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The Year 2022 saw me shooting weddings all over the Midwest. While I’m primarily known as a Northwest Indiana wedding photographer, I do photograph weddings in southwest Michigan, downtown Chicago and various Illinois locations.
I do travel for weddings as a destination wedding photographer as well. Simply contact me here to chat about your destination wedding.
Read moreA romantic kiss during blue hour at a wedding at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.
The blue hour is the 30 to 40 minute period just after sunset and before sunrise. It can make for incredibly romantic and unique wedding photos.
I often take these blue hour wedding photos as portraits with the newlyweds as we sneak out of the reception for a few minutes. However, blue hour wedding photos can occur during a twilight outdoor ceremony or even the first dance of open air venues such as Four Corners Winery and The Pavilion at Sandy Pines. Take a look below.
Blue hour wedding ceremony and reception photos.
We are at the mercy of Mother Nature for these types of images though. If we get cloudy skies we simply aren’t going to get that blue in the sky. Also, facing West is helpful and while not necessary, I do like some other ambient light in the scene such as from the barn window in the images below as well as the leaning lighthouse off of the lake.
I have a special way of lighting these as well to make them look natural but yet bring out even more of the blue in the sky.
A blue hour wedding photo at County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana.
A blue hour wedding photo with light reflections at Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.
Are you up for attempting some blue hour photos at your wedding? While I like to leave you alone during the reception to enjoy your wedding, if you want this look I’d be glad to pop outside for a few minutes to capture these for you provided location and weather cooperate.
Here are a few more images below at weddings as well as some portraits I’ve done at blue hour in Chicago.
As always, Contact Me Here to find out availability and to schedule a meeting.
Romantic blue hour wedding photos.
Blue hour portraits taken in Chicago, Illinois.
A newly married couple hops into a classic car on their wedding day at Uptown Social wedding venue.
2020 has been one of the most challenging years the world has faced during my lifetime. The simple tasks of going to the grocery store or visiting your favorite coffee shop became quite the endeavor. Seeing the loss of life and illness due to the pandemic can really crush one’s spirit.
When you are young and in love with wedding plans and dreams of gathering with family and friends in celebration these new and uncharted circumstances can double the stress that is already involved. When you are a wedding and event photographer who makes one’s living documenting togetherness, I also felt just as helpless.
Some of my 2020 clients understandably moved their dates to 2021 and some stayed the course for 2020, but not without many second guesses. Those who moved forward did so knowing some major adjustments would have to take place. What’s the biggest wedding fashion trend of 2020? The face mask of course! Who would have thought?
Wedding party wearing faces masks.
As I take you through the year in this post, keep in mind the love is still there and the same with the camaraderie, the fun and hopefully the art as well. A big thanks to my 2020 wedding clients and their friends and families for sticking with the wedding photographer in a black mask whom you could not hear because he’s not used to speaking in a mask!! Ha - enjoy…
Bride and groom under the arch at Village Church in Dyer, Indiana.
Late Spring saw Amanda and Taylor’s wedding at Village Church in Dyer, Indiana with close friends and family only. They had a wonderful outdoor cake ceremony outside at Centennial Park for their reception and loved ones cheered them with bubbles.
Northwest Indiana wedding photos from Spring.
With Spring blurring into summer, it was also Samantha and Zach’s big day at The Patrician wedding venue. They also added the Wedding Short Film to their package as seen below.
Bride on the altar of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Crown Point.
Kaley and Adam had quite a bit to juggle for their June wedding with two ceremonies - inside at St. Mary’s in Crown Point with their parents only attending and to other friends and family in an outdoor setting in Valparaiso. Then it was off to Aberdeen Manor for the reception.
Indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies in June in Northwest Indiana.
It’s always great to be back at County Line Orchard for a summer barn wedding. This time is was Hallie and Jordan with an emotional first look and rocking reception at the big red barn.
Summer barn wedding at County Line Orchard.
Bride and groom take a stroll along the fencing at County Line Orchard.
Before 2020 I had never heard of the term Micro Weddings but this past year saw a number of these elopement style, small wedding gatherings. Enough so that I now have wedding packages for these intimate weddings.
As seen below, Friendship Botanical Garden in Michigan City is a perfect spot for Micro Weddings along with full size wedding days.
Elopement style portraits at Friendship Botanical Garden.
August saw an outdoor ceremony in Warsaw, Indiana with Marissa and David along with a chapel elopement in Illinois with Elizabeth and David. The end of the month saw Jessica and Matt tie the knot at Ravisloe Country Club in Illinois.
Outdoor wedding in Warsaw, Indiana.
Bride in the ballroom window at Ravisloe Country Club.
August weddings in Illinois.
I always love weddings at Aberdeen Manor and Jasmine and Jacob’s ceremony was in the outside garden. We shot at the Aberdeen Inn as well as Family Express, because… why not?!!
A candid moment for the bride and groom with a water fountain in the background.
A late summer wedding at Aberdeen Manor.
September saw Taylor and Jesus have a beach wedding and reception at Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.
Outdoor wedding at Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.
The groom embraces his bride.
Alyssa and Goran’s micro wedding at Barker Mansion was quite unique as it all took place at night. After the twilight ceremony we went inside the historic mansion for creative portraits.
Photos from a night time micro wedding at Barker Mansion in Michigan City.
Bride and groom kiss with a circle of light around them in the halls of Barker Mansion.
Colleen and Michael were up next with a church ceremony in Crown Point at St. Matthias Parish with a reception at Uptown Social.
September wedding at Uptown Social in Michigan City, Indiana.
Bride and groom beneath the stage at wedding venue Uptown Social.
It was great to be back at The Pavilion at Sandy Pines for Amanda and Ben’s outdoor, golf course wedding. What a beautiful Northwest Indiana wedding venue this is.
A romantic walk in the woods at Sandy Pines in Demotte.
Golf course wedding in Demotte at Sandy Pines.
There’s nothing like a Greek wedding to keep you on your toes and Maggie and Ben’s big day was a blast.
October continues to be busy with another micro wedding with Bianca and Austin in the Northeast portion of Indiana and the very next day a wedding in Davenport, Iowa with Allison and Nathan.
Greek wedding at St. George and The Patrician in Schererville, Indiana.
The bride and groom embrace in a field in Davenport, Iowa on their wedding day.
Chapel weddings in Indiana and Iowa.
The end of October saw me back at Aberdeen Manor for an Autumn wedding with Stephanie and Tim with some gorgeous Fall color. Kinsey and Kevin and brought their fun the very next day for their Halloween wedding.
Fall color takes over for an October wedding at Aberdeen Manor.
October wedding at Aberdeen Manor and Ballroom.
A Halloween themed wedding.
Temperatures cooled in November, but things were hot at County Line Orchard for Sofia and Daniel’s big day.
The bride opens the doors of the grain silo at County Line Orchard.
Winter barn wedding at County Line Orchard.
December wedding in Crown Point, Indiana.
Tori and Steve finished out 2020 with a December wedding in downtown Crown Point with Christmas lights and a church ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
So there you have it, the 2020 Year in Review of weddings in Northwest Indiana and Illinois. I hope you are doing well and staying safe as you read this. As always, please contact me via the Contact Form here to inquire about your big day. Happy New Year!
A night time kiss in downtown Michigan City.
The groom and his bride during their October 31st wedding.
“I was working in the lab, late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab, began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise
He did the mash, he did the monster mash
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
He did the mash, it caught on in a flash
He did the mash, he did the monster mash”
“It will all work out in the end” is what Kinsey’s Dad said he had been telling her all year. “And look around, here we are” he said as he motioned to all gathered during the Halloween wedding reception at Andorra Banquets.
Having your wedding on Halloween complete with guests in costumes, means you are seeking something different and non-traditional for your big day but I’m sure a worldwide pandemic wasn’t on Kinsey and Kevin’s mind when they chose the date.
We were supposed to be in Illinois for the entire day but we ended up going to Indiana for the ceremony and reception. We did start in the Land of Lincoln for getting ready and first looks and then crossed the state line for portraits at Centennial Park and onto the venue.
The bride and her bridesmaids get ready for the big day.
Bridal decor a Halloween styled wedding.
Bridal portrait in window light on her wedding day.
We had two first looks in a row. First up was with Dad at his home and then it was bride and groom at their favorite hang out Teehans in Tinley Park, Illinois.
First look with Dad.
First look for the bride and groom outside Teehan’s Bar in Tinley Park, Illinois.
While this may have been a Halloween styled wedding on October 31st, I’d say “pizza and beer” was another theme of the day with pictures at Village Pizza as well as Teehan’s where the couple eats and drinks quite often.
Beer and pizza on wedding day.
Street portrait style wedding photo.
Wedding portrait at Village Pizza.
We went into Teehan’s Bar so the happy couple could read cards to each other. Kevin played a few tunes on guitar as well.
Kevin and Kinsey did one last monstrous dip before we jetted off to Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana for pictures. Oh, and word has it a pizza was delivered to the wedding party for a mid-day snack!
Love letters.
The groom dips his bride on Halloween.
Happy Halloween from the bride and groom.
Wedding party at Centennial Park.
Bride and bridesmaids on Halloween.
The bride and groom before their ceremony.
A sun star looms over the lake at Centennial Park.
The bridesmaids practice social distancing.
The ceremony took place at Andorra Banquets and was immediately followed by cocktail hour into the reception where ghouls and goblins roamed the dance floor. The bride and groom also had their traditional cake, excuse me - pizza cutting..
Halloween wedding ceremony at Andorra Banquets in Schererville, Indiana.
Halloween wedding cocktail hour.
The bride and groom cut their “cake”.
Halloween wedding reception at Andorra.
This has merely been a sneak peek look at Kinsey and Kevin’s Halloween wedding with many more images to come. To inquire about your big day, Halloween or not - please fill out the Contact Form right here.