the blog
Getting engaged is such a big milestone in the timeline of you and your partner’s relationship! After they pop the question there tends to be many things to do and plan. It is so important to bask in this special time together! One way to do that is to capture this time with engagement photos. If you’re planning a wedding, or thinking about getting engaged, you’ve probably seen the traditional engagement photos that highlight the ring and the couple kissing in the sunlight – there’s nothing wrong with those! But if you are wanting photos that are personal to you and your relationship I have some tips on how to make your engagement photos unique.
USE A LOCATION THAT REPRESENTS YOU BOTH
Pick a location that means something to both you and your partner. It could be a park that you frequent together, the place you met for the first time, family land, or your home. If you choose somewhere that you are comfortable and used to being at, it will show in your pictures!
OUTFITS AND ACCESSORIES
Whether you decide to completely match outfits with your partner or to mix it up within a cohesive color pallet, make sure you are both comfortable in what you are wearing! It will make the process much more enjoyable for you both. Accessories are such a fun way to spice up any outfit and help express yourself in ways that outfits can’t! Don’t be afraid to bring a bouquet, veil, sunglasses, jackets, etc. that help your personality shine.
MIX UP YOUR POSES
There are definitely traditional poses that are standard when it comes to engagement sessions. If that is what you want out of your session, let your photographer know and they can make sure to capture those. A good way to make your session unique to you is to mix it up and get both traditional and non-traditional poses! This can look like capturing natural movement, fun interactions and
GO ON A DATE
Sometimes you and/or your partner aren’t super comfortable in front of the camera. One good way to help ease those nerves is to take your photographer along on a date! You can go to a couple of your favorite spots and they can capture you both in your natural environment just hanging out! Kansas City has so many wonderful date night locations and I’ve found that sessions like this really capture the essence of your relationship.
BE UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOURSELF
This is good advice for anytime you are in front of a camera! If you want your personality to shine through in the photos, you have to show it! Don’t be afraid to be playful, sarcastic, loving, and energetic during your session. Being able to capture that will help make your photos very unique to you as a couple!
I hope these tips on how to make your engagement photos unique are helpful when planning for your engagement sessions. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and have FUN!
Kansas City has so many unique wedding venues, one of them being Union Horse Distillery. This location is perfect for small, intimate weddings! Antoinette and Seth didn’t want a huge wedding. They wanted to make sure their day was intentional and personal to them and this non-traditional venue granted their wishes.
Between the rehearsal, watching Antoinette put on her Nike dunks, and capturing the couple order their favorite drinks at the bar, this day was a perfect representation of them. These two were so fun and carefree throughout the day and it was reflected in the moments I captured. The venue allowed us to visit the cellar and take some really unique photographs in front of the barrels. They also provided a small barrel that displayed the Union Horse Distillery logo for the couple to use as a guest book!
The couple didn’t have a traditional wedding party, which made the ceremony feel very intimate. But their family and friends all came out to help celebrate them! The flower girls all wore Nikes that matched Antoinette’s, which was so cute with their dresses. After cocktail hour, everyone gathered for dinner and dancing! The couple decided on flavored popcorn as party favors, which doubled as a fun late night snack after some time spent on the dance floor. Thank you Antionette and Seth for allowing me to capture this unique and fun day!
Ian and McKenzie tied the knot at No Vacancy last Summer and the day was as sweet as can be! Their recommendation to couples who are engaged and planning their wedding is, “Stay true to who you are. Spend lots of time trying to figure out what YOU want as a couple, not what everyone else wants. Your true friends and family will love you and have fun no matter what you choose.”
Their day was an exact example of their advice! They had a small, intimate ceremony that felt so much like them and mirrored their relationship. No Vacancy offers a unique, colorful, cozy space for weddings and events and it was the perfect setting for Ian and McKenzie’s big day! They said, “It was nice to have both an indoor and outdoor space for people to visit, and many rooms people could escape to. The whole place is decorated with colorful vintage pieces, so it made the wedding feel really unique.”
The wedding party’s attire matched the fun vibe of the venue, which made for some beautiful photographs. The groomsmen wore colorful patterned button ups under their suit jackets that nicely complimented their bridesmaids dresses. Everyone wore their own pop of color and it was so unique! After the ceremony the bride and groom were able to sneak away for a few minutes while the guest attended cocktail hour before dinner, speeches, and dancing the night away! I loved every second of capturing the details of this special day – thank you Ian and McKenzie for allowing me to be a part of your story.
If you want to know the secret to an organized wedding day; I’ll tell you! It’s Veil Events!
I worked with Veil Events on Jordan and Payton’s wedding and it was the best day! It required meticulous organization and coordination due to the use of multiple locations. Lindsay and her team were on top of it and everything flowed so smoothly. Many brides want help in the area of organization. I thought it would be a great idea to ask the Veil Events team to share their secret to an organized wedding day! I contacted the owner of Veil Events, Lindsay Kooser. She had Kaylie, the office manager, sit down and compile some advice for bride’s-to-be.
The Secret to Success
“A wedding planner’s secret to an organized wedding day is simple…Plan, Plan, Plan!! If you’re a Taylor Swift fan you have likely heard what I’m about to say. If you’re not, maybe this will change your mind! Taylor Swift has a lyric, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The strategy sets the scene for the tale.” As cliche as I sound quoting Taylor Swift, she is 100% right, especially when it comes to wedding day!
Importance of Planning
When wedding day finally comes, brides often feel tired of planning and are ready for the day to happen so that the planning is over. They sometimes fail to realize all that planning needs to be done to ensure a seamless and smooth wedding day! If they hadn’t put all that hard work in, they might’ve received endless questions from vendors and the bridal party, missed items, or had things go wrong. As a coordinator, we are not only the fairy godmother of the wedding day to make the bride’s vision come to life. We also help guide the bride in everything needing to be done and give our expertise on decisions to be made.
Creating a Timeline
The most important thing we do is create a timeline to plan out every minute! That may sound scary, but timelines don’t have to be scary and controlling. Making a timeline is actually our best tool for an organized wedding day! We plan out the day from start to finish so that everything has a time and place and nothing gets missed. They make the day go flawlessly, alleviate so much stress, and not only benefit you but benefit your whole bridal party and vendors. We even schedule things you might not think of, like time for the family to arrive so they aren’t late for pictures, bridal party breaks so they can get off their feet, and time for the vendors to eat dinner. The coordinator relies heavily on the timeline to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.
Take it from Taylor
You may be thinking that all I’ve been doing is telling you to get to work…but, what I’m really telling you is it will all be worth it in the end!! Just like Taylor said, you are setting the scene for the tale and this is your best tale yet to come!”
These tips to success can lead to wedding day bliss, which was definitely the case with Payton and Jordan. Their wedding was such a pleasure to capture. I’m so glad I had to opportunity to work with the Veil Events team! Congratulations to the happy couple! Thank you for allowing me to be apart of your BIG day.
I recently had the honor of photographing one of my best friend’s older brother’s engagement session at Black Hoof Park. Capturing special moments is my specialty, but absolutely nothing compares to capturing the special moments of someone SPECIAL to me! I’ve known Jesse since we were in elementary school and I’m so excited to see him get married!
Haleigh and Jesse wanted all the cozy Fall colors in their session and Black Hoof Park did not disappoint! It was a beautiful and bright day and the colors of the leaves photographed so well with their neutral colored outfits. They brought their pup Ruby along for the session and we got some very sweet pictures with her!
After getting great photographs with the foliage in the background, we headed over to Lake Lenexa to capture some moments on the boardwalk near the water. The trees near the lake were just as vibrant! These two are so comfortable with each other and I’m so happy I could capture the love and laughter from this day. Haleigh and Jesse are planning to elope in Alaska next Summer and I am SO excited to capture the day for them. Until then, I’ll just be looking back at the moments from this session and patiently waiting in anticipation. Thank you so much Haleigh and Jesse for allowing me to capture these special moments in your story!
Matt and Kaylee celebrated their first pregnancy with a vibrant session at John’s Greenhouse in Brookside, Kansas City! Don’t get me wrong, I love an outdoor session with trees in the background and the skyline above, but the winter months allow me to get creative with sessions and this one turned out SO good! Due to the cold weather, we decided the greenhouse would give Matt and Kaylee the vibrant colors they were looking for and the warmth to keep them comfortable during our session.
Pregnancy is a blast for some and dreadful for others, either way it is a precious time you get to spend with your significant other, just the two of you, in anticipation of the next new phase of life. It is such a bittersweet thing to be able to capture.
Matt and Kaylee were so much fun to work with as we navigated all the different spaces John’s Greenhouse had to offer. They both dressed in neutral colors that photographed beautifully with all the greenery surrounding us. It also looked great with the sonogram’s of their sweet little one! Matt had a surprise undershirt on that was a fun way to specialize their session. The sincerest congratulations as you enter this next phase of life with your little one, Matt and Kaylee. Thank you so much for allowing me to capture these sweet moments for you!
There is something so special about proposal sessions! It is the beginning of one of the most magical times in a couple’s relationship. Being able to capture the pure joy and love of this incredible moment and the fun that directly follows is one the my favorite parts of my job. I love capturing a downtown Kansas City proposal!
Brooks proposed right in front of Union Station on a beautiful January morning. I sat out on the hill at the World War I Museum and Memorial waiting for Brooks and McKenzie to show up. After Brooks popped the question, we headed over to the WWI Museum and Memorial to snap some photos of the newly engaged couple! After that we got some great rooftop shots downtown with the iconic Western Auto sign in the background. To round out this downtown Kansas City proposal session we went to warm up and take some photos inside Union Station!
Brooks was able to surprise McKenzie while we were at Union Station. Their family and friends hid out while we took photos and then met us to celebrate their engagement! This was such a fun day, and I feel very blessed to have played a part in capturing it. Thank you McKenzie and Brooks!
Every bride deserves to be celebrated in way that is unique to them. Here are my tips for 5 ways to level up your bridal brunch.
Choose a Theme or Color Pallette
This is the first step since everything else like food, florals, and decor are based off of that! Ultimately the goal here is to find something that mimics the bride’s taste, since her opinion matters the most!
Some common bridal shower themes:
- Love is sweet
- Backyard BBQ
- Disney
- PJ party
- Tea party
- Beachy/Nautical theme
- The final fiesta
If you don’t have a theme in mind, pick a fun color palette and go from there! Not every bridal shower needs a theme, but a central idea/color is a great way to level up your bridal brunch.
For this bridal brunch styled shoot, we stuck with bright, vibrant colors like dark green, varying shades of pink, and gold. This created a super feminine and bold vibe for the decor!
What to wear?
Along with the colors and theme, decide what the dress code of the bridal shower will be! As the host/planner of the bridal shower, you set the tone here. Most likely, your guests will be wondering what to wear!
Will everyone dress up? Is this a casual yet cute event? Should guests all wear a certain color? If it’s going to be outside, make sure everyone knows so they can plan for the weather.
Bottom line: only the bride wears white!
Unique Snacks
Every party needs some snacks! To make it memorable for the bride, find something personalized and unique. You can never go wrong with cookies & cupcakes, especially when they’re from Kat’s Confections.
For Kansas City bridal showers, look into Go Go Candy Co! This is Kansas City’s one and only candy truck. This made our styled shoot sooo unique, fun, and YUMMY.
Cute Bridal Shower Decor
Decorating your bridal shower venue ensures that it’s photo-ready and super personalized for the bride! Being intentional with the glassware, signage, florals, and other decor really helps set a fun vibe and draw attention to the theme or color palette.
Centerpieces are an easy and gorgeous way to level up the area. These flowers are from The Little Clover and I’m obsesseddd with how they turned out.
While you’re planning the bridal shower decor, keep the bride’s chair in mind. This is where she’ll sit to open gifts. Decorate it BIG like with a balloon arch to really make her feel like a queen! This is more than a chair, it’s a throne.
Balloon arch courtesy of Dolli’s Design’s
Bridal Shower Games
During the bridal brunch, your guests will be mingling and eating and chatting with the bride about her upcoming wedding. It’s always fun to gather people with a bridal-themed game!
Keep these short and completely personalized to your guest of honor. The questions can be about the bride, her relationship with her partner, or about the partner! It’s always fun for everyone to learn more about them.
Playing bridal shower games is the perfect way to break the ice, get everyone laughing, and make the bride feel special.
Kansas City Wedding Vendor Credit
Allllll the credit to these amazing Kansas City wedding vendors for their help at this styled shoot!
Venue: The Firehouse
Planner: Cake & Champagne Event Planning
Photographer: Natalie Nichole Photography (hey, that’s me!)
Videography: Isbell Creative
Rentals: Supply Event Rentals
Balloon Decor: Dolli’s Design’s
Florals: The Little Clover
Candy Truck: Go Go Candy Co
Cookies + Cupcakes: Kat’s Confections
Hair + Makeup: Lumiere Aesthetics Center
Inspo: Planning the Perfect Bridal Shower
Kansas City is one of the prettiest places in the fall. The crisp wind paired with the warm sun makes outside activities so much more enjoyable. The leaves stay bright fall colors for weeks (my favorite to photograph!) and everyone is soaking up time with their loved ones before the busyness of the holiday season. If you’re a fan of fall, you’ll love these Seven Kansas City Fall Date Ideas. From First Fridays to fruit-picking, we’ve covered it all! Grab your significant other for some quality time. Let’s make some memories!
Louisburg Cider Mill
Is anyone surprised this is first on my list of date ideas? With a 10-acre corn maze and a 10-acre pumpkin patch, this is one of Kansas City’s favorite fall date activities.
The drive down south to Louisburg Cider Mill is beautiful, and the journey is beyond worth it! Their corn maze is always a unique theme, and the cider donuts are *chefs kiss.* Look into their upcoming events to find a day with local vendors, live music, hay wagon rides, and farm animals.
Kansas City Apple + Pumpkin Picking
Kansas City, Kansas
Cider Hill Family Orchard offers tons of delish apple treats to enjoy before you head out into the orchard to pick apples! There are other activities too: pumpkin picking, hayrides, fishing, and lots of photo opportunities. Bonus: leashed dogs are allowed!
Platte City, Missouri
Open Saturdays and Sundays, Alldredge Orchards is the perfect pumpkin picking place! They have a hayride, barnyard, and lots of goodies in their rustic barn store. Don’t worry, your leashed dog is allowed here too!
First Fridays
Downtown is always fun on Friday nights but the Crossroads are the place to be for you + your boo on First Fridays. Grab an adult Capri sun from Mean Mule, stop in Parlor for some live music, and peruse through dozens of art galleries. There are always booths to shop unique, local trinkets, and don’t forget about the food trucks!
First Fridays is a classic Kansas City date night! This Fall, the dates are September 3, October 1, and November 5th. Mark your calendars!
Farmers Market in the River Market
If you’ve been in Kansas City for any length of time, chances are you’ve been to the River Market! Every Saturday dozens of vendors gather to showcase their fresh fruits & veggies, homemade bread, specialty salsa, & beautiful bouquets of flowers.
This is a fun Kansas City date if you’re a fan of supporting local businesses and shopping small! After shopping, grab lunch at The Opera House Coffee & Emporium, or take the free street car downtown.
Plaza Art Fair
There’s nothing more “Kansas City” than the plaza! The 2021 Plaza Art Fair is held September 24-26th and if you haven’t been before, this is your shot. This year is the 90th anniversary of the art fair! With live music, food stands, art exhibits, and different activities, you and your date won’t be bored.
Spend the afternoon shopping, trying drinks, & supporting small businesses. Pick up dinner from a food stand and eat it while you enjoy a live band. Grab ice cream from Ice Cream BAE in the Made in KC Marketplace to end your evening on a sweet note! This is a Kansas City fall date that you’ll remember for years.
Kansas City Fall Photo Shoot
Everyone knows Kansas City is beautiful in the fall. The trees stay yellow and orange for weeks and the weather is perfect. It’s definitely my favorite time for a couples photoshoot!
A photo session is such a cute way to top off your date. I can meet you at any of the places listed above to capture the sweet memories of your fall date! Or do you have another location in mind? Let’s chat about it and make alllll your Kansas City fall date dreams come true.
Follow along on Instagram where I’ll soon release my dates for mini-sessions! These are totally a fan-favorite so I don’t want you to miss them.
These Kansas City fall date ideas are perfect to spend some time with your boo, check out some photo inspo from last season here and here.
Connie and Greg wanted to do a 1920’s inspired photoshoot in Lexington Missouri. I travelled from Kansas City to photograph them all around downtown Lexington and then we headed to Linwood Lawn, a gorgeous venue a few miles away.
We spent the afternoon having fun around Lexington. Stopping where ever our hearts desired or creativity struck. Connie wore a vintage black dress that she paired with a fur coat, cloche hat, and black tights. She looked as if she had travelled through time from the roaring 1920’s to present day.
Connie and Greg have always had a love for all things vintage. They own a bar in Lexington and have filled the walls with old photographs and collectables. They cherish all of the stories that come along with each piece. They find joy in sharing those stories and admiring the beauty in history.
This 1920’s inspired photoshoot was extremely fun to plan. I love when my clients come to me with ideas. We’re able to be collaborative and bounce ideas off of one another. What starts as a simple idea can turn into so much more.
This photoshoot was perfect for Connie and Greg because it was unique and personal to them. It was always more than just a photoshoot. This gave them the opportunity to spend even more time together by creating a vision, choosing outfits, and deciding on locations. They got to be creative together which made it even more fun.
If you have an idea for a photoshoot you’d like to do in the Kansas City area or beyond, fill out my contact form and let’s start the planning process! Let’s step outside the box and bring your vision to life.
If you love the look of Linwood Lawn, check out Amanda and Joe’s wedding for even more images of the beautiful grounds.
