Engaged couple shares an intimate embrace beside the motorcycle they restored together during their engagement photography session in Richmond, Illinois.
before the vows, there's all of this.

Engagement Photography in Illinois

Your favorite places. Your usual date-night order. The dogs you take everywhere. The little things that make life together yours deserve photographs, too.

I'm Nicole Kilday, an Illinois wedding and engagement photographer documenting couples throughout Northern Illinois, Chicago, Lake Geneva, and Southern Wisconsin since 2016. My engagement photography is for the couples who want something more personal than a pretty backdrop and a handful of poses. A little room to be yourselves, try something different, and make art out of the life you're building together.

Engagement sessions are exclusively available to my booked wedding couples.

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THE WARM-UP

Before we talk timelines, tell me how you want your wedding to feel. Everyone gathered around one long table? Loud, a little feral, happy tears everywhere? A slow morning together before the people you love start arriving?

I want to know what you’re looking forward to and who you can’t imagine the day without. Then we’ll build your photography timeline with room for those things. Time to love on your people, sneak away together, and let it sink in that you just got married.

By the time your wedding day arrives, we're not starting from scratch. We've spent time together, gotten comfortable, and built a friendship along the way. You know how I work, I know how to photograph the two of you, and when it's time for portraits, you can hand me the reins.

And somewhere along the way, we've made some pretty damn good photographs, too.

Engaged couple walks hand in hand along North Avenue Beach in Chicago, Illinois, with the city skyline behind them during their engagement photography session.
Engaged couple shares a playful kiss as the groom lifts his fiancée in a grassy field while their dog jumps beside them during a golden-hour engagement session in Sycamore, Illinois.
Close-up of an engaged couple kissing as he lifts her into his arms during their engagement session at a prairie and forest conservation area in Richmond, Illinois, where they had their first date.
Destination wedding couple embraces on a rock beside the Atlantic Ocean during their intimate, sunset pre-wedding photography session on the coast of Maine.
Engaged couple cuddles and laughs together on a golf cart during their engagement photography session at Chalet Hills in Illinois, enjoying their shared love of golfing.
Engaged couple laughs together in a sunlit field on the land where they plan to build their home, showing off her engagement ring during their western-inspired engagement session.
Engaged couple hugs their smiling golden retriever in a grassy field during their outdoor engagement photography session in Sycamore, Illinois.
Engaged couple shares an intimate kiss and laughs together while cuddling on their couch during a candid, at-home engagement photography session.
Bride wearing a veil and heart-shaped sunglasses lounges on a pool table while her groom lines up a shot during their playful, retro-inspired pre-wedding photography session.
Engaged couple shares a playful kiss in a red velvet booth at Maxwell Mansion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, during an intimate engagement session at their favorite date-night bar.
Engaged couple shares a playful kiss beside a wooden fence in a grassy field during their outdoor engagement photography session in Sycamore, Illinois.
Bride and groom share a kiss over a pool table as the bride racks the billiard balls during their playful, retro-inspired pre-wedding photography session.
Engaged couple bursts into laughter while playfully showing off her engagement ring during their candid at-home taco date-night engagement session.
Close-up of an engaged couple reaching for each other's hands along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach, with the Chicago skyline softly blurred in the background.
Engaged couple sits together on the sand at North Avenue Beach in Chicago, sharing a quiet embrace with the city skyline behind them during their engagement session.
Overhead view of an engaged couple relaxing together beside a fence, holding champagne glasses as they celebrate the end of their sunset engagement session in Sycamore, Illinois.
Engaged couple shares a tender kiss surrounded by yellow wildflowers during their outdoor engagement photography session at a state park near Caledonia, Wisconsin.
Couple holding hands in a grassy field during their golden hour engagement session at a state park near Caledonia, Wisconsin, with the bride-to-be looking back over her shoulder in the warm evening light.
Black-and-white close-up of a couple kissing in a doorway during their intimate date-night engagement session at Maxwell Mansion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
A couple kisses as he lifts her into his arms in a grassy field during their playful, golden-hour engagement session in Sycamore, Illinois.
Intimate close-up of a couple sharing a kiss, his hand gently cradling her neck, during their engagement session at a prairie conservation area in Richmond, Illinois, where they had their first date.
Black-and-white documentary engagement photograph of a man lifting his partner into his arms as she throws her hand into the air, with their golden retriever beside them on a grassy field path in Sycamore, Illinois.
Black-and-white photograph of an engaged couple sitting on a golf course green beside the flagstick and their golf clubs during a personalized engagement session at Chalet Hills Golf Club in Illinois.
Black-and-white close-up of an engaged couple sharing a kiss, her hand resting against his face with her engagement ring visible, at the Richmond, Illinois prairie conservation area where they had their first date.
An engaged couple poses together in a grassy prairie in Richmond, Illinois, with the woman embracing her fiancé from behind beneath a cloud-filled sky at the location of their first date.
Intimate, tightly cropped engagement photograph of a couple touching noses and smiling softly, with their faces nearly meeting during an outdoor conservation-area session in Richmond, Illinois.
An engaged couple shares a quiet, intimate moment with their foreheads touching beside a brick wall in downtown Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, during their date-night-inspired engagement session.
Black-and-white candid photograph of an engaged couple walking arm in arm and laughing together at North Avenue Beach, with the Chicago skyline in the background.
An engaged couple laughs while sitting together with milkshakes and cheese fries at Dog N Suds in Richmond, Illinois, during a nostalgic date-night engagement session with their vintage car.
An engaged couple laughs and embraces as the groom-to-be lifts his fiancée off the sand at Fontana Beach on Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, during their playful lakeside engagement session.
Black-and-white editorial engagement portrait of a couple embracing against a dark textured backdrop at Maxwell Mansion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with the woman gazing up at her fiancé.
An engaged couple stands back-to-back holding hands in front of ornate gold doors during an editorial-style engagement session at the Wrigley Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
An engaged couple laughs in their backyard as their golden retriever, Hank, stands on his hind legs to join them during a playful at-home engagement photography session.
An engaged couple runs hand in hand through a grassy field with their golden retriever following behind during a playful outdoor engagement session in Sycamore, Illinois.
Black-and-white, low-angle photograph of an engaged couple kissing and holding hands against the open sky during their outdoor engagement session in Sycamore, Illinois.
An engaged couple smiles at each other while running hand in hand beside a wooded area during their playful outdoor engagement session in Caledonia, Wisconsin.
Black-and-white photograph of a man playfully carrying his fiancée over his shoulder while she holds a golf club during their engagement session at Chalet Hills Golf Club in Illinois.
Intimate close-up of an engaged couple holding hands, her engagement ring visible, as they smile together in the golden evening sunlight at Chalet Hills Golf Club in Illinois.
Black-and-white photograph of an engaged couple embracing and kissing while sitting together in the water at Fontana Beach on Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, during their intimate lakeside engagement session.

A little inspiration: a farm engagement with Courtney and Jake and a bowling date with Megan and Cullen.

Engaged couple holds hands beside their turquoise vintage car outside Dog N Suds in Richmond, Illinois, during a nostalgic summer date-night engagement session.

A FEW MORE ENGAGEMENT SESSION DETAILS

  • Yes! Engagement sessions are part of my wedding photography experience and reserved for couples who book me for their wedding. I don't currently offer them as standalone sessions.

  • Typically 30–90 minutes, depending on what we're dreaming up. I'm not here to run you through a checklist of poses or spend the entire time watching the clock. We'll make room for the activity, the light, and whatever unfolds along the way.

  • Somewhere that means something to you. Your favorite lake, the place you had your first date, your backyard with the dogs, or somewhere we've dreamed up together. We'll talk through ideas and choose a place that makes sense for the two of you. Travel arrangements depend on the location and your wedding collection.

  • Engagement sessions are scheduled Monday through Thursday. We'll find a date that works with our schedules and plan around the location, activity, and light.

“Nicole is truly a master of her craft! She photographed my engagement photos last summer & I am still obsessed. We loved her so much we are bringing her with us to our destination wedding this fall. There is no one I would trust more to photograph such a special day for me.”
— A & M
Artistic, cinematic photograph of a couple reflected in the glass at a historic movie theater entrance in downtown Woodstock, Illinois, during their Old Hollywood-inspired engagement session.

THE GOOD STUFF STARTS HERE.

The engagement session is just the beginning. By the time your wedding rolls around, we've already spent time together, made some photographs, and gotten to know each other beyond a screen.

Whether you're getting married at home, somewhere in Illinois, or taking me along to your favorite place in the world, I'd love to hear what you're dreaming up.

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