A Free Honeymoon Registry

March 18, 2013 Steve Vansak

A newly married couple share a champagne toast as they dine outdoors in front of a summer sunset during their honeymoon.

Many brides and grooms already own the “traditional” wedding gifts for which young couples used to register. Do you really need another set of towels or a new toaster? Some couples would rather have cash for the honeymoon! Several honeymoon registries are available online but many of them charge fees. I just discovered Honey-fund - a completely free service, created by a real bride and groom who dreamed of a Fiji honeymoon but couldn’t afford one.

Honeymooners-to-be create a dream honeymoon wish list - airfare, margaritas by the pool, skydiving, whatever you want! Select items from a sample registry based on your honeymoon location or write up your own creative excursions. Your guests select which activity they want to help fund (in $20 increments). Honeyfund helps you spread the word with e-mail, web, and print announcements plus your own Honeyfund website address. You can also link to your traditional registries so guests have a choice.

Your gift givers are instructed to pay you directly by cash or check, either by mail or presented at a shower or at the wedding, along with a printable Honeyfund gift certificate. Sure, it’s essentially the same as putting money in a card but your guests will have fun reading about how you plan to spend their gift during your honeymoon.

Guests may also pay by credit card or PayPal. They’ll have to pay the fees charged by those companies (up to 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction) but this might be an easy, attractive option for out-of-towners who won’t be able to attend your wedding.

The site contains comments from several couples, explaining why they used a honeymoon registry and describing how their guests reacted. Check out Honey-fund and let me know what you think.

Studio Engagement Session | Danielle & Mike

March 14, 2013 Steve Vansak

A mixed race couple poses for an engagement photo in a Crown Point portrait studio.

Danielle hired me to be the wedding photographer for her and Mike's upcoming wedding in July, so this engagement session at my Crown Point portrait studio was the first time meeting her fiancé. He's a great guy and was incredibly at ease in front of the camera!! We hit if off right away and it was a breeze getting natural looking studio portraits of this happy couple.

We chatted away during the session and the difficult part was keeping these two from laughing all of the time. I'd love to claim that my witty commentary was the reason for their laughter, but it was plain to see that they interact like this all of the time.

An engaged couple in a natural looking studio portrait laughing and having fun.

This was a fun and lighthearted studio session through and through. I can't wait for their wedding day at the old Crown Point courthouse this summer.

A fun loving bride to be and her fiancé laugh it up at the Region Weddings Crown Point portrait studio.

An interracial couple kisses for their studio portrait engagement session.

This is merely a sneak peek look at Daniele and Mike's studio engagement session. Check back here on the Journal and give the Facebook page a like to see more images. To book your very own studio session, add it to your shopping cart below and drop me a line via the Contact Form to set up an appointment.

Villa Cesare Bridal Show Winner

March 13, 2013 Steve Vansak

We had a great night at the Villa Cesare 2013 Bridal Show!! My assistant and I had a wonderful time meeting all the brides (and grooms) who came by our booth. We met some awesome new vendors today as well. Once again we gave away a prize package at our booth.

A winner has been picked for the $100 Gift Certificate. This is good toward any package. Please see the Rates Page for engagement and wedding packages. If you already have your wedding photographer, please visit my sister site SBV Photography for studio and other on location packages.

I know bridal shows can be overwhelming, so to remind you of which photographer I am, here are some of the images you may have seen while visiting my booth.

A bride and groom dances their first dance at Avalon Manor in Merrillville as a beautiful blue hue of color engulfs them.

Candid wedding photo of bride and groom laughing at the head table of their wedding reception at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville.

Now that I've jogged your memory, onto our winner...

Krystal Locki will be receiving a $100 Gift Certificate. Congratulations Krystal!!

Here is how to confirm your prize:

Respond to the email I will be sending you shortly
Schedule a meeting before March 31st where I will hand you over the certificate
Use the certificate of $100 by May 31st, 2013 - good toward engagement photography, studio or toward a wedding deposit.

If you are not a winner of the gift certificate and you end up booking a wedding with me, please mention that you were at this show. I will add a complimentary 11x14 Professional Print to your package as a thank you. Fill out the Contact Form to schedule your meeting. I want all potential clients to have awesome wedding photos. If I have your date booked, I'd be glad to send you to another highly qualified wedding photographer. You deserve great images!!

Family Wedding Photos

March 11, 2013 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom play with their daughters on a swing set before their summer wedding in this tender moment family photo.

Although we tend to focus on the stars of the show at a wedding - the bride and groom - another key element is capturing family. I realize how important this is to everyone involved in this momentous occasion and I always look to capture candids of family members as well as be prepared for formal group shots. One of my all time favorites is the above shot of the bride and groom playing on a swing set with their two daughters on their wedding day. I hope these girls will display this photograph at their own weddings one day in the future.

Another one of my favorite images was taken at the old Crown Point courthouse during a summer wedding reception. The groom's grandmother happened upon a family member she had not seen in years and I was in the right place to capture her emotional moment as they hugged. I was covering the action on the dance floor when I heard her reaction behind me. I'm so glad I was able to capture this special moment for them.

An emotional grandmother tears up as she greets family at a summer wedding reception at the old Crown Point Courthouse.

After a church ceremony, we grab the shot list that we gave to the bride and groom to fill out and will begin gathering family together for formal group shots. We have a lighting system with us to make sure that we are able to provide sharp, well lit images in which every family member can be seen. At this New Years Eve wedding at Bethel Church in Crown Point, we had quite the large group of family members that we arranged for the big group shot.

While we are certainly capable of delivering traditional family photos like the one above, we certainly aren't opposed to some fun family photos with a few props thrown in. The bride and groom's moms hammed it up in this image taken at The Avalon Manor in Merrillville.

The mothers of the bride and groom pose for this fun family wedding photo while holding up a large picture frame.

I gave this candid family wedding photo a vintage look due to the timeless nature of the daughters and sons of the bride and groom all blowing wedding bubbles together. It was a perfect moment that took place on the steps of the gift house at Deep River Park in Hobart, Indiana.

The sons and daughters of the bride and groom blow bubbles at an outdoor wedding at Deep River Park in Hobart, Indiana.

The wedding ceremony itself can provide many family photos. This image of a bride being kissed by her father as he walks her down the aisle of their church in New Buffalo, Michigan fits the bill as does these grandparents chatting outside at the Marquette Park Pavilion.

Military Dad kisses his daughter as he walks her down the aisle at this church wedding in New Buffalo, Michigan.

Grandparents of the bride await the start of the outdoor wedding ceremony at Marquette Park Pavilion in Gary, Indiana.

Another great ceremony moment was this spontaneous kiss from mom, the bride to her son, the groomsman as he walked her down the aisle at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Indiana.

A mom and bride kisses her son as he walks her down the aisle at White Hawk Country Club.

I will conclude my post on family wedding photos with pictures of two generations of proud men - the proud dad and groom with his two sons and the grandfather overjoyed to be dancing with his granddaughter at the reception.

It's an awesome feeling to know that I'm capturing these moments that will be viewed, enjoyed and talked about for years to come. With that I say, bring on wedding season 2013!! :)