Northwest Indiana Wedding Photography: 2015 Year In Review

December 28, 2015 Steve Vansak

The Trinity Hall gazebo at twilight in Chesterton, Indiana.

The year 2015 saw me photographing weddings all over Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan. Let's take a look back at this spectacular year in weddings. At the end of this article I will embed my Northwest Indiana Wedding Photographer Year In Review video for even more images. Be sure to click on an image for a larger view.

If you are a 2016 or 2017 bride, keep in mind that next year is already 60% booked. Please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about your date.

We began the year at the grand ballroom of The Allure with Ivy and Luscious and then it was on to Trinity Hall in Chesterton with Kelsi and Peter.

Usually a few winter weddings start off the year, but 2015 saw us starting in the Spring in a big way. One of the busier weekends was a double header wedding at the old Crown Point Courthouse. Kelly and Matt picked the perfect venue for their 1920's themed wedding and Beth and Charlie closed it out with their elegant ballroom dancing inside the building known as The Grande Old Lady.

This past Spring saw really heavy rains all over Northwest Indiana and the entire Midwest. We tried, but could not escape the elements for Kelly and Danny and Dolores and Erich's wedding. It didn't matter as we embraced the storms and got our pictures inside and out. We were back again at The Allure and also shooting at Sand Creek in Chesterton. We were able to see the sun in full view for Ashley and Matthew's outdoor wedding at Centennial Park.

June brought some more themed weddings. We had baseball at Erica and Alex's wedding and Harry Potter and the literary arts in general at Katie and Kurt's reception. Lauren and Ryan had a terrific church wedding in Hebron and then it was on to an open air reception at the YMCA Pavilion in Valparaiso, Indiana.

As the Summer progressed, stops at County Line Orchard and Fair Oaks Farmhouse gave some some rustic wedding looks. Megan and Bobby brought the fireworks to their July 4th wedding and Ogden Gardens in Valparaiso gave some great scenery for Stephanie and Brett's wedding photos.

Photographing at The Pavilion At Sandy Pines is always a thrill and the Summer had me back at Sand Creek for the second time in 2015 for Jennifer and Daniel's wedding. April and Fred took me to Avalon Manor for their pink and black colored outdoor wedding.

Soon I was back in Crown Point for Erica and Jon's wedding and then it was onto the estate of "a guy named Bob" for Katie and Logan's outdoor ceremony. I tease as bob is a great family friend to them and he welcomed us to his wonderful home and all of the spectacular scenery that if offers - from lakes to woods to centuries old furniture. We then made out way back to Chesterton and photos at Coffee Creek Park with Allen and Nicole. If you live in Lowell, you may seen the hayride with Gwen and Keith parading through town.

I usually make several stops at Centennial Park throughout the course of the year and the outdoor wedding of Katherine and Justin brought us back again. Maria and Seth brought us to the LaPorte, Indiana area for their Catholic wedding ceremony and then a reception at Trinity Hall.

Fall weddings are right up there with June weddings and this year really showed that. Some of our stops included Krystin and Chachi's wedding photos at Lake County Fairgrounds and Michelle and Derrick's fun shots at Carmelite Shrine in Munster, Indiana.

Late Fall saw us venturing off to Chicago for Jen and Nathan's wedding as well as the Halloween celebration of Matt and Michelle and the Autumn themed wedding of Sandra and Andrew, all at Radisson Hotel. I can't leave out the first ever wedding at Perry Court in downtown Crown Point!!

Please take a moment to enjoy the Region Weddings 2015 Year In Review Video below. Be sure to have a terrific New Years Eve!! See you soon.

The year 2015 in photos from Northwest Indiana Wedding Photographer - Region Weddings. All images from the Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan area.

Wedding at the Banquets of St. George

September 8, 2014 Steve Vansak

First dance at the Banquets of St. George in Schererville, Indiana

Stephanie and Keith were married this past Friday at the bride's childhood home with their wedding reception at the Banquets of St. George in Schererville, Indiana. I first photographed the bride back in 2008 for a studio session and she has been following my work online. It was great to photograph her again for her wedding. The self described "book nerd" was a calm and confident bride and I really enjoyed capturing her big day and interacting with her and Keith's families who were all terrific.

Our day began with the maid of honor Anastasia styling her best friend's hair while the bride's furry canine friends ran around our feet trying to figure out what all the excitement was about. I knew a live musical performance was coming up later at the reception so I made sure to get detail shots of her Dad's guitar and her mandolin. Her mom was concerned about wrinkling the dress so she had a vintage mannequin on display for it to hang on. For the second time this year, Converse All Stars became the shoes of choice for the bride!!

A collection for Getting Ready detail shots at the bride's childhood home in Griffith, Indiana and Merle Norman in Highland.

Mom zips up her daughter's wedding dress on wedding day.

Stephanie had told me about her parent's beautiful property in the back of their home and this is where we had our first look. Keith slowly turned to face his bride as friends and family looked on.

First look for the bride and groom besides a tree overlooking a pond in Griffith, Indiana.

Beautiful greenery reflects into a small pond as the bride and groom gaze at each other.

We then proceeded to take family photos and couple photos before the intimate afternoon ceremony which would take place adjacent to the home.

As you can see from the images above, Stephanie and Keith have a fun loving family. A couple of the guys even became part of my crew and I had to take a behind the scenes shot to show them working. Seriously though, it was humid as heck and I really appreciate them giving me a hand in taming the vicious sun!!

Stephanie's Dad performed the ceremony as a handful of family watched the young couple become husband and wife.

Photo collage of an intimate outdoor wedding ceremony.

After the ceremony some major thunderstorms rolled in but at this point all were ready to party at the Banquets of St. George in Schererville. The dance floor was packed with well wishers. Just look at all of those happy faces!!

The bride dances with a guest as her new husband looks on and friends and family cheer them on.

In lieu of a Father and Daughter dance, Stephanie and her dad decided to perform an acoustic version of the Barenaked Ladies' classic "if I Had A Million Dollars". It was a smash hit with a number of videos floating around online already. I loved it!!

A wedding reception photo collage taken at the  Banquets of St. George. — A wedding reception photo collage taken at the Banquets of St. George.

I had so many opportunities for great candid photos at the reception as everyone was just so happy and smiling all of the time. I love playing the roving reporter at events and capturing all of the fun!!

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Stephanie and Keith's wedding at the Banquets of St. George. Subscribe to the blog feed below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

A tender moment on the dance floor for the bride and groom.

Wedding Details

September 1, 2014 Steve Vansak

People always ask me if I ever get tired of shooting at some of the same wedding venues. Do I feel that wedding couples are all the same? I always say no and I mean that. I once shot at Avalon Manor three Saturdays in a row and it had a different flavor and different look each time. I like to see what my clients and their families are going to put on display or what event they may stage. Not too mention the different types of people and cultures that I photograph.

In the above collage you will find a Star Wars garter, pink All Star Converse shoes for the bride and engraved I Do and Me Too shoes. Vintage jewelry and specially made hangers are becoming venerable classics these days as well.

A recent trend and one that I've really enjoyed photographing are father and daughter first looks on the wedding day.

Father and daughter wedding day first look photo collage.

When you think of wedding detail shots, no doubt rings come to mind. I always try to do something unique and interesting with them and very often I will use the bride and groom's decor in the photo.

I'm not sure why, but Fall weddings tend to bring out the most decor. Perhaps people are just really attracted to the Autumn colors.

The classic shot of the hanging dress needs to included here as well. One of my more recent weddings had a super sweet sign and sentiment hanging over the bed. I made sure to include that in one of our dress photos for sure.

Always Kiss Me Goodnight wedding decoration.

I wrote above about uniqueness in every couple. In the collage below we have henna decorated hands, harpist Jamie Lynn Haney performing, a couple entering their reception via the military honor guard, a bride reading a message from her soon to be husband, fabulous uplighting and the back of an equally fabulous wedding dress.

The reception is usually where I take most of my wedding detail photos. This is where I tend to forget that I was just at this very banquet hall the previous week. It's certainly fun to see what I will find waiting for me to photograph. In the photo collage below, you will find everything from artilery ammunition (gifts to the groomsmen) to a traditional film camera for guests to snap pictures on.

You didn't think I would forget about cake did you? Signature drinks for the couple is another growing trend and cupcakes are alive and well too.

I hope you have enjoyed all of these wedding detail photographs. I have so many and I simply grabbed a few from the past two years. Perhaps in the off season I will look for more and share them here. In the meantime, have fun dreaming up all the fun stuff you will be showcasing at your wedding!!

Wedding Photography Locations in Northwest Indiana

March 24, 2014 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom kiss at the bottom of the staircase at the Chapel of the Resurrection

The above image was taken at Valparaiso University a The Chapel of the Resurrection on campus. It's been a few years since I've photographed there, but happy to report that I will be returning in another month for Heather and David's wedding ceremony.

I often get asked "Where Did You Take That Photograph?!!" and the above image is always one of those I get asked about. Today I'm going to post a few more images I often get asked the location of. I always say we can make great photographs anywhere. I've shot in alleys and you will find at least one of those on my wedding photo gallery page. So if you don't have an exotic location for your wedding, don't sweat it. Here's an example of an image taken on the edge of a parking lot on Route 41 in Saint John. The couple told me they were asked by friends if they had flown somewhere previous to their wedding day to take photos!! Good to hear, that means I've done my job. :)

Newly married couple walks among the greenery at The Shrine of Christ's Passion in Saint John, Indiana.

I'm surprised that many couples who book White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Indiana don't know about the swampy bridge out in the middle of the course. I suppose it's not high on their list during a tour of the facilities, but it certainly makes for great photo opportunities.

A couple kisses on a bridge that overlooks an exotic swamp at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Indiana.

For a rustic outdoor wedding, Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana is a great location. Sounds odd, but most days it's a garden center - a place where you buy seeds and plants for your own landscaping. However, they have a beautiful garden there and various areas for outdoor weddings as well as an indoor area should weather not cooperate. This wedding party group shot was taken in front of 'The Ruins' structure that can be seen off the main road.

Wedding Party group photo in front of The Ruins at Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana.

While photos in Chicago might not be viable for a lot of you, if you want a photo opportunity every time you turn around you will certainly find one there. I often go to the city for engagement photos, but occasionally get the chance to do wedding images there. The beautiful garden at Millennium Park would certainly be one of my stops.

The bride and group walk through the Millennium Park gardens with the tall buildings of Chicago in the background.

I mentioned alley ways earlier and perhaps this graffiti wall in the back of a Hobart business counts for that. It's just off the path of the boardwalk along Lake George.

Bride and groom lean against a graffiti wall in downtown Hobart.

I thought we'd end with a fun one of Chris and Candy dancing toward the White Chapel in Hobart, Indiana. This is one that people always recognize the church in the photo, but can't always place where it is. It's Grace Lutheran Church on Rt. 51 just south of Hobart Mercy hospital.

The bride and groom dance their way toward Grace Lutheran Church in Hobart, Indiana.

I hope you have enjoyed this post featuring my most asked about wedding photography locations in Northwest Indiana.

A quick update on availability: A few select dates are still open for 2014. I have July openings strangely enough and part of October and November open. 2015 dates are currently getting booked at a good pace. Please fill out the Contact Form to see if your date is available.