the blog
Blake and Gina tied the knot at The Bottle House on a gorgeous fall day surrounded by their loved ones! The Bottle house offered great spaces for the wedding party to relax, get ready, and take pictures before the wedding. The ceremony and reception space was very warm and welcoming with a ceiling lined with beautiful bulb lights.
Gina’s dress was stunning and complimented her bridesmaid’s and flower girl’s dresses perfectly. Blake is a firefighter and the couple included special sentiments to his profession throughout the day. From her garter to their cake topper and all the tiny details in between, it really specialized their big day. One of my favorite moments of the day was Gina and Blake’s first look with Gina’s daughter – it was so incredibly sweet!
The couple shared handwritten vows and then hit the town with their wedding party in a limo to start celebrating. This group was so much fun! When we got back to The Bottle House, the real party began with speeches and dinner and ended on the dance floor! Things really got crazy when the glow stick came out. This group danced the night away! I had so much fun capturing these memories – thank you Blake and Gina!
Wedding Day Details
Paper Goods | Shutterfly
Florist | Turner Flowers
Caterer | Hog Wild Pitt BBQ
Cake Decorator/Baker | Irina’s Gourmet Bakery
DJ/Band | Jason Spencer’s
Hair Stylist | Lisa Balmer
Make-Up Artist | Blush and Mane KC
Bride’s Dress Designer/Store | Bridal Extraordinaire
Bride’s Veil | Bridal Extraordinaire
Rings | Jared’s
Bridesmaid Dress Designer/Store | Azazie
Aimee and Dakota had an intimate backyard wedding at their family’s farm where they began dating. The day was filled with love and memories of their relationship!
It was a bright Spring day when they got married under a beautiful oak tree surrounded by all their loved ones. The bridesmaids wore dark green satin dresses that complemented their burnt orange, pink, and white bouquets wonderfully. The groomsmen wore tan vests with green ties to compliment the bridesmaid’s dresses. The wedding party was a fun group!
Some of the couple’s favorite parts of the day were their first look and the donut wall at the reception! Their first look was so sweet. It is a great way to have a special moment as a couple before walking down the isle! The donut wall was a unique and tasty touch to their celebration.
Aimee’s advice for anyone who is getting married soon is to take a minute to take it all in. She was given the same advice before her ceremony and she said it helped her be very present and able to have a clear memory of the most important day!
Thank you Aimee and Dakota for allowing me to be apart of your big day! I will always be a fan of an intimate backyard wedding!
Adelaide is a UMKC graduate, and booked with me for her Spring graduation photos before grad school! I love helping students celebrate each new milestone & transition with a photo shoot. It’s such a memorable way to wrap up a chapter of life, and begin the next!
Adelaide ended up bringing some of her best friends/sorority sisters with her for the session! They all had their cap and gowns for some celebratory pics together, which was only fitting because they had truly walked this season of life side-by-side! We also had some confetti to play with, and walked around campus doing a bit of reminiscing for them.Â
At the end of her session, her boyfriend hopped in for a few of his own Spring graduation photos and photos with Adelaide! This was such a great group to work with for the day. They were all in the best spirits, excited about their next adventures in grad school!Â
Being able to document all different parts of life is one of the best feelings. From families to high school graduates, to college grads, engagements, weddings & so much more. I’m blessed to do what I love & share it with all of you.
I had the pleasure of working with West Village Realty in a portrait session recently! We started in their A frame office house for portraits of each woman. They all wore very clean and classy business attire that suited each of them so well. They’re a bubbly group of women who know how to have a good time, and made me feel welcome in their space.
Their office space is located in Prairie Village, on a beautiful lot that is secluded but welcoming. After grabbing individual headshots of each woman, we took group shots both in their studio, and right outside. We couldn’t forget to pop a bottle of champagne to toast to the powerful women that run their brokerage. The West Village Realty women are masters of their craft, and make it easy to build a relationship with them. I loved spending the afternoon getting headshots for this group. Make sure to check them out if you’re looking to relocate to Kansas City.
Victoria and Nick met with me at the Nelson Atkins Museum for their Fall engagement session. The day was AMAZING. Although it was cloudy, the Fall colors were in full swing. It couldn’t have been prettier. They brought their dog, Belle, and a couple of their favorite books to read. And we used the books as props at the end of their session, as well as popping some champagne to celebrate this new season of life. Something that is important to me as a Kansas City Photographer is including personal elements in all my engagement sessions. I love for them to walk away with a gallery full of images that represent them & their authentic lives.
We were able to get in two outfits for their engagement session at the museum. First one really complimented all the Fall colors. Pulling golden and earth tones from the beautiful backdrop. And the second one was an all black outfit, one of my favs for couples shoots! And Victoria’s sweater had a little embroidery detail on the elbows which was such a pretty touch!
The Nelson Atkins area is great all year for sessions. It’s one of the statement places in Kansas City, and one of my favorite places to bring my clients.
I can’t wait for Victoria and Nick to celebrate their wedding! And felt so lucky to get this session in for them before winter!
Antoinette & Seth got engaged on a beautiful Fall day at the same park they had their first date – Meadow Brooke Park. How cool is that?! I love when my couples incorporate these personal details into their day.
The trees were already turning colors, and the leaves were everywhere! *Perfect* Fall vibes! We started their session as a normal couples session. Antoinette had no idea a proposal was in her near future! Especially because we went through most of their session with no out of the ordinary behavior!
And then, after a little while of shooting, Seth got down on one knee and popped the question! Ah!! It never gets old photographing these big moments!!
After Antoinette said YES (of course she did!) we wandered around the park, then enjoyed coffee at The Market at Meadow Brooke Park! What a cute idea for any type of session, to grab coffee together and have it captured. I feel like I’m third wheel on a date, and I’m here for it.
Especially at a place that means so much to the both of them! There’s so much this park has to offer, so I totally get why they had their first date here! It’s no ordinary place to just have a picnic! There’s a market and an Inn in the property. So much variety!
Huge congrats to Antoinette & Seth on their engagement! I felt so lucky to capture this day for you!
Madisen and Jordan got married at The Bowery this past year, and it was such a great day! They celebrated with their closest friends and family all night long. The girls wore the prettiest light blue dresses that matched perfectly with her white and green color palette. Madisen’s dress was from True Society and wow, it she was STUNNING. The guys wore light gray suits, while Jordan wore a navy one. Their color palette photographed so well!
They actually decided to choose a new last name for them both to change to after their wedding. (How cool is that!?) They picked “Flourish” to represent their growth as a couple, and it fit them so well. It was a beautiful day for an outdoor ceremony at the Bowery. One of my favorite parts of the wedding day was during the reception! All the women in Madisen’s life circled around her on the dance floor to sing and dance to Mamma Mia/Abba and it was SO FUN!
It was really one of the best days! Thank you Madisen and Jordan for letting me be a part of it!
Noted Vendor:
Makeup | Naturally You Artistry
I met with Hannah at Tomahawk Park for her senior portrait session! The park was the perfect location for us to get her some variety in her images, but also keep everything local! That’s one of the best thing about these city parks.
I usually tell my clients if you want to maximize your time for your senior session, engagement session, proposal, etc. heading to a place like Tomahawk park will give you more than one type of setting!
Hannah is a warm and bubbly person who was a natural in front of the camera! I feel like you can see how kind she is just by looking at these pictures! Her mom came with too, so we had to make sure to get a few snaps of the two of them!
Hannah is graduating next spring from one of our local schools and headed to KU to study engineering! Thanks for such a great evening in the park, you both!
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!!
