Mike and Janine: Wedding at Dewey Cannon Winery - Sneak Peak

When Mike and Janine first told me they would be having their wedding ceremony at Willow Harbor Vineyard in Michigan and their reception at Dewey Cannon Winery in Three Oaks, I got very excited.  I knew we were going to be taking some wonderful wedding photographs.  This is another of my sneak peeks during this extremely busy wedding photography season.  So, just a sampling of photos today.  Many more to come.

The Dewey Cannon Winery provided some very spacious rooms to get ready in.  The shot below is the vintage mirror in the ladies section where our bride Janine got a last look before being picked up in a vintage Rolls Royce for the ceremony in the fields of the vineyard.

While the guys were across the hall smoking some cubans, I had the ladies crowd around the sofa in their room before sending off their friend.

The heat was around 95 degress with bright sun at this outdoor wedding.  Our bride Janine did not skip a beat when walking down the aisle at Willow Harbor Wine Vineyard.  All the guests stood up in reverence to the bride...

Janine's daughter was the flower girl and she was all playful smiles as the sun shined down upon her during the ceremony...

After the ceremony, all the guests got under a large tent and drank some much needed water.  At this time, my assistant and I gathered up friends and family for some formal shots at the scenic vineyard....

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Family and friends photos came first and then we sent them away to the reception. We closed out the formal photos with the happy couple alone as seen in the above shot. The bride and groom are seen underneath the gazebo they were married at just an hour earlier.

A nice meal was served at Dewey Cannon winery along with some great tasting Michigan wine.  As the wedding party and guests ate dinner, my assistant and I began taking detail shots such as this Love Story cake topper...

One can't have a wedding reception at Dewey Cannon winery without the wedding rings perched atop some grapes.  Might as well have that Willow Harbor wine as the background...

Mike and Janine closed out the night with a last dance in front of the wine barrels.  Then it was off to Italy for their honeymoon!!

Stay tuned and subscibe to this Journal and like us on Facebook for more images and stories from Mike and Janine's wedding in Michigan.

From the Meet and Greet to the Delivery of your Album: The Wedding Photography Timeline

Every so often I post a FAQ list of what I noticed clients would often ask me.  The idea is to help out a new visitor to the site and try to answer ahead of time questions they may have.  I thought I'd supersize that idea this time around by taking you through an entire timeline from our initial meet and greet to your wedding day all the way to when the final album is delivered.  This is going to be very detailed, so let's get right to it…

1. Take a look around my site and decide if the images meet your style.  The Gallery Page has wedding as well as engagement photos along with sample wedding album pages.  To see me and get an idea of my personality, check out the About Me page.
2. Please fill out the Contact form.  I'm checking email all day.  Calling the business line (219) 779-7137 will work as well.  I will check to see if your date is available and then I'd like to set up a meet and greet to hear about your big day.
3. You can come to my home studio for images on the big screen or I can buy you coffee and do a mobile presentation.  Either way, I will have sample books, prints, digital images - all my stuff!!  Most importantly, you get to meet the person who owns the business AND the photographer as well.  It happens to be me in both roles.  :)  I also get to know you and find out your needs.  I learn about your locations and we even sometimes decide together interesting shot ideas and locations for your wedding photography
4. We sign a contract either that day or at another time.  I ask for a 50% retainer of the package cost.  I accept check, cash or credit / debit.  Don't hesitate to schedule a meeting if you don't have your funds in order yet.  That is perfectly fine.
5. I go to work for you immediately.  I put notes into my computer and if it is a new location, I try to check it out beforehand.  Your date is now in my calendar.  Nothing else will be scheduled as I'm yours for the day.
6. We have another meeting before the wedding, preferably in person or over the phone if there is distance involved.  We make sure we have our timeline of the day in sync.
7. Approximately 10 days before the wedding, I send you a balance due invoice either via regular mail or an ebiil in email.  This gives you plenty of time to take care of payment.  I like to avoid dealing with money on the day of the wedding as I want to concentrate on shooting and I think you are going to be a bit busy as well!!
8. I provide all day coverage so I will see you at Getting Ready.  I usually have my assistant arrive toward the end of the Getting Ready part as I need her help with formals before and after the ceremony.  Her job is to help the Bride out on occasion with the dress, position my lighting and to help organize family members for group shots, etc.  We don't want the photographs to drag for you or your family and friends.
9. Toward the end of the reception I will check to see if I have covered everything.  I will approach you to make sure and I won't exit until we are both sure I captured everything.
10. I upload the images that night to my main computer and then to 3 other drives for safekeeping.  
11. Professional digital photography is a lot like film of the past.  For true quality, each image must be "developed" from scratch.  This means I open every single file by hand and make it into an image.  This doesn't mean "fixing the photos", it is simply taking the digital negative and making it into a picture.  I'm fairly quick, however it does take some time.  I'm shooting other weddings and events, making albums, etc.  My goal is to have you seeing your images in 3 to 4 weeks.
12. I will then get a hold of you for Premiere Night.  It's a fun time and family and friends are welcome.  We view a mini movie of highlights, view each image one by one, pick out your book covers, disc packaging, prints, etc.  I serve snacks and refreshments.  A good time is had by all.
13. I have your online gallery ready about a day after Premiere Night.  Friends and family can view these images, share on Facebook and order prints right from the site.
14. The prints come in first about a week later.  I get them from a pro lab - no drugstore chain printing!!  
15. I will be designing your wedding album and then sending off to the printer.  The disc also has premium packaging and is delivered with the wedding book. This takes approximately 3 - 4 weeks to design, print and deliver into your hands.
16. Delivery day!!  This is when I get your book and your Disc Package to you.  Hopefully you will have been so impressed with my services that you then run into the streets with your wedding images shouting my praises (and dropping my business cards) to friends, family and strangers alike.  :)

I hope this helps to answer the 'How does all this work?' question I sometimes hear.  If I missed something, just ask.  Also, if for some reason I'm not the right photographer for you, let me help you find somebody who is.  I truly want you to get some great images and have a fun experience with your photography on your wedding day.

Gardens on the Prairie Wedding: Sneak Peek

As you can tell from the cute sign, Zach and Olivia were very involved in the design of their outdoor wedding at The Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana.  I'm sure many of the guests took a photo of this as they entered the picturesque grounds of the landscape haven.  This was a special location for the groom as he is a former employee there.

The day started out in Crown Point at the house of Olivia's parents.  It's sits up on a lovely hill with great landscaping.  Here is a photo of the bridemaids out on the back patio enjoying the summer day and all that goes with a June wedding.

Inside, Olivia's mom had set up a Bride's Room with decor that incorporated their engagement photos and a thank you card from the bride to her wedding party and guests.

Olivia and Zach had what is called a First Look and I wanted to capture her looking for him and of course him reacting to her in the wedding dress for the first time and again as they came together.  I then combined the photos into this First Look Collage...

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From there we did a variety of formals with wedding party as well as the soon to be newlyweds like this kiss in one of the gardens at this scenic Lowell landmark.

Here are all the groomsmen showing off their matching socks.  Soon it would be time for the outdoor ceremony to begin.

Pride and enjoy is the best way to describe the looks upon father and daughter as they walk down the aisle on this wonderful summer day.

Zach and Olivia are a very warm and loving couple.  I've met them several times and of course spent their wedding day (and night) with them and that has showed every time.  It's definitely something I wanted to show off in their wedding photos and this holding of hands at the ceremony is one of many with that warm glow to it.

Their wedding reception took placed at Croation Hall in Crown Point, Indiana where they took their first dance in this softly focused photo...

Once again, this is only a sneak peek.  Many more images from Zach and Olivia's June wedding at Gardens on the Prairie will be following soon.  The editing process has just begun.  Be sure to subscribe to the Merrillville Wedding Photographer Journal here on this page and give us a like on Facebook.  Links for both are on the right hand side of this page.

Sneak Peek: Stephanie & Jordan at Griffith Lutheran Church

Stephanie and Jordan were married at Griffith Lutheran Church, but there wedding was anything but local. Friends and family were in from California, the happy couple is from Villa Park, Illinois and we did couple's shots in a beautiful park in Elmhurst!!

When I arrived for the Getting Ready session Stephanie was very calm and went about her doing her hair and make up and wedding dress like any other day.  I simply was a fly on the wall.  Her mom showed me around and we were off to do a wedding!!  :)

I was able to coax Stephanie into a classic bride in mirror type of shot.  She was looking spectacular at this point.  I wanted to make sure I caught the swoftness of her veil.  We were very close to ceremony time...

I had not met Jordan before this day, but I could tell they were the perfect match.  As they recited their vows to the priest at Griffith Lutheran, they did so with confidence and humor.  I would see a lot more of that humor as they day went on.  I really had fun photographing their wedding.  

Speaking of fun, if the flower girl kisses her friend during the ceremony, you can bet I'm going to capture it!!

And speaking of kisses, let's not forget the bride and groom's first kiss in this close up shot at the altar... 

I captured yet another smooch as the just married couple were leaving the church.  Family and friends were applauding and taking pictures...

We immidiately began taking family group shots inside the church.  Some were up close while other such as this one were captured as I stood in the balcony...

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When we got to Villa Park, Illinois we went searching for a park.  Jordan and one of his groomsmen found a gorgeous spot via their iPad and away we went.  I put the bride and groom up on a pedestal amidst the red flowers and greenery and let them do their thing...

I wanted a soft, almost silhouette photo and we found a hidden away spot with the sun drenching down upon it.  The happy couple naturally put their heads together and we came up with this photo.

The reception was a family affair at the couple's home in Villa Park.  Eventually they changed into their Chicago Bears jersey sweats with Stephanie retaining her veil.  Fun stuff...

There are many, many more images from every segment ofStephanie and Jordan's wedding day coming soon.  Stay tuned here on the Merrillville Wedding Photographer Journal and the Facebook page as well.