Pt. 2 - Wedding Photographer Year in Review for 2013
Bride and groom kiss underneath blue skies at Oak Ridge Prairie Park in Griffith, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post Part 1 of my 2013 Year in Review. We left off at the end of the summer and now I will take you through my busy Fall wedding season on into winter weddings.
I've been saying for awhile now that September is the new June as brides and grooms try to escape the heat at the peak of summer. The Fall season kicked off with Chris and Tabitha's beach wedding at Portage River Walk.
Bridesmaids step into Lake Michigan in their dresses for a wedding photo.
Bride and groom share a tender moment on the shore of the beach of Lake Michigan at the Portage River Walk.
A newly married couple walks along the beach at Indiana Dunes.
Every year (sometimes twice) the "sports rivalry" wedding takes place and Ashley and Steve take the honors in 2013. Bears football was a theme of the day and the father of the bride added some Green Bay Packer cheese to the mix to make things interesting.
Bridesmaids hold up Chicago Bears football jerseys in front of their dresses for a Fall wedding photo.
Father of the bride gives a speech while wearing a Wisconsin cheese hat.
While we had had our share of fun, silly pictures - the bride and groom gave me plenty of time to capture some great moments between the two of them as well as some unique wedding photos to hang as art on their wall.
Bride and groom share a laugh on a park bench after their outdoor wedding at Munster's Centennial Park.
Bride poses with her bouquet of flowers with a fountain behind her and a beautiful blue sky.
The outdoor ceremony on the terrace at Centennial Park made for a fantastic vantage point and great opportunities to capture some wonderful moments as they happened.
Outdoor wedding ceremony on the terrace at Centennial Park.
The groom gets emotional as he sees his bride for the first time.
The ring bearers take a rest on wedding day.
Catherine and Matt's military wedding gave me an opportunity for some real iconic pictures. Certainly the presence of the marine honor guards and the groom himself in uniform was a pleasure to photograph, but the images with American flag in the background of the bride's dress really brought out the Americana feel of the day.
The marine honor guard salutes the bride and groom as they exit Saint Mary's Church in Griffith, Indiana.
The american flag is seen in the background as the bride's dress hangs in waiting.
The ceremony took place at Saint Mary's Church, a building that could also be considered iconic in stature.
A wide angle view of a wedding ceremony at Saint Mary's Church in Griffith, Indiana.
Mike and Jennifer's Fall wedding at Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles, Michigan was centered upon their first look. What a moment it was as the groom saw his bride for the first time.
The bride and groom see each other for the first time amongst wonderful Fall foliage in Niles, Michigan.
The groom reacts after seeing his bride for the first time during their reveal.
After the excitement of their reveal came down a bit we went off into the woods at this botanical garden for intimate bride and groom wedding photos.
The bride and groom kiss amidst the forest trees in Michigan during the Fall season.
The Autumn season can make for wonderful rustic decor at a wedding. One of the coolest decorating ideas I saw was at Jamie and Ryan's wedding where the bride's Dad carved the table placards from tree bark. It went nicely with the many tables of decorations and the soft orange / amber light inside The Patrician Banquet Hall.
Wedding table placards carved out of tree bark.
The bride and groom dance at The Patrician Banquet Hall with soft amber lighting in the background.
The weather had turned at this point in time, but we managed to sneak out for a few romantic bride and groom photos.
The bride and groom embrace in the dark for a romantic wedding photo.
The Fall colors continued on for Maggie and Joe's wedding also at the Patrician. The bride and groom showed off their love of the great outdoors throughout their wedding day.
Wedding rings rest upon orange leaves.
Wedding cake toppers of the deer dressed as a bride and groom.
Eric and Maria's winter wedding took place at the spectacular Saint Andrew Parish in Calumet City. The Polish and Italian families came out to see their loved ones and made for a joyful party at The Dream Palace in Lynwood, Illinois.
A wide angle view of a wedding ceremony at Saint Andrew's Church in Calumet City.
The bride and groom dance close during their reception at The Dream Palace.
I've photographed at Our Lady of Grace church in Highland, Indiana many times, but I had never experienced bag piper players before. It was an epic way to escort the Greg and Kristen from the church after being pronounced man and wife. We brought a whole lot of hometown flavor to their wedding photos as we photographed as the sun went down in the downtown area.
Bag pipe players pose with the bride and groom after their wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Grace Church.
A night time wedding photo in downtown Highland with the bride and groom snuggling close.
There could not have been a more grand entrance than Greg and Kristen's as a very large crowd of friends and family looked on. I'm unclear if any fire codes were violated!!
Smoke and fire greet the bride and groom as they make their entrance at their reception celebration.
The grand finale of the 2013 wedding season was Todd and Cassie's rustic wedding at County Line Orchard. From their very brave first look (it was 25 degrees outside) to the family oriented ceremony to the dance party at the end of the night, it was definitely ending on a high note. Can't wait to see what 2014 brings!!
The bride and groom first look outside the County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana.
View of a wedding ceremony from the balcony at County Line Orchard.
A passionate kiss in the middle of the apple orchards.
A wedding dress hangs inside a rustic looking barn on wedding day.
If you are a past client and made it to the end of this post, i want to thank you for a wonderful 2013 wedding season. If you are new here and planning your wedding for 2014 and 2015, thank you as well for visiting. I want to urge you to fill out the contact form today because bookings tend to go quickly, especially at the beginning of the year.
For a pretty cool video montage of the entire 2013 wedding season, please take a look at my video on You Tube. Happy New Year!!