Wedding at the Macedonian Hall in Crown Point, Indiana

June 30, 2014 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom take their first dance at Macedonian Hall in Crown Point, Indiana surrounded by amber lighting.

Nick and Jillian got the best of both worlds this past weekend with rain for good luck while we were inside during the ceremony to clear skies for our outdoor photographs and back to more good luck rain while we were inside Macedonian Hall for the reception. Such is nature here in Northwest Indiana where if you wait 5 minutes..... well, you get the joke!! :)

All kidding aside, it was a wonderful day that started out at Downtown Hair Studio in Lowell where Jillian's mom and all around BFF got her make up done alongside her daughter.

The bride's mom shares a laugh with her daughter.

The bride gets her make up done at Downtown Hair Studio in Lowell.

Lowell Methodist Church was right down the street and we hung the bride's beautiful dress from the balcony as light shined through the stained glass windows.

The bride's wedding dress hangs from the balcony at Lowell Methodist Church.

Jillian did not want Nick to see her before the ceremony so we did a peek-a-boo shot with the groom walking in blindfolded. We then took a cute picture of the happy couple after Jillian relieved him from the bandana blindfold.

The bride and groom take a photo WITHOUT seeing each other before the ceremony.

The church ceremony saw family and friends in the pews as the ring bearers announced the entrance of the bride. I loved the look of the vintage church, especially the cross that hung above during the ceremony.

Ring bearers hold up a Here Comes The Bride sign.

Wedding ceremony at Lowell Methodist Church.

After family photos we went to Nick's grandmother's farm house in Hebron for couples and wedding party pictures. The neighbor's curious horse decided to photo bomb the couple as they kissed along the walkway. Too funny!!

The bride and groom kiss as a curious horse looks on.

The newly married couple gaze at each other with Indiana farmland as a backdrop.

Macedonian Hall was all lit in an Amber hue thanks to DJ Shaun Kelly at Spinnin' Productions. The groom danced with his mom and Jillian danced with the important men in her life.

Mother and son dance at Macedonian Hall.

The large dance floor at Macedonian Hall was full as friends and family surrounded the couple in celebration. No one cared about the rain outside at this point. To all of us inside, it was already a beautiful night.

Family and friends surround the bride and groom at Macedonian Hall in Crown Point.

This is merely a sneak peek look at Nick and Jillian's wedding at Macedonian Hall. Stay tuned and subscribe to this blog below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more updates.

Summer Wedding at The Chapel of the Resurrection

June 2, 2014 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom at the steps leading to the altar at The Chapel of Resurrection in Valparaiso University.

I thought about entitleing this post All You Need Is Love to reflect the classic cut from The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour vinyl album that was on display at David and Heather's summer wedding at Valparaiso University. The music fans and vinyl record collecting bride and groom had their guests write a message onto the record itself. They felt bad about it, but made sure they had multiple copies of the two records on display.

I chose to display their rings next to the most pertinent cut on the album as you will see below...

A Beatles All You Need Is Love themed wedding ring photo.

The warm sunny day began at Salon Amara in downtown Valparaiso where Heather got her hair and make up done while her daughter and bridesmaid Addison supervised...

The bride gets ready for her wedding at Salon Amara in downtown Valparaiso.

The bride's daughter and bridesmaid awaits mom's make up to be completed.

Heather chose to wear flat shoes which was a very wise move considering the spectacular Church of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University has a very long entrance walk. As a wedding photographer, I love capturing the entrances at this majestic church and shooting wide to reveal the grandness of the large building. Even sweeter still was the bride being accompanied by both of her parents.

The bride is accompanied by her parents as she walks down the aisle at The Chapel of the Resurrection.

Wedding ceremony at Valparaiso University.

Heather and David have a great sense of humor so no wonder they had a couple of laughs with their pastor at the altar. We loved taking the big wide shots you see above of this beautifully large church as well as close moments like the first kiss up on the altar.

The bride and groom share a laugh with their pastor during their wedding ceremony at The Chapel of the Resurrection.

First kiss for the bride and groom at Valparaiso University.

After a short meet and greet with family and friends after the ceremony, the bride and groom came back in for family photos as well as couples shots and the bride alone at the altar.

I really set out to capture the wonderful color of the stained glass windows as well as showcase the bride in the image below. Then it was outside for some crazy, fun wedding photos.

The bride alone at the altar in front of stained glass windows.

The bride and her bridesmaid blow kisses to the camera.

The wedding party looks on in mock horror as the bride and groom kiss.

The wedding reception took place on the Valparaiso University campus as well. The outdoor terrace had friends hanging out during cocktail hour and we used this time to take candids of guests and the wedding party too. Then it was onto introductions and the youngest members of the wedding party certainly enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.

27 Entertainment also had the room beautifully lit as the bride and groom cut their plum colored cake.

The youngest of the wedding party celebrates their introduction.

The bride and groom cut their plum colored wedding cake.

The first dance was a real family affair as Heather and David invited their children up onto the floor as sounds of the Dave Matthews Band filled the room. Meanwhile guests were writing messages onto the couple's beloved Beatles album.

The bride and groom invite their children onto the floor for the first dance at their wedding reception.

Wedding guests sign the Magical Mystery Tour vinyl album.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek preview of Heather and David's summer wedding at The Chapel of the Resurrection on the campus of Valparaiso University. Please subscribe to this blog below and visit the Region Wedding Facebook page for more updates.

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.