Along with winter comes proposal season! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year are great times to pop the question because family and friends are already gathering. I had the opportunity to capture a special backyard proposal this past proposal season.

Kristian set up twinkly Christmas lights in Catelyn’s Parent’s backyard for a very romantic proposal. It was a cold evening, but that didn’t stop anyone from coming out to celebrate the newly engaged couple! After he led her to the backyard and popped the question, their family and friends came out of the house to congratulate them. They celebrated with a champagne pop, treats, and toasts.

Kansas City has a lot to offer when it comes to venues and locations for proposals, but nothing is as special as popping the question in a place that is special to the couple. I always recommend choosing a spot that has special sentiment for the proposal and then having a small celebration after! It could be at someone’s house, a restaurant the couple loves, a coffee shop they frequent, or a park they love to go to. Regardless of where they decided to pop the question, this next step into their relationship will be remembered forever.

Backyard Proposal | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

I had the opportunity to capture at fall engagement session on a gorgeous day at The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. It was the beginning of November, but the colors on the leaves were still out to play! We were not complaining. The weather was absolutely perfect and the colors added so much warmth and depth to the photographs. They also complimented Kristen and Chris’s outfits wonderfully!

There’s not much that’s better than a fall golden hour engagement session at The Nelson. Catching the sun as it peaks through the trees creates the dreamiest photographs. It is an easy way to romanticize the session!

The Nelson also offers a wide variety of locations to take pictures, which helps create the feeling of a multi-location session. But you only have to do a little walking, instead of taking a drive! As a location, it also offers a good variety of both earthy and industrial/modern backdrops. Multiple areas with trees, plants, and greenery compliment the beautiful structure.

If you are trying to decided where to go for an upcoming session, the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is always a safe choice! Whether it’s a family session, an engagement session, or a senior session. The Nelson has plenty to offer!

Fall Engagement Session | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

There isn’t much quite like a late summer golden hour engagement session in Downtown Kansas City! I had the opportunity to meet up with Victoria and Kody at the library district in Downtown KC. We were able to capture street side and skyline moments for their engagement session.

If you are looking for a good mixture of greenery and industrial vibes for an upcoming session, I can’t recommend the library district enough! There are plenty of plants and trees at the street level that help bring some color and depth into the photographs. With Kansas City being known as the city of fountains, there are also options for elegant fountain backdrops! If you schedule your session right at golden hour you can catch the sun peaking through the buildings at the perfect time for photographs.

One thing about downtown as a session location is that you can quickly change your scenery. We accomplished this by simply taking an elevator up to a rooftop. Kansas City has such a wonderful skyline! The skyline photographs well from many different angles. Which gives you a lot of options when it comes to choosing a location. You can pick a location based on wanting the Western Auto sign in the background, or wanting a neutral background. Once you know what you’re wanting it is easy to decide on a location!

An added bonus of splitting your session between street side and skyline is that you have a good transition point for an outfit change. This can give off the feeling of having two separate sessions. You can aim for one half to appear more elegant and elevated with fancier clothing. Allowing for the second half to appear more casual with relaxed outfits.

The Library District | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

Kansas City has a lot to offer when it comes to locations for engagement sessions. One place that isn’t as commonly used is Kauffman stadium! It offers a beautiful industrial style structure as a backdrop that photographs wonderfully during golden hour. It is also surrounded by greenery, plants, and trees, which can add depth and color to the photographs.

I met Emily and Braden at Kauffman Stadium on warm Spring day, just as golden hour was about to hit. We enjoyed walking around and getting a variety of different photographs at different locations around the stadium. Kauffman is large, so there are a lot of options when it comes to where to take pictures!

Our session also included a trip to the Kansas City River Market, where we popped into River Bluff Brewery. I love being able to capture couples in what feels like a natural habitat. Sometimes taking pictures in a field feels foreign and can cause people to tense up. Not only does going out for a drink help calm the nerves, it is a great photo opportunity. We headed inside for a drink.. or two! After, we made our way outside to capture some moments around the River Market.

If you are on the hunt for session locations, Kauffman Stadium and the Kansas City River Market are always good options!

Kauffman Performance Center | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

There are a multitude of options when it comes to locations for engagement sessions in Kansas City. Loose Park is not as commonly used but offers beautiful scenery, especially in the Fall! Peak color happens at different times throughout Fall depending on where in the country you live. Here in the midwest it typically happens between October 22nd – 28th. If you really want colorful leaves in your engagement photos, try and get on your photographer’s schedule within that time frame. No guarantees because the weather changes at a different rate every year, but there should be at least some color on the leaves within that time frame!

Alex and Danielle were able to catch the leaves at just the right time during their session at Loose Park! We had a great time walking around the park together. I was able to capture some good laughs, and watch this couple start to come out of their shells in front of the camera! They also had the opportunity to get back to some of those childhood roots and roll around in the leaves together, which is always fun and nostalgic. The vibrant red and orange leaves always add such a unique and beautiful touch to photographs and these didn’t disappoint.

Loose Park | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

Fifteen minutes Northwest of Kanas City is the quaint town of Parkville. Downtown Parkville is picturesque with it’s small, locally owned businesses, brick front buildings, and small-town feel. Parkville Coffee Shop is a great place to meet up with friends to catch up and grab a cup of coffee. It is also a great location for an engagement session!

I met Hannah and Jake in Downtown Parkville on a beautiful Spring day to capture their engagement session. We had a great time at Parkville Coffee, where I was able to capture them in a cozy environment that really individualized their photographs. I always recommend that the best way to make your session unique is to choose a location that is special to you and your spouse!

Once we were done at Parkville Coffee, we headed outside to capture some street side photographs around town. They brought their dog with them, which was such a special treat! I always love capturing couples with their four-legged, furry friends. We stopped at a few different locations around downtown to get a mixture of backgrounds for the photographs. Between some greenery, the brick fronts, and the coffee shop, I was able to capture a variety of different photographs!

If you are ever at a loss for where to have your engagement session, think about going somewhere special. If you can’t think of anything specific, consider Downtown Parkville!

Downtown Parkville | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

There is something about Springtime at the Nelson Atkins that makes for the perfect proposal location! I had the opportunity to capture a proposal at The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art this past spring that was so dreamy! Golden hour combined with the flowers in bloom and the natural radiance of freshly engaged love is quite the sight to see. 

I feel like at this point in my career I can add “professional hider” to my resume. There is nothing that gets your heart racing like trying to go incognito while waiting for your couple to arrive at a meeting point so you can capture the big moment! 

I waited patiently for Brooke and Jake outside the museum and was able to get the best angle of Jake getting down on one knee to pop the question! There isn’t a part of my job that I don’t love. But when couples ask me to capture their journey from the very beginning, I feel very blessed. 

We spent the rest of the session getting to know each other as I captured some moments of the newly engaged couple soaking in the magic of this experience. It was an incredible day and I am so happy I got to be a small part of this wonderful couple’s story. 

Proposal at The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

The Kansas City skyline is a breathtaking view for a beautiful Fall proposal! Evan and Sydney had a quaint and secluded moment with their dogs at On Broadway. This day is a true testament to the idea that your proposal can be as big or small as you want and still be magical!

Evan wanted a special moment with Sydney they could cherish forever and On Broadway didn’t disappoint. This golden hour session brought out all the romantic and cozy colors of fall. The flower arrangements complimented the greenery of the rooftop plants and the trees peeping out into the skyline.

The evening was complete with the inclusion of Evan and Sydney’s sweet pups! They added such a sweet and fun aspect to the proposal. I love when couples include their fur babies, it is a great way to individualize your session!

I always feel so blessed to be apart of a couple’s first step into a season of marriage, and this proposal was no different. I enjoyed getting to know Evan and Sydney, learning more about their story, and capturing this timeless moment for them. Proposal season is among us, so be on the look out for more sessions in the near future!

On Broadway flower arrangement
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2 dogs and 2 adults
White dog and black dog
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group of 4 with skyline behind

On Broadway Proposal | Kansas City Wedding Photographer

This Downtown Kansas City engagement session with Katherine and Cody is giving all the old Hollywood, romantic, and classic vibes. I am here for it! Downtown has so much to offer when it comes to locations for sessions. Katherine and Cody wanted backdrops of the beautiful architecture and streetlights at night.

Their more formal outfits really helped set the tone of the session, with Cody wearing a traditional black suit and white shirt. While Katherine wore two beautiful white dresses, one with lace and another with tule and pearls. But what sets this session apart from others is the use of “props”. I always tell my clients who are looking for an easy way to get a wide variety of photos is to bring some extra “props”. Katherine brought white heart shaped sunglasses, which added a cute pop of fun. She also brought a pearl embroidered clutch that tied in nicely with the pearls on her tule dress! One of my favorite “props” she brought was a stunning bouquet of flowers. Yes, that’s right! It doesn’t have to be your wedding day to bring flowers to your session.

We had so much fun roaming the streets of Downtown Kansas City at sunset. I was able to get golden hour pictures just as the sun was setting and we did some fun flash photography with the streetlights! After that, we headed into one of the bars downtown for their last outfit change into something more casual but still fun! I had such a great time capturing these sweet moment of Katherine and Cody.

Downtown Kansas City | Kansas City Engagement Photographer

Shawnee Mission Park is a wonderful choice when it comes to location for engagement sessions! I met Natalie and Collin for their dreamy session just before the sun set on a beautiful Fall evening. They brought their sweet pup with them who was sporting a cute bandana that said, “My humans are getting married!”

I always recommend using a mixture of different textiles and patterns in outfits choices to help give the photos some depth and differentiation. Natalie and Collin did a great job of this! Collin wore a jeans and a black top. This is very neutral and a great basic outfit that can easily compliment a wide variety of colors and patterns. This allowed Collin to stay in one outfit the whole time even though Natalie had multiple outfits.

Natalie did a great job of picking complimentary outfits that enhanced the colors of their surroundings and Collin’s outfit. She had one casual outfit and then two dresses that were both beautiful and very different from each other! The difference in colors and patterns allowed them to get a wide variety of photos with the easy of a couple outfit changes.

Shawnee Mission Park is stunning in the Fall when the leaves start to change colors! I was so excited to be able to capture the change of the season as Natalie and Collin embraced this new season of life together.

Shawnee Mission Park | Kansas City Engagement Photographer