Wedding At Gamba's Ristorante In Merrillville, Indiana

September 21, 2015 Steve Vansak

First dance for the bride and groom at Gamba's Ristorante.

It came as no surprise to me that Allen and Nicole were introduced to friends and family at their reception at Gamba's Ristorante to the sounds of the Chicago Blackhawks Win Song!! A year ago I photographed their engagement session in Chicago that featured the happy couple in Hawks jerseys. What a fun introduction it was!!

Their day started out at Chesterton United Methodist Church where emotions got teary eyed as Nicole and her bridesmaids got ready for her big day.

The bride and her bridesmaids get ready at Chesterton United Methodist Church.

The emotions spilled over to the groom as well as Nicole's Dad as he escorted her to the front of the church. It was a terrific ceremony with laughter, tears and... bubbles!!

Wedding ceremony at Chesterton United Methodist Church.

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We did family and wedding party photos in the church and then it was off to Coffee Creek Park where there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We captured the couple and wedding party with the picturesque fountain in the background and then found a quiet bench for our newly married couple to have a romantic moment.

Bride and groom at Coffee Creek Park in Chesterton, Indiana.

The dance floor was packed all night at Gamba's Ristorante. I had to go overhead to capture faces while second photographer Lauren captured the cake and the delightful champagne glasses engraved with the couple's names and wedding date.

Wedding reception at Gamba's Ristorante in Merrillville, Indiana.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Allen and Nicole's wedding. Please follow Region Weddings on social media for more images!!

Wedding At Signature Banquets

September 17, 2015 Steve Vansak

Wedding cake at Signature Banquets in Lowell, Indiana.

Love is sweet indeed!! Gwen and Keith's wedding at Signature Banquets in Lowell, Indiana had many sweet moments and fun moments and "crush the dance floor" moments as well. It was the first time I'd seen a Dad as a Best Man and the first ever wedding party hayride that look us through the backroads of Lowell, Indiana. Let me take you through the day...

The bride and bridesmaids get ready for a wedding in Lowell, Indiana.

The bride and bridesmaids started their day at the couple's home and then made their way to Lowell United Methodist Church to put on their dresses. From breakfast cheers to detail shots of the Chicago Bears garter and the cute little ones, it was a sweet bunch for sure.

After Gwen got into her dress, it was time for some bridesmaids photos and then a walk down the aisle...

Portrait of the bride inside Lowell United Methodist Church.

It was raining during the ceremony, but soon the skies would clear for our epic hayride with the wedding party!!

Wedding ceremony at Lowell United Methodist Church.

Wedding photos along the rural roads of Lowell, Indiana.

The bride and groom kiss in the shade of a row of trees.

Everyone had a good time being driven by Terry, our tractor driver, as people from town honked and cheered us on. We hopped off on occasion for photos and I knew I had to get the entire wedding party atop the large flatbed.

The wedding party on a hayride through the backroads of Lowell, Indiana.

Eventually our hayride pulled up to Signature Banquets where it was time for cake, speeches, dinner, music and fun. I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Gwen and Keith's wedding. Fall is here!!

Wedding reception at Signature Banquets in Lowell, Indiana.

Outdoor Wedding In Cedar Lake, Indiana

September 9, 2015 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom unfurl their Thank You banner.

We'd almost forgotten to take a photo of the thank you banner. Why?!! Because the location of Katie and Logan's outdoor wedding in Cedar Lake afforded us so many areas for great wedding photos that it was almost too much. Every ten feet was another terrific opportunity to capture the newlyweds and their wedding party. This is definitely not a complaint as we certainly enjoyed our time at their family friend's estate in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

The morning started out in the wonderful main house where we alternated between detail photos and Katie and the girl's getting ready. It was a morning full of laughs, some tears and smiling babies too!!

Detail and getting ready wedding photo collage.

Soon it was 2pm and the ceremony was about to begin. Guests had taken a shuttle in and Katie was all dressed and ready to walk down the aisle...

The bride is ready to walk down the aisle.

The outdoor wedding saw bright sun falling upon the front terrace courtyard. All eyes were upon the ring bearer who appeared to be protesting the 91 degree heat by NOT holding up his sign. That's okay, we understand. Katie and Logan's vows were heartfelt and often full of humor.

Outdoor wedding ceremony in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

After the ceremony and family pictures, I decided to give everyone a cool down by going inside the home with it's unique decor and various levels. We took the bride and groom as well as the wedding party photos all over inside the home.

The bride and groom embrace at the bottom of a staircase.

After we all freshened up a bit, we went all around the grounds taking photos in the great outdoors. Katie and Logan are big nature fans so I'm glad we were able to capture all of these (and many more to come) outdoor wedding photos.

The wedding party in the woods of Cedar Lake.

The groomsmen and bridesmaids having fun.

Katie and Logan's family and friends certainly came ready for fun!! Polish dances to Go Pro dance floor fun and the family tradition of drinking gin and tonic from a fish bowl kept us on our toes to capture all the fun!!

First dance at The Patrician Banquet Center.

The bouquet toss saw a creative attempt to snag the prize to no avail. I give her props for the effort though!!

Bouquet toss at The Patrician Banquet Center.

Fun times at a wedding reception at The Patrician in Schererville, Indiana.

So many more memorable images to come from Katie and Logan's outdoor wedding in Cedar Lake. Stay tuned here and on social media for more updates!!

Wedding At The Croatian Center

September 1, 2015 Steve Vansak

First dance for the bride and groom at The Croatian Center in Merrillville, IN.

Wedding day for Erica and Jonathan started out at the wonderful Radisson Hotel for getting ready with the bridesmaids, the ceremony and reception at The Croatian Center and wedding party pictures in downtown Crown Point.

I was a fly on the wall for hair and make up and even followed the girls to lunch at TJ Maloney's Authentic Irish Pub.

We took the girls and guys photos separately before the evening ceremony in the gazebo area of The Croatian Center. We finished up just as the rain started and the decision was made to move the ceremony inside.

The wedding party fast walks toward the camera.

The bridesmaids show off their wedding flowers.

If any law enforcement are reading this, I'd like to report some rogue wedding party members - the bouquet theif as seen above and the violent groomsmen roughing up the groom as seen below. General public - be on the lookout!!

Erica requested a "divider shot" before the ceremony and then it was time to walk down the aisle with family and friends looking on.

Bride and groom divider shot before the wedding.

Wedding ceremony inside of Croatian Hall.

Erica and Jonathan had some great moment during their wedding ceremony. It started off with the flower girl abandoning her basket of flowers and one of the highlights (besides the first kiss) was the giving of flowers to moms and grandmothers in attendance.

After family photos, we jetted off to downtown Crown Point for some shots in the street - literally...

Wedding party on Main Street in Crown Point, Indiana.

The bride and groom take to the streets of the downtown Crown Point Square.

The reception saw dinner by Dimitri's Catering and showed off the green wedding colors. Team Bride ruled the dance floor!!