Wedding at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana

August 18, 2014 Steve Vansak

Wedding ceremony at Saint Maria Goretti Church

Mike the cowboy married his cowgirl Lisa at Saint Maria Goretti Church this past Saturday. You will see later in this post why I'm making cowboy references. All i can say is, this was a fun one and full of surprises for guests as well as the photographers. The happy couple met online and it became an Indiana and Texas nuptial in short order.

The day began at Lisa's parent's home in Munster, Indiana with touching candids of mother and daughter as well as lots of laughter with the bridesmaids.

Getting Ready images at the home of the bride's parents.

I don't know too much about motorcycles, but I do know that Mike's red and black bike looks super cool. I made sure we took a portrait of him on it after he drove up and guests arrived for the ceremony at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana.

The groom arrives to his wedding at St. Maria Goretti via motorcycle and black tuxedo.

Father Charles is quite the character and we sure enjoyed his improvisation of the ceremony. He had Mike and Lisa laughing throughout. Their lighting of the unity candles was one of the few serious moments as light shone in from above.

The bride and groom light unity candles at St. Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church.

The bride and groom exit as bubbles surround them at St. Maria Goretti Church.

We took family formals as well as dramatic couple's shots in the church and then it was on to Centennial Park for some fun wedding photos.

The bride's wonderful dress on display at the church altar.

Bridesmaids photo bomb the groomsmen in this fun wedding photo.

The girls tipped me off ahead of time that they were going to photo bomb the groomsmen so we were ready to capture all of the fun. Mike wanted to show off the writing on the bottom of his shoes, so I did some romantic couple in the sun images at the same time. We then went all around the park taking romantic wedding photos on a warm August afternoon.

The groom shows off the writing on his wedding shoes.

The bride and groom kiss atop the Centennial Park bridge in Munster, Indiana.

Late afternoon sun engulfs the happy couple after their wedding ceremony.

The wedding reception at Wicker Park Social Center is where the cowboy references really start to kick in. Friends and family had no idea where the groom was until he burst into the room in his white hat and singing to the crowd and introducing his new wife.

The groom enters his reception in a cowboy hat singing a country song.

Groom introduces his bride at Wicker Park Social Center in Munster, Indiana.

Ladies and gentleman, Texas has arrived in Indiana!! The new Mr. and Mrs. Holland have entered the building!!!

First dance of the bride and groom at Wicker Park Social Center.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Mike and Lisa's wedding at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana. Please subscribe below for more updates as well as visit the Region Weddings Social Media Page.

A close up of the happy couple on the dance floor at Wicker Park Banquet Hall.

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!!