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Rodger and Jessica recently had a wonderful summer wedding in Illinois which saw them taking wedding portraits at beautiful Lake Katherine Botanic Gardens in Palos Heights, Illinois.
The couple had a private ceremony in Bridgeview, Illinois, then met up with family and friends (including their beloved dogs) for a quick celebration before I captured their wedding photos in front of the waterfall at Lake Katherine.
Read moreA newly married couple hops into a classic car on their wedding day at Uptown Social wedding venue.
2020 has been one of the most challenging years the world has faced during my lifetime. The simple tasks of going to the grocery store or visiting your favorite coffee shop became quite the endeavor. Seeing the loss of life and illness due to the pandemic can really crush one’s spirit.
When you are young and in love with wedding plans and dreams of gathering with family and friends in celebration these new and uncharted circumstances can double the stress that is already involved. When you are a wedding and event photographer who makes one’s living documenting togetherness, I also felt just as helpless.
Some of my 2020 clients understandably moved their dates to 2021 and some stayed the course for 2020, but not without many second guesses. Those who moved forward did so knowing some major adjustments would have to take place. What’s the biggest wedding fashion trend of 2020? The face mask of course! Who would have thought?
Wedding party wearing faces masks.
As I take you through the year in this post, keep in mind the love is still there and the same with the camaraderie, the fun and hopefully the art as well. A big thanks to my 2020 wedding clients and their friends and families for sticking with the wedding photographer in a black mask whom you could not hear because he’s not used to speaking in a mask!! Ha - enjoy…
Bride and groom under the arch at Village Church in Dyer, Indiana.
Late Spring saw Amanda and Taylor’s wedding at Village Church in Dyer, Indiana with close friends and family only. They had a wonderful outdoor cake ceremony outside at Centennial Park for their reception and loved ones cheered them with bubbles.
Northwest Indiana wedding photos from Spring.
With Spring blurring into summer, it was also Samantha and Zach’s big day at The Patrician wedding venue. They also added the Wedding Short Film to their package as seen below.
Bride on the altar of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Crown Point.
Kaley and Adam had quite a bit to juggle for their June wedding with two ceremonies - inside at St. Mary’s in Crown Point with their parents only attending and to other friends and family in an outdoor setting in Valparaiso. Then it was off to Aberdeen Manor for the reception.
Indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies in June in Northwest Indiana.
It’s always great to be back at County Line Orchard for a summer barn wedding. This time is was Hallie and Jordan with an emotional first look and rocking reception at the big red barn.
Summer barn wedding at County Line Orchard.
Bride and groom take a stroll along the fencing at County Line Orchard.
Before 2020 I had never heard of the term Micro Weddings but this past year saw a number of these elopement style, small wedding gatherings. Enough so that I now have wedding packages for these intimate weddings.
As seen below, Friendship Botanical Garden in Michigan City is a perfect spot for Micro Weddings along with full size wedding days.
Elopement style portraits at Friendship Botanical Garden.
August saw an outdoor ceremony in Warsaw, Indiana with Marissa and David along with a chapel elopement in Illinois with Elizabeth and David. The end of the month saw Jessica and Matt tie the knot at Ravisloe Country Club in Illinois.
Outdoor wedding in Warsaw, Indiana.
Bride in the ballroom window at Ravisloe Country Club.
August weddings in Illinois.
I always love weddings at Aberdeen Manor and Jasmine and Jacob’s ceremony was in the outside garden. We shot at the Aberdeen Inn as well as Family Express, because… why not?!!
A candid moment for the bride and groom with a water fountain in the background.
A late summer wedding at Aberdeen Manor.
September saw Taylor and Jesus have a beach wedding and reception at Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.
Outdoor wedding at Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.
The groom embraces his bride.
Alyssa and Goran’s micro wedding at Barker Mansion was quite unique as it all took place at night. After the twilight ceremony we went inside the historic mansion for creative portraits.
Photos from a night time micro wedding at Barker Mansion in Michigan City.
Bride and groom kiss with a circle of light around them in the halls of Barker Mansion.
Colleen and Michael were up next with a church ceremony in Crown Point at St. Matthias Parish with a reception at Uptown Social.
September wedding at Uptown Social in Michigan City, Indiana.
Bride and groom beneath the stage at wedding venue Uptown Social.
It was great to be back at The Pavilion at Sandy Pines for Amanda and Ben’s outdoor, golf course wedding. What a beautiful Northwest Indiana wedding venue this is.
A romantic walk in the woods at Sandy Pines in Demotte.
Golf course wedding in Demotte at Sandy Pines.
There’s nothing like a Greek wedding to keep you on your toes and Maggie and Ben’s big day was a blast.
October continues to be busy with another micro wedding with Bianca and Austin in the Northeast portion of Indiana and the very next day a wedding in Davenport, Iowa with Allison and Nathan.
Greek wedding at St. George and The Patrician in Schererville, Indiana.
The bride and groom embrace in a field in Davenport, Iowa on their wedding day.
Chapel weddings in Indiana and Iowa.
The end of October saw me back at Aberdeen Manor for an Autumn wedding with Stephanie and Tim with some gorgeous Fall color. Kinsey and Kevin and brought their fun the very next day for their Halloween wedding.
Fall color takes over for an October wedding at Aberdeen Manor.
October wedding at Aberdeen Manor and Ballroom.
A Halloween themed wedding.
Temperatures cooled in November, but things were hot at County Line Orchard for Sofia and Daniel’s big day.
The bride opens the doors of the grain silo at County Line Orchard.
Winter barn wedding at County Line Orchard.
December wedding in Crown Point, Indiana.
Tori and Steve finished out 2020 with a December wedding in downtown Crown Point with Christmas lights and a church ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
So there you have it, the 2020 Year in Review of weddings in Northwest Indiana and Illinois. I hope you are doing well and staying safe as you read this. As always, please contact me via the Contact Form here to inquire about your big day. Happy New Year!
A night time kiss in downtown Michigan City.
Bride and groom encircled by light at historic Barker Mansion.
Alyssa and Goran were married during twilight at the historic Barker Mansion in Michigan City. I met up with the bride inside the bridal suite while it was still light out and soon we were outside in the courtyard for the ceremony.
Barker Mansion is a terrific venue for micro weddings and elopements. The reception was held outside under a covered space in the courtyard and we did photos inside and out of the historic, 100+ year old building.
The bride has a laugh inside the bridal suite at Barker Mansion.
The bride on the red carpeted staircase at Barker Mansion.
A modern bride portrait with a vintage look.
While I definitely shoot in color at Barker Mansion weddings, the building begs for some vintage looks in some of the photos as well.
Guests arrived into the soon to be dark courtyard and were greeted by an illuminated backdrop where the couple would be married under the night sky. During cocktail hour I took the newlyweds throughout the mansion for pictures.
A micro wedding at Barker Mansion in Michigan City.
Twilight wedding ceremony in the Barker Mansion courtyard.
Newlyweds inside historic Barker Mansion.
The bride and groom take a tour of the historic Barker Mansion.
Outdoor wedding reception in the courtyard at Barker Mansion.
This is merely a sneak peek look at Alyssa and Goran’s micro wedding at Barker Mansion in Michigan City. Be sure to check out the Instagram channel listed below for more images from this wedding along with others.
To inquire about wedding photography for your big day, be it a micro wedding / elopement or full day wedding - please fill out the Contact Form right here.
Barker Mansion is a very classy and elegant wedding venue. Follow this link to view a bridal portrait session done during daytime hours recently. Enjoy!
Dust from the overhead sun descends upon the bride and groom.
What in the world is a micro wedding?!! Simply, it’s an intimate affair with guests of 50 or less. Alternately it’s called an elopement wedding or a Zoom wedding. These have always been around but really gained popularity in 2020.
Sometimes a micro wedding is paired down to the couple only with a friend who got ordained as an officiant online. Today’s article is focused on the couple and the portraits we take before or after the exchanging of the vows.
These elopement portraits of Jenny and Christian were all taken at Friendship Botanical Garden, a beautiful location for full weddings as well as micro weddings / elopement ceremonies.
Bride at Friendship Botanical Garden.
Groom at Friendship Botanical Garden.
Bride and groom on the wooden white bridge.
If you are wondering where to get started with your micro wedding, definitely check out the following articles I wrote:
Bridal portrait on the wood and metal bridge at Friendship Botanical Garden.
Micro wedding session images at Friendship Garden in Michigan City.
Friendship Botanical Garden is a very large property. So after you jump for joy at having tied the knot, it’s the perfect spot to roam for a few hours getting timeless images of you and your partner. It also has many “mini wedding venues” that can accommodate guests and some are covered as well.
Close up portraits of the bride and her bouquet.
Close up portraits of the bride.
Are you ready to go micro? Think about it - the fewer the guests, the less opinions and the fewer people to please. You can still celebrate with a small group or just make it the two of you.
If you do choose an intimate wedding, I hope you will go pro with the photographs and allow me to get creative with you on location. We can go with nature, urban or indoor chic with the PeerSpace app.
Contact me right here for availability.
