First, we have a dance party. Then, we hop on a phone call or video chat (Zoom) to get to know you two & hear all the big & finer details you're dreaming of for your big day. We want to be a perfect fit for you two, so this is the best time for you to bring all your questions, lay out your hopes and dreams for your photography experience, and zero in on the best fit wedding collection. If we are your perfect fit, let's get you locked in! Finally - return to the dance party & let's get you locked in on our calendar & commence the celebrating!

If it's us you want on your dream team for your best day ever, we require a non-refundable retainer and a signed contract to lock in your date.

Wedding photography collections are on a 3 split payment schedule. Meaning, we take the total price and split it into 3 payments! The 1st payment is a non-refundable retainer and is due at signing to lock in your date. The 2nd payment is due at the mid-point between booking and the event date. The final payment is due 1 week prior to the event date.

Portrait photography is on a 50/50 payment schedule. The 1st payment is a non-refundable retainer and is due at signing to lock in your date. The final payment is due 1 week prior to the session date.

Once you’ve signed your proposal, we’ll let the dreams start rolling out into reality as a team through timeline planning, virtual (and sometimes in-person) meetings, and anything else you two need to lean on us for wedding-related (and not wedding-related). We pride ourselves on inclusivity and friendship. So please please please ─ reach out if you need anything!

We can’t wait to celebrate your memories & are honored to be gifted the opportunity and privilege to play a small role in your 'best day ever'.

It's so important to all of us over at My Whole Heart Collective that you find art + artists you absolutely love (both inside and out). That being said, our services & pricing guide is a little different from most. We'd love for you to find out if My Whole Heart Collective is the right fit for your love story by getting to know us, our mission, and determine if we're your dream team for your best day ever before making any decisions. We know this choice is so incredibly important as these images will last longer than us; and we want you to be madly in love with our style, and have an idea of the experience you receive when working with us!

If all of these things tick off your boxes for your 'must-haves', wants, and all your hopes & dreams - check out our wedding & elopement pricing! Take a look around and build your own custom collection - OR - better yet, reach out to have us build it for you. We know a thing or two on timeline planning after a combined 10 years in the industry & are happy to help. ;)

Are you opting to adventure outside of our travel range (40 & 80 mile radius from Pingree Grove, IL)? We're so stinkin' there - go over the details in our travel info! 

If all of this sounds like your dream of a photography experience on your best day ever, and you're ready to book, let's get you locked in on our calendar!

Being the right fit goes both ways - us for you, and you for us. We thrive in environments where friendship & genuine authenticity is at the core. If you're looking for purely hired help - we definitely aren't it. If you're in search of photographers who are going to wipe your tears, help sew on loose buttons, redo makeup that's ran from happy tears, and cry a few times behind the camera with smiles plastered on our faces - it's us. Our biggest goal is to create a welcoming environment to connect with our couples on a level that is deeper than purely a business relationship. That's how the magic happens for both our couples', but us as well - camera in hand.

My Whole Heart Collective is a team of artists and like minded creatives, led by Nicole Kilday & Ashley Bowling. We are photographers who embrace imperfections and celebrate quirks. Just like love - defying standardization.

Having a team atmosphere helps us span the distance in service area as well as be in two places at once to better serve our couples. That also means that our couples have the opportunity to not only have two amazing pre-wedding day teammates for planning, prepping, and brainstorming, but also access to our amazing team members if you opt for two photographers for your best day ever. With our collective of artists, this gives added creativity to the mix, but also added insurance in the unfortunate case of an emergency.

We are not for everyone. And we're okay with that. We only say this because most importantly, we want our couples to trust us and know that as artists & friends, WE GOT YOU. And it's 100% OKAY if our art isn't your style. Ultimately, you can’t ask Picasso to paint a Michelangelo. We want you guys to love your images in terms of the posing as well as the editing! After all, these photos will last longer than our lifetime!

We want you to love your photos,

A. You love love our art and want it plastered all over your home of you and your loved one(s).

B. You would rather play tag barefoot, grab your lovers hiney mid-smooch, + shake your ass to your fave jam with a third wheel. 

This all goes back to trusting your photographer - truly. Love is wild, ebbs + flows, and sometimes it’s nice to set the hustle + bustle down to just HAVE FUN. Zero worries and actin’ a crazy-lovin’ fool with your favorite weirdo (+ us hehe). This means trusting the process during your photography sessions.

Our biggest hope for our couples (and honestly all couples looking for their perfect match for wedding photography) - is that you feel your photographer's art speaks to you in more ways than just a pretty picture and that you connect with your photographer(s) in a personal way.

Our promise 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.

First and foremost, we’re artists in this profession. We’ve spent years practicing, educating, and growing as artists in terms of the technicalities of photography as well as the behind the scenes post-processing and editing.

Our style is ever-evolving as we grow and experience new opportunities; however, we always gravitate to a posing style that is hyper focused on the natural, raw, authentic interactions & movement in each love story. We love a good snuggly and candid vibe and are focused on welcoming you as you are so we can document the good stuff in your own unique love story.

1. You’ve insta-stalked, portfolio cruised, and la-la-love our work and reached out to work with us - WE’RE SO EXCITED! The first step is complete, and now it’s time to get to know each other. We’re going to be the best co-captains you ever did meet!

2. Let's hop on a phone or video call and you two can share all the details for your best day ever! Our main goal is to capture your love exactly as-it-is. That being said, tell us about yourselves! Share all your plans & ask as many questions that you can think of.

3. We’ve hit it off on our phone call and are naturally, A PERFECT MATCH! At this point, we’ve dug into your day and narrowed down the package that fits your day best & now it’s time to get locked in and enjoy the ride. To book your date, a signed contract and non-refundable retainer is required. Once you’re all locked in, let’s get to planning!

4. If your package included an engagement session, it's time for us to hang + for you two to get comfortable in front of the camera with your new bffs! Our engagement sessions are booked on weekdays (M-TH). We will find a time/location that works best for everyone!

5. Lucky for you, we are highly invested in timeline planning. As professionals in the industry, we have a lot of feedback to give on what works & what doesn't & know how to best structure your day to accommodate photography. We'll only bug you a handful of times for milestone check-ins and to gather details to build out your schedule! We will share a Google Doc with you that we will utilize to hash out your timeline as well as send out a questionnaire around the 6 month mark to gather all the details!

6. Celebrations are in order! This is the time for you two to really lean on us if you need any additional help/guidance before the wedding day - we’re 100% here. If there is something you forgot that one of us may be able to pick up on the way, let us know!

7. You just literally had the BEST DAY EVER and married the love of your life - the last thing you want to do is wait for your photos. The first thing we do post-wedding is back up all your images and release sneak peek photos within your wedding gallery to hold you two over while we finish your gallery! The turnaround time on the remainder of your gallery can take anywhere from 4-16 weeks. Once we’ve completed your gallery, you’ll receive a link via e-mail with gallery delivery details + instructions!

We want you to know that we're willing to go the distance for love! Since 2016, we've journeyed across the United States to capture couples in love and it's been a highlight of our adventure. We've witnessed the beauty of the Midwest's cornfields, explored the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, hiked through Ohio's Hocking Hills, visited Martha's Vineyard and various spots on the East Coast, and ventured through Denver and its surrounding areas. It's been an honor to be invited along to capture couples' dream wedding days. If you're up for an exciting journey together, count us in!

We offer included travel within a 40 & 80 mile radius from Pingree Grove, IL. Once travel exceeds the 80 mile radius from Pingree Grove, IL - please note that additional travel fees may apply and a second photographer may be required. The remaining cost of travel fees will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Additional travel expenses may include, but are not limited to: mileage, fuel, hotel or accommodations, flights, rental vehicle, transportation, food, baggage fees, parking fees, and other related expenses if applicable.

Having had the honor of documenting 100+ weddings and elopements since 2016, we know that not every love story is a "one size fits all". we offer a fully customized experience and create a curated photography collection just for you.

How many coverage hours should we have?

Our curated photography collection starts with 4 hours of photography coverage, which is enough to cover "the basics" such as ceremony, cocktail hour, family photos, and portraits. However, a standard recommended timeline for photography coverage is 8 hours and spans everything from getting ready moments to boogying down on the dance floor. That is assuming everything will be happening on-site at one location and doesn’t account for events that may require more travel time; AKA if you'll be getting ready or hosting ceremony at separate locations from the reception, etc. We can help you determine how much time you’ll need and whether or not we think you’d want to consider an additional photographer!

Additional photographers,

Not sure whether or not you should have 1 or 2 photographers for your day? Having multiple photographers can help with time management, and is especially helpful if we need to be in two places at once. This saves time in the morning for getting ready as well as during bridal party photos and more throughout your day. Having multiple photographers can also give you multiple perspectives - capturing both of your reactions during first look & ceremony (one photographer can capture you walking down the aisle while the other can capture the groom’s reaction), the behind-the-scene moments you may have missed with your guests, and much more.

Keep in mind: if you opt for 2 photographers, depending on our availability, you might not have both of us present on your day, but instead, one of us and one of our rockstar team mates!
In the incredibly rare event neither of us are able to attend your big day (cue the tears), you have the option of working with our team of Associate Photographers. Our team of associate photographers were hand selected by us to seamlessly mesh with our brand & style of photography. In the event an associate photographer has to step in, we can assure you, you’re in amazing hands. Not to mention, we won’t be out of the loop at any point in time as we will still be here to handle all of the pre & post processing. The perks are - you gain an extra (or 2) creative to brainstorm ideas, bring additional talent to the table, and even more friends to share in this journey.

For all family photography, maternity photography, newborn photography, couples photography, engagement photography, proposal photography, all lifestyle photography, & more.

We offer lifestyle portrait sessions, focusing on true-to-life moments in your natural element. Of course this could include at-home sessions, adventure sessions, outdoor spaces, and locations that may or may not require permitting and/or rental fees. In the event your dream session location requires a permit and/or rental fee, we will be sure to do the research to provide you with the details to help you obtain the permit or complete rental fees. We've done this plenty of times! 

Rain dates are often pre-scheduled because it's the Midwest and sometimes we can observe what we like to call, 'whiplash weather'. Hello random unpredictable thunderstorms! We always try to lock in a scheduled date + a rain-date if we are currently in a rainy season at the time of booking.

Maternity & newborn sessions - run on babies schedule. We know the babes run the show. Our biggest suggestions for maternity sessions, are to aim between 6.5-7.5 months for a number of reasons: 1. we want you to be comfortable if you opt for a space that requires some walking or extended foot travel; 2. sometimes babes surprise us and show up earth-side when we least expect it ('hello' to Nicole's first born who graced us an entire month early). Newborn sessions run on babe's schedule - which we know can be different for everyone and change as the days go. Our top suggestion would be to schedule those after the first AM nap - typically between 10A-11A!

Family sessions, particularly with younger kiddos, the kids again run the show! Circling back to the lifestyle element of our art and those 'lived-in feels', we 100% prefer it if we let the kids take the wheel. Allowing a play vs. posed environment helps us showcase your families truth authentically!

Portrait Session Off-Season: November - February

Wedding photography collections are on a 3 split payment schedule. Meaning, we take the total price and split it into 3 payments! The 1st payment is a non-refundable retainer and is due at signing to lock in your date. The 2nd payment is due at the mid-point between booking and the event date. The final payment is due 1 week prior to the event date.

Portrait photography is on a 50/50 payment schedule. The 1st payment is a non-refundable retainer and is due at signing to lock in your date. The final payment is due 1 week prior to the session date.

We are flexible and understand things come up during the planning/prepping process. Once your non-refundable retainer & contract is completed, please reach out if anything arises that we can possibly help with.

Your online gallery will include the entirety of your completed & edited images. You (& anyone you share the gallery with) will have access to download high & low resolution images for safe keeping, sharing on social media (low-res), and printing your memories (high-res)!

A good rule of thumb is to multiply 50 by the number of hours we shot! However, we never limit the maximum number of images in a gallery as everyone's days are so incredibly unique. An 8 hour wedding day will range from a minimum of 400 images to 2000+! A portrait session will range from a minimum of 50 images to 100+!

Turn around time ranges depending on whether or not you're waiting on wedding day or engagement session. Wedding & elopement galleries have a turn around time of 4-16 weeks; whereas portrait sessions are 2-4 weeks!

Easy answer, he!! yes.

Be sure to check your contract for cancellation and/or reschedule terms. And most importantly - reach out to us! Keep us updated so we can play our team role in helping you navigate any changes!

YES. YES x10000. We're most likely to die from petting something we knew we shouldn’t have.

My Whole Heart Collective was created on the basis that both Ashley & Nicole thrive in a team atmosphere inspired by friendship. This helps to add creative flair + insurance in the event one of us is unable to attend your big day. Our team members may sometimes be along for the entirety of the ride (from booking date to wedding day), while other times they may hop in the rare case of an emergency. My Whole Heart Collective's team members are hand selected by us to seamlessly mesh with our brand & style of photography. In the event an associate photographer has to step in, we can assure you, you’re in amazing hands. Not to mention, we won’t be out of the loop at any point in time as we will still be here to handle all of the pre & post processing. The perks are - you gain an extra (or 2) creative to brainstorm ideas, bring additional talent to the table, and even more friends to share in this journey.

My Whole Heart Collective does not give out RAW and/or unedited images. If we did, it'd be like serving you a piece of raw chicken - unfinished & 100% not up to our standards. Be sure to check your contract for additional details.