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.

Wedding Belles: Getting Ready at Salon Amara in Valparaiso

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Jamie and Andrew's wedding was all about family.  The day started out at Salon Amara in Valparaiso where the Wedding Belles - Jamie, her mom and Alison and Skylar got their hair and make up done.  The staff was extremely friendly and it was a pleasure to shoot there.

The Getting Ready part of the wedding day is all about capturing moments.  All the mirrors at Salon Amara were a blessing and a curse for a photographer.  On one hand, I could capture some laughter by pointing my camera at a mirror in another direction, but I was also seen a mile away for direct photos.  Nonetheless, I think we came out with some great photos of this wonderful family interacting...

Our bride Jamie is 29 years old and holding.  However, I happened to catch the headline of this bridal magazine while she was getting her pedicure done.  Nothing wrong with a little future planning!!  :)

Jamie was both ecstatic with joy and full of nervousness while trying on her veil...

Another use of the vast amount of mirrors at Salon Amara.  It's almost time to go back to the Radisson in Merrillville to get the wedding dress on.

I love capturing candid wedding photos, but a few happy posed pictures will look good in the wedding album as well...

Special effects can add fun and variety to the wedding photographs when done sparingly and with taste.  The above image adds a touch of motion blur to the bride's dress for a somewhat dreamy look.

Allison and Skylar were Jamie's fun loving young bridesmaids.  They have a lot of character and I wanted some photos that conveyed that.  Here they are in the lobby of the Radisson hotel relaxing with their feet up.  Yes, Allsion would continue to wear her red Chuck Taylor sneakers with her black bridesmaid dress for the rest of the day.

Skylar's mom gets in on the fun....

Jamie's mom helped tie her dress with daughter Skylar for these traditional wedding shots...

The wedding belles were just about ready for the limo to come and take them to Deep River Park for the outdoor wedding.  

My assistant and I had already noticed the temperature drop and the dark clouds in the sky.  Check out the next posting for a sampling of a rainy day wedding.  Just remember that no matter how dark the clouds get or how much water pours out of the sky, it will never damper the amount of love that is in the air.

Bride's Guide - Northwest Indiana Summer Bridal Show

Once again I will be showcasing at the Bride's Guide Bridal Show and Wedding Fair at Wicker Park Social Center.  I will be available for a meet and greet along with 60 other wedding vendors.  This time I will have my camera on hand and will be taking some shots of the event which has a Tropical Theme.

Info:

• Sponsored by Bride's Guide Magazine. Call (219) 662-9245 for tickets
• Tuesday June 7th, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
• Wicker Park Social Center - on the corner of Ridge Rd. and Indianapolis Blvd. in Highland, IN
• Tastings, Pampering, Discounts and many Prizes will be featured
• Group Discounts Available

On a Tuesday evening it may be tempting to go home for some TV and rest and relaxation.  However, I urge you to come by my booth and say hello.  Once again I will be holding a raffle to win a Chicago Engagement Session and I'd love it if you dropped in and filled out the entry form.  Last year's winner is certainly glad she did!!

Please note: Region Weddings is not affiliated with the Bride's Guide or Wicker Park Social Center.  I'd be glad to answer questions for you, but for more details please call the Bride's Guide at (219) 662-9245.  I am simply one of the vendors at the event.  

See you at the show!!

Rainy Day Wedding: Sneak Peek from Deep River Park

 I always tell my clients to not to worry if it rains on your wedding day.  Imagine the unique photographs you will have from braving the elements.  The image above has our bride Jamie's daughter and the groom Andrew's son walking out during the ceremony at Deep River Park.  They were on their way to the gazebo where their guests were huddled undercover.

We ended up with a very cool looking misty fog hovering around Allison's red All Star sneakers, nice saturated greenery from the wet rain and I believe a unique looking wedding photograph.  My assistant held an umbrella over me as I took these shots and we gave our extras to members of the wedding party who needed them.

I will have more images from this Deep River Park Spring wedding soon.  For now, enjoy this sneak peek.

The day started off warm and dry at Amara hair salon in Valparaiso.  The family gathered around as the bride Jamie treated herself to a relaxing foot massage.

Jamie's daughters Skylar and Alison were her bridesmaids.  Sometimes they hid from my prying lens and other times they hammed it up.  Either way I had fun capturing their Getting Ready session with their mom and Grandmother.

Jamie began to get emotional as she was trying on her veil.  She went from deep meditation to this glorious smile...

The girls went to the Radisson in Merrillville to put on their dresses.  Here's a quick fun photo in the lobby with the girls giving mom and bride to be some attitude.  Yes, Alison is wearing some red Converse All Stars with her dress!!  Cool.

At this point the rain had started so I caught up with Father and Son over at Deep River Park just before the ceremony was about to begin.

The cool rain and the warm ground created a misty fog as seen in these walking photos as the ceremony began.  Guests, Pastor and the Groom all were waiting under the roof of the gazebo.

We took family and couples shots at Deep River as the rain stopped just after the ceremony.  Here's one behind the old wedding barn...

We stayed at Deep River Park for about 45 minutes until descending upon Lucretia's Restaurant in downtown Crown Point, Indiana.  The family and friends had a nice dinner where I captured candid moments like this one with the bride and her son.

I also took many portraits of the wedding guests and their children...

Many more pictures from Jamie and Andrew's big day will be coming soon.  Subscribe to The Merrillville Wedding Photographer Journal by clicking on the RSS feed on the right.