Mike and Janine: Wedding at Dewey Cannon Winery - Sneak Peak

When Mike and Janine first told me they would be having their wedding ceremony at Willow Harbor Vineyard in Michigan and their reception at Dewey Cannon Winery in Three Oaks, I got very excited.  I knew we were going to be taking some wonderful wedding photographs.  This is another of my sneak peeks during this extremely busy wedding photography season.  So, just a sampling of photos today.  Many more to come.

The Dewey Cannon Winery provided some very spacious rooms to get ready in.  The shot below is the vintage mirror in the ladies section where our bride Janine got a last look before being picked up in a vintage Rolls Royce for the ceremony in the fields of the vineyard.

While the guys were across the hall smoking some cubans, I had the ladies crowd around the sofa in their room before sending off their friend.

The heat was around 95 degress with bright sun at this outdoor wedding.  Our bride Janine did not skip a beat when walking down the aisle at Willow Harbor Wine Vineyard.  All the guests stood up in reverence to the bride...

Janine's daughter was the flower girl and she was all playful smiles as the sun shined down upon her during the ceremony...

After the ceremony, all the guests got under a large tent and drank some much needed water.  At this time, my assistant and I gathered up friends and family for some formal shots at the scenic vineyard....

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Family and friends photos came first and then we sent them away to the reception. We closed out the formal photos with the happy couple alone as seen in the above shot. The bride and groom are seen underneath the gazebo they were married at just an hour earlier.

A nice meal was served at Dewey Cannon winery along with some great tasting Michigan wine.  As the wedding party and guests ate dinner, my assistant and I began taking detail shots such as this Love Story cake topper...

One can't have a wedding reception at Dewey Cannon winery without the wedding rings perched atop some grapes.  Might as well have that Willow Harbor wine as the background...

Mike and Janine closed out the night with a last dance in front of the wine barrels.  Then it was off to Italy for their honeymoon!!

Stay tuned and subscibe to this Journal and like us on Facebook for more images and stories from Mike and Janine's wedding in Michigan.

Gardens on the Prairie Wedding: Sneak Peek

As you can tell from the cute sign, Zach and Olivia were very involved in the design of their outdoor wedding at The Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana.  I'm sure many of the guests took a photo of this as they entered the picturesque grounds of the landscape haven.  This was a special location for the groom as he is a former employee there.

The day started out in Crown Point at the house of Olivia's parents.  It's sits up on a lovely hill with great landscaping.  Here is a photo of the bridemaids out on the back patio enjoying the summer day and all that goes with a June wedding.

Inside, Olivia's mom had set up a Bride's Room with decor that incorporated their engagement photos and a thank you card from the bride to her wedding party and guests.

Olivia and Zach had what is called a First Look and I wanted to capture her looking for him and of course him reacting to her in the wedding dress for the first time and again as they came together.  I then combined the photos into this First Look Collage...

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From there we did a variety of formals with wedding party as well as the soon to be newlyweds like this kiss in one of the gardens at this scenic Lowell landmark.

Here are all the groomsmen showing off their matching socks.  Soon it would be time for the outdoor ceremony to begin.

Pride and enjoy is the best way to describe the looks upon father and daughter as they walk down the aisle on this wonderful summer day.

Zach and Olivia are a very warm and loving couple.  I've met them several times and of course spent their wedding day (and night) with them and that has showed every time.  It's definitely something I wanted to show off in their wedding photos and this holding of hands at the ceremony is one of many with that warm glow to it.

Their wedding reception took placed at Croation Hall in Crown Point, Indiana where they took their first dance in this softly focused photo...

Once again, this is only a sneak peek.  Many more images from Zach and Olivia's June wedding at Gardens on the Prairie will be following soon.  The editing process has just begun.  Be sure to subscribe to the Merrillville Wedding Photographer Journal here on this page and give us a like on Facebook.  Links for both are on the right hand side of this page.

Brandi and Gary: Sneak Peek at Deep River Park and Crown Point Courthouse Reception

Brandi and Gary had a wonderful outdoor wedding at Deep River Park in Valparaiso, Indiana.  We've had a LOT of rain here recently, but this June wedding escaped any downpours.  There was no need to pile guests underneath the wonderful gazebo.  The previous rains even brought out a tremendous amount of green in the ceremony and formal photos.

The day started in Crown Point, Indiana with the girls getting their hair done.  The flower girl was liittle shy at first, but she soon warmed up to the camera as the day progressed...

Our bride Brandi could not stop smiling the entire day.  That sure makes a wedding photographer's job easy!!  It was great fun laughing and joking with them for their Getting Ready photos.  A big "thank you" to the staff at Thomas William Hair Salon on Summit St. in Crown Point for being so accommodating and letting me roam freely to take photographs!!

After hair and make up were done, we made a brief stop at Brandi's parent's home where mom adjusted her veil and we got a few family photographs in front of the house she grew up in.

Soon it was time for the ceremony in front of the gazebo at Deep River Park.  It's important to catch the traditional moments, but silly candids such as the ring bearer mugging for the camera are just too good to pass up!!

Here are father and daughter, radiant during their entrance at the start of the ceremony....

I usually post a first kiss shot (and we have plenty of those), but I really like this wonderful "post first kiss" candid moment.  It's pure "just married" happiness in front of great friends and family.

After a whole bunch of family photos, I got the newlyweds alone for some romantic snuggling and kissing on one of the many benches at the picturesque Deep River Park.

If there is an old classic car around, chances are I'm going to put a bride in front of it!!  Lucky for me, a family member lent this (Model T Ford?) beauty for the newly married couple to ride to the reception in.

The reception took place inside the old courthouse in the middle of the Square in downtown Crown Point, Indiana.  This is where I caught this shadow dance of the bride and groom...

Wedding reception photographs can sometimes turn into never ending crazy dancing shots.  We have plenty of those as well, but this doesn't meant the emotion of the day has evaporated.  This is the time for laughter, smiles and happy tears...

Mother and daughter in a joyous moment on the dance floor...

Okay, I admit it - crazy dancing shots with multi colored lights are fun too!!!

Brandi and Gary are very grateful for all their friends and family who attended their wedding and wanted to convey that in a photograph taken after the ceremony at Deep River.  Keep in mind that this is only a sneak preview.  Subscribe to this Wedding Journal on the right of the page and "like" us on Facebook for an update when the entire gallery of wedding photos goes live.

O.M.G. - What If It Rains On My Outdoor Wedding?

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Worried about rain on your outdoor wedding?  Well, I'd love to say it never happens, but sometimes it does.  The good news is that it is not that bad!!  Here are a few of the positives of rain at your outdoor wedding...

• unique photographs
• rainy day photos turned to black and white = romantic photos
• the closeness of family friends brought even closer by huddling up together to view your wedding vows
• the scenery / greenery looks incredible after a downpour 

Jamie and Andrew's ceremony at Deep River Park began at the height of the downpour that day.  My assitant and I brought umbrellas as did the well prepared groom.  Our bride Jamie was sequestered under the canopy of the Deep River gift shop while guests arrived with umbrellas in hand...

Seating was moved up under the large sized gazebo.  Family and friends huddled up close waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Our groom Andrew looked confident as he awaited the love of his life to arrive...

Soon the procession was under way with Jamie's daughter and Andrew's son starting things off with umbrellas in hand.  Notice the misty fog arising from around their feet...

The ring bearer and his sister follwed suit...

Jamie's Dad was so concerned about his daughter's comfort.  He did a terrific job keeping her under cover of the rain during their walkout.  Mom was right behind to cover the back of the gorgeous dress.

The ceremony had a loose, family feel to it with lots of laughter as demonstrated by the two bridesmaids giggling...

The bride and groom poured sand as their traditional wedding ritual.  The end result looked like a work of art within the vase.

Just as the bride and groom took their first kiss and were pronounced man and wife, the skies began to clear.

The wedding party began their walk back down the path and the scenery at Deep River Park took on a rich green look to it due to the downpour of rain.

The kids in the wedding party began to celebrate by blowing bubbles on the steps of the Deep River storefront...

At this point, the skies were clear and the grass was a sparkling green from the rain.  It was time for formal shots and we got some really nice ones to show off in an upcoming post.  Deep River provides great scenery as is, but the rain actually made it even better.

So the moral of the story here is to not dwell on the rain as negative.  We can get some very unique wedding photos from a seemingly bad situation.