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.

February 21, 2023

FILED IN: Portraits

We wanted to update our family photos recently. Even though we’ve been shooting for quite some time and have a lot of photographer friends, we weren’t certain who we wanted to hire to take our photos. That’s when we realized we were maybe thinking too hard about this. We have an amazing lead photographer who […]

February 20, 2023

FILED IN: Weddings

Olivia and Mike’s wedding was a beautiful celebration of love and commitment. The venue’s rustic and vintage charm perfectly complemented the couple’s romantic and intimate nuptials. Their Sixpence Indianapolis wedding ceremony was outdoors in front of beautiful Christmas trees. This created a picture-perfect backdrop for the happy couple to exchange their vows. The reception was […]

June 7, 2022

FILED IN: Engagements

The Indiana State Government building is next to the Indiana Statehouse and the canal in downtown Indianapolis. It has a large, gorgeous overhang that looks stunning in photos. I took Barb and Keith there seeking a little shade on this hot day last summer while shooting their engagement photos. I asked them to hold hands […]

June 6, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom hold hands and walk through West Clay with their wedding party before their Carmel backyard wedding

June 3, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom dancing in black and white photo during their charming regions tower wedding with someone dressed as uncle sam behind them

The guests made a circle around the dance floor and lit sparklers. As the sparklers caught fire, one of the bride and groom’s relatives came out of Regions Tower dressed as Uncle Sam. As the bride and groom danced through their guests who were waving sparklers, Uncle Sam also danced around them and made their […]

June 2, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

beautiful blonde bride standing in front of steps of building for her unique wedding photos

A soft breeze blew across the quad at Ball State University, lifting the lace of Sara’s dress and tousling her blonde hair. She lifted the skirt of her wedding dress and spun in the breeze taking in the day. Her groom Adam stood watching, a smile on his face, as he watched Sara having her […]

May 25, 2022

FILED IN: Uncategorized

If you love receiving personalized gifts or giving them, we have been on the search for some great options for couples. The first thing we will be reviewing is a personalized cheese board from Groovy Guy Gifts. Steven and I go through cutting boards faster than anything else when cooking. Although I like to only […]

October 5, 2021

FILED IN: Portraits

mom and dad smile with baby in pumpkin patch during their Russell Farms Family Photos

Light from the setting sun filtered through the leaves of the trees in autumn. The leaves were just starting to take on a yellow cast, but were not quite ready to fall. Under the leaves sat a vast amount of pumpkins and in the middle of the pumpkins was a smiling toddler and his two […]

March 6, 2021

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman drinking beer in biergarten during their Rathskeller engagement

Condensation dripped off the outside of two glass beer mugs on a hot summer day. The beer mugs were in the hands of Meg and Kevin as they sat on a stage in the biergarten at the Rathskeller. The sound of their laughter as they talked echoed off the hard wood of the stage floor […]

March 5, 2021

FILED IN: Portraits

family of four with mom, dad, and two daughters on blanket for their farmland family photography

The swing swayed gently back and forth on the front porch. The swing made a rhythmic creaking noise as it moved. On the swing, the De La Vegas sat with their daughters, reading books as the sun set. This was just one of the amazing moments from the lifestyle shoot we did with the De […]