June Wedding At First Christian Church In Crown Point, IN

June 27, 2016 Steve Vansak

Wedding ceremony at First Christian Church.

About a year ago I received an email from Amy in which she told me all about her relationship with Bart. It was approximately 4 pages long - and I loved it!! :)

I also read every bit of it. She is a sweet girl and I know this day mattered so much to her and it was evident that she adored Bart and her family and her friends. All the ingredients of a great wedding were there!! Sure enough, myself and second photographer Bridget and assistant Josie were greeted warmly by her family and wedding party. Oh, and Pastor Dave was super cool. He even name dropped some awesome TV shows and Star Wars into the proceedings!!

Our day started with the girls getting ready at Shear Magic salon in Crown Point and the soon to be Mrs. Brown getting into her dress at the church.

We did a first look with Dad and the groom along with family photos before the ceremony. The ceremony itself saw the church decorated in purple with a thumbs up from a curly haired wedding guest. The newlyweds were serenaded with bubbles just outside the Crown Point church.

Wedding ceremony at First Christian Church in Crown Point, IN.

The bride and groom kiss on the altar at First Christian Church in Crown Point.

We did a combination of wedding photos inside the church as well as at nearby Sauermann Woods.

The bride and groom take a stroll in a Crown Point park with a gazebo in the background.

The reception portion of the day saw us move on to Andorra Banquet Hall in Schererville, Indiana. Once again purple was on display while guests got down low on the dance floor. Even the "dance with a mirror" guy had fun boogieing solo on the floor.

Wedding reception at Andorra Banquet Hall in Schererville, Indiana.

Some wonderful moments occurred during the first dances. The Father of the bride cradled his daughter and and mom and son laughed it up as she sang to him while they danced. Good times!

First dances at Andorra Banquet Hall in Schererville, Indiana.

Whew, a very busy June of weddings has now concluded with July weddings starting up this coming Saturday. I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Amy and Bart's wedding at First Christian Church in Crown Point. As always, please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about your date.

June Wedding At St. Michael's Parish

June 24, 2016 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom kiss at the statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Michael's Parish.

Stephanie and Craig's June wedding took place at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana. It was only a few minutes from Stephanie's parent's home where we saw her and her bridesmaids taking over the living room for getting ready.

The bride and her bridesmaid's get ready at her parent's house in Schererville, Indiana.

Stephanie's mom was super sweet as she asked for a photo with her daughter in the living room before taking off for the church.

Mother of the bride and her daughter on wedding day.

St. Michael's Catholic Parish is very unique as it is a large oval and a very long church. It's gives ample room for very unique angles when covering the wedding ceremony.

Wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana.

After family pictures inside the church, off we went to Centennial Park for some fun shots with the wedding party and a romantic stroll for the newly married couple.

Fun wedding party photos at Centennial Park.

Bride and groom wedding photos at Centennial Park and St. Michael's Church.

The sun was still streaming in for this June wedding reception at Wicker Park Social Center. Guests hung out on the balcony and of course danced as the night took over.

Summer wedding reception at Wicker Park Social Center.

First dance at Wicker Park Social Center.

June is one of the busiest times of year for a professional wedding photographer, so please enjoy this sneak peek look at Stephanie and Craig's June wedding at St. Michael's Parish. Follow us on social media below for more images.

Spring Wedding At Dyer United Methodist Church

May 16, 2016 Steve Vansak

Newlyweds cuddle up on a bench at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana

Brandi and Kent's Spring wedding at Dyer United Methodist Church was a fun one with lots of friends and family. It also featured a major surprise which we will get to a bit later.

The day started out with me covering the bridesmaids during getting ready. I got to know them a little bit and I knew we were in for a fun day. Brandi had elegant jewelry coupled with a stunning dress. Her wedding shoes matched the blue bridesmaid dresses, but soon her Harley Davidson boots took over. *** Click On Images To Enlarge ***

Getting ready on wedding day at Dyer United Methodist Church.

The older flower girl was shy at first, but soon she was commanding her very own portrait session complete with her stepping into the bride's wedding shoes!! Brandi will be giving this photo to her on her wedding day.

Flower girl steps into the bride's wedding shoes.

The bridesmaids in their blue robes during wedding day prep.

While I took Brandi into the church for photos of her and the bridesmaids, my second photographer was with the groom and his guys at Centennial Park. I mentioned that she looked stunning in her wedding dress and here is the proof...

The bride looks down at her bouquet with stained glass windows behind her.

The bride and her Spring themed sunflower bouquet.

The ceremony at Dyer United Methodist Church saw the doors open and Brandi and her Dad and son emerging in silhouette while Kent awaited. There were many joyful moments including a "placing of the rings malfunction" that saw the bride and groom laughing. The ceremonial pouring of the sand saw them alone at the altar just before the first kiss.

Wedding ceremony at Dyer United Methodist Church.

After family photos inside the church, it was time to put on the Harley boots and take some fun wedding photos over at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana. We also took what I call the "generations wedding photo" with both sets of parents kissing behind the bride groom.

The bride and groom share kiss and their parents do the same behind them.

Bride shows off her Harley Davidson garter and boots.

Wedding photo collage at Centennial Park.

Brandi and Kent's wedding reception took place at Casa Maria Banquet Hall in Dyer, Indiana. The wedding cake was all decked out in sunflowers, the toasts saw many laughs and hugs and maid of honor Brittany collected the cash for the dollar dance. *** Click On Images To Enlarge ***

Wedding reception photos at Casa Maria Banquet Hall in Dyer, Indiana.

The surprise I alluded to earlier occurred during the bouquet toss. It was a surprise marriage proposal from groomsman to bridesmaid. Of course, I was in on it and knew the whole time, but I did not know who was getting the ring. Taylor was quite shocked when Brandi walked over and handed her the bouquet and she got turned around to an awaiting engagement ring. We were there to capture it all. Judging by the photos, I think we know that she said yes!!

*** Click On Images To Enlarge ***

Surprise marriage proposal during a wedding reception at Casa Maria Banquet Hall.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Brandi and Kent's Spring wedding at Dyer United Methodist Church. Stay tuned for more images on the social media channels below.

First dance for the bride and groom at Casa Maria Banquet Hall.

Church Weddings In Northwest Indiana and Chicago

April 18, 2016 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom stand center aisle at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Laporte, Indiana.

I love photographing in the outdoors and now that temperatures are rising here in the Midwest, I'm energized for all of the weddings coming up and engagement sessions as well. However, I equally enjoy shooting inside at churches. Often times the lighting can be challenging and movement can often be restricted, but it has it's photographic rewards. Let me take you through some church weddings done throughout Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan. Here are some of the things I love about them and what can make them difficult to photograph as well.

Church wedding ceremonies in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan.

I usually position myself in the center aisle and cover the procession while one of my second photographers is usually assigned coverage of the "reactions" - groom anticipating his bride, parents, guests, loved ones, tears, laughter and more. I can feel the nervous tension in the room just before the bride comes down the aisle and I can only imagine what the couple must be feeling. Some churches have quite the long walkway too!!

We never use flash during the ceremony as it is distracting and often prohibited. If we have access, we always try to capture closeups of the emotions from family and even the bride and groom themselves. As the lead photographer, I tend to focus more on the couple getting married and the architecture shots while my second photographer (and myself too) looks for emotional moments. Oh, and I love capturing images that show off the church and the significance of the various religious symbolism. I've photographed really large churches such as St. Andrew in Calumet City, St. Stanislaus in Michigan City and St. Josephat in Chicago as well as tiny little chapels.

Wonderful moments at various church weddings.

Family photographs usually occur right after the ceremony. Sometimes a bubble send off occurs and then it's right back inside for pictures. If you have a limited amount of time ( most weddings do) I'd encourage you to skip the traditional receiving line at the church. Family pictures usually take awhile to organize, plus we have wedding party and couple's photos as well. Most couples go table to table for a meet and greet at the reception.

I bring professional, studio quality lighting for the church family photos and couple's photos. The ceremony is now over and the pastor or priest will now allow us to use our lighting. We follow along on the shot list that you filled out. I love to take artistic photos inside the church, but simple pictures with grandma and parents, etc. are equally important. They and you will cherish these.

Family and wedding party photos inside a church.

The bride on the altar at St. Mary's Church in Crown Point.

Often times people have been attending their church for years and often don't realize the beauty that is there. After some shots of the happy couple in their church, it's usually off to the park, beach or wherever for fun shots and romantic photos.

Artistic church wedding photos in Northwest Indiana and Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at church weddings in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan. To inquire about your wedding date - church or otherwise - please fill out the Contact Form and I will get back with you shortly.