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Jamie and Andrew's wedding was all about family.  The day started out at Salon Amara in Valparaiso where the Wedding Belles - Jamie, her mom and Alison and Skylar got their hair and make up done.  The staff was extremely friendly and it was a pleasure to shoot there.

The Getting Ready part of the wedding day is all about capturing moments.  All the mirrors at Salon Amara were a blessing and a curse for a photographer.  On one hand, I could capture some laughter by pointing my camera at a mirror in another direction, but I was also seen a mile away for direct photos.  Nonetheless, I think we came out with some great photos of this wonderful family interacting...

 

Our bride Jamie is 29 years old and holding.  However, I happened to catch the headline of this bridal magazine while she was getting her pedicure done.  Nothing wrong with a little future planning!!  :)

Jamie was both ecstatic with joy and full of nervousness while trying on her veil...

Another use of the vast amount of mirrors at Salon Amara.  It's almost time to go back to the Radisson in Merrillville to get the wedding dress on.

I love capturing candid wedding photos, but a few happy posed pictures will look good in the wedding album as well...

Special effects can add fun and variety to the wedding photographs when done sparingly and with taste.  The above image adds a touch of motion blur to the bride's dress for a somewhat dreamy look.

Allison and Skylar were Jamie's fun loving young bridesmaids.  They have a lot of character and I wanted some photos that conveyed that.  Here they are in the lobby of the Radisson hotel relaxing with their feet up.  Yes, Allsion would continue to wear her red Chuck Taylor sneakers with her black bridesmaid dress for the rest of the day.

Skylar's mom gets in on the fun....

Jamie's mom helped tie her dress with daughter Skylar for these traditional wedding shots...

The wedding belles were just about ready for the limo to come and take them to Deep River Park for the outdoor wedding.  

My assistant and I had already noticed the temperature drop and the dark clouds in the sky.  Check out the next posting for a sampling of a rainy day wedding.  Just remember that no matter how dark the clouds get or how much water pours out of the sky, it will never damper the amount of love that is in the air.