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.

June 25, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

mesh wedding with ashley and chris posed in light filtered through a stained glass window in the indiana statehouse

Standing beneath the domed stained glass in the Indiana Statehouse, Chris held Ashley in a loving embrace. The dark and moody light gave the moment an intimate feel. We just love this beautiful wedding at the Indiana Statehouse and Mesh on Mass Avenue! A big thanks to all of the vendors who helped make this […]

April 9, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

a bride in a white dress taps a groom in a suit on the shoulder under a bunch of hanging glass lamps in a bar in this mavris wedding photography

Multicolored glass lamps hung from the ceiling of the bar at the Alexander. Under the lamps, and next to the bar, Jonathan waited to see his bride for the first time on their wedding day. He had the biggest smile on his face as he anticipated seeing her. Carly walked up slowly behind him and […]

February 28, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

blonde woman sitting in moody window light kisses a man sitting next to her in dark and moody shadow at their mavris engagement session

Sun light filtered through one lone window on the third floor of the Mavris. The rest of the windows were shuttered, casting the room in a dark and moody shadow. Carly sat on a bench on the third floor, illuminated by the window light. Jonathon sat next to her, in the dark and moody shadow. […]

February 25, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

Woman in blue dress and man in slacks hold hands in front of brick wall during their war memorial engagement session

In front of a pink, brick wall, Tyler reached out and grasped Hope’s hand! Her blue dress popped against the pink background! Tyler smiled as he held her hand and looked her in the eye. These two were so adorable like this all throughout our shoot! We started at the Indiana War Memorial and hiked […]

February 20, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

a man and woman hugging in the window light during their saint joseph brewery engagement session

The sunlight shimmered softly through the hazy window of the brewery. Victoria stood, radiant, in the window light as Mike walked up behind her and hugged her. I’m so glad I was able to capture this moment and so many other adorable moments like it during Victoria and Mike’s Saint Joseph Brewery engagement session! Looking […]

February 14, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

woman in red dress kisses man in suit jacket on cheek during rain on sunny day during downtown indianapolis engagement session

The sky, free of clouds on the drive to downtown, had taken a turn for the worse. Dark clouds seemed to sprout out of nowhere and clog up the sky, blocking out the sun. Usually, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but I was meeting with a couple to do a downtown Indianapolis engagement session. […]

February 7, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

a woman hugs a man from behind and he turns his head to look at her during their downtown indianapolis engagement photography

The alleyway was deserted. Just a few yards away the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and the circle surrounding were filled with people. Young people were out zipping around on scooters while tourists took pictures of the monument. This alleyway was a brief respite from all the people downtown, a place where Kyle and Makenzie could […]

January 24, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

A few of our favorite photos of 2018 couple sessions are below, but what’s exciting is that you’ll be seeing so many of these wonderful faces on our blog again this year! We had one of the biggest early booking years to date, and have made so many new friends because of it. I enjoyed […]

January 22, 2019

FILED IN: Weddings

Bride and groom walk while laughing on patio of the Mavris in downtown Indianapolis

Part 1- Wedding Portraits, First Look, & Send-off This year was filled with travel, unique outdoor settings, beautiful ceremonies, and a ton of people in love. We can honestly say that in 2018 we had some of the best couples! We’ve included some of our favorite portraits to celebrate a wonderful 2018 season. Thank you […]

December 12, 2018

FILED IN: Weddings

a blonde bride looks up at her bespectacled blonde groom at sunset at their rathskeller wedding

The sunlight was fading. We only had a few minutes before it would be gone completely. I spoke with the bride and groom to see if they wanted to do sunset photos, and they did. We only had about a five minute window to get them done though. We rushed downstairs from the Athenaeum Theater […]