Wedding photo by a Chicago-based wedding photographer

The experience

Booking me is really about you—I'm a wedding photographer for all those mushy gushy sentimental reasons. Your love and your wedding day is just as important to me as it is for you. I go into each wedding and shoot it as if it were my own! You deserve a photographer who cares about you, your guests, your details and everything you put into this day! Each wedding is unique and I will never treat it as “just another day on the job.” I’ll give 110% of my care and attention to my couples. We’ll have check ins over the months leading up to your day. We will go over everything about your wedding in detail beforehand so I know exactly what's important to you! Whether you have a planner or not, I will be helping build your timeline with you because I have a type-A brain and organization is KEY when it comes to wedding planning. Read real experiences from my past couples here!

I'm here to guide you

One of the main things I hear from couples is that their partner hates taking photos or they tell me they're both awkward. But you don’t have to worry about that when you’re with me! Whether you're the 'yeah, we got this!' type or the 'I'm soooo awkward, please help!!' crew, I've got you covered. I’ll be guiding and directing you the entire time so that your real emotions come out and it feels super comfortable and fun! You’ll know exactly where to put your hands I promise. ;) By the end, you'll be wondering why you ever thought you were awkward in the first place! And on your big day, I’ll be the calming presence and I’ll take care of you in a way that aligns with your energy. I go with the flow of your day but I'll also step in and take charge to make things happen in order to stay on track! By helping create your timeline, there will be no fake or staged moments – just real moments captured with care.

Investing in your memories

I understand that choosing a wedding photographer is a BIG decision. It’s an honor to be someone’s wedding photographer and I don’t take that lightly. This is not a “book-pay-shoot-deliver-bye” type deal. Once you fill out my contact form we'll talk details, what you need, what's important to you and what you envision for your day! I’ll be helping you every step of the way in front of the camera and every step in between. Your memories will be worth the investment when you look back and relive it all over and over for years to come! You can see my pricing on my FAQ page to get an idea. I know I'm not the cheapest photographer in town but if you're looking for a photographer who can provide a stress-free experience, capture beautiful photos that feel like you, and go the extra mile for you, then let's talk!

Kind words

“Hiring Hayley as our wedding photographer was one of the best decisions we made! I cannot rave enough about her professionalism, skill, and compassion. She was so supportive throughout the process for both our engagement shoot and our wedding day and made us feel so comfortable and relaxed. It is truly amazing how she is able to capture every single aspect of a wedding day from reception details, to first looks, to all the guests in attendance. When sharing our photos with our guests, they were in awe of the quality and quantity of the photos Hayley took. We cherish each and every photo and will continue to do so for years to come.”

Jocelyn & Eddy

“I can’t say enough about Hayley! Her photography is out of this world and hiring her was one of the best decisions we made during wedding planning. She is extremely professional, attentive, and all around just an awesome person. She makes you feel so comfortable when taking photos that might otherwise feel awkward and is your biggest cheerleader. If you don’t hire her, your wedding photos aren’t living up to their full potential!”

Rachel & Grant

“ONE OF MY BEST WEDDING DECISIONS!!! There is not one bad thing I could say about my experience with Hayley. She is the nicest person, extremely professional, makes you feel so comfortable in front of the camera, takes AMAZING photos, and so much more! Being a COVID bride, Hayley truly showed flexibility as we planned and replanned just about everything. She didn't feel like a vendor, she felt like a friend. She was one of our biggest cheerleaders and told us exactly what to do (which we needed!). I will be telling everyone about Hayley Nicole Photography and I hope you make the decision to hire her as well, you won't regret it one bit! We will be calling her for more photo sessions in the future!”

Stephanie & Jason

“We could not have asked for a better photographer. From hiking to a waterfall for our engagement pictures to capturing every single moment on our wedding day.. Hayley was amazing through it all! She is organized, timely, professional, and most importantly a wizard behind the camera. One year after our wedding, I still tear up looking through our album. Hayley captured our wedding day so perfectly, and we are so so grateful to have found her!”

Hayley & Tyler

“Hayley is the absolute best wedding photographer anyone could ask for!! She was the only photographer I reached out to and was so pumped when she was available. The pandemic was awful to so many people and vendors, but she handled it with grace and professionalism. We postponed a year and she was so amazing to keep in touch, stay organized, and be there for anything we needed. She’s the whole package! Everyone can't stop talking about how fun it was and how AMAZING she was. Everyone was in awe of the photos! Seriously though, she was incredible and so patient with everyone. We super appreciate Hayley and everything she did to make our wedding a day one to remember. She did an amazing job and was so fun to work with.”

Danielle & Ilya

“From the moment we saw Hayley’s work on social media, we knew she would be the perfect photographer for our wedding. My fiancé and I were both nervous we would look awkward in the photos but Hayley quickly put us both at ease, giving gentle, fun, and experienced direction. After the session, I immediately had a strong sense of trust that Hayley would be amazing on our wedding day and I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing (Hint: I was right!) Fast forward to our wedding day. Photography was one thing we did not have to think twice about on our wedding day, she truly did have everything taken care of. There were so many incredible moments and she managed to capture ALL of them. Our photos are absolutely stunning and we are so grateful Hayley was a part of our big day. We truly could not have asked for a better photographer.”

Kristy & Clay