Wedding at Radisson Hotel

November 7, 2014 Steve Vansak

The bride and groom pose in between paintings at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana.

If there is one thing that I came away with from Ashley and Cordale's wedding at the Radisson Hotel is that these two really, really wanted to get married. From the exciting first look at the grand piano to Cordale's smiles during the ceremony as Ashley came down the aisle accompanied by her Father, it was all very apparent. Heck, scroll down below to the first dance shot and look at that smile on the groom's face!!

The day started out in the Birch Room where the girls got ready. Some champagne was poured, make up applied, hair styled and a cocktail in the lounge to calm the soon to be Mrs. Franklin's nerves.

Getting ready for the wedding at Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza Theater.

After Ashley got into her dress, we took portraits of her with the first look with Cordale to happen soon after. We were going for a classy elegance near the grand piano at the very back of the hotel ballrooms.

The bride shows off the back of her wedding dress in the hotel lobby in Merrillville.

The bride shows off her dress next to the grand piano at Radisson Hotel.

Excitement was in the air for the first look. A few bridesmaids looked on as Ashley and Cordale slowly turned toward each other and finally kissed...

First look for the bride and groom at The Radisson in Merrillville.

After emotions settled down, we then walked all over the hotel taking couple's shots. From the staircase and it's patterned skylights to two comfy chairs in a hallway where I noticed the lights above were forming a heart. Ashley and Cordale got nose to nose, eyes closed. No kissing allowed!! :)

Bride and Groom on the staircase at Radisson at Star Plaza Theater.

An orange heart forms from two lanterns above the bride and groom as they snuggle.

The wedding ceremony took place in one of the Radisson Hotel ballrooms. As I stated before, Cordale was overjoyed as Ashley came down the aisle with family and friends looking on.

The groom watches his bride come down the aisle in her Father's arms.

A collage of wedding ceremony photos at Radisson Hotel.

After family photos and before the reception began, wedding party photos were taken at the entrance of the hotel lobby. Special thanks to the staff of Radisson in Merrillville for helping us move all of the furniture for the large group shot.

A large wedding party group shot in the front lobby of Radisson Hotel.

Soon it was party time and emotions ran high during the speeches of the best man. The first dance in the celebrity ballroom saw the couple spotlighted by my lighting assistant with family and friends cheering them on.

The bride's father dances with her at her wedding at Radisson Hotel.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Ashley and Cordale's wedding at Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza Theater. If you are planning your own wedding, be sure to fill out the Contact Form to inquire about openings for your date.

First dance for the bride and groom at the celebrity ballroom at Radisson Hotel.

Indian Wedding Reception at Radisson Celebrity Ballroom

May 16, 2011 Steve Vansak

Jay and Rupal's wedding reception at the Radisson Celebrity Ballroom featured traditional Indian wear right along side some modern customs such as driving a convertible Porsche onto the dance floor for their entrance. It was a fun night in Merrillville and one of the most unique celebrations I have photographed.

While the wedding planner was hard at work putting the finishing touches on the decorations inside the main ballroom, the happy couple and I stepped outside for some bride and groom formal pictures. We had the golden light from a sunset and were able to capture the bride's beautiful eyes and henna decorated on her hands.

Jay and Rupal had already gotten married a month earlier in Atlanta, Georgia and were now having their celebration here in Merrillville for their Northwest Indiana family. You can see the happiness in her eyes as she gazes at her new husband in the glow of the sunset.

The lobby of the Merrillville Radisson can make for a scenic background and we captured some wedding photos in there as well...

The wedding planner decorated the Celebrity Ballroom impeccably. Everything was top of the line, from the gorgeous purple and blue wedding cake to the wall of candles behind the wedding party's head table.

A separate night club style lounge was set up in another ballroom and had it's own bar. We also used this area for family pictures as well...

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The wedding guests had no idea that the bride and groom would enter in a Porsche convertible right onto the dance floor!! To get them warmed up, parents of the groom Dr. Kansal and his wife Sadhna danced for the crowd during their introduction....

All family members took a spin on the white floor with the women showcasing their Indian dresses....

Start your engines!! The bride and groom have arrived.....

The bride and groom were then seated at the head of the ballroom dance floor to watch dance routines from family members. It was quite the show!!

You will notice in many of these reception photos that the wedding coordinator was casting Indian symbols along with changing light patterns onto the walls of the Radisson reception hall. Colors were changing all night as family and friends began to party....

It certainly wouldn't be a celebration without running children!!

I finally got her to slow for this shot with her red rose...

Jay and Rupal were the center of attention for the traditional first bridal dance...

I made sure to take time to get some close up shots of the bride's henna decorated hands and of course the wedding ring too...

The groom's brother gave a great speech with much humor and love. Here he is with his new sister in law...

One more look at the incredible dresses shown off here by the mother of the groom with her family and friends...

It was an incredibly fun night at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville with a wedding reception like no other. I'm sure the bride and groom can drink to that...

Sneak Peek: Indian Celebration at Radisson in Merrillville

May 13, 2011 Steve Vansak

This will be a quick post as today I'm photographing Jamie and Andrew's wedding at Deep River Park. However, last night I unveiled Jay and Rupal's Indian Celebration of Marriage and wanted to share. This wedding reception was held at the Celebrity Ballroom at Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana.

The bride and groom entered the ballroom by vehicle, a Jaguar convertible!! A first for me!! I promise a full post come Monday with many more photographs. In the meantime, enjoy this video slideshow that showcases the wonderful colors and clothing of India.

For a full screen HD version of the video, please click here.

Angela and Mike's Spring Wedding: Sneak Preview

May 7, 2011 Steve Vansak

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This is a sneak preview of Angela and Mike's Spring Wedding with many more photographs to follow as I have just started editing the images. The photo collage above is their spectacular wedding cake along with them taking their first dance at the Celebrity Ballroom at the Radisson in Merrillville, Indiana.

We started the day at Angela's parents house in Hebron, Indiana where I got some quick portraits of the bride and her bridesmaids just before we were off to leave for the church.

The house in Hebron was just a few minutes from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church and had a terrific four seasons room that let in a lot of natural light for this photo of the the beautiful bride.

This room also doubled as the hair and makeup center. Big enough for a couple of hair stylist, some bridesmaids, orange juice (wink -wink), a photographer with two big cameras and apparently from all the shrieking, a spider as well!!

Angela's mom was a great hostess to me and all the girls. She was always running to take care of things, but I finally got a quick shot of her with her daughter...

Literally minutes before heading to the ceremony, I gathered the girls underneath the weeping willow tree in their Hebron backyard. Watch out for those branches!!

Soon after the above photo, I arrived at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Valparaiso, Indiana and captured the groomsmen and the groom in this walking shot along the cornfields behind the church.

Wedding are always a race against the clock, so we managed to sneak in a few formal shots of the guys inside the church, including this one of the groom...

Pastor Mike at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was terrific and allowed me very free reign on where I could photograph the wedding from. In this photo, the bride is beaming as she walks down the aisle arm in arm with her father. Look at the detail in that dress!!

After formal shots along the lakefront in Hobart, we ended the night at the Celebrity Ballroom in the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana. Here are some shots of the bride and groom during their first dance...

Here is one of many crazy dancing shots. Here I actually got on floor of the ballroom and shot up at the partiers who more than willing to mug for the camera...

So why just a sneak preview? Why not show the whole wedding now? For professional wedding photographs I shoot in a different kind of format that yields high quality images. Although it is digital, I have to "develop" every image in the digital darkroom for maximum detail and sharpness. Right now all the images are digital negatives awaiting development. However, I work pretty quickly so in 10 days or so all of Angela's and Mikes wedding photos will be in a gallery online for all to view.

I urge you to "like" SBV Photography on Facebook and to sign up for the RSS fee right here for updates. In the meantime, let's take another look at that spectacular wedding cake...