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.

July 18, 2021

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom walking hand in hand at their Indiana Statehouse Elopement

The warm tungsten light emanated from the elegant lighting fixtures in the Indiana State House. Cool blue light streamed into the building through the sky lights mixing with the warmer light inside. The result was that everything inside had a slightly golden hue in the shadows. Walking down a hall, under the warm lights, were […]

January 26, 2021

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom hold hands and walk away from the Indiana Statehouse during their Indiana Roof Ballroom wedding

The sunlight streamed in a slant across the grass of the Indiana Statehouse. Some of the higher rays bounced off the glass face of a nearby building and reflected back down across the grass from the opposite direction. Grace and Nathan walked across the grass, holding hands, showered in the warm sunlight streaming from two […]

January 14, 2021

FILED IN: Weddings

man and woman in wedding attire hold hands and walk along edge of building during their regions tower wedding celebration

The warm glow of the setting sun illuminated the sky at dusk in downtown Indy. Katelyn and Nick, holding hands, walked along the edge of Regions Tower with the setting sun behind them. This was just one of the beautiful moments from this gorgeous wedding day that Hannah and Monette captured, and we loved the […]

September 10, 2020

FILED IN: Engagements

young couple dances in front of blue wall during their downtown indianapolis engagement photos

In downtown Indianapolis there’s a beautiful building across from the Indiana War Memorial that has brilliant blue, pink, and yellow walls. In front of the blue wall, I asked Kara and Nick to dance. Usually couples get together and slow dance when I give this prompt. But Kara and Nick took it up another notch. […]

December 16, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom stand laughing on brick walkway at white river state park

Standing on the brick walkway next to the canal, Adriana and Luke laughed on a warm autumn day. It isn’t common to see the walkway through White River State Park so empty. It felt almost magical, like it had been cleared out just for the two of them. We are so excited to share all […]

November 7, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman stand under wine club sign for their Louies Wine Dive engagement portraits

Big tungsten bulbs lit up a sign that read, “Wine Club” on the wall of Louie’s Wine Dive. Standing under the sign, and under a chandelier made of empty wine bottle, Ali and Eric stood with glasses in hand. They were sharing a drink at one of their favorite places in Indianapolis. I had so […]

November 1, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom kiss under trees on mass ave on their VisionLoft Wedding day

Walking down Mass Ave at sunset, Emily and Ryan paused under a cluster of trees. It was a warm fall day, far removed from the crisp, cold that we’re experiencing now in November. Ryan pulled Emily close to him, hugging her. They kissed on Mass Ave while the light of sun popped from inbetween buildings […]

October 3, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman sit under tree with two dogs for white river state park engagement picture

Amanda and Patrick’s engagement shoot at White River State Park had everything I love! They brought their dogs. There was an outfit change where they put on their formal wear. They also popped champagne and drank it in the park! But seriously, how cool is it to have clients that want to get some puppy […]

September 3, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

bride and groom hug at sunset on roof of regions tower during indianapolis wedding photography

The orange light of the setting sun shone through the gaps in the buildings in downtown Indianapolis. The light reflected off the windows of the surrounding buildings and filled the entirety of the evening air with an orange glow. On the deck of the Regions Tower, Molly and Matt hugged. They held each other close, […]

July 3, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

groom gives bride a spin on a bridge over the canal in white river state park

As the sun was setting over Indianapolis, Alli and James walked out of the Omni Severin Hotel and down Georgia Street. They stopped along the street with two small vials, filled with golden glitter. They took a moment to hug and kiss before throwing the glitter into the air around them. The glitter caught the […]