Outdoor Formals at Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana

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Zach and Olivia referred me to a wedding site called Green Wedding Shoes for ideas for their outdoor wedding at Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana.  They were looking for a sun drenched, 1970's era vintage look.  The above collage combines their wedding rings along with the bouquet and a sun soaked bride and groom.

Our formal "posed" photo session actually started in the late morning at Olivia's parents house in Crown Point. They have an old rustic barn that made for a great contrast between pretty bride and grungy, textured metal.

I call this next one Bridesmaids on Deck and it was also taken in the backyard in Crown Point....

I arrived at the ceremony site ahead of Olivia and took the groomsmen into one of the gardens for some formal and casual pictures.  Soon it would be time for Olivia and Zach's first look before the ceremony.

One of the most famous areas of Gardens on the Prairie is the Ruins Monument.  A perfect place for a wedding party group shot...

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Perhaps my favorite image of the session is this Garden shot of the bride and groom about to kiss and surrounded by greenery...

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The soon to be married couple naturally fell into this eskimo kiss while I had them sit down on a break from our garden walk...

In an effort to be unique with ring shots, my assistant and I placed the wedding rings upon this old, rustic chair in the gardens along with the bouquet...

After the ceremony we went to Croation Hall in Crown Point and snuck in a few more formal shots.  Another 1970's washed out approache with this one.  The rays of the sun shined upon the happy (now married) couple just before the reception...

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After you take a look at the this "country girl bride" wedding picture, go visit the entire gallery of Outdoor Formals at Gardens on the Prairie and elsewhere.  More Olivia and Zach in another posting in the Journal soon.

Venue Spotlight: Weddings at Deep River Park

Deep River Park has been a mainstay for outdoor wedding in Northwest Indiana for many, many years.  Located in Valparaiso just north of Rt. 30, the venerable park offers much greenery, old rustic barns, the river itself and of course the gazebo.  Yes, that wonderful gazebo.  A place where many couples have married and many families have visited.  I'd love to know how many young brides have followed in their mom's footsteps by having their ceremony at the steps of the gazebo.

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With the wide open spaces and endless picturesque backdrops, it's a natural area for a wedding photographer to zoom in on tight candids of guests and wedding party alike.  Here's one of a father catching up to his runaway flower girl daughter...

Speaking of kids, they are going to feel less nervous outdoors and tend to give some wonderful expressions during the ceremonies...

The Deep River Park gift shop is a great area for a retro looking, vintage type of photo.  I caught these kids blowing bubbles right after a wedding ceremony and thought it would look great with a sepia, brown tone retro look....

With outdoor ceremonies there is always the risk of rain.  I've had a few of those this year.  However, a couple strolling through the park under an umbrella can make for a very romantic photo...

Of course, when the sun peaks out you can have something very dramatic with the flare coming through the trees and the green river and foresty look of the east side of the park.  

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The old time grist mill is another photo opportunity.  I decided to go with black and white on this one while turning the bride's flowers back into color, a classic wedding effect.

The Sugar Shack is an old rustic barn located deep in the park and can make for casually posed family pictures as well as bride and groom formals.

If you catch the park right after a rain, the area takes on a very rich green and makes for a great backdrop of a tight shot of a just married couple...

So, whether you are walking down the aisle outside or just need a place to get some great scenery into your wedding photos, Deep River Park in Valparaiso is a terrific destination and a wedding tradition that continues to live on and thrive.

Mike and Janine: Wedding at Dewey Cannon Winery - Sneak Peak

When Mike and Janine first told me they would be having their wedding ceremony at Willow Harbor Vineyard in Michigan and their reception at Dewey Cannon Winery in Three Oaks, I got very excited.  I knew we were going to be taking some wonderful wedding photographs.  This is another of my sneak peeks during this extremely busy wedding photography season.  So, just a sampling of photos today.  Many more to come.

The Dewey Cannon Winery provided some very spacious rooms to get ready in.  The shot below is the vintage mirror in the ladies section where our bride Janine got a last look before being picked up in a vintage Rolls Royce for the ceremony in the fields of the vineyard.

While the guys were across the hall smoking some cubans, I had the ladies crowd around the sofa in their room before sending off their friend.

The heat was around 95 degress with bright sun at this outdoor wedding.  Our bride Janine did not skip a beat when walking down the aisle at Willow Harbor Wine Vineyard.  All the guests stood up in reverence to the bride...

Janine's daughter was the flower girl and she was all playful smiles as the sun shined down upon her during the ceremony...

After the ceremony, all the guests got under a large tent and drank some much needed water.  At this time, my assistant and I gathered up friends and family for some formal shots at the scenic vineyard....

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Family and friends photos came first and then we sent them away to the reception. We closed out the formal photos with the happy couple alone as seen in the above shot. The bride and groom are seen underneath the gazebo they were married at just an hour earlier.

A nice meal was served at Dewey Cannon winery along with some great tasting Michigan wine.  As the wedding party and guests ate dinner, my assistant and I began taking detail shots such as this Love Story cake topper...

One can't have a wedding reception at Dewey Cannon winery without the wedding rings perched atop some grapes.  Might as well have that Willow Harbor wine as the background...

Mike and Janine closed out the night with a last dance in front of the wine barrels.  Then it was off to Italy for their honeymoon!!

Stay tuned and subscibe to this Journal and like us on Facebook for more images and stories from Mike and Janine's wedding in Michigan.

Gardens on the Prairie Wedding: Sneak Peek

As you can tell from the cute sign, Zach and Olivia were very involved in the design of their outdoor wedding at The Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, Indiana.  I'm sure many of the guests took a photo of this as they entered the picturesque grounds of the landscape haven.  This was a special location for the groom as he is a former employee there.

The day started out in Crown Point at the house of Olivia's parents.  It's sits up on a lovely hill with great landscaping.  Here is a photo of the bridemaids out on the back patio enjoying the summer day and all that goes with a June wedding.

Inside, Olivia's mom had set up a Bride's Room with decor that incorporated their engagement photos and a thank you card from the bride to her wedding party and guests.

Olivia and Zach had what is called a First Look and I wanted to capture her looking for him and of course him reacting to her in the wedding dress for the first time and again as they came together.  I then combined the photos into this First Look Collage...

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From there we did a variety of formals with wedding party as well as the soon to be newlyweds like this kiss in one of the gardens at this scenic Lowell landmark.

Here are all the groomsmen showing off their matching socks.  Soon it would be time for the outdoor ceremony to begin.

Pride and enjoy is the best way to describe the looks upon father and daughter as they walk down the aisle on this wonderful summer day.

Zach and Olivia are a very warm and loving couple.  I've met them several times and of course spent their wedding day (and night) with them and that has showed every time.  It's definitely something I wanted to show off in their wedding photos and this holding of hands at the ceremony is one of many with that warm glow to it.

Their wedding reception took placed at Croation Hall in Crown Point, Indiana where they took their first dance in this softly focused photo...

Once again, this is only a sneak peek.  Many more images from Zach and Olivia's June wedding at Gardens on the Prairie will be following soon.  The editing process has just begun.  Be sure to subscribe to the Merrillville Wedding Photographer Journal here on this page and give us a like on Facebook.  Links for both are on the right hand side of this page.