Spring Micro Wedding At The Grand

May 17, 2021 Steve Vansak

Newlyweds kiss in front of The Grand in downtown Crown Point.

Ari and Mike had a beautiful day for their micro wedding at The Grand in downtown Crown Point, Indiana. It was a family affair all the way with sorority sister helping with bridal prep and 25 people attending the intimate wedding ceremony on the third floor of the historic Old Crown Point Courthouse.

I grabbed detail shots of the bridal prep as guests arrived and made their way across the checkered floor of the beautifully vintage wedding venue. Make up artist Myra Crawford attended to the bride in the brand new bridal suite.

Bridal details inside the the newly built bridal suite at The Grand.

The bride gets ready inside the bridal suite at The Grand CP wedding venue.

The bride and groom all prepped for their big day in downtown Crown Point.

Ari’s Dad walked her down the aisle as family looked on. I would describe the ceremony as sweet and intimate and the shy couple was taken aback at the applause at the end. We took family photos next and then picture of the bride and groom outside and inside the historic venue.

We then moved onto the afternoon reception which was decorated beautifully. Stacey and her crew at The Grand do an amazing job.

The father of the bride walks his daughter down the aisle at The Grand.

The bride and groom practice their first dance on the marble floor of The Grand in Crown Point, Indiana.

Reflections of light show off the beautiful bride on her wedding day.

Candid moments on wedding day at The Grand in Crown Point, Indiana.

Afternoon wedding reception at The Grand inside the Old Lake County Courthouse.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Ari and Mike’s Spring Micro Wedding at The Grand in downtown Crown Point. As always, contact me here to inquire about photography or hybrid photo / video coverage of your big day.

A romantic moment surrounded by brick inside the Old Crown Point Courthouse.

What Are Blue Hour Wedding Photos?

May 10, 2021 Steve Vansak

A romantic kiss during blue hour at a wedding at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.

The blue hour is the 30 to 40 minute period just after sunset and before sunrise. It can make for incredibly romantic and unique wedding photos.

I often take these blue hour wedding photos as portraits with the newlyweds as we sneak out of the reception for a few minutes. However, blue hour wedding photos can occur during a twilight outdoor ceremony or even the first dance of open air venues such as Four Corners Winery and The Pavilion at Sandy Pines. Take a look below.

Blue hour wedding ceremony and reception photos.

We are at the mercy of Mother Nature for these types of images though. If we get cloudy skies we simply aren’t going to get that blue in the sky. Also, facing West is helpful and while not necessary, I do like some other ambient light in the scene such as from the barn window in the images below as well as the leaning lighthouse off of the lake.

I have a special way of lighting these as well to make them look natural but yet bring out even more of the blue in the sky.

A blue hour wedding photo at County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana.

A blue hour wedding photo with light reflections at Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.

Are you up for attempting some blue hour photos at your wedding? While I like to leave you alone during the reception to enjoy your wedding, if you want this look I’d be glad to pop outside for a few minutes to capture these for you provided location and weather cooperate.

Here are a few more images below at weddings as well as some portraits I’ve done at blue hour in Chicago.

As always, Contact Me Here to find out availability and to schedule a meeting.

Blue hour portraits taken in Chicago, Illinois.

Golden Hour Engagement Photos At Gabis Arboretum

April 6, 2021 Steve Vansak

Golden hour sun surrounds the happy couple during their engagement session at Gabis Arboretum.

I recently metup Kasia and Andy at Gabis Arboretum for their golden hour engagement session. Although early April isn’t quite colorful Spring colors yet, the bride to be’s favorite flowers were on display.

A bed of daffodil flowers made the perfect foreground for Spring engagement photos.

As we made our way around the nature park, we definitely wanted to include a sense of fun as well as scenery. We also chose this time for the beautiful golden hour glow that shone through the tall trees of this nature preserve in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Cute and fun engagement photos in the golden hour sun.

A romantic moment for the soon to married couple.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek of images of my golden hour engagement session at Gabis Arboretum with Kasia and Andy. Stay tuned to the social media channels below for more images from this session as well as weddings.

Please fill out the Contact Form to inquire. Think Spring!!

Soaking in the setting sun at Gabis Arboretum.

Wedding At Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa

March 30, 2021 Steve Vansak

Bride and groom in a candid moment at Friendship Botanic Garden in Michigan City, Indiana.

Karley and Anthony had a wonderful pre-Spring wedding at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana. This ballroom wedding ceremony featured a romantic candle lit scene with friends and family.

We also jetted down the road to Friendship Botanic Gardens for romantic bride and groom photos with our day starting in the bridal suite of the luxury Michiana hotel.

Bridal details in the bridal suite at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa.

The bride is all ready for her big day at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa.

Bride and groom before their ceremony at Blue Chip Casino.

Karley and Anthony had a reading of their vows without seeing each other just before their candle lit ballroom wedding ceremony.

After they were pronounced husband and wife, we took off for Friendship Botanic Gardens for romantic wedding photos in nature.

Bride and groom read their wedding vows to each other before the ceremony.

A ballroom wedding ceremony lit with candles at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa.

Romantic wedding photos at Friendship Botanic Gardens.

The bride and groom snuggle close surrounded by greenery at Friendship Botanic Garden.

The reception ballroom at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa for Karley and Anthony’s March wedding was very elegant with the happy couple having a ball while cutting their cake from Designer Desserts and dancing with friends. I loved the floor to ceiling sparkling pillars and used them quite a bit for effect while shooting dancing and speeches.

The bride and groom cut their cake at a wedding reception at Blue Chip Casino.

Wedding reception fun at the elegant wedding venue Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa.

I hope you enjoyed this first wedding of 2021 sneak peek. Stay tuned to the social media channels below for more images from this and other weddings. Be sure to fill out the Contact Form to inquire about photography for your big day.