Going on year 8 of this dream (est. 2016) - I’m a full time Professional Wedding & Elopement photographer, wife, and Mama.
As a child, I grew up with cameras at every event - big or small. I can remember my Grandpa taking pictures of the new shower door being installed while I watched. My Dad teaching me Photoshop with me in his lap, editing away at my brother’s T-Ball game snapshots. If I could go back to June 11th, 2008 + tell my Grandpa one more thing, it’d be, “You’ve given me purpose. I love you.”
In 2016, I shared a family portrait of my now Husband and our three pups, Bolt, Roofus, and Kapone for Christmas. Picking up my camera that day to snap a moment in time for us and only us, threw me into this career. Waking up to messages across all social media platforms asking me to share my passion of photography and document others love for the holidays. And here I am, 7 years later. Thriving with my best friend by my side - pooling our creativity, passions, and like minded outlook on life to build our collective of art and love.
On my off days - you can find me soaking up all the time I can with my little family of 6 (including the fur babes). If I had to pick a highlight reel that described us perfectly, it’d be; 1. watching my husband complete his absolute favorite chore under the sun - mowing the lawn (-casually rides by the front window flipping me the bird as he absolutely dominates at his Midwestern dad duties-); 2. Declan’s chunky cannoli legs slapping the wood floor, all while giggling as I chase him down the hallway; 3. Laying on a blanket in the yard, post-fetch and the dogs all huddled around - tongue’s stretched out after getting in their exercise.
Wife + Mama
Empath who cries at just about everything
Extroverted introvert
Cheese + German Shepherds are my love languages
Most days my mouth could make a sailor blush
Someone in heaven shared his passion for photography with me + so it began
with love, nicole kilday
nicole kilday,
formerly, nicole kilday photography
formerly nicole kilday photography
I’ve been pro third-wheelin’ on many different lovers’ adventures since early 2020. I come from a small, quiet town in Illinois called Yorkville (home of the foxes and land of the never-ending cornfields). For a good chunk of time post high-school, I was really struggling with what I wanted to do with my life. It took boat loads of trial and error, fussing with different jobs and career paths that never fully satisfied me and left me feeling empty. But when I stumbled upon photography and the wedding industry - that’s when everything clicked.
Throughout my journey of navigating adulthood, I gradually discovered and unlocked the talents, skills, and passions that drive me to be my best, most authentic self. I discovered that I’m an artist, a stylist, a designer, a photographer, a traveler, a crafter, a story teller, a DIY-er; a sucker for details and aesthetics. And it’s this combination of passions that fueled my love for photography. And now, I can say with full certainty, that I absolutely LOVE what I do, and don’t ever want to look back.
When I’m not behind camera, you can find me in an intense game of fetch with my maltipoo puppy, Charlie (Charleston Chews, Charlie Brown, Mr. Fluff Pants) - whatever you wanna call him, or playing 1,346 rounds of Mario Party with my squad. It’s also not unlikely you’ll find me at the nearest thrift store excitedly sifting through the racks and happy dancing over how many “steals” I’m finding (+ wondering how someone could seriously give up a perfectly good pair of jeans from Free People, or a super trendy Anthropologie sweater that still has the tags attached - like whaaaat!?).
World’s biggest people-pleaser, guilty of being too nice for my own good
Thrift shopping + spicy food fanatic
Pro DIY-er who’d rather spend 5,267 hours making a birthday card from scratch than buy one at the store
A deep thinker with big opinions on big life things
A gal who’s super duper happy
(+ constantly in awe!) to be doing what she does
with love, ashley bowling
ashley bowling,
formerly, ashley bowling photography
formerly ashley bowling photography
“i understand now that i'm not a mess but a deeply feeling person in a messy world. i explain that now, when someone asks me why i cry so often, i say, "for the same reason i laugh so often — because i'm paying attention."
- glennon doyle melton
- You love love our art and want it plastered all over your home of you and your loves.
- You want to relive & feel every moment from your best-day ever.
- You want to feel comfortable with your third wheels without fear of the camera.
- You want a friend that invests & understands your love.
We want you to feel the love, we'll handle the rest. Reasons to book with us!
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Why Book with MWHCO.
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"Booking Ashley & Nicole was the best decision we made while planning our wedding. Not only do you get talented photographers, you get calming voices when things get stressful, cheerleaders when you’re in front of their cameras & bomb sidekicks on your best day ever. I can’t say enough good things about these two."
Cara & Ryan, March 2023
Kind words
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"We have worked with these lovely ladies for over a year & they’ve captured every major moment in our lives so far: our engagement photos, wedding, & more recently, our maternity shoot. We couldn’t be any happier with the outcome of these works of art, the professionalism from Nicole & Ashley themselves, or the quick turnaround time for getting our galleries back. We have found such good friends in both of them, and we are so honored to have them continue to capture our growing family. We joked after we received our engagements back that they’re going to be our designated photographers for the rest of our lives, and we meant it! We even have a newborn photoshoot lined up with them in a few months! I don’t know how anyone grows to be so talented, but man, their ability truly takes my breath away. 10/10 recommend!!"
Natally & Josh, Summer 2022 & beyond
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"I only worked with Nicole (not Ashley), as i booked my services with Nicole all the way back in 2019 before the pandemic (she’s been with us the whole way!) although i know that Ashley is also incredible, (as a human and photographer!) because i know Nicole only works with the best of the best. I can’t even put words together to describe Nicole but i’ll do my best. Nicole, you know how obsessed i am with you! but i have EVERY reason in the world to be, and i know every person and every bride who works & gets the privilege to know Nicole feels the exact same way that i do. she is the purest soul i’ve ever met. not only was she our wedding photographer, but she doubled as so much more. Nicole stuck with us through thick and thin of COVID, and rolled with all the punches without hesitation. she guided us the entire way. i honestly viewed her as my wedding angel lol. we had so many guests come up to us after the wedding to tell us “your photographer is just the sweetest person ever!” aside from Nicole being an all around heck of a person, her photography skills are out of this world. i could not rave about Nicole enough. i can write a whole book. one of the first things that i thought of when our wedding was over is that i’m sad that i won’t get to have more meetings, chats or see nicole as much anymore! so nicole, don’t be surprised when i book a yearly photoshoot just to see you 😂❤️"
Tess & Kyle, 2019-2022
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"Ashley is nothing short of amazing! She shot our engagement photos, wedding photos, AND maternity photos. She knocks it out of the park every time. She is extremely professional and a pleasure to work with. She has returned our full galleries well in advance of the promised time frame and the photos always turn out better than I could’ve imagined. I highly recommend My Whole Heart Collective!"
Madison & Connor, 2021-2023
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... is to offer our best selves throughout this adventure with you in a way that allows us to document your story from a place of truth. This entails us being here for every step of your wedding photography experience, from start to finish. It means celebrating the sh!t out of this chapter alongside you and breaking out into dance parties when our bodies can’t help but physically feel the excitement. It means being here for you when the process feels heavy and you really just need a judgment-free space to let it all out. We are here to help you gain perspective and provide encouragement to continue ticking all the boxes and bring the wedding vision of your dreams to life. Most importantly, it means welcoming you and your partner exactly as you are, so we have the full opportunity and knowledge to tell your story exactly as it is. This is our deepest commitment to you on this journey.
Our Mission & Promise
Our Mission & Promise
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Every wedding day schedule is different because it's tailored to fit your unique love-story and vision. However, as professionals in the industry we have a lot of feedback to give on what works and what doesn't timeline-wise and know how to best structure your day to accommodate the photography portion as well! So if you're stumped - we're 110% here to help! We offer tips + suggestions that we highly recommend you consider before starting to build out your wedding day timeline. We give you some buckets of time to consider to give you an idea of how long each part of the day typically takes to photograph. We also provide you with an example timeline that you're welcome to use as-is or shift to fit your wants/needs for the day! We aren't lying when we say "we gotchu friend"!
Let us help you build your wedding day timeline so you have one less thing to worry about!
Timeline curators
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- Factor in Sunset! You’ll want to build your schedule around sunset so you have enough daylight to capture the bulk of your images. Keep in mind that sunset is different at different times of the year. In the Summer, you have a ton of time to capture all of your photographs in natural light; however, once Fall hits, and the sun begins to set earlier, considering a first look between the two of you so we can knock out a majority of your images before we run out of daylight is a smart idea OR, have a 1.5 hour cocktail hour!
- Share your schedule with more people than not. Make sure to share your schedule with all of your vendors and even a few members of your family or bridal party. The more people looped in who can help stay on top of schedule, the better!
- Factor in travel time to / from locations (AKA if you'll be getting ready or hosting ceremony at separate locations from the reception)
- Create "buffers" in your timeline to give you enough time so your day can unfold naturally; and, to account for any hiccups, delays, or travel
- A good rule of thumb is to have your wedding photography coverage start 4.5 hours before sunset and 3 hours before ceremony
- Have a back-up plan for if it rains! We cannot control the weather as much as we wish we could, so always having a plan b (or c) is crucial!
- Trust us as your photographers on your best day ever: hash out a loose schedule with us and communicate your photography needs for your day! Remember that we will be on top of it!
Suggestions for your wedding day timeline to get the most out of your photography experience.
Wedding Timeline tips
freebie - the guide
We know there's a lot of questions dancing around in your head when it comes to the photography portion of your absolute best day ever. We aimed to break down everything you'll need to know about our wedding photography experience in our easy-to follow guide. Go ahead, snag the good stuff!
free wedding photography guide
I'm ready to cross find a photographer off my to-do list!
