A big thank you to all of my clients for another great year of wedding photography!!  This past year saw my assistants and I photograph weddings in Crown Point, Merrillville, Valparaiso, Schererville, Griffith, Highland, Munster as well as Chicago, Illinois and Sawyer Michigan too.  Whew!! Add in some engagement sessions and it was a busy year.  So let's take a look back at the year in wedding photography...

The year started off with a winter wedding in Crown Point, Indiana of Anthony and Elizabeth.  The ceremony was at Saint Matthias Church with some snow filled formal photographs around the downtwon Square.

The church was still decorated in Christmas decorations and looked warm and beautiful.

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The wedding party was up for some playful and cute shots after the ceremony inside and then braved the cold for some outdoor formals on the steps of the old courthouse...

Angela and Mike had a wonderful Spring day for their ceremony at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Valparaiso.  We took formal photos in downtown Hobart with some nice dramatic clouds and a vintage automobile courtesy of the groom's grandfather.

One of the couple's favorite photographs was taken in the back alley of a downtown store facing Lake George. This colorful graffiti wall made for a terrific contrasting backdrop of the newlyweds...

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April showers brought May flowers showers for Jaime and Andrew's outdoor wedding at Deep River Park in Valparaiso.  I told the bride not to worry as she will have some unique wedding photos courtesy of Mother Nature.  

The couple's daughters were the bridesmaids with the groom's son as best man.  They bravely strutted their Converse All Stars in the rain.  Here's a photo of the girls during the Getting Ready sessions at The Radisson hotel in Merrillville...

The mini storm soon passed and we achieved some really saturated greenery for the bride and groom's portraits as we walked along Deep River...

One of my favorite images is the kids blowing bubbles off of the porch at the Deep River Park gift shop...

Taking a black and white shot with the bride's bouquet of flowers in color is certainly a classic wedding photography special effect.  for this one, I wanted to add some edge to it by posing the couple up high and framed by the old industirial machinery...

It may not look it in this beach kiss wedding photo, but the wind was swirling a very cold temperature over Lake Michigan with fog surrounding the area.  It was a very stormy Spring in Northwest Indiana.  Let's hope for a calmer season in 2012.

The difficult weather pattern continued and got so bad that Kristal and Steve had to cut short wedding formals at Deep River Park.  This old timey looking image occured as another couple was having their bride and groom photos taken and just before a major storm flooded down upon us.

Before the downpour, I took detail shots as the bride got into her dress at the Hilton Hotel in Merrillville...

This love note was left on the bed for the groom to find after the party later that night...

The ceremony was to have taken place outside at the Avalon Manor gazebo in Merrillville, Indiana, but the storm got dangerous.  The couple instead had a lovely ceremony inside the hall with family and friends looking on and staying warm and dry.

The bride backstage at Avalon Manor, looking in the mirror just before getting married...

June began the family wedding of Brandi and Gary.  They are the couple in the opening photo of this post in the convertible classic car.  It was taken as they arrived for their reception in downtown Crown Point at the banquet center of the old courthouse.

This candid wedding photo of the laughing bride and groom is from their outdoor ceremony at Deep River Park.

The happy couple wanted to thank their friends for all of their love and support so we arranged this "thank you" photo which was eventually printed and sent out with the wedding thank you cards.

I call this one 'shadow dance', taken from the first dance at the Halls of Justice reception hall.

Stephanie and Jordan were up next with a ceremony at Griffith Lutheran Church and formal photos taken at a park near their home in Villa Park, Illinois.

These Chicago Bears football fans combined their team's jersey along with a wedding veil at their outdoor wedding reception.  It was a fun wedding with a great family!!

Olivia and Zach picked the gorgeous Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana for their summer outdoor wedding...

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When we got to the Croation Center in Crown Point, Indiana for the reception, we had to take a few more outdoor photos of the bride and groom smooching.  This banquet hall on Taft Street has a lovely gazebo and walk way in the back.

I photographed Janine and Mike's wedding ceremony at Willow Harbor Vineyard in Michigan and reception at Dewey Cannon Winery.  It was a blistering hot sunny day, but a beautiful one...

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The hot weather continued for Tara and Ken's outdoor wedding at Deep River Park.  It seemed as though we had the entire scenic landmark to ourselves as the bride groom strolled along the stone path.

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Later that night they danced away at Our Lady of Consolation Banquet Hall in Crown Point, Indiana...

Tim and Terra, or TnT as I affectionately call them, were married in Sawyer, Michigan.  Terra's father (and her new husband) are military men and were in full uniform for the wedding ceremony.

This bouquet toss happened on the other side of the border in Indiana.  The banquet hall was filled with family and friends as the couple took their first dance with their initials screened upon the floor.

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September kicked off the Fall wedding season with their ceremony at Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana.

One of my favorite wedding party shots is this one overlooking Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana...

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This group knew how to party and I think this dance floor shot taken at the Centennial Park Clubhouse captures the joy in the air that night.

Nothing says celebration like a young wedding party jumping shot!!  Jackie and Brandon had a beautiful Fall day for their wedding.  Taken a week later from Ali and John's wedding at Centennial Park.

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Earlier that day I took the bridesmaid's group photo in this Schererville neighborhood...

Jackie and Brandon were married at St. Michael's Church with a large congregation of friends and family...

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From the tradional church shot above we then went to this casual group photo of the wedding party piled into golf carts...

More contrasting images with the bride and groom in front of the gorgeous water fountain and then an edgier image against a wood wall - all taken at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.

To showcase Linda and Tom's Autumn wedding at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point, Indiana, I give you these images taken on the bridge that resides deep in the golf course there...

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Mike and Kelly's Fall wedding took place at Saint Mary's Church in Griffith, Indiana.  It's a very striking church with a balcony overlooking the ceremony.

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After the ceremony we walked across Broad St. to Griffith Park for some fun wedding party shots with the leaves in full Autumn glory.  

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The newlyweds take a stroll through Oak Ridge Prairie...

Brittany and Shaun had an epic wedding in the city of Chicago.  I rode with the girls in the limousine from Schererville all the way to Grant Park where I captured the bride's arrival...

One of my favorite photojournalistic wedding photos of the year is this one of the bride jumping for joy at her ceremony at the Cancer Survivors Garden.

The first kiss with the entire windy city looking on (okay, slight exaggeration) and cars of Lake Shore Drive in the distance.

Guests help celebrate as bubbles descend upon the newly married Brittany and Shaun.

We photographed throughout downtown Chicago starting with a walk through Millennium Park as the skyline of the city looms in the background.

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The tourist got a kick out of the bride and groom casually walking through the park.  They were gazed at like celebrities as my cameras captured them from all angles.

Molly and Steve's winter wedding in Barrington, Illinois produced this iconic wedding photo of a little girl with piercing eyes looking toward my camera lens during their ceremony.

The balcony at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church was the perfect spot to frame these newly married soul mates for wedding photo couple's shots.

Wedding Season 2011 had many more images that you will find in previous entires here on the Wedding Photographer Journal.  I will be shooting my final wedding of this year on New Years Eve with Jessica and Allen.  I think we are going to get some really unique images this night.  Definitely subscribe here or visit the SBV Photography Facebook Page to keep up with all of the 2012 weddings.  

Have a Happy New Year!!