Wedding At The Center For Visual And Performing Arts

October 24, 2016 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom walk along a path at Briar Ridge Country Club golf course.

Joel and Shaina held their Fall wedding at two very prestigious venues - The Center For Visual and Performing Arts and Briar Ridge Country Club.

Our day started at The Center For Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana with a "no cry zone" set up in the bridal suite. Sister of the bride and MOH Chandra could not contain herself much to the amusement of all the other women. Shaina's dress was a wonderful combination of neutral and white.

Bridal prep at The Center For Visual and Performing Arts.

Getting Ready on wedding day at The Center For Visual and Performing Arts.

The gallery at the center would become the setting for cocktail hour later in the day, but it became our backdrop for bride and bridesmaid photos that afternoon. Shaina was pure elegance against the grand piano with the wonderful artwork surrounding her.

The bride rests against the piano at The Center For Visual and Performing Arts.

I could not let the spiral staircase at the Center go unused. I also knew it would soon be filled with people attending the reception and other events. In early afternoon, however, we had it to ourselves.

Bride and her bridesmaids on the staircase at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

The outdoor ceremony saw us moving to Briar Ridge Country Club in Dyer, Indiana. The bride's nephew Tommy let Joel know that Shaina was on her way. The nuptials were tucked away outside one of the ballrooms off the golf course with sunshine streaming down.

Outdoor wedding ceremony at Briar Ridge Country Club.

Outdoor wedding at Briar Ridge Country Club.

After family photos, we captured the wedding party together along with images of the newly married couple. Some of the trees on the golf course are quite large and I couldn't wait to get the bride and groom under the shade of one of them with the Autumn leaves and blue skies.

The bride groom hold hands in the shade of a large tree at Briar Ridge Country Club.

Groom and his groomsmen at Briar Ridge Country Club.

Wedding party photos at Briar Ridge Country Club in Dyer, Indiana.

Bride and groom on the golf course at Briar Ridge.

For the reception it was back to The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana. The gallery was swinging with cocktail hour guests and the main ballroom looked elegant as the newlyweds were introduced and toasts began from the best man and MOH.

Wedding reception at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

First dance at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

Not only did Shaina get married on this fine October day, she also won the air guitar championship as band Final Say rocked the room into the night.

The bride plays air guitar as band Final Say performs.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Shaina and Joel's Fall wedding at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana. Stay tuned here and on the social media channels listed below for more images. As always, please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about availability for your date.

Wedding At St. Patrick Catholic Church In Chesterton, Indiana

October 17, 2016 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom take a break on some logs at Coffee Creek Nature Preserve.

Katie and Chad's Fall wedding at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Chesterton, Indiana began at Katie's parent's home. The kitchen became a make shift hair and beauty salon and I'm sure the resident bulldog was quite puzzled by all of the excitement.

Bridal prep for a Fall wedding in Chesterton, Indiana.

The bride's pet bulldog wears her veil on the morning of her wedding.

While I photographed the girls, second photographer Kerrie was at Coffee Creek Nature Preserve taking the groomsmen pictures. After the ceremony we'd all head back here for photos.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen at Coffee Creek Nature Preserve in Chesterton, Indiana.

The ceremony saw the priest hosting a version of the Anniversary dance as he had all married guests stand up and dismissed them by the length of their marriage. Soon it was time for the first kiss, family photos and then we took a visit to the quaint chapel located behind the main church.

Wedding ceremony at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Chesterton, Indiana.

Wedding photos at the chapel at St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

The mild temperatures made the surroundings at Coffee Creek Nature Preserve very serene as we strolled around using the wonderful bridge and the water itself for our backdrops. The wildflowers take on a very golden tone there in the Autumn and it is such a great scene for bride and groom pictures.

A bride and groom portrait in front of the golden wildflowers at Coffee Creek Park.

Wedding photos at Coffee Creek Nature Preserve in Chesterton, Indiana.

I loved capturing the silhouetted reflections of the wedding party on the water...

Wedding party photos at Coffee Creek Nature Preserve in Chesterton, Indiana.

I am never one to turn down a dramatic sky portrait of the bride and groom, so when I saw sunlight peaking through the clouds, we got into position and captured the moment.

Dramatic clouds descend upon Coffee Creek Nature Preserve during wedding pictures.

The reception at Trinity Hall which is part of St. Patrick's Catholic Church saw the room aglow in blue. A mini wedding cake was located on every table.

Wedding reception at Trinity Hall in Chesterton, Indiana.

Bouquet and garter toss at Trinity Hall in Chesterton, Indiana.

I hope you have enjoyed this Autumn wedding sneak peek from St. Patrick's Catholic Church and Coffee Creek Nature Preserve. Be sure to follow the social media channels and fill out the Contact Form for more info on wedding photography.

First dance at Trinity Hall in Chesterton, Indiana.

Fall Wedding At Avalon Manor

October 10, 2016 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom display their Thank You sign on wedding day.

Fall is upon us with temperatures falling, Autumn leaves in all kinds of colors and wedding season at it's peak!! Stephanie and Brett's October wedding saw us going from getting ready at the groom's parent's home to a first look at Taltree Arboretum and our final destination of Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Indiana.

Stephanie and her girls were in great spirits as I captured all of their laughs and all of their toasts! As their tee shirts stated - the bridesmaids got the bubbly, but Stephanie got a hubby!

Bridal prep for an outdoor Fall wedding at Avalon Manor.

Laughter and spirits during bridal prep.

Stephanie and Brett's first look at Taltree Arboretum in Valparaiso was filled with wonderfully real emotion. After this private moment that we captured from a distance, we went all around the nature preserve with the wedding party and eventually ended with some romantic photos of the soon to be married couple.

First look / reveal at Taltree Arboretum.

The bride and groom take a break on a bench at Taltree Arboretum.

Romantic wedding photos at Taltree Arboretum nature garden.

From the glistening sun poking through the colorful trees to the blue skies and the lake, we pretty much had a gorgeous backdrop every way we turned. We heard a few farm animals on the loose as well.

A sunstar appears through the trees as the bride and groom embrace.

The bride shows off her garter as she shares a romantic moment with her groom.

The bridesmaids each had their own sign showing their connection to Stephanie. It was a nice continuation of Stephanie and Brett's engagement photos from last Fall.

Stephanie's dress was just perfect and I especially loved the texture within it. We took a few wide shots to show off the dress as well as the picturesque nature all around us.

The bride shows off her dress at Taltree Arboretum.

We lined up the wedding party up on top of the rolling hills at the entrance of Taltree Arboretum with the sun shining brightly behind them. Then it was time for some cute blowing kisses pictures before we took off for the early evening ceremony.

The wedding party on top of the rolling hills at Taltree Arboretum in Valparaiso, Indiana.

The outdoor ceremony at Avalon Manor saw every seat full along with a standing crowd in the back. Two acoustic guitar players strummed and sang as the wedding party entered and exited. Stephanie and Brett were grinning ear to ear through their vows and raised their hands in the air in celebration as they were pronounced husband and wife.

Outdoor wedding ceremony at Avalon Manor.

The bride and groom celebrate at their outdoor ceremony at Avalon Manor.

After family photos it was time to go inside for cake cutting and speeches. Oh, the decor and candy buffet from How Sweet It Is Events was simply SPECTACULAR!!

Party time at Avalon Manor in Merrillville, Indiana.

Father and daughter first dance at Avalon manor.

Mother and son first dance at Avalon Manor.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Stephanie and Brett's Fall wedding at Avalon Manor. Stay tuned to social media for more images. As always, please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about your wedding date.

Outdoor Fall Wedding Ceremony At The Patrician Banquet Center

October 3, 2016 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom share a kiss hidden by trees in St. John, Indiana with sun breaking through.

I think our bride Alyssa simply willed away the rain on her wedding day!! It did rain. However, when we were scheduled for outdoor photos the only water we felt was simply dripping from a few tree branches. When The Patrician asked if she wanted to move the ceremony indoors, she said 'nope' and outside it was with no rain.

Our day started with bridal prep as I got to know the 10 bridesmaids a little bit as they transitioned from hoodies and jeans to robes to eventually their lovely blue dresses.

Bridal preparation at Jay Marie Salon and The Patrician.

Alyssa and Dan had a wonderful first look / reveal at Lake Hills Clubhouse and surrounding lake in St. John, Indiana. The 20 person wedding party cheered them on and then second photographer Kerrie photographed the guys and off I went with the girls.

First look for the bride and groom at Lake Hills Clubhouse in St. John, Indiana.

Bride and groom portraits on wedding day.

The soon to be bride and groom live in the neighborhood and I imagine they have visited the lake pier many times. Mother of the bride brought us a chalkboard and we took a few images for their Thank You Cards.

Bride and groom at the edge of the Lake Hills pier in St. John, Indiana.

The girls stood no chance in their heels with the wet grass, but the guys didn't mind a bit of mud on their shoes.

Wedding party at the lake at Lake Hills in St. John, Indiana.

Since Alyssa and Dan lived so close, we hopped over to their home for a family portrait with the two dogs. Then it was a limousine ride back to The Patrician for their outdoor, Fall wedding ceremony.

A full house with standing room only was present for the outdoor ceremony at The Patrician Banquet Center in Schererville, Indiana. I love the happy, joyous look of the bride and groom just after the first kiss.

A large group of friends and family attend an outdoor wedding at The Patrician.

An outdoor October wedding ceremony at The Patrician.

Alyssa is a nurse and Dan is a police officer and the best man and maid of honor did their best to honor them / roast them by dressing in the appropriate uniforms during introductions. The wedding cake topper had the two dogs make an appearance and the room was beautifully decorated for Fall.

An October wedding reception at The Patrician Banquet Center.

First dance for an October wedding reception at The Patrician.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Alyssa and Dan's outdoor Fall wedding at The Patrician Banquet Center. Stay tuned to social media for more images. As always, please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about your wedding date.