Romantic Engagement Photos at Indiana Dunes

October 13, 2014 Steve Vansak

A couple shows off Purdue pride in their engagement photo at the Indiana Dunes.

Along with romantic strolls along the beach, Erica and Alex showed off Purdue pride during their recent engagement session at Marquette Park Beach. I met them early in the morning on the mostly deserted shores of Lake Michigan near the Aquatorium.

The skyline of Chicago can be seen in the background of this engagement photo along Lake Michigan.

There was a faint haze in the sky, but we could still see the skyline of Chicago as we took images all along the sandy shores. The temperatures were cool, but invigorating and aside from the occasional jogger or dog walker we were all alone to take natural and romantic images.

Being so close to Marquette Park Pavilion, we made sure to visit the lagoon and it's wonderful bridge. The morning sun gave a burnt orange look to the brush and I loved capturing the rays as they shined upon the couple through the trees in the nearby park.

Sun streams through the trees as a couple kisses in this romantic engagement photo.

A young couple looks out over the lagoon bridge at Marquette Park.

This Fall has turned out to be one of the busiest seasons ever for engagement photos. I've also found this time of year to be the busy for weddings as well, almost surpassing June. Many more Fall engagement sessions to appear here along with weddings. If you enjoyed this sneak peek look at Erica and Alex's romantic engagement photos at the beach, please subscribe below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

If you are looking at booking your own engagement session or want to inquire about a wedding, please fill out the Contact Form to see if I have your date available.

Downtown Chicago Engagement Photos

September 29, 2014 Steve Vansak

The future bride and groom wear Chicago Blackhawks jerseys that show off their wedding date.

I had loads of fun photographing Nicole and Allen's engagement photos in downtown Chicago. I will be shooting their wedding on September 19th next year and as you can see above, these Blackhawks fans know how to get the word out to friends and family. I foresee some really cool Save the Date cards arriving in mailboxes soon.

The couple chose the Chicago Sessions engagement package so they will have a color photo gallery as well as vintage looking black and white versions. As usual, we started with the arrival of the train at the platform in Indiana and then made our way all around the city. We stumbled upon Rudy's which is wear the couple dined when they visited Chicago when Allen proposed.

We used the grit of the city as our backdrop. The L train roared above and the now iconic blue bicycles were everywhere. It was a day of laughter as a photo shoot in Chicago can sometimes attract interesting attention from tourist.

The L train speeds past an engaged couple in downtown Chicago.

A young couple in love are about to kiss in downtown Chicago.

While we definitely wanted to capture the grandeur of the windy city, we also wanted some nice close up portraits for Nicole and Allen to show off to family and friends. The Chicago River and the Millennium Garden gave us both.

Holding hand with the Chicago River and city skyscrapers in the background.

Showing off the engagement ring inside the Millennium Garden in Chicago.

We ended our session in the evening hours overlooking the city skyline as it was all lit up. The glowing stars of the street lamps matched that of the glowing faces of Nicole and Allen. A perfect ending to a great day of engagement photos in downtown Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek. Follow this Journal below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Romantic Engagement Photos at Marquette Park Beach

September 4, 2014 Steve Vansak

Romantic kiss along the Marquette Park Lagoon

On my way to Marquette Park beach to photograph Ashley and Cordale, I had sunset photo on my mind. I can't control the weather, but I had a feeling we would have a nice orange hue in the sky at least and that we needed to be ready - sunsets are fleeting.

We began our session along the lagoon at Marquette Park Pavilion. The soon to be married couple kissed romantically with the iconic lagoon bridge in the background. Thank you Mr. Fisherman guy for moving to another spot!! :)

I will be photographing Ashley and Cordale's wedding this November and they wanted to have some beautiful images to display at their reception. I know Ashley was quite taken with my Wedding Wish Books that enable guests to answer questions on various pages with photos of the couple shown throughout. These are more personable than guest books and better for display than giant signing boards. Definitely ask to see a sample at our consultation.

Indiana Dunes beach engagement photo collage.

We were still a good 45 minutes from sunset so we used the wonderful lagoon bridge for some of our images. I love that we were able to capture the Simpsons-esque puffy clouds as the couple relaxed at the top of the bridge.

A couple holds hands atop the Marquette Park lagoon bridge.

The lagoon itself has very reflective water and made for a great, dramatic image as the couple embraced.

A young couple is about to kiss as the sky reflects into the lagoon water at Marquette Park Pavilion.

We took many different photos on our way toward the beach, on the dunes and finally the lakeshore itself. Suddenly I saw the sun starting to dip and we all got into place to not only capture a gloriously shining ray of light in the sky, but also the wonderful light emenating from this warm couple. We had hugs all around after the session and I'm even more excited to photograph their big day later this year.

This is merely a sneak peek with many more romantic engagement photos to come. Subscribe below and follow the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more images.

Sunset engagement photo off of Lake Michigan.

Indian American Engagement Celebration

August 5, 2014 Steve Vansak

Indian and American bride and groom at their engagement party.

When Dr. Abbas called me to discuss photographing his son's engagement celebration I was very excited by the idea. I had done Indian celebrations in the past and they are always spectacular affairs and I love capturing the color and the decor. It was a terrific meeting with him and his family and when the day finally came my assistant and i couldn't have hoped for a better welcome.

I started by capturing candids of arriving guests and then we stepped around the property in Dyer, Indiana for engagement portraits of Amir and Taylor, our happy couple.

Amir and Taylor in front of a gorgeous fountain of the the home of the groom's father.

This Indian American engagement celebration was filled with food, laughter and love. Children played and adults mingled as I captured the event reportage style.

A mom playfully encourages her child to eat a delicious banana at an engagement party in Northwest Indiana.

Amir and Taylor were to exchange gifts on a stage specially built inside the home as friends and family looked on. Amir placed the ring upon his bride and she presented him with a beautiful luxury watch. Taylor's American family and her soon to be Indian family were both present on the stage. As Dr. Abbas stated in his terrific speech, we are a melting pot of people and cultures. The engagement celebration was a terrific example of this.

A collage of images from an Indian American engagement party.

An engagement ring and luxury Swiss watch.

Dr. Mohammed Abbas gives a heartfelt speech at his son's engagement celebration.

After the ceremony, dinner was served and it was time for family photographs. A terrific time was had by all and soon they will be together once again for the wedding of Amir and Taylor.

Exchanging of the rings at an Indiana American engagement ceremony.

Family portrait of the soon to be bride and groom with his parents.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Amir and Taylor's Indian American engagement celebration. Subscribe to this page below or the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Once again, congratulations to Amir and Taylor!!