Chicago Wedding At The Signature Room At The 95th

July 23, 2018 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom take a walk through Lurie Garden.

I just spent an incredible Sunday with Lauren and Mark for their Chicago wedding at The Signature Room At The 95th floor of the John Hancock building. We met up at the Cambria Hotel where the soon to be wed couple scribed some messages onto the colorful bulletin board in the lobby. Then we taxi'd off to the Chicago River area for some downtown Chicago wedding photos.

Bride and groom at the Cambria Hotel in Chicago.

Wedding photos on the Dearborn and State Street bridges at the Chicago River.

Bride and groom on the State Street bridge at the Chicago River with skyscrapers as a backdrop.

The Chicago River and skyscrapers and busy streets were all part of the Chicago / city vibe we were going for, and the L train passing by above was also too good of a classic to pass up.

Romantic black and white wedding photo with the Chicago L train.

I was told that Mark had a penchant for candy so off to Dylan's Candy Bar we went. Kudos to the tourists of Chicago who let us have the entrance all to ourselves for a brief 30 seconds.

Cute wedding photo in front of Dylan's Candy Bar on Michigan Avenue.

Lauren's request was an iconic shot of a dip on Michigan Avenue....

The groom dips his bride on Michigan Avenue as traffic passes by.

To get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, our next destination was the serene Lurie Garden with a brief stop at Cloud Gate. Then we were off to Museum Campus area for a 10 degree temperature drop and..... fog. (more on that later)

Wedding portraits at Lurie Garden and Cloud Gate in Chicago.

Clouds and fog accumulate over the city skyline for this Chicago wedding photo.

While I love the clouds and fog forming over the city in the above image, it turned out to be our nemesis when we got back to the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. Chicago also started to live up to it's nickname of the windy city so after a few images here, we headed to The Signature Room At The 95th for the ceremony and reception.

Wedding ceremony at The Signature Room At The 95th.

The wedding ceremony saw Lauren walked out by her Dad and included the emotion of the couple's children joining them. Mark made light of the fact that there was NO CITY VIEW DUE TO FOG and everybody had a laugh or two. We were still hopeful. Perhaps after dinner when it got dark the fog would burn off. The staff the Signature Room by the way were terrific and very accommodating to us all. A big thank you to them!!

Getting married at The Signature Room in Chicago.

The reception featured a caricaturist (something the groom's Dad once did) and the singing voice of Blake Alexander. After the couple's first dance, my assistant Michelle gave me the news that we all needed to get to an unused ballroom on the other side of the building immediately.

Wedding reception at The Signature Room At The 95th inside the John Hancock building.

First dance for the bride and groom at The Signature Room.

I'll end the suspense now. Yes, the fog finally did clear out for a bit on one side of the skyscraper (thanks for notifying us Michelle) and we nabbed a few night time portraits of the bride and groom with the lights of the city down below.

Night portrait of the bride and groom on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building in Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Lauren and Mark's Chicago wedding at The Signature Room At The 95th. To inquire about photography for your big day, whether it be Chicago, Northwest Indiana or elsewhere, be sure to fill out the Contact Form.

Summer Wedding Ceremony At St. Michael's Parish

July 16, 2018 Steve Vansak

The newlyweds kiss at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana. — The newlyweds kiss at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana.

Katie and Patrick had a wonderful wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana surrounded by friends and family. Our day started at Navii Salon where "bridesmaid Daisy" was the first to be dressed and ready. Second photographer Kerrie met the guys at the church for detail photos and soon Katie was walking down the aisle with a huge grin on her face with her Dad by her side.

Bridal prep at Navii Salon in Schererville, Indiana.

After mom secured the dress and had her moment with Katie, the flower girl and father of the bride took turns paying her a visit to see her in her dress for the first time. Dad escorted her to the awaiting limo.

The bride prepares for her big day at her parent's home.

Groomsmen prep at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana.

Solo portraits of the bride and groom at Carmelite Shrine.

As usual, I tried to capture the great architecture of St. Michael's Paris as well as all of the moments within the ceremony. Afterward we did family pictures within the church and then we were off to Carmelite Shrine for wedding party and bride and groom pictures.

Wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Parish. — Wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Parish.

Summer wedding ceremony at St. Michael's Parish.

Carmelite Shrine is located in Munster, Indiana and features a picturesque grotto as well as outdoor staircases and wonderfully wooded walkways.

The wedding party celebrates as the bride and groom kiss.

Wedding party champagne toast outside the limousine.

The bride and groom kiss on an outdoor staircase at Carmelite Shrine in Munster, Indiana.

The bridesmaids get cute with the bride.

Cute bride and groom photos at Carmelite Shrine in Munster, Indiana.

Afternoon walk for the bride and groom at Carmelite Shrine.

Bride and groom in front of the grotto at Carmelite Shrine.

The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana was decorated in blue and waiting for Katie and Pat to christen the dance floor. They did indeed as the dance floor was packed all night with Precision Sound providing the soundtrack. There was a potential spilling of the cake, but disaster was avoided!!

Wedding reception at Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

First dance at the Center for Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana.

Dance floor wedding reception fun at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Katie and Patrick's Summer Wedding Ceremony at St. Michael's Parish in Schererville, Indiana. Stay tune to the Instagram feed below for more images and check in on the Contact Form to inquire about your big day.

June Wedding At County Line Orchard

July 9, 2018 Steve Vansak

It was a hot summer day for Ashley and Zach's rustic barn wedding at County Line Orchard. Fans were working overtime keeping the girls cool as they prepped for the day in the grain silo that overlooks the orchard fields.

Bridal prep in the grain silo at County Line Orchard.

The bride gets into her dress at County Line Orchard.

The grain silo isn't just a great spot for bride and bridesmaid prep and an area to pop champagne, it's also great for bride portraits and Ashley certainly had a great dress to show off. She asked for a traditional wrap around dress photo like her mom had at her wedding in addition to my usual "bride in the doorway" image that I love to take at this venue.

Bride portraits inside the County Line Orchard grain silo.

Second photographer Kerrie was with the guys as they poured a pitcher of beer in lieu of champagne. Zach had his boutonnière placed by his mom and then it was out into the orchard fields for pictures.

I took the girls out for pictures while Kerrie took the guys. Ashley looked incredible in her dress and Zach was rocking his custom made boutonnière for sure.

Bride and groom are ready for their big day.

I love the wooden fences out in back of the barn and I thought Ashley's flowers would really pop against the background. To show off her train once again, we blocked off the road a bit to capture the silo as our background.

The bride leans back against the wooden fences of County Line Orchard.

A beautiful bride shows off her dress with the County Line Orchard grain silo in the background.

A big shout out to Ashley's bridesmaids who let me take them out into the punishing heat and sun in back of the big barn. You can see exactly what they think of the idea in the photo next to the silo. At one point I told them to wear sunglasses and walk toward me like I was the weatherman!! :) It looks like Kerrie kept the guys sheltered under the tractor limo for their pictures.

Bridesmaid photo fun at County Line Orchard.

Groomsmen photo fun at County Line Orchard.

Ashley and Zach had an unplugged wedding ceremony which can be really helpful to keep everyone focused on the very reason for this day - to witness the official coming together of a couple deeply in love. With two photographers and a videographer, there isn't any reason for guests to wander the aisle taking cell phone pictures or posting to social media. They all mean well, but hey - we got this! :)

Wedding ceremony at the Room of Trees at County Line Orchard.

After the ceremony we took family group pictures and then it was time for wedding party and the newlyweds. Soon the sun would go down and time to light up the dance floor.

Bride and groom portraits in the apple orchard.

Wedding party group photos at County Line Orchard.

Bride and groom share a romantic kiss in the farm fields underneath a blue sky.

The iconic red barn of County Line Orchard.

We don't always get an opportunity to capture the wedding venue decorated and not filled with guests yet, but on this day we did and it's a spectacular venue as seen from above.

The decorated reception ballroom at County Line Orchard.

Rustic wedding decorations inside the big barn.

After Ashley's 1993 commitment to "never get married" was revealed, it was time to celebrate that broken promise on the dance floor.

A blue hour wedding portrait at County Line Orchard.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Ashley and Zach's June wedding at County Line Orchard. Please do fill out the Contact Form to inquire about wedding photography for your big day. Follow the social media channels listed below for more images from this wedding and others.

June Wedding At Meyer's Castle

July 2, 2018 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom in front of the Meyer's Castle fountain.

We began our day for Mallory and Ryan's summer wedding at Beauty and the Beach in Crown Point, Indiana. We had plenty of beauty on hand, but with temperatures in the high 90's, we definitely could have used more beach!! Seriously though, it's a great spa / full service salon and all the bridesmaids seemed to enjoy it there. Even Mallory's two doggies made a visit during bridal prep.

Bridal prep at Beauty and the Beach salon.

The bride's two doggies visit her on wedding day.

Bridal details for a Meyer's Castle wedding.

When we arrived at the castle, I took Mallory and her crew around the grounds for photos while second photographer Kerrie captured the guy's prep and group pictures.

The bride shows off her dress in the foyer of Meyer's Castle.

Bride and bridesmaid photos at Meyer's Castle.

The groomsmen showed off their American flag socks for Independence Day weekend and secured their bowties before rewarding themselves with a nice cold beer.

Groomsmen at Meyer's Castle for a June wedding.

Mallory and Ryan had their outdoor wedding on the back terrace of the castle as the castle peacock kept a watchful eye on the proceedings. As Mallory's bridesmaid sang, the bride and groom exchanged rings.

June wedding ceremony at Meyer's Castle.

We strolled all around the grounds of the castle as guests enjoyed cocktail hour. The greenery is incredible in the enchanted forest area and I love using the entrance lights for romantic pictures.

Bride and groom photos in the forest of Meyer's Castle.

The sun peaks through the trees at Meyer's Castle in Dyer, Indiana.

The wedding party in front of the castle fountain.

The bride takes a break on the castle steps.

We had a packed dance floor all night and I had no problem capturing smiling, happy faces as they were everywhere. Let the adventure begin...

First dance for the bride and groom on the Meyer's Castle ballroom floor.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Mallory and Ryan's June wedding at Meyer's Castle. To inquire about photography for your wedding day, just fill out the Contact Form right here.