June Wedding Reception at Aberdeen Manor

Evan and Stephanie's June wedding reception at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso had some of the most emotional speeches of any wedding I've photographed.  Incredibly heartfelt words from the maid of honor, best man, brides brother and the respective fathers of the bride and groom.  Their summer wedding also featured some incredibly fun moments on the dance floor.  Aberdeen Manor was decorated beautifully as the bride and her father took to the floor for their dance.   Music was provided by 27 Entertainment.

Father and bride dance together at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana.

The bride and her maid of honor spent their college years supporting one another and many emotional and fun stories were told during her toast to the bride. 

Bride and maid of honor share a tender moment at a wedding reception at Aberdeen Manor.

Stephanie and Evan's summer wedding actually started out in Crown Point at the Thomas William Hair Salon for hair, makeup and a few laughs with mom and the bridesmaids. 

Bride has lipstick applied for her wedding day at Thomas William Salon in Crown Point, Indiana. 

Mother of the bride and a bridesmaid share a laugh at a Crown Point hair salon on wedding day.

Beautiful window light falls upon the bride as she gets ready for her summer wedding in Crown Point.

The laughs continued at the parents of the bride's home in Lakes of the Four Seasons. We took detail shots as the girls got dressed and did a few fun photos in the living area of their home.

The bride's earrings are draped over her garter and her shoes with her wedding dress in the background. 

The bridesmaids blow kisses to the wedding photographer in their pink single strap bridesmaid dresses.

It was my female assistant's idea to have all the girls blow kisses at me up in the balcony, but i certainly didn't mind.  They are a fun bunch and we went back and forth between some staged fun shots and candids as they prepared to take off for the ceremony at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.

We used window light once again for a bridal portrait and it gave Stephanie a wonderfully warm glow.  We backlit her beautiful veil with some of our lighting during this rare moment of wedding day tranquility. 

The bride looks out the window of her childhood home as sun bathes her in warm light illuminating her beautiful wedding veil.

When we arrived at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, we immediately took the groom out to the farm field for an outdoor portrait in his tuxedo.  We also took formal shots of his family inside the church as we waited for Stephanie's arrival.

The groom smiles for his wedding portrait amongst the farm land outside Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Emotions were all over the place for the ceremony.  The ring bearer made a stop to visit me as he made his way toward the altar.  This brought on quite a bit of laughter. Minutes later,  joyful tears ran down the bride's face as she walked down the aisle with her Dad. 

Tears of joy stream down the bride's face as she walks down the aisle with her Dad at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Friends and family fill up the pews at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for a June wedding ceremony.

Family photos took place inside the church after the ceremony along with a few portraits of the bride and groom at the altar. 

A formal wedding photo of the bride and groom at the altar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso.

The bridal party and I snuck off to Deep River Park in the late afternoon for couple's shots and some fun wedding party group photos before taking off for Aberdeen Manor Ballroom for the reception.

Bride and groom kiss as they cross over the bridge at Deep River Park in Hobart, Indiana.

Bride holds her summer bouquet of wedding flowers in the garden at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana just after her wedding.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Evan and Stephanie's June wedding ceremony at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and reception at Aberdeen Manor Ballroom in Valparaiso, Indiana.  For more updates, stay tuned to this Journal and like the Facebook Page listed below this posting.

Bride and groom hold out wedding thank you signs in front of the garden gazebo at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana. 

Willow Harbor Vineyard Wedding

A wedding at Willow Harbor Vineyard and Dewey Cannon Winery in Three Oaks, Michigan is unique for many reasons, let alone the bride's arrival in an old 1970's Rolls Royce.  The ceremony site is located amongst wine vineyards in southwestern Michigan just over the Indiana state line.

It is a great location for an outdoor wedding with much greenery as you can see below with our bride Kelly being walked down the aisle by her parents.

The actual wedding nuptials take place below decorated pillars in the midst of the fields.  Mat and kelly were all smiles during their ring exchange with family and friends looking on.

Soon the newlyweds would seal things with a kiss as they exit the picturesque ceremony site amongst the vineyards.

Family photos followed such as this one with mom showing much affection for her son, the groom.

As storm clouds formed over the vineyard, I had the bride and groom stand at the edge of the row and share some moments together and a brand new husband and wife.

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I knew from shooting the couple's Chicago Session engagement photos that they loved black and white.  Here, the groomsmen get the same treatment.

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We walked all over the fields of love at Willow Harbor Vineyard in southwest Michigan.  We came across the old white pillar that surely was the scene of wedding ceremonies of the past.

The sun was shining upon us at this point and was time for a break and perhaps a few more kisses...

Nothing wrong with a little peek-a-boo amongst the tall vineyards...

As I stated in a previous posting, we found a ladder laying in the fields that was still in decent shape.  This gave me an opportunity to have the bride and groom the image and at the same time show the vastness of the green fields with the blue sky above.

Soon we were back in downtown Three Oaks in front of Dewey Cannon Winery for the reception.  We decided to take it to the streets for this fun and unique wedding photo.  I added a grunge border and bit of faded color for the vintage look.

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When planning your outdoor wedding, consider something unique like a wine vineyard.  

 

Dunes Beach Wedding

 

Greg and Kari were married in Jamaica this past July, but had their celebration here in Northwest Indiana in September.  They continued their beach theme with a photo shoot at Marquette Park.  The wedding party along with the couple's family strolled along with us around the sandy Indiana lakeshore.  We started out with this "almost kiss" in silhouette inside the landmark bath house on the beach....

The lagoon behind the Marquette Park Pavilion made for a gorgeous backdrop for wedding photos of our beautiful bride Kari and her pretty bridesmaids, including maid of honor Amy.

This is merely a sneak peek as we have many more beach photos and family shots back at the bride and groom's home.  I can't let this post go by without posting at least one image of the bride and groom roaring in on their Harley Davidson.  I put together this composite to give you a look at the great cake topper along with the fun loving couple during their first dance.  

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The Elks Lodge in Hobart were great host and the live band made for some great sounding entertainment.  I love to see live music represented at weddings and this has happened several times this year already.  I will have to gether these up for a future post in the near future.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at at Greg and Kari's beach wedding at the Indiana Dunes lakeshore.  To keep updated and to see more images, subscribe here to the Journal and give us a "like" on the SBV Photography Facebook page.  More to come!!

Summer Wedding at Avalon Manor

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Here is a sneak peek at Chris and Candy's summer wedding.  Before arriving for the evening ceremony at Avalon Manor, my assistant and I accompanied the happy couple on a day long photo shoot around Northwest Indiana.

We started with a first look in Ravelli Park of the lakefront in Hobart, Indiana.  The groom was waiting with us for the bride to arrive.  The temperature was perfect, as was the bride's dress.

If you have ever driven down Rt. 51 in Hobart, you have undoubtedly noticed the beautiful white chapel of Grace Lutheran Church.  Although Chris and Candy's ceremony would take place later in the evening at Avalon Manor, this visit to the Chapel of Love was on our destination list for wedding pictures.

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As a guitar player myself, I can appreciate the guitar picks engraved with the couple's names and wedding date.  These were assembled into the groom's corsage with the blue and purple bouquet in the background.

Here is an image of our bride Candy posing in front of the large, majestic mirror at the Avalon Manor bridal party room just before she was to walk down the aisle.  

The pastor of the ceremony was obviously a close friend with many memories of the bride and groom.  He added a great combination of passionate seriousness and affectionate humor.

A touching moment occured as the bride and groom gave out roses to all the special women in their lives...

I tucked muself inside the circle dance for this photo of the bride and her guests celebrating a fantastic day.  A special thanks to all dancers for not accidentally kicking me in the head as I lay on the dance floor!!  :)

This is just a sneak peek of the many more images to come from Chris and Candy's Summer Wedding at Avalon Manor.  Please subscribe here for more updates or like the SBV Photography page on Facebook to see more.