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 […]

October 22, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

man and woman kiss while backlit by flash in front of lights of theater marquee during their fountain square theatre wedding

The tungsten bulbs hanging from the theater marquee gave off a lovely orange glow. Under the marquee, and in focus, Nick and Erin embraced and kissed. Outside of the marquee there was a slight drizzle as the overcast sky let loose some precipitation. It was just one beautiful moment from this gorgeous Fountain Square Theatre […]

August 2, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

a woman hugs another woman from behind in front of bokeh during their lockerbie engagement session

A set of fairy lights twinkled softly on a small tree as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon. On the sidewalk in front of the tree, Danielle and Erin hugged and laughed. Because of the pandemic, these two moved their wedding ceremony with friends and family from the bay area to Indiana. I think […]

July 30, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

man and woman dance outside at sunset with indy skyline behind them during their charming mavris wedding

The setting sun shined through the red tree leaves at the Mavris before dipping behind the Indianapolis skyline. Katelyn took Jacob’s hand and pulled him in to dance with her on the grass, the last rays of sunshine backlighting the two of them. This was just on of the many fantastic moments from this charming […]

July 29, 2022

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman hug on top of star floor at bottom of circular stairs during their bottleworks engagement session

A set of circular stairs follows the wall in a foyer at Bottleworks Hotel. The room has beautiful stone walls with golden tones. Rob took Kristen by the hand and led her down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs, they danced in the circular room below. We love this beautiful Bottleworks engagement session […]

June 27, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

groom in blue suit dips bride in white dress and kisses her at sunset at their Indianapolis Hawaiian Jewish wedding

The setting sun reflected off the windows of buildings in downtown Indianapolis. Standing on the terrace of Regions Tower, Riane and Jacob and were backlit by the light. They danced and Jacob dipped Riane, practicing for when they would do their first dance later in the evening. They kissed while dipping and it was magical. […]

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 […]

April 25, 2022

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman in front of beautiful graffiti mural on the Indy Canal during this downtown indy engagement session

This wonderful Indianapolis engagement with Sarah and Jeffrey went all over downtown. We started at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Monument Circle. After getting some shots around the monument and in front of the fountains, we headed down the cobblestone street toward the Indiana Statehouse. We hit the Statehouse grounds during golden hour and […]

March 9, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom hug in front of brown background during their indy canal wedding

Sunlight fell through the open window of Canal 337. Tyler stood near the window, the sunlight gracing his face, as Anna walked up behind him and gave him a hug. They both smiled. This was just one of the moments we created together during their portraits. Scroll down to see all of the amazing moments […]