Wedding at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana

August 18, 2014 Steve Vansak

Wedding ceremony at Saint Maria Goretti Church

Mike the cowboy married his cowgirl Lisa at Saint Maria Goretti Church this past Saturday. You will see later in this post why I'm making cowboy references. All i can say is, this was a fun one and full of surprises for guests as well as the photographers. The happy couple met online and it became an Indiana and Texas nuptial in short order.

The day began at Lisa's parent's home in Munster, Indiana with touching candids of mother and daughter as well as lots of laughter with the bridesmaids.

Getting Ready images at the home of the bride's parents.

I don't know too much about motorcycles, but I do know that Mike's red and black bike looks super cool. I made sure we took a portrait of him on it after he drove up and guests arrived for the ceremony at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana.

The groom arrives to his wedding at St. Maria Goretti via motorcycle and black tuxedo.

Father Charles is quite the character and we sure enjoyed his improvisation of the ceremony. He had Mike and Lisa laughing throughout. Their lighting of the unity candles was one of the few serious moments as light shone in from above.

The bride and groom light unity candles at St. Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church.

The bride and groom exit as bubbles surround them at St. Maria Goretti Church.

We took family formals as well as dramatic couple's shots in the church and then it was on to Centennial Park for some fun wedding photos.

The bride's wonderful dress on display at the church altar.

Bridesmaids photo bomb the groomsmen in this fun wedding photo.

The girls tipped me off ahead of time that they were going to photo bomb the groomsmen so we were ready to capture all of the fun. Mike wanted to show off the writing on the bottom of his shoes, so I did some romantic couple in the sun images at the same time. We then went all around the park taking romantic wedding photos on a warm August afternoon.

The groom shows off the writing on his wedding shoes.

The bride and groom kiss atop the Centennial Park bridge in Munster, Indiana.

Late afternoon sun engulfs the happy couple after their wedding ceremony.

The wedding reception at Wicker Park Social Center is where the cowboy references really start to kick in. Friends and family had no idea where the groom was until he burst into the room in his white hat and singing to the crowd and introducing his new wife.

The groom enters his reception in a cowboy hat singing a country song.

Groom introduces his bride at Wicker Park Social Center in Munster, Indiana.

Ladies and gentleman, Texas has arrived in Indiana!! The new Mr. and Mrs. Holland have entered the building!!!

First dance of the bride and groom at Wicker Park Social Center.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Mike and Lisa's wedding at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, Indiana. Please subscribe below for more updates as well as visit the Region Weddings Social Media Page.

A close up of the happy couple on the dance floor at Wicker Park Banquet Hall.

Summer Wedding at the Halls of St. George

August 11, 2014 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom have their first look inside Lemon Lake Park in Crown Point, Indiana.

Kate and Greg had a wonderful summer day for their outdoor wedding at the Halls of St. George banquet hall in Schererville, Indiana. We had humidity and sun beating down upon us at times, but with a solid plan for the day, including a fun first look (as seen above and below) at Lemon Lake Park, it was a great wedding day!!

A montage of images from an bride and groom's first look at Lemon Lake Park.

Our day started at the couple's home with the girls getting ready. I remember the make up artist asking Kate if she was nervous and she said no. I believe her as she appeared very relaxed with good friends and her mom by her side sharing many laughs together.

The bride and her bridesmaids get ready for her big day at her home in Crown Point, Indiana.

I met the guys for their pictures at Lemon Lake Park in Crown Point and the girls met us for the first look and then it was picture time for the wedding party and couples shots. We captured the greenery and the wonderfully tall trees and Kate and Greg also took a romantic stroll along the water.

Bridesmaids show off their pretty pink dresses at Lemon Lake Park in Crown Point, Indiana.

The groomsmen pose for a casual shot at Lemon Lake Park before the wedding ceremony.

A sun drenched kiss along the lake for the bride and groom.

The bride and groom take a romantic stroll along Lemon Lake in Crown Point, Indiana.

Kate and Greg (or me) could not have asked for a better wedding party. They were an enthusiastic and fun bunch and always ready for some photos. After a casual walk around the lake, we all headed for the Halls of St. George in Schererville where family and friends were awaiting the ceremony.

Dramatic clouds sit above the outdoor wedding ceremony at the Halls of St. George.

We had some nice cloud cover and this made for a very pleasant ceremony for guests as well as the wedding party. Kate was given away by her father as Greg awaited. The ceremony was never solemn as their pastor was part officient and part entertainer. Lots of smiles and laughter throughout.

A montage of images from an outdoor wedding ceremony at the Halls of St. George.

The bride and groom have their first kiss underneather the gazebo at Halls of St. George.

We took outdoor family photos right after the ceremony and then it was inside for dinner, dancing and socializing. The best man and maid of honor, Darrell and Ashley rocketed into the room during introductions. As you can see, we had some party crashers during the cutting of the cake, but I made sure security escorted them out!! :)

Future brides and future clients photo bomb the couple as they cut their wedding cake.

The room took on a purple hue for first dances and soon the floor filled to capacity. Let the good times roll...

Father and daughter on the dance floor at the Halls of St. George.

The dance floor is filled to capacity at the Halls of St. George Banquet Hall.

The single girls await the landing of the bouquet.

Photo of the wedding rings on top of a signature board

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Greg and Kate's summer wedding at the Halls of St. George. Many more images to come and you can find updates by subscribing below and following Region Weddings on Facebook.

Indian American Engagement Celebration

August 5, 2014 Steve Vansak

Indian and American bride and groom at their engagement party.

When Dr. Abbas called me to discuss photographing his son's engagement celebration I was very excited by the idea. I had done Indian celebrations in the past and they are always spectacular affairs and I love capturing the color and the decor. It was a terrific meeting with him and his family and when the day finally came my assistant and i couldn't have hoped for a better welcome.

I started by capturing candids of arriving guests and then we stepped around the property in Dyer, Indiana for engagement portraits of Amir and Taylor, our happy couple.

Amir and Taylor in front of a gorgeous fountain of the the home of the groom's father.

This Indian American engagement celebration was filled with food, laughter and love. Children played and adults mingled as I captured the event reportage style.

A mom playfully encourages her child to eat a delicious banana at an engagement party in Northwest Indiana.

Amir and Taylor were to exchange gifts on a stage specially built inside the home as friends and family looked on. Amir placed the ring upon his bride and she presented him with a beautiful luxury watch. Taylor's American family and her soon to be Indian family were both present on the stage. As Dr. Abbas stated in his terrific speech, we are a melting pot of people and cultures. The engagement celebration was a terrific example of this.

A collage of images from an Indian American engagement party.

An engagement ring and luxury Swiss watch.

Dr. Mohammed Abbas gives a heartfelt speech at his son's engagement celebration.

After the ceremony, dinner was served and it was time for family photographs. A terrific time was had by all and soon they will be together once again for the wedding of Amir and Taylor.

Exchanging of the rings at an Indiana American engagement ceremony.

Family portrait of the soon to be bride and groom with his parents.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Amir and Taylor's Indian American engagement celebration. Subscribe to this page below or the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Once again, congratulations to Amir and Taylor!!

An Indian and American engaged couple.ngagemente

Engagement Session at Deep River County Park

July 14, 2014 Steve Vansak

Kurt and Katie are book lovers and their wedding next June is taking on a literary theme. It was only appropriate that we bring a little bit of Harry Potter to the mix during our summer engagement session at Deep River County Park. It was a great way to show off their theme and have some wonderful greenery in the shots as well.

A young couple reads Harry Potter for their engagement photos.

Deep River County Park is a mainstay for all kinds of photography sessions and I always try to come up with something different whenever I photograph there, While known for it's greenery, there's some great brick and texture near the building as well. We took advantage of this on the sunny side of the building as well as the shaded entrance.

An engaged couple holds hands in between a doorway surrounded by brick at Deep River Park.

A couple in love kisses at the entrance of the country store at Deep River Park.

I loved the rustic look of the old wagon wheel on the property so i simply let Katie and Kurt be themselves and we took a number of candid photos there as well as a stroll across the grounds of the old baseball field.

A candid moment by the old wagon wheel at Deep River County Park.

A fun stroll through the grass during an engagement session.

Katie's ring on the scrabble letter holder will look great in a Wish Book or Save the Date Cards...

Scrabble letter spell 'forever' with the engagement ring as the letter 'o'.

A trip to the iconic location would not be complete without gazebo shots as well as one of the famous bridges...

The iconic gazebo at Deep River County Park.

The famous bridge at Deep River County Park.

At the end of their engagement session, Kurt and Katie told me how much fun they had and this is always great to hear. I too had a lot of fun and love to photograph engagement sessions. It's a great way to get to know my wedding clients as well as get them used to being photographed. Come next June when Kurt and Katie will be married, they will be old pros in front of the camera!! :)

The sun shines through the trees as a young couple embraces along the river.

A young couple in front of the Sugar Shack at Deep River County Park.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Kurt and Katie's engagement session at Deep River. For more updates, subscribe to this Journal below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page.