Weddings In Indiana, Chicago and Michigan - The 2019 Year In Review

December 30, 2019 Steve Vansak

Bride in Converse All Star shoes in front of a red door in Chicago.

It was another action packed year of wedding photography in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and southwest Michigan. There are a TON of images from February weddings all the way through November so let’s get started.

I had two winter weddings in 2019 with Sarah + Robert and Erin + Mason. Yep, we had some snow and even the Village People showed up to rock the reception.

Black and white winter wedding photo in the snow.

Early Spring saw torrential rain almost every single weekend. Like the postal service though, we deliver in ice, rain, sleet or snow. For Beth + Chad we had that all in one day!! Cherise + Thomas had some sunshine for their big day at Sand Creek Country Club and for a bridal portrait session in Chicago we had to dodge some puddles for sure.

Rain and wind and fog surround the bride and groom in a wedding photo at Sand Creek Country Club.

Bridal portraits on the streets of Chicago.

The wet Spring continued for Breana + Kevin’s Chicago wedding and Sarah + Billy’s hometown wedding in Crown Point, Indiana. Both had wonderful church ceremonies.

Bride and groom walk back down the aisle after their wedding ceremony at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church.

May weddings in Chicago and Crown Point, Indiana.

The month of May was very busy with Northwest Indiana weddings of Tessa + Luis as well as Dan + Tea.

Vintage bridal portraits in Northwest Indiana.

June saw Gabby + Matt at Briar Ridge Country Club and Becky + Chuck along with the summer weddings of Rachel + Brandon at County Line Orchard and back to the Crown Point Courthouse with Robyn and Stacey.

First dance at Briar Ridge Country Club.

June wedding photos at Briar Ridge Country Club and Centennial Park.

Weddings in late June in Crown Point and County Line Orchard.

July saw me at the height of summer and back at County Line Orchard for an outdoor wedding with Emily + Tyler and Whiting Lakefront Park for the beach wedding of Maureen + Carlos.

July summer weddings at County Line Orchard and Whiting Lakefront Park.

Newlyweds kiss between two Golden Delicious sign in the apple orchards.

July also saw me heading east to Heston Hill wedding venue for Maggie + Eric and staying close to home for Cynthia + Zachary at Avalon Manor wedding venue.

Summer weddings at Heston Hills and Avalon Manor.

Bride and groom share a moment at Heston Hills wedding venue in Laporte, Indiana.

August began with a themed wedding from Isela + Thomas and Jackie + Kevin for the first time a bride has ever arrived via boat at Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

Early August weddings in Northwest Indiana.

Wedding photo with a sunset over the lake.

Mid to late August saw the 4 day Indian wedding of Molly + Ahsan in Chicago and the church wedding of Brie + Ryan at St. Michael’s Parish and reception at Sand Creek golf course.

Mid to late August weddings in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

A candid moment underneath the willow tree at Sand Creek Country Club.

Early September saw the first of two weddings at Four Corners Winery with Holly + Ethan and then it was onto The Allure in Laporte, Indiana with Mary + Jeff.

Wedding photos at Four Corners Winery and The Allure.

Photo at the rustic wedding venue Four Corners Winery in Valparaiso, Indiana.

I’d always wanted to photograph at the Naperville Riverwalk in Illinois for a wedding and did just that with Vilda + Brandon and weddings at Aberdeen Manor are some of the most elegant and the nuptials of Kristen and Zach did not disappoint.

September weddings in Naperville, Illinois Riverwalk and Aberdeen Manor.

Wedding photo on the staircase at Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Candid wedding moment at a lake in Aberdeen neighborhood in Valparaiso, Indiana.

A photo at night in front of the chapel at Aberdeen Manor.

September is still the most popular month for weddings and I was back at Avalon Manor for Violet + Jeremiah and an epic wedding with Jordan + Matt at Centennial Park where it snowed on the dance floor.

Late September weddings in Northwest Indiana.

It snows on the dance floor at the Centennial Park clubhouse for a wedding reception.

October is football season and we celebrated that with Francesca + Zane at Wicker Park and also wine tasting season at Four Corners Winery with Ammie + Matt.

Reema + Corey donned two wedding dresses and two suits at their Meyer’s Castle wedding in Dyer, Indiana and Mary + Ben braved the rain at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana for their late Fall weddings.

Late Fall weddings in Northwest Indiana.

Rain falls at night in this wedding photo at Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

I certainly can’t forget about Annie + Michael at Aberdeen Manor as well as the 2019 wedding season finale of Kim + Dustin at Fair Oaks Farmhouse.

Late November weddings in Northwest Indiana.

I’m looking forward to next year’s weddings in Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Michigan. To inquire about wedding photography for your big day, please do fill out the Contact Form on this website and set up a meeting so I can show you more of my work. Happy New Year to all!!

A bride in front of graffiti art in the Bucktown area of Chicago, Illinois.

How To Choose Your Wedding Photographer

February 1, 2018 Steve Vansak

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Booking season is under way for most professional wedding photographers. Here in Northwest Indiana, about half of my weddings get booked in the previous year with the calendar then filling up in the winter months of January and February. So, my first bit of advice is to contact a photographer now and see if your date is available. The following tips on how to choose a wedding photographer come from interacting with the many, many couples who have hired me to photograph their big day over the years.

Get to know the person who will be spending the day with you and your family. Do this by setting up a meeting. While I occasionally book out of town clients, I at least push for a phone consultation before we send a contract out or accept payment to secure the date. Your photographer needs to be able to relate to people from all walks of life as well as operate his or her gear.
Make sure that the person you are meeting with is the one who will be showing up on your wedding day to take the photographs. So many "photography services" exist today where the owner of the business will outsource an amateur photographer and send them to cover your wedding. I am the owner and photographer at Region Weddings. I photograph the day and do the post processing myself. I do have a second photographer when needed, but they are vetted professionals in the field. To learn about my second shooters, visit the About Page.
Ask if the photographer has had any training in photography as well as digital image editing. I have gone to school for both and continue to educate myself in this ever evolving artistic endeavor.
Ask to see an entire wedding from start to finish. At my meetings I show at least one large album of one client that shows the entire day that I have shot.
Check to see if the photographer has a regularly updated blog such as this one. This is important because it will show whether or not the photographer is actively working and the different types of venues they have photographed in. Can they shoot inside of a church as well as a wedding shot on a beach? Can they capture the action on the dance floor as well as the details of the bride getting ready?
Do they have liability and equipment insurance? If a memory card were to fail, data recovery services cost thousands of dollars to get back these precious images. Although this has NEVER happened in my career, the liability and equipment insurance that I carry gives me and my clients peace of mind should something unfortunate happen. The photographer should have two pro camera bodies (doesn't matter what brand) in case of a malfunction.
Take a look at the photographers website closely. Look at their presentation as well as the manner in which they show you their work. Is this person heavily invested in their art and their business? This will help determine whether or not they will be there for you in a year or six months from now. Will they be able to provide superior customer service? Yes, I have a Facebook Page just like everyone else, but I cannot provide my clients with the information they need with that alone.
Perhaps this should have come first, but image quality is certainly the be all and end all. To me, nothing is worse than a bride with raccoon eyes that aren't sharply in focus. A famous quote says that the "eyes are the mirror to the soul" and well, they'd better be in focus then too!! :)

If you are in search of a wedding photographer in Northwest Indiana, Chicago or southwest Michigan, simply fill out the contact form and set up a meeting. If I have your day booked, let me help you find a qualified professional so you can have great images to look back upon in 20 years. Try to have fun in your wedding planning as well, don't get too stressed. Our All Day Coverage policy certainly takes the worry out of the photography part of your day. Have fun!!

BONUS TIP: I may get myself in trouble on this one, but here goes... don't hire your friends!! There, I've said it. "But, but... my friend from college has a nice camera and she's a really sweet person." I do not doubt your friend's sincerity in capturing your day. However, unless your friend is professionally trained to shoot in any and all conditions (low light, harsh sun light, mixed lighting such as church overheads and more) and has the experience to organize family pictures and guide you on a proper timeline to ensure all of your moments are captured, I would strongly advise against this approach. Do they have backup gear and insurance? I could go on.

Every Spring and Summer I get a call from someone asking for a session in which they get into their dress and suit again and want me to take "wedding portraits" because they used a friend or one of those services that sends a stranger to photograph your day and "it didn't turn out". I've done a few of these and as we are doing the session I hear about what happened at their wedding ("there was no plan", "he was mean to us", "she asked us what to shoot", "he dressed like a slob", "the photos are blah looking", "my bridesmaid dresses are pink, but look purple in the pictures", "it's been a year and we still don't have our photos") and I realize why they are here with me a year later in their wedding day best. This just what I've learned over the past 10 years of being a wedding photographer. The emotional response I get is very gratifying. I hope all of this info helps.

Sky lanterns fill the night sky at an outdoor wedding reception.

Famous First Looks

December 5, 2016 Steve Vansak

First look under the old covered bridge at Lake County Fairgrounds.

Okay, so these couples aren't celebrities, but I'm calling them "famous first looks" anyway!! The purpose of today's post is to show you some of the many "first looks" or "reveals" that I've done over the years and why I think they are important.

Breaking with certain wedding traditions are difficult to do. Your mom had a totally different wedding in a different era with different styles. To her, this whole "reveal" thing will probably be very foreign. Back then wedding photography didn't have different locations with creative, magazine style imagery. It was "look at the camera and smile" and that may have been it. You may have friends who have warned about superstitions they have heard about or seen on wedding websites, etc. While I will definitely respect your wishes, keep an open mind about doing a first look and taking some of the stress out of your big day.

An emotional first look of the bride and groom at Holy Spirit Church before the ceremony.

I have shot countless numbers of weddings where the bride and groom have not seen each other before the ceremony and we have found time to make beautiful images for them. However, that sometimes requires a lot of discipline from family, wedding party and the bride and groom themselves on wedding day. This is especially an issue if you are having a ceremony that is close in time to the start of your reception. In an early afternoon wedding for example, there is usually no need as we have plenty of time for family photos, wedding party and couple's shots.

Here are some scenarios where it really helps:

Ceremonies in the 5pm range means very little time for post ceremony congratulations, family pictures, wedding party and bride and groom. Within no time you are required to be at the reception for introductions. At church ceremonies, often another event is occurring right afterwards that restricts time even more so.
Late Fall, winter weddings as well as early Spring weddings often see night come in the late afternoon. I can shoot terrific wedding photos at night for you, but is this the look you want? If beautiful Autumn color is what you are going for, consider an earlier ceremony or a first look.

On paper it may even look like you have plenty of time, but from experience I can tell you that you will be in a constant state of "celebrity" on your wedding day. Your friends and family want to wish you well and you will want to accommodate them and give them some of your time. It's tough to get away, especially after the ceremony. i do work very quickly, but gathering family for pictures does takes time.

First look overlooking farmland at the couple's home.

Father of the bride delivers his daughter to the groom on the Centennial Park bridge.

So how does all of this work? Often times we have the groom meet the second photographer at a pre-determined location and then the bride arrives to find him facing away. Sometimes we even put a twist on it like in the shot above with the father of the bride delivering his daughter across the bridge.

I often choose a location with a bit of room as I like to focus back and forth from the bride to the groom and back, capturing the emotions and excitement. These reveals have the added benefit of real, non-staged moments. These are often very cherished images in the wedding book. The image below is the summer wedding and reveal for Wendy and Kelly at Lighthouse Restaurant.

First look for the soon to be Mrs. and Mrs. on the pier of Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake, Indiana.

Not convinced? That's okay, I will come up with a plan for you. If you want to see each other for the first time when walking down the aisle, here is what I suggest.

Get into your dress a little bit sooner and have your side of the family visit where you are getting ready. We will then take your side of the family's photos at this time.
Have your partner's side of the family meet me or my second photographer at the ceremony site about one hour before everything begins. We will take their solo and wedding party pictures and their family at this time.
After the ceremony we simply take photos of both sides together - families, wedding party and then take couple's shots before heading off to the reception.

So there you have it, "famous first looks" from this past year as well as from the archives.

I always like to give my client's real world advice about their wedding day. I don't want you to look back and think "wow, the photos are great, but what a chore they were to get". I don't want to convince you to go against your principles either. So, no matter how you choose to plan your day, let's work together to make it a great experience and get you those great images - candid moments, important family photos and also art to hang on the wall of your new home.

Be sure to fill out the Contact Form if you have any questions.

Interview: Shannon Grimmer of Fringe Beauty Salon

March 21, 2016 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom kiss on the bridge at Centennial Park in Munster.

Shannon and I first met when she was styling Jenny, the bride in the above shot during bridal prep. We have since worked together on various weddings and she is now the proud owner of Fringe Beauty Salon, a spacious full service building in Merrillville across from the Post Office. It's a great all in one shop that will fit your entire wedding party and is close to many popular venues. Here is my recent interview with Shannon:

How long have you been working in the wedding industry?

I am passionate about creating flawless, detail oriented styles for my clients. My passion for the wedding industry was influenced as my career in the beauty industry began professionally over 15 years ago. Realizing that there was a lack of accommodation for wedding parties inside the salon and also a disconnection with brides, I decided to start Shannon Grimmer Beauty Concepts which has now evolved into Fringe Salon. I say "professionally”, because I think if you were to slit my wrists shampoo would come oozing out. I've had a lifelong passion for weddings and the beauty industry ever since I stole an Avon sample of Passion Red lipstick from my mom's makeup bag and snuck it to school in 1st grade.

Tell us about Fringe Salon, your full service hair and nail salon. What does that all entail? Where is it located?

Fringe is located in the heart of Merrillville, just 40 minutes from Chicago. We are a collective of stylists who have been doing hair for years! Fringe is a booth rental based salon where each stylist has the freedom to create their own schedule and use products that they are passionate about. The salon itself retails an exclusive brand, Kevin Murphy, born from the same philosophy as skin care. You can learn more about us by visiting the Experience Fringe website. Stop by just for the hugs or a killer cup of coffee!

Can a bride bring her entire wedding party to the salon? If so, how far in advance should they book?

Absolutely-the more the merrier! We do suggest booking at least a year in advance if you are planning for a Saturday wedding or during a holiday weekend. I've had plenty of brides secure their artist once the date and location has been booked. Large wedding parties are also welcome! In that case, I will have one of my assistants, who are also licensed, to help collaborate. This ensures that everyone will be picture perfect for the day.

Do you have online booking?

Yes, online booking is a must in this day and age! I understand the need to connect on the client's terms. Especially if you happen to be a bride the week of your event awake at 2am and you suddenly realize you need to get your brows shaped!

Shannon Grimmer of Fringe Salon preps brides and her bridesmaids on wedding day.

Tell us about the Muse Beauty Bar.

At the Muse Beauty Bar we are passionate about sharing the art of makeup and beauty. We provide applications, niche professional product, and makeup lessons. Whether you're the professional looking for fresh airbrush tips or the private client looking to hone in your personal application; I love to share the products, my expertise and techniques. Muse is for anyone!

Are you available for on location hair?

Absolutely! I have traveled as far as Boise, ID for a bridal party. Of course certain travel terms and conditions may apply if the bride is planning for a destination wedding but most of my on location travel has been fairly local. On location is very important to me because I want to make sure I synchronize with what works best for my client. If getting ready at home, hotel, etc. is the desired choice I can absolutely accommodate with my traveling kit, lighting, and chair. I want to make sure my client is their most comfortable before they walk down the isle.

What are your top tips for hair on your wedding day?

I like to create the total package for my clients. I like to meet with them even before we do a trial and find out what the utmost important aspects of the brides' day might be, as well as set a game plan for their hair to be its healthiest. I like to have a conversation to see if the bride has any major cut/color transformations that I may need to consider. I do suggest having your last color and haircut appointment approximately 7-10 days before the big event. You don't want to run the risk of trying something new and not loving it. Conditioning and restorative treatments are something I also highly recommend and will customize to individual needs. I offer Olaplex treatments in the salon to help to keep the integrity of shinier, healthy hair. Lastly, for the best up-do to happen the hair needs a little grit. I always prefer that those getting an up-styled service don't wash their hair the day of.