Wedding At The Croatian Center

September 1, 2015 Steve Vansak

First dance for the bride and groom at The Croatian Center in Merrillville, IN.

Wedding day for Erica and Jonathan started out at the wonderful Radisson Hotel for getting ready with the bridesmaids, the ceremony and reception at The Croatian Center and wedding party pictures in downtown Crown Point.

I was a fly on the wall for hair and make up and even followed the girls to lunch at TJ Maloney's Authentic Irish Pub.

We took the girls and guys photos separately before the evening ceremony in the gazebo area of The Croatian Center. We finished up just as the rain started and the decision was made to move the ceremony inside.

The wedding party fast walks toward the camera.

The bridesmaids show off their wedding flowers.

If any law enforcement are reading this, I'd like to report some rogue wedding party members - the bouquet theif as seen above and the violent groomsmen roughing up the groom as seen below. General public - be on the lookout!!

Erica requested a "divider shot" before the ceremony and then it was time to walk down the aisle with family and friends looking on.

Bride and groom divider shot before the wedding.

Wedding ceremony inside of Croatian Hall.

Erica and Jonathan had some great moment during their wedding ceremony. It started off with the flower girl abandoning her basket of flowers and one of the highlights (besides the first kiss) was the giving of flowers to moms and grandmothers in attendance.

After family photos, we jetted off to downtown Crown Point for some shots in the street - literally...

Wedding party on Main Street in Crown Point, Indiana.

The bride and groom take to the streets of the downtown Crown Point Square.

The reception saw dinner by Dimitri's Catering and showed off the green wedding colors. Team Bride ruled the dance floor!!

Wedding reception at The Croatian Center.

Baseball Themed Wedding At Duneland Falls Banquet Center

June 21, 2015 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom kiss on the pitcher's mound of a baseball field.

Erica and Alex had a sports themed engagement session, so it was no surprise to find baseball themed (softball and hockey too) wedding decorations at Duneland Falls Banquet Center in Portage, Indiana.

The sports theme made its first appearance as the bride and her bridesmaid's got ready for the big day. Traditional wedding decor such as handkerchiefs of past family weddings sat alongside Hebron softball jerseys. The guys were decked out in athletic shoes too and the ring bearer (the boss) kept an eye on things.

The Catholic wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Valparaiso saw the rings placed upon a baseball glove. Sun was beating down as Erica and Alex made their escape amidst family and friends blowing bubbles outside the church.

Wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.

The bride and groom get married at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Valparaiso, IN.

We did our fair share of sports themed wedding photos, but I also had the bride and groom walk alone for awhile so I could capture them in some beautiful scenery with the natural light of the sun backlighting them.

The bride and groom kiss as the late day sun shines upon them.

We did a simulated baseball game with the bride at the plate, the groom playing catcher and pitcher and the wedding party as the angry fans when I called a strike on the bride.

Fun photos from a sports themed summer wedding.

The sports theme continued at Duneland Falls Banquet Center in Portage, Indiana. Guests signed the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith Jersey" as the batter and pitcher faced each other atop the wedding cake. We placed the rings atop the softball decorated macaroon cookie.

Wedding reception at Duneland Falls Banquet Center.

Sometime during the reception came word that the Chicago Blackhawks had won Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Championship against Tampa Bay and the crowd errupted in joy. All the more to celebrate, a joyous wedding and a hometown sports win!!

First Dance at Duneland Falls Banquet Center.

Get Hitched at the Old Crown Point Courthouse

July 10, 2013 Steve Vansak

Mike and Danielle were married at the Old Crown Point Courthouse in Crown Point, Indiana as part of the Get Hitched promotion to help preserve the legacy of the historic building. To learn more about this promotion, please visit the Get Hitched website.

Get Hitched at the Old Crown Point Courthouse promotional poster.

Our bride Danielle looks just as striking as Colleen Moore does in the above poster in the is bridal portrait taken at nearby Ellendale Farm.

A pretty bride in a portrait taken at Ellendale Farm near downtown Crown Point.

The wedding took place on July 5th just after Independence Day celebrations. We started out at Glamour Hair Design in Valparaiso. I always try to capture all the laughter and fun that often takes place at the Getting Ready sessions on the wedding day and that was pretty easy with these girls!! They simply couldn't stop laughing and goofing off. I guess they got pretty used to me being there and the cocktails may have played a part too. :)

A bridesmaid sneaks up on the bride to give her a kiss.

Bridesmaids goof off with make up at Glamour Design Salon in Valparaiso.

The flower girl fit right in with this group as she was not camera shy in anyway. Here she is with the bride just before taking off to the Crown Point wedding ceremony.

The bride hugs the flower girl just before her wedding ceremony in Crown Point, Indiana.

Soon we were inside the Grand Old Lady which is the nickname for the old Crown Point courthouse located on Main Street in the downtown square. The father of the bride walked her down the aisle with friends and family looking on.

Father of the bride walks her down the aisle of the old Crown Point courthouse.

The groom gave her a surprise dip during their first kiss as the pastor roared with approving laughter.

The groom dips his bride during the first kiss at their wedding ceremony at the Crown Point courthouse.

Family wedding photos took place outside the building in front of the steps. Well wishers honked their horns as they drove around the shopping square.

Family wedding photos on the steps of the Crown Point Courthouse.

The groom was all smiles on his wedding day...

The groom smiles with joy on his wedding day on the front steps of the Crown Point courthouse.

After family portraits we took a 3 minute drive to the Ellendale Farm neighborhood in Crown Point for romantic wedding photos along the lake.

A sunburst appears in the sky as the bride and groom look toward each other in this romantic wedding photo at Ellendale Farm in Crown point.

The Crown Point flavor continued as guests were treated to a candy bar with swirled lollipops as the bride and groom did their first dance in the courthouse Bali ballroom.

Lollipop wedding decorations at a reception at the Crown Point courthouse.

First dance inside the Bali ballroom during a wedding reception at the Crown Point courthouse.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek as Mike and Danielle "get hitched" at the old Crown Point Courthouse. for more updates, stay tuned to this Journal and like the SBV Photography Facebook Page.

June Wedding Reception at Aberdeen Manor

June 23, 2013 Steve Vansak

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.