The 2017 Northwest Indiana Wedding Photography Year In Review

December 26, 2017 Steve Vansak

Bride applies lipstick at Barker Mansion in Michigan City, Indiana.

Welcome once again to the Region Weddings Year In Review for wedding photography in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and southern Michigan. Settle in as it was another full year of weddings and this my longest article of the year with lots of images. To see a video slideshow of this post, check out The 2017 Year In Review video.

The 2017 wedding season saw me photograph for the first time at the historic Barker Mansion in Michigan City. My goal with this series of bridal portraits was to showcase the vintage history of the iconic building with a very modern bride. This resulted in some glorious color right next to sepia tones.

Bride on red staircase at Barker Mansion in Michigan City, IN.

There were quite a few winter wedding this year starting with Annie and Paul at Fair Oaks Farmhouse and then Lynne and Dale with a church ceremony at a stop at One Trick Pony brewery. Samantha and Dale were married at Saint Maria Goretti Church with a very chilly stop by Centennial Park.

As winter gave way to Spring (very begrudgingly), Sam and Alex and Amanda and Mike were on board for a pair of church weddings along with stops at Buckley Homestead.

Spring wedding photos in Northwest Indiana.

Bride and groom strike a magazine style pose at Centennial Park.

Late summer and early Spring saw Emily and Zach with an outdoor ceremony at Villa Cesare and Amanda and Josh at St. Michael's Church.

High fives, neon love, sisters / bridesmaids and church wedding ceremonies.

Summer weddings saw the flowers of Northwest Indiana in full bloom at Hans and Karla's outdoor ceremony at The Inn At Aberdeen with lakeside photos for Jill and Johnny.

July wedding photos in Northwest Indiana.

Bride and groom kiss in front of the old Crown Point Courthouse.

Ashlee and Ryan took a tour of downtown Crown Point for their wedding photos while Samantha and Tyler stayed in Valparaiso for their Aberdeen Chapel ceremony with pictures at Taltree Arboretum and a reception at The Market.

August weddings in Crown Point and Valparaiso.

Post ceremony kiss at The Chapel at Aberdeen Manor.

The groom spins his bride near the cornfields of Indiana.

Late summer say another new venue, Meadow Springs Manor with Karlie and Corey and a spectacular day at The Pavilion At Sandy Pines with Bethany and Keenin and their classic Mustang.

Late summer weddings at Meadow Springs Manor and Sandy Pines.

Bride and groom ride away in a classic Mustang.

September and October were definitely the busiest for weddings as well as engagement sessions. This part of the season saw Christina and Melvin at the incredible Uptown Center and Emily and Todd who were married at the final event at the bride's (soon to be torn down) childhood church next to her parent's home.

Bride on stage at The Uptown Center in Michigan City.

Bride and groom kiss in front an old chapel in Hebron, Indiana.

Romantic wedding photo in downtown Michigan City.

I photographed two Serbian weddings in 2017 with Jessica and Marinko at St. Simeon Church in Chicago and Tanja and Kevin at St. George in Schererville. The circle dances never stopped on either day.

Serbian weddings in Chicago and Schererville, Indiana.

The sun sets as the bride and groom gaze at each other beneath the tall trees in the forest.

As Fall kicked in, I photographed two weddings on opposite ends of the region both in style and geography - Katie and Mike at Lighthouse Restaurant with it's nautical vibe and The Allure in South Bend with Morganne and Chris.

Fall weddings at Lighthouse Restaurant and The Allure.

Bride and groom on the pier at Lighthouse Restaurant.

Bride and groom on a leaf filled bridge near Coffee Creek in Chesterton, Indiana.

The Autumn weddings also saw stops at Sand Creek Country Club with Jessica and Mitchell and The Spa in Porter, Indiana with Julia and Evan. Both weddings featured a deluge of leaves and Fall color.

Autumn leaves at wedding venues Sand Creek Country Club and The Spa.

The bride and groom share a kiss surrounded by Fall color at The Inn At Aberdeen.

November saw a pair of church weddings with Gina and Marcus at The Chapel At Avalon Manor and Emily and Jeff at Holy Name Catholic Church and reception at The Center For Performing Arts. Both had an abundance of unique Fall colors.

Bride in mirror before walking down the aisle.

I certainly can't forget Jeremiah and Kevin with their big Christmas wedding at The Uptown Center or Whinchester and Whinchester (aka Jennifer and David) - my first ever bride and groom with the same last name.

Christmas red and a bride and groom in blue.

Thank you so much for a terrific 2017 in weddings!! I have one more on December 30th so be sure to stay tuned here for the final wedding of 2017. To inquire about your big day, as always please complete the Contact Form. I hope you have a terrific New Year and let's hope for a 2018 filled with love.

Bride inside the "red room" at Barker Mansion.

Wedding In The Old Crown Point Courthouse

May 28, 2015 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom dance on the marble floor of the old Crown Point Courthouse.

Beth and Charlie are Crown Point residents who proudly showed off the city in their engagement photos last Fall and now with their wedding at the old Crown Point Courthouse. The day started out at their home with Krissy Vanderwoude as make up artist and Tracy Steark from Back To Your Roots as hair stylist. Emotions ran from nervous laughter to happy tears along with comforting hugs with her beloved cats.

It was a warm day with occasional sun peaking out. Perfect for a first look at the stairs of the old courthouse on the square. Charlie mugged it up for the camera as Beth anxiously awaited.

First look for the bride and groom on the Crown Point Square.

We took a quick detour for wedding photos at Ellendale Farms, a Crown Point neighborhood with a beautiful gazebo and lake. As a Crown Point wedding photographer, I've shot at this scenic location many times and it looked as gorgeous as ever as the bridesmaids strolled along the grass with Beth and the happy couple smooched over looking the lake.

Wedding photos at Ellendale Farms in Crown Point by the gazebo and lake.

The late afternoon ceremony was again full of emotion from laughter to happy tears and knowing glances between the bride and her father and mother. The flower girl and ring bearer both took a sit down break from their duties as the overhead fans of the vintage courtroom kept everyone cool.

Wedding ceremony inside the old Crown Point courtroom.

Beth and Charlie rehearsed their first dance on the marble floor of the historic building as I captured it from above. Soon they would be showing off in front of friends and family beneath the beautiful chandeliers of the courthouse banquet room.

The bride and groom dance upon the marble floor.

Friends and family were jovial for the reception that featured a late night appearance from The Hot Dog Guy, a Crown Point staple who served up freshly cooked Chicago style dogs.

Wedding reception photo collage at the Crown Point Courthouse.

This is merely a sneak peek at Beth and Charlie's Crown Point wedding. Stay tuned for more images and be sure to inquire about availability for your date via the Contact Form.

Spring Wedding at The Patrician Banquet Center

April 28, 2014 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom inside the gazebo at The Patrician Banquet Hall.

Andee and Mike had a wonderfully green colored Spring wedding at The Patrician Banquet Hall in Schererville, Indiana. In typical Midwest fashion the temperatures got chilly but not enough to prevent us from some outdoor images near the gazebo. The sun was shining bright and hearts were warm.

Our day started with getting ready at the bride and groom's home with non stop laughter from Andee and her bridesmaids. Her two sisters were in the wedding party with close friends on hair and make up. Add in a bit of hermosa and all was well.

The bride shares a laugh with her sisters and bridesmaids on wedding day.

Andee's sisters were there for her thoughout the day and their card to her was a wonderfully nice touch...

The ceremony was held indoors at The Patrician and was filled with family and friends with lot's of love and laughter throughout.

The groom places the ring on his bride's finger at an indoor ceremony at The Patrician.

Sun streams in during an indoor wedding ceremony at The Patrician Banquet Hall.

Andee and her two sisters paid tribute to their mom by posing with her photo in a frame as well as some mementos. She had passed away just a month ago but was in the room in spirit. It's moments like these where I'm reminded of how important photographs are in people's lives.

The bride and her sisters pay tribute to their mother.

When family photos were complete, I took the bride and groom outside for some photographs at the gazebo behind The Patrician. Soon it was dinner time with dancing and fun to follow.

The bride and groom gaze at each other in front of the gazebo after their Spring wedding.

Before the party started (and trust me - it was a party), the night began with some wonderful speeches from the maid of honor and best man as the bright sun shone upon the head table.

A speech from the maid of honor before dinner at The Patrician.

A kiss at the reception after cutting of the cake.

After first dances on the darkened ballroom floor, the night kicked into high gear with beer pong.

The bride and groom share a laugh during their first dance.

Father and daughter dance in the spotlight.

Grandma tries her hand at a little beer pong.

The crowd came ready to party!! I can report that all miraculously and successfully rose up from the dance floor after this shot...

The groom proves he's ready to work hard during the dollar dance and earn his money...

Andee loves her green and she loves her frogs. We combined them all for a fun ring shot...

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek of Andee and Mike's Spring wedding at The Patrician in Schererville. Many more images to come, especially from the reception where the fun moments just kept coming one after the other. Good times....

Be sure to subscribe to this journal and like the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more updates.

The groom lifts his bride triumphantly into the air at their wedding reception at The Patrician.

Spring Wedding at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois

April 7, 2014 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom during their first dance at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois.

Melissa and Anthony were married this past weekend at The Dream Palace in Illinois. Our day started at the home of Melissa's parents in Beecher, Illinois. If I could pick a few words and phrases to describe their day they would be "pink", "emotion", "friendship", "firefighters", "Converse All Stars", "real" and just plain fun. Let's see what I'm talking about...

The bride's shoes are pink Converse All Star sneakers decorated with her wedding jewelry.

Melissa is a self described "laid back bride" and I agree. She was so great to work with as were her bridesmaids. They welcomed me into their hair and make up area and let me bump elbows with them to get my shots. I really appreciate that. Everyone was super casual, but I could tell there were some great friendships in the room and that these emotions were going to show throughout the day and I needed to be ready to capture them.

Pink wedding flowers get delivered at the home of the bride.

The wedding dress awaits the bride as it hangs in front of a window.

Everything was all laughs until it came time for our lovely bride to get into her dress. It was at this moment that the significance of the day really sunk in and the bride and her maid of honor were overtaken with happy tears. The beautiful window light illuminated the veil as tears turned to more laughter and then back again.

The bride wipes away tears in an emotional moment while getting ready for her wedding.

The maid of honor and great friend of the bride chokes back happy tears.

An emotional moment for the bride on wedding day.

After Melissa put on her sassy pink All Star Sneakers, we took a few shots overlooking the vast Illinois farm land.

An outdoor wedding portrait of a bride before her Spring wedding holding her pink bouquet of flowers.

The bridesmaids show off their pink Converse All Stars.

Our next stop was to meet the firefighter groom and his fireman posse of groomsmen. We took shots inside and outside the Lynwood station and then we were off to The Dream Palace for the ceremony and reception.

A group of fireman on their friends wedding day in front of a fire truck at the Lynwood station.

Melissa was simply giddy as she walked down the aisle with her Dad as Anthony smiled when she approached.

A father gives away the bride during a ceremony at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois.

The groom reacts as he sees his bride for the first time.

Melissa and Anthony did a traditional pouring of the sand with a unique twist by using a picture frame as the destination.

The bride and groom pour sand into a picture frame during their wedding ceremony.

After the ceremony, my assistant and I immediately took family photos, wedding party photos as well as couples shots. We also took detail shots of the decorated hall and then it was party time.

The newly married couple gaze into each other's eyes after being pronounced husband and wife.

I love to capture real emotion and I found this throughout the day and once again during the reception at Dream Palace. The love shown throughout the first dances with parents was just wonderful. I hope you enjoy viewing these series of images as much as I had photographing them.

The bride tears up during the first dance with her Father.

Father and daughter hug emotionally at a wedding reception at The Dream Palace.

Mom give her son the groom a kiss on the dance floor at his wedding reception.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak of photographs from Melissa and Anthony's Spring wedding at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois. Please stay tuned here or visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.