2019 Centennial Park Bridal Show Prize Winner

February 28, 2019 Steve Vansak

A gang of bridesmaids rushes toward the camera at County Line Orchard.

Last night I presented at the 2019 Centennial Park Bridal Show. I was right next a chocolate brownie cheesecake vendor so I had many happy brides and couples stop by to visit with desserts in their hands. To those who filled out my raffle I told you I would be having my pet rabbit Sam pick the winner. Well, I wasn’t kidding!! Here’s Sam picking our prize winner…

Congratulations to Krissy Bremer who wins a $100 Gift Certificate. This can be applied to a Wedding Package, Bridal Portrait Session, Engagement Photography, Intimate Portraits and more. NOTE: You must claim the prize by May 31st, 2019 and use the prize in calendar year 2019.

Here is how to claim your prize:

Respond to the email I will be sending you shortly or call 219-779-7137 or fill out the Contact Form.
Schedule a meeting where I will hand you over the certificate for the prize.
Use the certificate by December 31st, 2019.

If you are not a winner of the prize and you hire me as your wedding photographer, please mention that you were at this show. I will add a complimentary 11x14 Professional Print to your package as a thank you. Please fill out the Contact Form to schedule your meeting.

I want all potential clients to have awesome wedding photos. If I have your date booked, I'd be glad to send you to another highly qualified wedding photographer. You deserve great images!! See you soon.

*** cue applause*** Now, everybody celebrate…

Top 5 Tips For Stress Free Family Photos On Wedding Day

February 21, 2019 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom exuding pure joy and having fun on their wedding day.

If you have visited my home page or met with me in person, you know that capturing your family on wedding day is important to me. We love getting the candids and that is always in the plan, so count on that. The more formal group pictures can have challenges however. I’ve seen couples get very stressed because it’s simply tough to corral large groups of people together in a short amount of time. It’s not anyone’s fault as family members are simply not aware of time constraints. It’s understandable.

When you and I work together as a team, your family group photos will be done quickly and efficiently and everyone will look great together. And you too can have a carefree laugh like Ashley and Terry in the picture above. :)

Without further delay, here are my top 5 tips for stress free family photos at wedding:

Tip 1: Have family members aware and ready at the designated time and location for pictures. Tell them it’s important to you that they be in these pictures. Tell them twice and then tell them twice again. Assigning a friend to aid in retrieving people is recommended.

Tip 2: Let’s do everything we can to get all family group pictures done before the reception to avoid disruption of the party. The reception venue is usually the most difficult spot to locate, organize, and pose groups.

Tip 3: Factor in extra time for large groups. Group photos of 25 or more people may need to be photographed in a non traditional manner (such as shot from above with photographer on ladder) depending on location.

Tip 4: Be aware of time restrictions your church or venue may have after the ceremony. Try to keep the variations of groups to a minimum to avoid running out of the allotted time allowed. Each grouping may take 5 minutes or more to set up, light and pose with another 2 minutes of multiple shots to prevent eyes closed, etc.

Tip 5: While family pictures are typically done immediately after the ceremony, some clients choose to get them done beforehand and this has worked extremely well, so consider doing this if your timeline allows for it.

Family photos at St. Michael’s Parish on wedding day.

Bonus tip: Small children get scared to death of large groups of adults yelling at them to smile, smile, smile. Let’s assign one family member to stand right behind me to call out to the kids and get them to look toward the camera.

Outdoor family group photo on wedding day.

Bonus tip #2: While wedding party group shots are not technically family pictures, often times the flower girls and ring bearers are. I suggest getting a wedding party group photo with the kids first and before we leave for another destination. This way the children can get a nap in or get some food in them if needed.

I hope you find all of these tips helpful. Let me know via the Contact Form if you have any other questions or suggestions about family group photos on your wedding day.

Wedding At Chateau Bu-Sché

February 19, 2019 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom in front of the pillars at Chateau Bu Sché in Alsip, Illinois

Erin and Mason had an incredibly fun and elegant winter wedding at Chateau Bu-Sché in Alsip, Illinois with a church ceremony at Carmelite Fathers. Our day started with sisters and bridesmaid gifts during bridal prep along with some emotional moments with mom while getting into the dress.

Bridal prep moments with mom, sisters and bridesmaids.

Mason and the guys read motorsports magazines and had a few toasts during groom prep at a local hotel as second photographer Jaime captured the scene.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen take a winter stroll on the grounds of Carmelite Fathers.

I loved the beaming smiles on Father and daughter while they came down the church aisle. I included two images in this sneak peak for those expressions, but also because I loved the proud look of Mom and Dad in the second image as they look at each other knowingly.

Father of the bride walks his daughter down the aisle at Carmelite Fathers church.

After the ceremony we did many family group pictures as well as wedding party and the newlyweds on the altar. We then headed outside for some winter wedding portraits on the grounds of Carmelite Shrine.

Bride and groom on the altar of Carmelite Fathers.

Bride and groom on a park bench at Carmelite Shrine during their winter wedding.

Winter bride and groom wedding pictures at Carmelite Shrine.

The reception was held at Chateau Bu-Sché in Alsip, Illinois and we had to do additional wedding pictures at this elegant Chicago wedding venue. The staircase near the entrance with grand chandeliers was a perfect place to start. Then it was onto the dramatic pillars at the entrance along with the picturesque bridge.

Bride and groom kiss underneath a chandelier on the staircase at Chateau Bu-Sché.

Wedding party group photo in front of Chateau Bu-Sché in Alsip, Illinois.

Bride and groom wedding photos at Chateau Bu-Sché.

Bride and groom slow dance in the courtyard at Chateau Bu-Sché.

The wedding reception really started with second photographer Jaime covering the fun on the party bus and it carried on to the humorous speeches and soon…. the Village People would invade. Videographers Shutter and Sound Chicago swirled around them to film.

Wedding reception at Chateau Bu-Sché in Alsip, Illinois.

Parent dances and hula hoops during a wedding reception in Alsip, Illinois.

First dance for the newlyweds as friends and family surround them on the dance floor at Chateau Bu-Sché.

Sneak attack by the Village People during a wedding reception at Chateau Bu-Sché.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Erin and Mason’s winter wedding at Chateau Bu-Sché and Catholic church ceremony at Carmelite Fathers. Please do fill out the Contact Form to inquire about wedding photography for your big day, be it Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter!! :)

February Wedding At Sand Creek Country Club

February 5, 2019 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom eskimo kiss at their winter wedding in a snow covered field.

Prior to Sarah and Robert’s winter wedding at Sand Creek Country Club the polar vortex landed here in the Midwest. This plunged temperatures to record lows to the point of it being dangerous to be outside. I’m happy to report that a few days later we got back to “normal winter” and we snuck in some outdoor snowy shots of the bride and groom as seen above. No one lost an arm to frostbite! :)

The day began in the Sand Creek bridal suite with Krissy V. on make up and Jennalee from Identity Hair Design with the bridesmaids and moms of the bride and groom telling funny stories and opening gifts.

Bridal prep fun inside the Sand Creek Bridal Suite.

The bride and groom open each other’s wedding day gifts.

Second photographer Bridget covered the guys prep as we made out way towards the first look of Sarah and Robert.

The groom preps for his big day at Sand Creek Country Club.

Groomsmen portraits outside in the winter snow.

The bridesmaids stay warm around the piano during a winter wedding at Sand Creek golf course.

Robert diligently waited for Sarah outside under the canopy at the entrance of the Sand Creek clubhouse. He closed his eyes as she approached and when she touched his hand they came together for a wonderful moment.

Bride and groom see each other for the first time on wedding day.

We then ventured off into the snow laden area surrounding the clubhouse for winter wedding portraits. While i love to turn snow scenes black and white, I did notice a bit of texture and blue in the sky so we took a few portrait of the bride and groom with the winter sky as a backdrop.

Winter wedding portrait at Sand Creek Country Club.

Winter wedding photos at Sand Creek Golf Course in Chesterton, Indiana.

We then ventured inside for family pictures before the ceremony started with Reverend Doug on officiant duties.

Indoor winter wedding ceremony at Sand Creek Country Club.

Reverend Doug presides over a wedding ceremony at Sand Creek in Chesterton.

The wedding reception decor saw a selfie backdrop and a hint of Disney. The dance floor itself was packed all night with 27 Entertainment providing the soundtrack for the evening.

Winter wedding reception at Sand Creek golf course.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Sarah and Robert’s February wedding at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana. Don’t forget to visit the Region Weddings Instagram page for more images from this and other weddings and do fill out the Contact Form to inquire about your big day.