously decided it was time to take a break and took a seat on the stairs that lead to the altar. All i had to do was be aware and capture a great moment (and a terrific smile).

The flower girl takes a break during a Catholic wedding ceremony.

Details are a great aspect of any wedding, but those loving hands clasp together with the contrasting red bible in the background caught my eye, as did the writing on the back of the groom's shoes...

The bride and groom clasp their hands together while the priest reads from a red bible during their church wedding ceremony.

The groom shoes engraved with the words 'me too' are shown as he kneels down at the altar during a church wedding ceremony.

For family or wedding party group shots inside the church, I simply provide great light in addition too a bit of direction on how to stand to look good in the photograph. sometimes i like to stagger people inside the pews and other times a simple, classic photo is what's needed.

The wedding party group photo at the altar inside of a church in Valparaiso.

Parents of the groom pose with him and his bride at the altar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Church exits can make for unique wedding photographs as well. Here is one taken from the congregations perspective at the Free spirit church in Crown Point as well as a unique perspective on the classic bubbles shot.

The bride and groom exit the Free Spirit Church with a glow of bright light upon them.

The bride and groom exit among big bubbles as their church looms large behind them.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at some unique church wedding photos. For more photo updates, please visit the Region Wedding Facebook Page. To take a look at another church wedding, check out this recent one at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton or do a search below for 'church weddings'.