December Wedding At The Uptown Center

December 3, 2018 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom kiss center stage at The Uptown Center.

Kristen and Patrick’s December wedding took place at The Uptown Center in Michigan City, Indiana. It’s an incredible wedding venue with it’s large performing stage and multi colored “pipe organ” backdrop. It also has a two room bridal suite in it’s loft and this is where I met up with Kristen and her bridesmaids to capture details as well as some fun and tender moments during the getting ready portion of the day. The wedding dress arrived via delivery from Paris House of Bridal.

Wedding dress hangs from the balcony at Uptown Center.

Bridesmaids open their gifts from the bride.

The bride descends from the loft at The Uptown Center in Michigan City, Indiana.

Second photographer Jaime was with the guys in their suite capturing the camaraderie and details. Then it was time for the two first looks - with Dad and then Patrick.

Groom and his guys in the courtyard of Uptown Center.

We had two first looks before the wedding party and family pictures. First up was Dad in the venue lobby and then the dramatic reveal with Patrick on the main stage.

First look with bride and groom on the Uptown Center stage.

Groomsmen in the courtyard of Uptown Center.

Bride and groom embrace inside the ballroom of Uptown Center for Performing Arts.

Bride and groom portraits at a winter wedding at Uptown Center.

Happy moment between the bride and groom.

After family photos it was time for the ceremony to begin. It was a warm day for December, but rain was on and off. The great thing about Uptown Center is it’s a big place with lots of charm and terrific for pictures.

Kristen entered on the arms of her Dad and after the sand ceremony, her and Patrick sealed it with a kiss. Then it was cocktail hour and dance floor time.

Winter wedding ceremony at The Uptown Center for Performing Arts.

Images from a winter wedding reception at Uptown Center in Michigan City.

Dance floor fun at a Michigan City wedding.

Wedding reception at the Uptown Center as viewed from the balcony.

It was great to work once again with 27 Entertainment who took on DJ and videographer duties. The flowers from Lansing Floral were exquisite as was the cake from Val’s Custom Cakes in Chesterton. To view more images from this wedding as well as others be sure to tune in to the social media channels below and as always, please do fill out the Contact Form to inquire about wedding photography for your big day.

Bridal Portrait Session In Chicago

November 26, 2018 Steve Vansak

Black and white portrait on the Dearborn Street bridge in Chicago, Illinois.

The most popular pre-wedding sessions are definitely engagement sessions in casual clothes with your fiancé. However, back in the day Bridal Portrait Sessions were all the rage. They are still popular in the southern region of the USA. They used to be done entirely in a studio. Today they are done on location with the following in mind:

a solo fashion shoot with the wedding dress
classic, artful and fashion forward posing
a chance to display these images next to your mother or grandmother who also had these done
an opportunity for more locations / times of day and being able to work around weather and take your time
can be done as a replacement or an addition to an engagement session
a great trial run for your makeup
usually done about 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, but not a rule.

I recently did a modern take on the Bridal Portrait Session in Chicago with Michelle. I am now offering these session and you will find a link to them down below. Here are some images from the session along with more info from this America’s Top Model like photo shoot.

Bride underneath the honeycomb grid at the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Michelle wanted a Runaway Bride theme much like Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City. This involved hailing a few taxis and having her walk downtown alone. Ordering an Uber or Lyft would be more modern, but we were going for the classic city feel.

A bride hails herself a taxi on the streets of Chicago.

A bride walks alone on the streets of downtown Chicago during a bridal portrait session.

Earlier in the day, Michelle’s styling of hair and make up was done by Genell Banks from Beauty by Genell. She is a highly skilled artist in the greater Chicago area. Definitely hop over to her website if you are in need of styling for your bridal portrait session or wedding.

Black and white portraits of a bride in Chicago, Illinois.

We also wanted to incorporate the grandness of the skyscrapers along the city skyline, so we hit North Avenue Beach for a stroll along Lake Michigan.

A view of the skyscrapers in Chicago from North Avenue Beach during a bridal portrait session.

Images from a bridal portrait session in Chicago on North Avenue Beach.

If you have an idea or theme in mind for your own bridal portrait session, let’s chat about it. Here are some other ideas / locations for you to think about.

Go to Chicago with it’s endless opportunities for locations.
Consider a day / night session for some unique city at night pictures.
Go local and do the session in nature.
Have the session at your wedding venue.
Incorporate a mini boudoir session with intimate portraits indoors or out.

I’m so glad Michelle and I did this bridal portrait session in Chicago so we could show off this new / retro bridal photo shoot that is now live in the Region Weddings Shop for booking. You can also fill out the Contact Form for questions. To see a local version, please check out this Bridal Portrait Session At Barker Mansion.

Fall Wedding At Kreuger Memorial Hall

November 12, 2018 Steve Vansak

Fun moment for the bride and groom at Kreuger Memorial Park.

Ashley and Terry had some outrageous Fall color at their recent wedding at Kreuger Memorial Hall in Michigan City. Even near the beach where the girls got ready, Autumn colors were definitely at their peek.

I knew that Ashley and her bridesmaids were getting ready at a beach house off of Lake Michigan, but it wasn’t until I got there that I saw what a cool idea this was. I loved the northern light coming into the loft where Ashley got into her dress and the whole place just said “relax, have fun”. A very cool vibe for sure.

Bridal prep at a Beach House in Michigan City.

The entire morning had a series of mini events such as a reading of the groom’s letter and a memento from grandma being given to the bride, to the reveal to the bridesmaids. The big finale was a first look with Dad and then off to the venue we went for the afternoon ceremony.

The bride reads a love letter from her husband to be.

We had a very picturesque spot for Ashley’s first look with her Dad, but I was a bit concerned about the uneven terrain. He had been given orders to keep his eyes closed and even though I told him it was okay to open and see the back of her dress, he would not budge. It was eyes closed until he reached Ashley. All was good and it was a great moment and I’m happy to report that Dad did not go swimming in the creek!

First look with Dad surrounded by Fall color.

While I did bridesmaid pictures, second photographer Kerrie was with Terry and the guys.

Groomsmen prep at Kreuger Memorial Hall.

Bride and groom before their wedding ceremony.

Groom and his groomsmen at Kreuger Memorial Hall.

Bridesmaids all paired up with the bride.

The beautiful bride among the Autumn leaves at Kreuger Memorial Park in Michigan City.

The ceremony took place inside Kreuger Memorial Hall with it’s dark wood and log cabin vibe. After the bride and groom’s exit into the sun, we went into the park for family pictures, wedding party pictures and the newlyweds as well.

Wedding ceremony at Kreuger Memorial Hall.

A quick prayer before the Fall wedding ceremony at Kreuger Memorial Hall in Michigan City.

Wedding ceremony inside Kreuger Memorial Hall.

We had toyed with the idea of going elsewhere in Michigan City for pictures, but Ashley was looking for Fall color, Fall leaves and tall trees and it was all right there staring down at us at Kreuger Memorial Park.

The wedding party beneath the towering trees of Kreuger Memorial Park.

The bride’s long veil flows into the air as her groom kisses her.

Fall wedding photos in Michigan City, Indiana.

To change things up a bit, we took a short drive to downtown Michigan City for a bit of a different flavor for Ashley and Terry’s wedding pictures.

The bride and groom looking outward behind an old building in downtown Michigan City.

Wedding photos in downtown Michigan City.

The groom dips his bride in front of The Uptown Center in Michigan City.

Back at Kreuger Memorial Hall the bride and groom had a private dinner while second photographer Kerrie captured the cocktail hour candids as vinyl albums were played. The wedding party were introduced “in the ‘round” and first dances as well as speeches were also done this way. The dance floor was completely full as Amplified Events filled the room with sound.

Cocktail hour and first dances at a Kreuger Memorial Hall wedding reception.

A packed wedding reception dance floor at Kreuger Memorial Hall in Michigan City.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Ashley and Terry’s Fall wedding at Kreuger Memorial Hall in Michigan City, Indiana. Stay tuned to the Region Wedding IG page for more images from this and other weddings. Please do fill out the Contact Form to inquire about wedding photography for your big day.

Intimate Wedding At Sand Creek

November 6, 2018 Steve Vansak

Newlyweds share a kiss on the bridge at Sand Creek Country Club.

Marz and Tom had an intimate family oriented wedding at Sand Creek Country Club. The day began with the bride being pampered by friends for her big day before getting a little help from Mom while putting on her dress.

Bride and the beautiful greenery of Sand Creek Golf Course.

The indoor ceremony saw the couple bookended by some gorgeous floral pieces on pedestals with friends and family members by their side. After some post first kiss goofing off, it was family photo time and then onto the course with the bride and groom.

Bride and groom exchange vows at Sand Creek Country Club.

Fall color surrounds the Sand Creek golf course for bride and groom portraits.

Wedding portraits at Sand Creek Country Club.

Under the veil kiss at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana.

Autumn walk for the bride and groom at Sand Creek Country Club.

The afternoon reception saw the bride and groom cut their cake and mingle and chat with friends and family. Dad gave sage advice and other close friends grabbed the mic for well wishes.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Marz and Tom’s intimate wedding at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana. Many more images to come from this wedding and others over on the Region Wedding Instagram feed listed below. Please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about wedding photography for your big day right here.