engagement photographer kansas city – Kansas City Photography

A Romantic SURPRISE PROPOSAL Picnic!

October 10, 2021October 11, 2021 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots, Surprise Proposals

A few years ago, these amazing people decided to give online dating a try because, (and we all agree), meeting people these days is just hard. Especially meeting the right people. Except not for these two. They matched, and there was no looking back!

After three and a half years of eating good food together, exploring KC, and drinking all the wine … Ty planned out the sweetest surprise proposal; he was ready to ask Emily to marry him.

He coordinated all of the details, including hiring us (months ago!) to be there to capture these moments! As the day approached, Ty followed through on every detail, including making sure Emily was picture ready without knowing that she was going on anymore than a glamorous picnic date with her lovely boyfriend.

The details came together perfectly! On October 9th, 2021, while enjoying a warm, sunny, beautiful afternoon in Loose Park, Ty got down on one knee, asked Emily to marry him … and she said “yes!”

And from the couple themselves – “We both love how well our personalities work with each other. No matter the situation, we’re both always present to provide advice, support, or dumb jokes with each other.”

We’ll be keeping an eye out for your wedding date announcement! 😉

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Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Get Engagement Photos!

January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots

Whether it’s a surprise proposal or a part of your wedding package, we are always thrilled to capture the magic of an engagement!

But what makes these photos so essential? Why get engagement photos taken after you’ve posted the big bling to your snapchat crew?

Well, we can tell you a bunch of reasons why engagement photos are a must-have, but as professional photographers, we may come off as a bit bias. So, we brought the question to our clients and we narrowed it down to 3 solid reasons.

1. From “You/Me” to “We”

You’ve found the person you want to share the rest of your life with, and you’re ready to take the next step down the aisle. Your journey doesn’t start after you say “I do” and it’s not the beginning of your romantic relationship. It is the first chapter in creating a family unit within each other. The evolution to being two people in love to becoming one single force.

Beth made us realize that it’s not just about romance, but also about family when I asked her why her engagement photos were important to her:

“It was our first time having professional photos taken of us as a couple–as a unit. When I saw them for the first time it was like seeing us as a real family.”

That really put it in perspective! A start of a family is something to be honored and preserved for the rest of your legacy.

Another client of ours, Bret, shared a similar sentiment. “I wanted to get engagement photos to record the moment for ourselves at the very least. I’m certainly glad I did.”

Plus, without engagement photos, the only professional photos you’ll have of yourselves is in wedding attire! Not that you won’t be stunning, but do you want your walls filled with only photos from the wedding, or a good mix?

2. Remembering and Renewing

“Until death do us part” can be a little intimidating … literally your entire life! During that time, Samantha put it perfectly how important her engagement photos will be for her in later years:

“Ten years from now we can look upon our photos and see all the ups and down we have had over the years. Everything we have accomplished within the ten years or even farther in the future. When we have grand children and we’re gray and old, I want to share where it all started.”

One of our brides, Katherine, told us it’s all about memories —

“For me it’s a big part of making memories. It’s a way to look back and remember all the love that each one shares as you enter a new stage of your relationship. Bonus is if you use them for save the dates you share those memories with everyone else!”

“I want to be able to look an reflect on the moment long after it has past. Memory is great, but having the pictures to look back at can really put you back in the moment. Our engagement wasn’t even a year ago and I love looking at these pictures and remembering Hannah’s reaction and subsequent answer, or… erm, reaction… (She snatched the ring and put it on. Once she had realized she needed to answer, it went from there). It a part of our story which has been recorded for us,” Bret said.

Seeing the glimmer in your eye looking at your partner at the very beginning is truly a treasure! Renewing your love by seeing where you’ve been — very powerful stuff in a photo!

3. Timeless Happiness before “Happily Ever After”

The wedding day is going to be such a monumental memory in your lives and all those attending to celebrate your eternal love.

Engagement photos give you the opportunity to celebrate your love one-on-one without all the pressure of the time crunch to get the ceremony going and keeping your guests entertained. Just you and your partner, ever so in love, making memories with each glance and smile.

And of course, us recording it all for your personal history book!

Beth Franklin is always touched by the history she sees when looking through her mother’s photos:

“I love looking back at my parents old photos and seeing what everyone looked like and seeing how happy they are. I hope that one day our kids will have the same feelings when they look back on ours.”

Timeless photos don’t just happen on the big day! You’re creating beautiful memories everyday.

Let us not only capture the “I do,” but the moment you said “yes!”

As Bret told us: “Putting a scene to the story can give the moment that little something extra when you tell friends or put a photo book together.”

Let’s talk wedding! Send us a message today! And make sure to follow Kansas City Photography on Facebook!

Third Times A Charm: An Engagement Shoot On The Go!

October 30, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots

No — Jam didn’t have to ask Jaclyn three times for her hand. Once was plenty for her to say “YES!!!”

Finding a location for their engagement photos, on the other hand, wasn’t as easy.

Hi, it’s Tatiana again ready to share my latest weekend adventure!

Jaclyn and Jam contacted us to help celebrate their engagement with photos during the best time of year. We decided on Burr Oaks Conservation Area, like the previous blog showcased, for its variety of different locations within nature’s awesome autumn scenery.

When I arrived, the gates were closed and there were two park rangers with neon orange vests waiting to inform anyone who wanted to enter that the conservation was CLOSED!

WHAT!?

You can’t close NATURE!

Well — when you have an overpopulated deer problem in the area, Missouri Conservationists can for an organized hunt.

And we were fresh outta camo. So, onto a new place we went!

Once I discovered the location was closed, I contacted the eager couple immediately and we met at Pink Hill Park right next to the entrance of Burr Oaks.

We were able to get some heartwarming shots with the leaves changing in the background! And I’m glad we did — those leaves will be falling off very soon!

I was also able to use my angle magic to get some woodsie vibes. But after walking around, I knew we were running out of options fast — because half the park was under construction!

The sun was about to set and I had to make a decision on my feet. So, we got back in our cars and hit the road!

I’m so glad they agreed to reboot the shoot because we were able to get some amazing shots at our third location: Waterfall Park at Bass Pro!

It still lack a waterfall, but that’s not the only perk of this location if you remember the “duck-ducks”.

Jam proposed to Jaclyn on a vacation in Austin, Texas. He needed a new shirt and they ended up finding a shirt that matched hers! When they got back to the hotel to get ready, she thought her shirt looked wrinkly.

Jam agreed, teasing her, and she turned around to give him a good “shut up!” and he switched gears to being super romantic and sweet.

He then essentially asked her to let him tease her for the rest of her life!

I’m so glad they both humored me scavenging for the perfect leaf for this shot. I probably looked like a crazy person, but you do what you gotta do! <3

And then I went next level crazy and scrounged around two more perfect leaves for this one. Her ring is a classic diamond with a gold band — also, it’s huge! It’s so gorgeous!

These two were so great to work with, and they are fellow dog lovers like me, which makes them good people in my book! Plus, Jaclyn has the best fashion sense. Where do you shop?!

We at Kansas City Photography wish you both a wonderful journey ahead, and hope you keep us in mind for your wedding photographer! We travel. 😉

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‘You mean you knew how to light a fire this whole time?!’ – Beth And Josh’s Fall Engagement Shoot!

October 23, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots

Hey, maybe your photographer needs to know that you are certified in building campfires ahead of time — but more on my dreams of arson in a moment!

It’s Tatiana again, and let me tell you — this is the busiest month I’ve had since starting with Kansas City Photography! And I couldn’t be happier because Fall is my favorite time to shoot. Nature does all the work!

I mean, how can you not adore the vibrant colors just popping out all around you? Beth and Josh are Fall freaks as well, so they chose Burr Oak Woods for their engagement shoot!

It’s a gorgeous nature trail that’s 1,071 acres of gorgeousness!

Beth and Josh found me through a mutual friend (Thanks, Meg! <3). We bonded over our basic selves with some Starbucks coffee and my Princess Mononoke shirt. Clearly, we are best friends in the making!

We booked the shoot about a month in advance, but as the day approached, the weather forecast looked pretty grim.

Of course, if you live in Missouri, you’ll know that the weather is about as predictable as a newborn baby. It can snow in the morning and by 3 p.m., you’re breaking a sweat! Seriously. This has happened before.

I’m so glad we kept with the original date, because we had a blast!

Beth came prepared with some awesome Pinterest ideas! We have pose ideas ready to go for our clients, but we always love it when people have their own special style. After all, we want to shoot what YOU want.

One of her ideas was to have matching mugs, but she nixed it because she thought it would be weird to have random mugs in the middle of the woods.

That’s when I said “It would be super cool if you guys were sipping hot cocoa over a campfire! Too bad we don’t have one of those.”

And that’s when she hit me with, “Well, Josh is an eagle scout. So, he knows how to make a campfire.”

WHAT?! ACCA-‘SCUSE-ME?!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have spare mugs lying around and Josh was really into preventing forest fires … so the campfire was a no-go — THIS TIME.

Beth and Josh have been together for almost 2 years. They met online, which is getting more and more common these days!

Another go-to proposal move seems to be the kitchen, since that’s where Josh asked the big question (I need to be hyper cautious in our kitchen from now on — Eric might get crazy). Here’s Beth recalling the event:

“Well … I was in my pjs in the kitchen, throwing something away at the trash can. I turned around and he was on one knee.

First words out of my mouth were: ‘Are you sure?’ I looked so frumpy because we were at home — But I thought ‘If he wants to marry me like this, then it must be meant to be!'”

So freakin’ cute! Josh knew that Beth hates anything flashy or over-the-top, so he picked out this beautiful pink sapphire ring with a rose gold band from Israel. It’s so elegant and charming — A+ to Josh!

This was Josh’s first time at Burr Oaks and Beth was thrilled to show him around, since this conservation area is where her and her family share many fond memories together (And if you ever want to share those memories in front of a professional photographer, hit me up. Tee hee.)

Also — they’re doing exactly what you think they’re doing below! This had me rolling!

These two were so fun to work with and I can’t wait to capture their wedding day!

Side note: Beth totally kept these leaves for keepsakes of the shoot. I would absolutely do the same thing!

Following ‘Duck-Ducks’ at Bass Pro! A Special Engagement Shoot!

October 19, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots

Oh, hi! Tatiana on the blog scene to show you this special engagement shoot for Samantha and Zachary!

Now, I say special because this engagement shoot had a plus one — or rather, 2-year-old Louella! Look at how precious she is!!!

When I met with Sam and Zach for coffee to go over our wedding packages, they wanted to make sure little Louella could be a part of their engagement photos since she is such a huge part of their lives. Of couuuurse! No one could say no to that cute, little face!

Sam and Zach chose Bass Pro Waterfall Park for their location because they really wanted to incorporate a waterfall in their photos, along with the changing leaves of the season.

Unfortunately, Bass Pro was not on the same wave length and although the weather hasn’t quite turned, the waterfall was “turned off” for the winter.

Our walk to the waterfall, however, sparked Louella’s main interest: the “duck-ducks” — which were actually geese … but she was in the right ballpark.

As soon as she saw those little aquatic birdies down in the lake, she had forsaken the rock she was so desperately clinging to the whole shoot and tried to bolt!

Luckily, her parents were on it and swooped her up, just like I was on it to capture the only smile we could get out of her!

Toddlers are hard to please, but she was overjoyed to go down to see the geese.

One day she’ll grow up and realize they’re actually kind of mean, but until then … enjoy those “duck-ducks!”

Of course when she kept trying to dive in, her Aunt, who was on standby, took Louella to the play area.

Now, back to the happy couple!

Zach chose a beautiful ring with an amethyst-like stone as the gorgeous centerpiece.

Since purple is my favorite color, it’s automatically amazing in my book!

Zach proposed to Sam on Valentine’s Day. He was going to propose when he took her out to dinner that evening, but Sam said he got too nervous and instead proposed right there in the kitchen before they left! Isn’t that adorable?!

Sam and Zach met online via “Meet Me.” We have noticed more of our clients are finding true love on the web, like our Free Engagement Shoot winners!

And we just love love! <3

Since then, they’ve created a beautiful family together and have a wonderful wedding ahead of them — which they booked through us! We’re so excited!

See you again on the big day! <3

And we send you the biggest congratulations!

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Briana and Brian’s Rustic Engagement Shoot!

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots

When I first arrived for Briana and Brian’s engagement shoot, I was met at the door with a grandma holding a shotgun. But more on that later!

Briana and Brian were winners from our free engagement shoot when I, Tatiana, first got hired on to work for Kansas City Photography!

Briana had a vision for her photos, so she and her fiancé Brian chose some gorgeous farmland out in Buckner for their location! It was beautiful for a rustic, country setting.

The farm is actually owned by her friends family, and that friend is also named Brianna.

When I arrived, the other Brianna’s grandma came out with a shotgun. It wasn’t pointed at me or anything, but I still wasn’t sure if I should laugh at the sight, or turn around and make a run for it. I explained I was there for Briana’s engagement shoot, and the grandma was in shock.

She told me she didn’t realize her granddaughter was engaged.

I TOTALLY THOUGHT I SPILLED THE WEDDING BEANS ON ACCIDENT!

Thankfully, it was just a miscommunication (that I meant Briana and not her granddaughter Brianna) that resulted in a funny thing I could write about.

Briana wanted a sunset photoshoot. We recommend doing 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. range for sunset backgrounds because once it starts setting, it’s not gonna wait on us to get to the next location! They are also using this antler for their “Save the Date” notice. So clever!

I couldn’t get over how beautiful Briana’s makeup was and then she told me she got it done from the same woman who does some of the Kansas City Chief’s ladies makeup — Dani Jo Bell Makeup Artistry. Work that contour, girl!

Brian and Briana met as Bass Pro Shop about four years ago to the dot. Literally, their anniversary was a week ago!

He proposed in the kitchen while dancing and cooking because all his previous attempts were interrupted.

First, he tried to take Briana to the place they first kissed, then later wanted to ask on a hunting trip; but then Briana was too sick to go. Finally, he just couldn’t wait any longer and asked her — right there in the kitchen!

I couldn’t stop myself from asking Brain to get up on the silo for this shot. This farm was a photographer gold mine! It was worth the constant bug attacks, right?

I love it when I get questions like “Can I get a picture of me touching his butt?” The answer is always a resounding “YES! Touch that booty!”

Seriously, it really brings personality to the photos! Also, it’s just really funny.

Remember what I said earlier about how the sun waits for no one? Well, that was true for the last half of the shoot. Still, I worked my photographer magic, played with the recipe of the photo, and pretended something was taken in daylight — can you even tell it’s nighttime? 😉

And it wouldn’t be a photoshoot I did without a furry friend somewhere. This doggo was following me all over the farm! I think his name was Buddy.

I really wanted to take him home, but Eric would probably not be too happy.

He just wanted to wish Brian and Briana a happily ever after — as do we at Kansas City Photography!

From The East Coast To St. Louis — An Engagement Shoot At Forest Park!

August 1, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Photoshoots

I met with the loveliest couple on Sunday — Sayo and Oye. It was a relatively last-minute shoot (their original photographer canceled the day before — after they had already done their hair and makeup), but I am so glad I was able to work with them on their engagement photos (and was actually in town this weekend)!

Sayo told me she had a thing for columns — so we made sure to hit up the Muni in Forest Park in St. Louis.

Months ago, Oye asked Sayo hypothetically, “If I happened to ask you to marry me, what would be your answer?”

Sayo gets so many bonus point for her answer: “You have to ask to find out!”

Oye told me he’s not a gambler, but he told me he decided to hedge his bets. He decided to propose anyway on December 31 at Sayo’s family home in Philadelphia.

Good news — he found out that her answer was “yes!”

The happy couple is getting married back on the East coast in South New Jersey at Lucien’s Manor this October. There are columns on the outside, so Sayo is going to be in Heaven!

Right now, Oye and Sayo are in a long distance relationship. She is finishing her medical residency at Saint Louis University Hospital — and he lives in the DC area. He just happened to fly in this weekend, so it was really important to get their engagement photos done!

This fun couple was introduced by mutual friends. Oye was given Sayo’s phone number, but didn’t call her for 2 weeks. Heart thumping, he finally did, but she didn’t answer. He bravely left a voicemail, something he told me he doesn’t usually do, and she happened to call back.

The rest is history. <3

Above you’ll see their ‘magazine model’ poses. Although, Sayo didn’t take it seriously for too long —

I’m so happy I was able to cross paths with these two! They color coordinated perfectly — even down to the socks!

We at Kansas City Photography wish you the happiest wedding day! Although, who knows! We travel, too! 😉

One last columns shot for Sayo —

And, of course, a practice spin for their first dance —

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