the blog
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.
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!
I met with Payton and Jordan for their Fall engagement session last year! They offered to use Payton’s family land for their shoot and I eagerly accepted! This location was a perfect place to show off the Fall colors and get some epic backgrounds for their images!
They have a pond on the property with a pier, which we used right at the beginning of their session. It looked like it was out of a movie! The family also has this willow tree that is such a statement piece on the land, so of course we shot there too. Both of these locations were perfect their Fall engagement session vibes!
I loved their different outfits throughout the session too! From her in a long green cardigan & him in the flannel shirt for their first outfit, to the two other outfit changes afterwards. Make sure to scroll down to get great outfit inspo for photo sessions! The sun had decided to make her appearance at the end of their session so we made sure to use it to our advantage!
They are getting married this October, about a month from now and I can’t wait to celebrate with them! They’re the sweetest couple and I loved this session!
Tyler planned the perfect Kauffman Proposal for Marlee with the help of their families! A little backstory on these two. They actually met here! How cool is that? He wanted to make sure this moment was so sentimental for them so he planned to take her to the Center where they met and have their families hidden while he got down on one knee!
I love the Kauffman as shoot location because there is so much to work with on just one property! After he proposed we walked around with some of their family to grab portraits of them as a group! Tyler also invited Marlee’s best friend, and the look on her face when she saw the ring was priceless! It was also clear skies so it was the perfect wedding for a happy engagement!
Tyler’s Kauffman Proposal was a complete success and being apart of it was a blast! Congrats again you two! Happy wedding planning!!
Maris & Maddie had a beautiful Shawnee Mission Park session with me in the Spring. The two of them hadn’t ever had professional photos taken of the two of them, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell based on how natural they were the entire session! They are also such good company and I had some of the friendliest conversations having only met for the first time this day!
They are also so obviously in love, and checked in with one another during their session. We started under the trees while walking the path right at sunset! It had rained earlier in the day but had cleared up just in time for our session! Our night ended at the water walking along one of the piers that had an amazing view of the lake. It was overcast skies but I truly love that lighting because it allows me the flexibility to shoot anywhere in the park.
Thank you so much Maria & Maddie for being such great company for your Shawnee Mission park session! You two are truly two of the sweetest humans!
Jordan & Coleman had the prettiest modern engagement session in downtown Kansas City. They had two outfits planned that they put so much time and effort into creating, & they turned out stunning! Jordan is actually one of my best friends! She was very open with me about her ideas and I told her we could make anything she’s dreamed about come to life! Her style is obviously very modern, but she also wanted chic! I told her I knew the perfect places for us to have a bit of fun creating her vision!
We went downtown to the Kauffman first. The arts center has beautiful architecture and even spaces that make it feel like a big tech building! It was perfect for the beginning of their modern engagement session! She even brought our her veil that was decorated in pearls for some solo portraits of her! It was nice just spending the evening with the two of them because I really got to let some creativity show through!
We ended the evening on a nearby rooftop for their Modern engagement session. You guys know how much I love KC rooftops, so mixing their modern chic with old town Kansas City was the perfect blend!
Thanks so much for spending the evening with me Jordan & Coleman! It’s always the best time!
The minute I met Alyson and Caleb we clicked. I was so lucky to get their inquiry for their engagement session! We had the session at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center and then ventured to the top of a parking garage for the view of the city!
They are a fun loving and adventurous couple! Caleb actually proposed to Alyson while they were on a trip to Alaska. They took a helicopter tour and her proposed to her when they landed in a winter wonderland. Literally magical!
They are currently planning their intimate elopement in a gorgeous forest in Maine! During their engagement session at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center, we talked about all the little details they were planning for their elopement! It was like chatting with old friends, I felt right at home!
Congrats again to Alyson and Caleb! Thanks for spending the evening adventuring in beautiful places with me 🙂
Justin reached out to me to set up the most gorgeous Bellafete Proposal in downtown Kansas City! He wanted the afternoon with Andi to be perfect! Bellafete is a luxury event planning service, and they did an INCREDIBLE job bringing Justin’s vision to life! Once you see the photos below you’ll understand what I mean by ‘gorgeous!’
Bellafete also put together a luxury picnic to help surprise Andi! This included champagne and a light snack for the two of them to share. They also had a frosted glass sign set up at the scene that read “will you marry me?”!
If you’re wondering if the bride-to-be was surprised, the answer is YES. Andi thought they were meeting up with Justin’s coworkers for a company picnic at the memorial – she was completely surprised and overjoyed when he asked her to marry him. We headed to a spot with the most perfect skyline to add some variety to their session after she said yes. And then we came back to the park to pop the bottle of champagne!
I loved everything about this Bellafete proposal and working with their company was such a pleasure!
Jamaica and Aidan booked a session with me during my Spring minis! I hosted the sessions at Shawnee Mission Park! This afternoon was gorgeous, it felt like the sun was somehow extra glow during golden hour. And we couldn’t get enough!
Aidan and Jamaica fit together like puzzle pieces. In the short session I had with them, their love was obvious for one another. You wouldn’t question anything spending 10 minutes with them! This made it so easy to let their love do the work! I gave them fun prompts so they were always moving around and being playful! I love the images we captured!
I found out a month after these Spring minis, Aidan proposed to Jamaica in Amsterdam! She obviously said yes and now they are busy doing all the fun wedding planning! Congrats to you both! This afternoon was a blast and I feel so lucky to have met you both!
Alexandra and Lauren had never had photos professionally taken of the two of them before reaching out to me! I love helping new clients realize that having photos taken is way easier than it looks, and doable for everyone! These two were a little nervous but warmed up so quickly & we had the best session at Loose Park Rose Garden!
Loose Park Rose Garden is one of my favorite locations in Kansas City- the park is big and has a variety of different locations; the rose garden, the pond, wide open field, and super tall trees. 10/10 recommend. Loose Park does require a $30 photo permit pass to shoot there, but it’s worth the trip & time you spend!
On this beautiful spring day, the red bud tree was our favorite spot! The color really complimented Lauren and Alex’s outfits! This was the perfect time of year for a session here due to the flowers being in bloom! Literally stunning!
Thank you Lauren & Alex for the best night at the park! So happy I was able to do this session for you 🙂
