Wedding at the Macedonian Hall in Crown Point, Indiana

June 30, 2014 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom take their first dance at Macedonian Hall in Crown Point, Indiana surrounded by amber lighting.

Nick and Jillian got the best of both worlds this past weekend with rain for good luck while we were inside during the ceremony to clear skies for our outdoor photographs and back to more good luck rain while we were inside Macedonian Hall for the reception. Such is nature here in Northwest Indiana where if you wait 5 minutes..... well, you get the joke!! :)

All kidding aside, it was a wonderful day that started out at Downtown Hair Studio in Lowell where Jillian's mom and all around BFF got her make up done alongside her daughter.

The bride's mom shares a laugh with her daughter.

The bride gets her make up done at Downtown Hair Studio in Lowell.

Lowell Methodist Church was right down the street and we hung the bride's beautiful dress from the balcony as light shined through the stained glass windows.

The bride's wedding dress hangs from the balcony at Lowell Methodist Church.

Jillian did not want Nick to see her before the ceremony so we did a peek-a-boo shot with the groom walking in blindfolded. We then took a cute picture of the happy couple after Jillian relieved him from the bandana blindfold.

The bride and groom take a photo WITHOUT seeing each other before the ceremony.

The church ceremony saw family and friends in the pews as the ring bearers announced the entrance of the bride. I loved the look of the vintage church, especially the cross that hung above during the ceremony.

Ring bearers hold up a Here Comes The Bride sign.

Wedding ceremony at Lowell Methodist Church.

After family photos we went to Nick's grandmother's farm house in Hebron for couples and wedding party pictures. The neighbor's curious horse decided to photo bomb the couple as they kissed along the walkway. Too funny!!

The bride and groom kiss as a curious horse looks on.

The newly married couple gaze at each other with Indiana farmland as a backdrop.

Macedonian Hall was all lit in an Amber hue thanks to DJ Shaun Kelly at Spinnin' Productions. The groom danced with his mom and Jillian danced with the important men in her life.

Mother and son dance at Macedonian Hall.

The large dance floor at Macedonian Hall was full as friends and family surrounded the couple in celebration. No one cared about the rain outside at this point. To all of us inside, it was already a beautiful night.

Family and friends surround the bride and groom at Macedonian Hall in Crown Point.

This is merely a sneak peek look at Nick and Jillian's wedding at Macedonian Hall. Stay tuned and subscribe to this blog below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more updates.

June Wedding at Sandy Pines Pavilion in Demotte, Indiana

June 23, 2014 Steve Vansak

A candid, fun moment between the bride and the groom.

Lindsey and Ryan had a wonderful June wedding at Sandy Pines Pavilion in Demotte, Indiana. They were surrounded by friends and family that gave us many warm and tender and fun moments to capture. It rained this day and brought their outdoor ceremony inside the pavilion. Let's just get that out of the way. So what, I say. It certainly didn't dampen the couple's spirit as I captured them laughing and having fun all day long. As Ryan says in his note to Lindsey that she received while getting ready "nothing is more important to me than making sure you know how much I love you".

The girls got ready in the spacious Sandy Pines Condominiums a block or so away from the pavilion. I captured hair and make up as well as the wonderful dress Lindsey's was going to be wearing soon. My Big Fat Greek Wedding played on the TV as we occasionally checked weather reports.

A beautiful wedding dress hangs from a chandelier at Sandy Pines Condo.

I went around the condo area as well as the golf course itself with the girls as my second photographer captured the guys at another location.

Portrait of the bride at the Sandy Pines Condo in Demotte.

Bridesmaids do some tree hugging at Sandy Pines Golf Course.

As guests entered the grounds they were greeted by the wonderfully rustic homemade signs announcing the couple's big day. The entire event was a family affair all the way with lots of kids, grandparents and more. Ryan's brothers helped rescue some of the ceremony decor as everything moved inside with the thunderstorm brewing.

The bride high fives a little baby boy at her wedding.

Although the rain was coming down quite heavy at this point, everything was all smiles as Ryan and Lindsey were married.

Wedding ceremony at Sandy Pines Pavilion.

We immidiately took family pictures as the rain continued and when it let up we took couple's shots along the pathways on the golf course. The rain gave us some nicely saturated greenery and a dramatic sky.

The newly married couple walk along the Sandy Pines Golf Course in Demotte, Indiana.

The bride and groom flirt in this candid wedding photo.

A dramatic sky wedding photo at Sandy Pines Golf Course in Demotte, Indiana.

The fun continued after dinner with heartfelt toasts of champagne and dancing under the roof of the open air wedding venue...

The bride and groom drink champagne at Sandy Pines Pavilion during their wedding reception.

I always say to embrace the rain at your wedding. Once nightfall hit and it became apparent that things were not going to let up, I asked Lindsey if she minded taking a walk along the puddled path of the pavilion in her dress. She was up for it so i provided them with a clear umbrella and we took a series of night wedding photos in the rain. I'm so glad we did this as it's going to very unique wedding pictures for their album.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Ryan and Lindsey's June wedding at Sandy Pines Pavilion in Demotte, Indiana. Many more to come. Please subscribe here below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page too.

Outdoor Wedding at Aberdeen Manor

June 16, 2014 Steve Vansak

Surprise flower delivery with a note from the groom.

I usually start my posts with an image of the bride and groom, but today we get a message of love from Ryan to his bride Nikki. It was an unexpected delivery of flowers that came after make up had been applied. Nikki decided to read it later because she knew she'd cry, but that didn't stop her bridesmaids (or me) from taking a look. :)

The bride receives flowers on her wedding day.

The bridesmaids read a message of love sent over from the groom.

Our day started at the wonderful Accents on 45th in Highland, Indiana where the staff was just terrific. The entire salon was riveted to Nikki's spectacular hair all the way from the mussing to the finished style.

The bride gets her hair done at Accents on 45th in Highland, Indiana.

Next we made our way to Nikki's parent's home and I knew I had arrived at the right place due to the wedding decorations outside. Her parents have a wonderful home and the inside was wedding bliss as well with balloons and sayings of love. We used the front of their home for some bridesmaids photos along with nice formals as well.

After Nikki's mom helped lace up her dress I exited the room and looked back to see this wonderful light falling upon the bride and I took the following image.

The bride in her parent's home just before leaving for her wedding ceremony.

A fun wedding photo between the bride and her maid of honor.

Cute picture of the bride and her girls in front of her parent's home.

We then made our way from Highland to Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso where the outdoor ceremony and reception were to take place. We met up with Ryan and his groomsmen at a scenic area near the Aberdeen ballroom.

Groom sits by the ledge of a river near Aberdeen Manor.

The groomsmen relax before the wedding ceremony at Aberdeen.

As guests arrived, Nikki and Ryan did a peek-a-boo non look at each other as each one stood on the opposite side of a door way while holding hands....

The bride and groom hold hands as they stand at opposite sides of a doorway.

The weather was perfect for an outdoor ceremony and the seating in Aberdeen Manor courtyard was filled to capacity with friends and family.

The bride's father kisses her before giving her away.

A beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony at Aberdeen Manor.

First kiss at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso, Indiana.

For couple shots we went to the same area as the guy's photos for candid bride and groom portraits as well as a stroll through picturesque Valparaiso neighborhood. We broke away from the reception later in the evening for a night time picture at the Aberdeen Chapel adjacent to the ballroom.

A candid moment between the newly married couple.

A stroll through the Aberdeen neighborhood for the bride and groom.

The entire room rose and applauded when the newly married couple were introduced as Trans Audio provided the soundtrack.

The bride and groom enter the Aberdeen ballroom for their wedding reception.

The toast had lots of laugh as friends and family recounted funny moments in the couple's history. Soon it was time for a first dance as the room took on a blue hue in the darkened ballroom.

The bride and groom share a knowing look at their wedding reception at Aberdeen Manor.

The newlyweds dance a blue colored dance at their reception at Aberdeen Manor.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Nikki and Ryan's outdoor wedding at Aberdeen Manor in Valparaiso. Subscribe here and to the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates and many more images to come.

The bride and groom share a kiss underneath the evening stars in front of the Aberdeen chapel in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Summer Wedding at The Chapel of the Resurrection

June 2, 2014 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom at the steps leading to the altar at The Chapel of Resurrection in Valparaiso University.

I thought about entitleing this post All You Need Is Love to reflect the classic cut from The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour vinyl album that was on display at David and Heather's summer wedding at Valparaiso University. The music fans and vinyl record collecting bride and groom had their guests write a message onto the record itself. They felt bad about it, but made sure they had multiple copies of the two records on display.

I chose to display their rings next to the most pertinent cut on the album as you will see below...

A Beatles All You Need Is Love themed wedding ring photo.

The warm sunny day began at Salon Amara in downtown Valparaiso where Heather got her hair and make up done while her daughter and bridesmaid Addison supervised...

The bride gets ready for her wedding at Salon Amara in downtown Valparaiso.

The bride's daughter and bridesmaid awaits mom's make up to be completed.

Heather chose to wear flat shoes which was a very wise move considering the spectacular Church of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University has a very long entrance walk. As a wedding photographer, I love capturing the entrances at this majestic church and shooting wide to reveal the grandness of the large building. Even sweeter still was the bride being accompanied by both of her parents.

The bride is accompanied by her parents as she walks down the aisle at The Chapel of the Resurrection.

Wedding ceremony at Valparaiso University.

Heather and David have a great sense of humor so no wonder they had a couple of laughs with their pastor at the altar. We loved taking the big wide shots you see above of this beautifully large church as well as close moments like the first kiss up on the altar.

The bride and groom share a laugh with their pastor during their wedding ceremony at The Chapel of the Resurrection.

First kiss for the bride and groom at Valparaiso University.

After a short meet and greet with family and friends after the ceremony, the bride and groom came back in for family photos as well as couples shots and the bride alone at the altar.

I really set out to capture the wonderful color of the stained glass windows as well as showcase the bride in the image below. Then it was outside for some crazy, fun wedding photos.

The bride alone at the altar in front of stained glass windows.

The bride and her bridesmaid blow kisses to the camera.

The wedding party looks on in mock horror as the bride and groom kiss.

The wedding reception took place on the Valparaiso University campus as well. The outdoor terrace had friends hanging out during cocktail hour and we used this time to take candids of guests and the wedding party too. Then it was onto introductions and the youngest members of the wedding party certainly enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.

27 Entertainment also had the room beautifully lit as the bride and groom cut their plum colored cake.

The youngest of the wedding party celebrates their introduction.

The bride and groom cut their plum colored wedding cake.

The first dance was a real family affair as Heather and David invited their children up onto the floor as sounds of the Dave Matthews Band filled the room. Meanwhile guests were writing messages onto the couple's beloved Beatles album.

The bride and groom invite their children onto the floor for the first dance at their wedding reception.

Wedding guests sign the Magical Mystery Tour vinyl album.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek preview of Heather and David's summer wedding at The Chapel of the Resurrection on the campus of Valparaiso University. Please subscribe to this blog below and visit the Region Wedding Facebook page for more updates.