Wedding Advice & Photography

Two things we are confident in: Wedding Planning & photography. Van Elk & Co is made up of a team of photographers who love to create portraits of love & happiness and share advice for wedding couples.

This isn't your typical photography blog. We share useful info for couples who are getting married and those who are heading that direction. Let us show you pretty things while you fill your head with all things wedding planning.

December 25, 2017

FILED IN: Events

ghostbusters and santa fight krampus together at this herst with scarlet lane brewing company logo on back at this Indianapolis Brewery Event Photography

Krampus, angels, Santa, Mrs. Claus, alien Santa and even a few Ghostbusters turned up at Scarlet Lane for their Krampus event this year! This year I got to shoot Scarlet Lane Brewing Company’s holiday event! It is a Krampus themed party that they do every December. They had a bunch of people that showed up […]

December 21, 2017

FILED IN: Engagements

framed by the trun and bough of a tree a man and woman hug in arbuckle acres park

The sky was overcast and there was little more than muted light filtering through the clouds. Thankfully, Bri and Jason’s happy demeanor and big smiles provided enough happiness to lighten the mood on this dismal day. A  flash positioned just right helped out a little bit too. I had so much fun capturing Bri and […]

December 20, 2017

FILED IN: Engagements

an adorable young engaged couple dressed in modern chic clothing stand on top of cafe robey as the sun sets behind them over the chicago suburbs

I had so much fun capturing Lily and Zach’s engagement session in Chicago. They were so adorable together, and I absolutely loved how comfortable they were in front of the camera. Plus, they introduced me to so many interesting places in their neighborhood in Chicago. In fact, a month later when Steve and I went […]

December 12, 2017

FILED IN: Engagements

framed by trees and flowers a beautiful young couple hugs while bathed by golden sunlight at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

The rays of sunlight filled the the garden with with a golden glow. In the middle of the garden, framed by trees and flowers John and Angela hugged each other. As they hugged at the IMA, smiles lit up their faces. The two of them couldn’t look at each other without breaking out into huge […]

December 8, 2017

FILED IN: Weddings

stunning freelensing photo of a bride and groom in the white river park holding hands, the bride's face is in focus but not much else in the photo and leaves on the trees behind them are fading from a brilliant orange to a brown

The leaves had faded from a vibrant green to a muted, burnt orange.  On a sidewalk in White River Park, Grant held Amanda’s hand and looked at her lovingly. The breeze tugged lightly at the ribbon hanging from Amanda’s bouquet. It was a beautiful moment. I realized I wanted to shoot something a little different. […]

December 6, 2017

FILED IN: Weddings

a bride and groom hug and kiss in front of large, tropical, green leaves surprisingly growing in happy hollow park in lafayette

The sunlight filtered down through the top layer of leaves and branches, most of it not making it to the forest floor. A few gaps allowed a little sunlight down in streaks and fits, to catch the leaves deeper in the woods which were only just starting to fade from green to yellow. Daniel held […]

December 5, 2017

FILED IN: Weddings

a bride with black hair a bejeweled earrings dances with a red haired man while backlight by off camera flash causing lens flares on the image at their the inn at irwin gardens wedding

The clouds began to gather over the Inn at Irwin Gardens. It was just minutes before Hillary and Nate’s wedding ceremony, and everyone was hoping the rain would hold off for just another hour. As Hillary and Nate stood in front of their family and friends to declare their commitment to one another, the clouds […]

December 4, 2017

FILED IN: Engagements

a blonde woman kisses a brown haired man in white adirondack chairs in front of a pond close to sunset with the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the pond

In the placid face of the water a clear reflection of the setting sun was visible. Two white Adirondack chairs faced west, looking out over the pond, illuminated by the fading light of the sun and reflected light from the water. Sam and Ethan sat in these Adirondack chairs, but they didn’t look out at […]

December 1, 2017

FILED IN: Weddings

a bride and groom dance in a dark room filled with fairy lights at mill top in noblesville indiana on their wedding day

Rows of string lights hung from the ceiling in an undulating stream trailing from the back of the room to the front where they cascaded down the wall. It was in front of this waterfall of lights that Heather and Kyle were married, and later in the day, after all of the guests had moved […]