Elopement photography in Illinois
Your voice shakes. Your person squeezes your hands. You finally get to say the things you’ve been trying to put into words.
I’m Nicole Kilday, an elopement photographer and ordained officiant serving Northern Illinois, Chicago, Lake Geneva, and Southern Wisconsin. Just the two of you or the handful of people you couldn’t imagine doing this without, I’ll help you make photography plans around what matters—and make art from how it all unfolds. Where local requirements allow, I can sign your marriage license, too.
Elopement photography that brings you back to how it felt
Before we pick a place or talk timelines, tell me what you want this to feel like. Private vows where you can spill your hearts out? Your parents close enough to hear every word? A slow morning together, followed by getting married and going somewhere you love for dinner?
We’ll think through the location, the light, and how to give the moments you’re looking forward to room to happen. During portraits, you can hand me the reins. We’ll wander, get you moving, and try a few ideas inspired by getting to know you and a decade behind the camera.
And when you forget I’m there because you’re caught up in each other, I’ll keep photographing. The shaky breath before the promises. The laugh halfway through. The way you hold each other afterward.
Is this your kind of elopement photography?
You’re getting married, and you want to…
Say “I do” in your pajamas, at the courthouse, on a mountaintop, or at the drive-in where you had your first date.
Make a little bucket list of your favorite things—and spend your wedding day doing them together.
Bring your closest people along, or keep the adventure between the two of you.
Leave room to wander, stop for your favorite food, take the scenic route, and get a little swept up in being newly married.
Have someone help with locations, light, and photography plans so your ideas can become a day you actually get to live.
Trust me to make art from all of it—the big adventure, the quiet promises, and the wonderfully ordinary things that are so completely you.
Then hi—tell me what you’re dreaming up.
Your photographer. A witness to your promises.
I’m Nicole—a light chaser, mom of two feral little boys, and still in love with the boy I met at 20. I started in art school and switched to psychology, but kept coming back to creating and connecting with people. Photography gave me a place for both in 2016.
Being invited into something this personal matters to me. I want to know what brought you here, what you love about each other, and what you’re looking forward to once you’re married.
I’m also ordained. Where local requirements allow, I can sign your marriage license after you spill your hearts out to each other. We’ll confirm those details beforehand, so you know what’s needed and can be fully in it when the time comes.
How we bring your elopement to life
01 · Tell me what you’re dreaming up
Tell me about you two and your ideas so far. A favorite place, a little adventure, breakfast in your pajamas before heading to the courthouse? Share your date if you have one. You don’t need a location picked or every detail figured out—that’s part of what I’m here for.
02 · Get into the dirty details
I’ll personally review your inquiry and send my elopement guide with the collection, investment, and all the dirty details. We’ll talk through what you’re imagining, where you could use some guidance, and whether we’re a good fit. Then a signed agreement and retainer make it official.
03 · Give your ideas a place to happen
Once you’re booked, I’ll help research locations, permit requirements, opening hours, and holiday or seasonal closures. We’ll consider the light, travel between stops, and backup options, then build a photography timeline around what you want to experience. Your favorite things, with room to actually enjoy them.
Your elopement photography collection
Your favorite person. A day full of your favorite things.
Get ready together. Say the promises that make you both cry. Stop at the drive-in where it all started, order your usual, and wander off for photographs with that just-married grin you can’t shake.
Bring me your ideas, even the ones you’re not sure you can pull off. We’ll shape them into four hours of vows, adventure, and time together—with me chasing the light and making art along the way.
Starting at $4500
Planning a longer celebration with your people? Explore my wedding photography collection.
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Up to four hours of continuous elopement photography
Monday–Friday availability
One photographer—me—start to finish
Location, permitting & photography timeline planning assistance
Sneak peeks within seven days
An online gallery with high-resolution and web-size downloads
A personal print release
Full gallery delivery within 4–16 weeks
Travel within two hours of Hebron, Illinois
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Your collection includes up to four consecutive hours, Monday–Friday. Together, we’ll figure out how to spend them around what you’re most excited about—getting ready together, your vows, photographs with your people, or stopping for your favorite food as newlyweds.
Travel between locations falls within that time, so we’ll plan the route with room to enjoy yourselves. Bring me the bucket list. I’ll help you work out what fits, where the light will be good, and when we can wander a little.
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Already have a place in mind? Tell me why you love it. Still figuring that out? I’ll help you explore locations that fit what you want to experience, considering the light, privacy, accessibility, and any permissions we need to check.
Travel within two hours of Hebron, Illinois, is included. Travel beyond that area is available, with the details explained before booking.
“Nicole shot my surprise elopement and when I say that day would not have been possible without her, I mean it. When you pick Nicole to be your photographer on your big day you are choosing someone who doesn’t just care about getting the perfect shot but someone who also cares about you getting your perfect day. She truly wants to get to know you as a person and connect.”
A few more elopement details
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Absolutely—up to ~15 guests are welcome, plus the two of you. Bring the people you couldn’t imagine getting married without, and we’ll make room for photographs and celebrating together.
Planning a larger gathering? My wedding collection is the right place to start.
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Nope. If you have a place you love, I want to hear about it. If you’re still figuring it out, tell me what you’re picturing and we’ll explore possibilities. We’ll consider how it feels to be there alongside the practical things, like access, privacy, and permission to hold your ceremony.
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Yes—I’m ordained. Where local requirements allow, I can handle the officiant’s legal role, pronounce you married if you’d like, and sign your marriage license.
You two get to spill your hearts out in your own words. I won’t deliver a speech or lead a scripted ceremony—I’m there to photograph your promises and help make it official.
We’ll confirm any required wording, witnesses, and paperwork for your ceremony location beforehand.
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That depends on what you want to experience and how far apart the locations are. We might photograph getting ready, your ceremony, family photographs, portraits together, and the beginning of your celebration.
We’ll work through those priorities before the day so the coverage feels considered and you know what to expect.
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My elopement collection is available Monday–Friday. Saturday celebrations are booked through my wedding collection, even with a small guest list.
If a weekday works for you, we can explore what your favorite places feel like outside the weekend rush.
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We’ll talk through a backup plan when choosing your location. That might mean a sheltered spot, an indoor option, or adjusting the photography timeline when possible.
A little wind or a few muddy footprints can belong in the story. Unsafe conditions are something we plan around together.
Want me there for the promises?
Tell me who you’re marrying and what you’re dreaming up. The place, the people, or simply how you want it to feel.
I’ll personally read your inquiry and check your date. If we sound like a good fit, I’ll send my elopement guide with all the dirty details. We can hop on a call, too, if you’d like.