Brandi and Gary: Sneak Peek at Deep River Park and Crown Point Courthouse Reception

Brandi and Gary had a wonderful outdoor wedding at Deep River Park in Valparaiso, Indiana.  We've had a LOT of rain here recently, but this June wedding escaped any downpours.  There was no need to pile guests underneath the wonderful gazebo.  The previous rains even brought out a tremendous amount of green in the ceremony and formal photos.

The day started in Crown Point, Indiana with the girls getting their hair done.  The flower girl was liittle shy at first, but she soon warmed up to the camera as the day progressed...

Our bride Brandi could not stop smiling the entire day.  That sure makes a wedding photographer's job easy!!  It was great fun laughing and joking with them for their Getting Ready photos.  A big "thank you" to the staff at Thomas William Hair Salon on Summit St. in Crown Point for being so accommodating and letting me roam freely to take photographs!!

After hair and make up were done, we made a brief stop at Brandi's parent's home where mom adjusted her veil and we got a few family photographs in front of the house she grew up in.

Soon it was time for the ceremony in front of the gazebo at Deep River Park.  It's important to catch the traditional moments, but silly candids such as the ring bearer mugging for the camera are just too good to pass up!!

Here are father and daughter, radiant during their entrance at the start of the ceremony....

I usually post a first kiss shot (and we have plenty of those), but I really like this wonderful "post first kiss" candid moment.  It's pure "just married" happiness in front of great friends and family.

After a whole bunch of family photos, I got the newlyweds alone for some romantic snuggling and kissing on one of the many benches at the picturesque Deep River Park.

If there is an old classic car around, chances are I'm going to put a bride in front of it!!  Lucky for me, a family member lent this (Model T Ford?) beauty for the newly married couple to ride to the reception in.

The reception took place inside the old courthouse in the middle of the Square in downtown Crown Point, Indiana.  This is where I caught this shadow dance of the bride and groom...

Wedding reception photographs can sometimes turn into never ending crazy dancing shots.  We have plenty of those as well, but this doesn't meant the emotion of the day has evaporated.  This is the time for laughter, smiles and happy tears...

Mother and daughter in a joyous moment on the dance floor...

Okay, I admit it - crazy dancing shots with multi colored lights are fun too!!!

Brandi and Gary are very grateful for all their friends and family who attended their wedding and wanted to convey that in a photograph taken after the ceremony at Deep River.  Keep in mind that this is only a sneak preview.  Subscribe to this Wedding Journal on the right of the page and "like" us on Facebook for an update when the entire gallery of wedding photos goes live.

O.M.G. - What If It Rains On My Outdoor Wedding?

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Worried about rain on your outdoor wedding?  Well, I'd love to say it never happens, but sometimes it does.  The good news is that it is not that bad!!  Here are a few of the positives of rain at your outdoor wedding...

• unique photographs
• rainy day photos turned to black and white = romantic photos
• the closeness of family friends brought even closer by huddling up together to view your wedding vows
• the scenery / greenery looks incredible after a downpour 

Jamie and Andrew's ceremony at Deep River Park began at the height of the downpour that day.  My assitant and I brought umbrellas as did the well prepared groom.  Our bride Jamie was sequestered under the canopy of the Deep River gift shop while guests arrived with umbrellas in hand...

Seating was moved up under the large sized gazebo.  Family and friends huddled up close waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Our groom Andrew looked confident as he awaited the love of his life to arrive...

Soon the procession was under way with Jamie's daughter and Andrew's son starting things off with umbrellas in hand.  Notice the misty fog arising from around their feet...

The ring bearer and his sister follwed suit...

Jamie's Dad was so concerned about his daughter's comfort.  He did a terrific job keeping her under cover of the rain during their walkout.  Mom was right behind to cover the back of the gorgeous dress.

The ceremony had a loose, family feel to it with lots of laughter as demonstrated by the two bridesmaids giggling...

The bride and groom poured sand as their traditional wedding ritual.  The end result looked like a work of art within the vase.

Just as the bride and groom took their first kiss and were pronounced man and wife, the skies began to clear.

The wedding party began their walk back down the path and the scenery at Deep River Park took on a rich green look to it due to the downpour of rain.

The kids in the wedding party began to celebrate by blowing bubbles on the steps of the Deep River storefront...

At this point, the skies were clear and the grass was a sparkling green from the rain.  It was time for formal shots and we got some really nice ones to show off in an upcoming post.  Deep River provides great scenery as is, but the rain actually made it even better.

So the moral of the story here is to not dwell on the rain as negative.  We can get some very unique wedding photos from a seemingly bad situation.

Rainy Day Wedding: Sneak Peek from Deep River Park

 I always tell my clients to not to worry if it rains on your wedding day.  Imagine the unique photographs you will have from braving the elements.  The image above has our bride Jamie's daughter and the groom Andrew's son walking out during the ceremony at Deep River Park.  They were on their way to the gazebo where their guests were huddled undercover.

We ended up with a very cool looking misty fog hovering around Allison's red All Star sneakers, nice saturated greenery from the wet rain and I believe a unique looking wedding photograph.  My assistant held an umbrella over me as I took these shots and we gave our extras to members of the wedding party who needed them.

I will have more images from this Deep River Park Spring wedding soon.  For now, enjoy this sneak peek.

The day started off warm and dry at Amara hair salon in Valparaiso.  The family gathered around as the bride Jamie treated herself to a relaxing foot massage.

Jamie's daughters Skylar and Alison were her bridesmaids.  Sometimes they hid from my prying lens and other times they hammed it up.  Either way I had fun capturing their Getting Ready session with their mom and Grandmother.

Jamie began to get emotional as she was trying on her veil.  She went from deep meditation to this glorious smile...

The girls went to the Radisson in Merrillville to put on their dresses.  Here's a quick fun photo in the lobby with the girls giving mom and bride to be some attitude.  Yes, Alison is wearing some red Converse All Stars with her dress!!  Cool.

At this point the rain had started so I caught up with Father and Son over at Deep River Park just before the ceremony was about to begin.

The cool rain and the warm ground created a misty fog as seen in these walking photos as the ceremony began.  Guests, Pastor and the Groom all were waiting under the roof of the gazebo.

We took family and couples shots at Deep River as the rain stopped just after the ceremony.  Here's one behind the old wedding barn...

We stayed at Deep River Park for about 45 minutes until descending upon Lucretia's Restaurant in downtown Crown Point, Indiana.  The family and friends had a nice dinner where I captured candid moments like this one with the bride and her son.

I also took many portraits of the wedding guests and their children...

Many more pictures from Jamie and Andrew's big day will be coming soon.  Subscribe to The Merrillville Wedding Photographer Journal by clicking on the RSS feed on the right.

Spotlight on Outdoor Weddings in Northwest Indiana

Spring is almost upon us here in Northwest Indiana and it's time to put a spotlight on outdoor weddings.  I will sprinkle this post with outdoor wedding ceremony photos that I've taken in the past year along with some venues to consider.

The above shot is from Marquette Park Pavillion in Gary, Indiana.  It's an old rustic building, but one that I highly recommend.  It's got a ton of opportunities for scenic wedding photographs and an area for outdoor wedding ceremonies and a large building for receptions.  You can even get ready in this facility with plenty of large mirrors in the basement area.

The benefit of outdoor wedding ceremonies is the dream like quality a gorgeous day can bring to the wedding photos.  The gazebo at Deep River Park is one of the most popular spots and I indeed have a couple of ceremonies to cover there this coming year.  However, Ogden Garden in Valparaiso is another gorgeous spot.  I also have an outdoor ceremony coming up at the gazebo behind Avalon Manor in Merrillville.  With the reception to follow right after, this is a great way to cut down on travel time on the wedding day.

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The area in front of the courthouse in downtown Crown Point is a little known venue for outdoor weddings.  If you don't mind the curious eyes of Northwest Indiana locals upon you, it can provide some nice, localized hometown type of wedding photos.  Click on the photo above for the viewpoint of the bride and groom during their ceremony.

Outdoor wedding ceremonies can also provide some very dramatic shots like this praying moment at Coffee Creek in Chesterton, Indiana.

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Our bride Molly asked for group shots of her entire wedding party and their guests.  The cascading water fountain and blue skies over Coffee Creek made for a perfect background for a group portrait.

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People tend to be a lot loser during outdoor ceremonies which can lead to some fun, candid wedding photos...

Another scenic area and a very affordable wedding venue is the Revelli Bandshell along Lake George in Hobart, Indiana.  It's an outdoor spot with a large cover and plenty of opportunities for scenic wedding photos before and after the ceremony.

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Of course, with an outdoor wedding ceremony there is always a chance you may have to scurry away from rain.  I understand that is a bad, four letter word when it comes to Northwest Indiana weddings, but we can always make it work with some artsy black and white wedding images.