Fall Wedding at Centennial Park

October 8, 2014 Steve Vansak

A romantic kiss at sunset at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.

I have to hand it to Kristen and Ryan and their entire wedding party for toughing out the cold temperatures (mid 30's) at her Fall wedding at Centennial Park. Looking back years from now I believe they will have a good laugh over the ridiculous weather. See, goosebumps aside during the photographs, this was a fun wedding!!

We started the day at The Chop Shop in Lansing, IL where in between morning bagels, hairspray, and lots of laughs there were decisions being made on moving the ceremony inside. Kristen's beautiful decorations would not have survived the high winds so inside it was. Centennial Park has a wonderful reception room with wood floors and a look out over the lake. Her beautiful and colorful flowers courtesy of Sugarfield Flowers were going to pop either way.

Getting ready for the Autumn wedding at The Chop Shop hair salon.

Family looked on as the ring bearer made a break for it during the introductions which amused the flower girl. Reverend Doug Klukken kept the proceedings lighthearted and Kristen and Ryan were married.

Indoor wedding ceremony at Centennial Park.

The groomsmen at least had jackets, but the bridesmaids were strapless. I felt for them, but they made it happen as we walked along the grounds of Centennial Park taking wedding photos on the bridge and the garden as well as the amphitheater stage.

The bridesmaids show off their purple dresses on the bridge that overlooks the Centennial Park clubhouse.

After family and group photos were done, the couple went on a romantic stroll and we eventually ended up in the Centennial garden for dusk shot. Night was coming and the clouds were dark and dramatic. We were able to fire off a few sunset images as well.

Romantic stroll around Centennial Park for the bride and groom.

An evening kiss inside the Centennial Garden area.

One of the things I love about Fall weddings is all of the Autumn decor at the reception. Kristen and Ryan had tree bark table placements as well as twigs and more. Another great decorative addition was the illuminated LOVE sign that I understand the bride's father made.

Fall wedding reception at the Centennial Park clubhouse in Munster, Indiana.

The first dance in front of an illuminated sign of LOVE at Centennial Park.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Kristen and Ryan's Fall wedding at Centennial Park. Subscribe to this blog below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Wedding at Red Barn Experience

September 30, 2014 Steve Vansak

The bride glows in sunlight at the entrance of The Red Barn Experience in LaPort, Indiana.

Dustin and Rachel's rustic Fall wedding at The Red Barn Experience was filled with smiles and laughter. No really, my camera lens did not have to look far to see smiling, glowing faces. From the bride and groom themselves to family and guests at the reception. As I told Rachel before I left the reception that night, "you guys are doing it up right".

Speaking of smiling faces, when I entered the bridal suite at the Best Western Hotel in LaPorte I saw the dream team of hair and make up with Alex Garcia of Foxy by Alex Garcia and Krissy Vanderwoude of Makeup by Krissy V. and Shannon Grimmer of Fringe Salon. Rachel and her bridesmaids were in good hands and I'm sure the hidden stash of champagne made things all the better!!

Getting ready at The Best Western bridal suite in LaPorte, Indiana.

Rachel had a lovely dress and I got one last shot of her showing off her garter before heading to the Red Barn to set up the first look.

The bride shows off her garter just before her Fall wedding ceremony at The Red Barn Experience.

The plan was to have Dustin wait upon a hill in the back field behind the Red Barn and have Rachel walk toward him for the big reveal. He was nervous and excited and turned around and walked toward her. We caught their embrace and some intimate talk with the iconic windmill in the background.

First look for the bride and groom at The Red Barn Experience.

Bride and groom in front of the windmill at Red Barn.

If you are a fan of the rustic look then certainly this is a great wedding venue that many from Northwest Indiana as well as Chicago and Michigan celebrate at. It was the perfect scene for some bridal party wedding photos as well as the couple.

Sun rays illuminate the behind the red barn as the bride and groom gaze at each other.

After a walk in the cornfields and a cute kiss at the entrance to the Red Barn reception area, it was close to ceremony time.

The bride and groom walk amongst the Indiana corn.

Dustin was just as elated as the first look earlier when Rachel was walking down the aisle. The planted garden symbolism was very unique and I enjoyed that feature of the ceremony tremendously. As you may have noticed, weather was picture perfect.

The bride walks down the aisle at a Fall outdoor wedding ceremony at The Red Barn Experience.

The bride and groom plant a garden together during their outdoor wedding ceremony.

Remember all of those smiling faces I talked about at the beginning of the day? Here they all were along with many more at the open air reception. Somehow the groomsmen grew mustaches while the bridesmaids hair went frizzy. Must have been something in the champagne!! :)

Dancing under the stars and the lighting of the Sky Lanterns during the first dance were some of the many highlights.

Open air wedding reception at The Red Barn Experience.

Sky lanterns fill the night sky during the first dance.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Dustin and Rachel's rustic Fall wedding at The Red Barn Experience. Subscribe to this Journal below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Downtown Chicago Engagement Photos

September 29, 2014 Steve Vansak

The future bride and groom wear Chicago Blackhawks jerseys that show off their wedding date.

I had loads of fun photographing Nicole and Allen's engagement photos in downtown Chicago. I will be shooting their wedding on September 19th next year and as you can see above, these Blackhawks fans know how to get the word out to friends and family. I foresee some really cool Save the Date cards arriving in mailboxes soon.

The couple chose the Chicago Sessions engagement package so they will have a color photo gallery as well as vintage looking black and white versions. As usual, we started with the arrival of the train at the platform in Indiana and then made our way all around the city. We stumbled upon Rudy's which is wear the couple dined when they visited Chicago when Allen proposed.

We used the grit of the city as our backdrop. The L train roared above and the now iconic blue bicycles were everywhere. It was a day of laughter as a photo shoot in Chicago can sometimes attract interesting attention from tourist.

The L train speeds past an engaged couple in downtown Chicago.

A young couple in love are about to kiss in downtown Chicago.

While we definitely wanted to capture the grandeur of the windy city, we also wanted some nice close up portraits for Nicole and Allen to show off to family and friends. The Chicago River and the Millennium Garden gave us both.

Holding hand with the Chicago River and city skyscrapers in the background.

Showing off the engagement ring inside the Millennium Garden in Chicago.

We ended our session in the evening hours overlooking the city skyline as it was all lit up. The glowing stars of the street lamps matched that of the glowing faces of Nicole and Allen. A perfect ending to a great day of engagement photos in downtown Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek. Follow this Journal below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Wedding at Navy Pier in Chicago

September 24, 2014 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom gaze at each other with the Navy Pier ferris wheel in the background.

When Dennis and Julia told me their wedding ceremony would be at Navy Pier in Chicago, I knew we would be getting more than a few images of the iconic ferris wheel in the background. The above shot is our first photo of the day just before the rain started and a good 4 hours before the ceremony was to take place on the upper deck of the Mystic Blue cruise ship.

Bravo to Dennis and Julia for their bravery in sticking with me as we made our way around the city via an Uber car dodging the on again, off again stream of rain and wind. We achieved some real unique wedding photos and had a good time while we were at it.

Falling in love all over again on the streets of Chicago.

The bride and groom playing peekaboo along North Street beach in Chicago.

The forecast was calling for a constant stream of showers, but in Chicago you just never know. We'd get clearing and then it would start again. We kept going, taking photo after photo - cute stuff along with dramatic images too. If you look closely at the image below you will see how much rain had collected on Dennis' suit at this point.

Haze overtakes the Chicago skyline as the bride and groom kiss along Oak Street Beach in Chicago.

I admit that I was a little worried about the weather at this point because I really wanted this wonderful couple to have their outdoor wedding on the upper deck of the cruise ship as planned. Soon we would be heading back to Navy Pier for family photos and then the ceremony. Come on Windy City, send those rain clouds somewhere else!! :)

Rain reflects the bride's bouquet on the shore of Lake Michigan in this Chicago wedding photo.

We made it back to Navy Pier with rain starting again as we took family photos. We were 30 minutes from boarding time and suddenly the sun appeared in a big way. Dennis waved to guests as they arrived to board the vessel. The ceremony was wonderful as the children of the bride and groom stood up in the wedding and friends and family looked on. Occasionally another ship would pass.

Wedding ceremony aboard the Mystic Blue cruise ship at Navy Pier in Chicago.

Just married on the Mystic Blue Cruise ship on Lake Michigan in Chicago.

From this point on the weather was simply perfect. Having your wedding reception on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan and overlooking the Chicago skyline at night is a breathtaking experience. It's a feeling of calm and excitement all at the same time.

We covered the party on the lower deck with dinner, dancing and drinks and also took night time portraits on the upper deck with the city lit up in the background.

Wedding reception aboard the Mystic Blue cruise ship in Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Dennis and Julia's wedding at Navy Pier in Chicago. To see more updates, please subscribe to the blog below and visit the Region Weddings Facebook Page as well.