‘Tis the Season… for getting hitched! Meet Emily and Hayley…

Recently, we had the pleasure of witnessing this ‘YES!’ moment at Prairie Fire Museum in Overland Park (note to self… add this to the list of fantastic places for photos! The colors! I’m obsessed!) Emily and Hayley met WAYYYYYY back in middle school but didn’t start dating until a little over a year ago!

I was never spotted until it was time!

When Emily decided to propose, she went to great lengths to pick the perfect ring, the perfect spot and hatch the perfect plan! She enlisted Clara, her bestie, as a distraction and Clara’s sister, Elsa, came too – all under the premise of taking pictures of Clara and promised Hayley there would be lunch!

Emily even went as far as sending me a map, a plan of attack, a route we would take afterwards, all leading to a surprise lunch with Emily’s mom and Hayley’s great-grandma! Hayley is very intuitive and Emily was sure she would know something was up – and she was right! Hayley was suspicious but didn’t know the plan and loved how it all played out!

So many spots to stop and take some great shots of these two!

As we walked through the shopping area, we stopped to take all kinds of pictures! There is no shortage of beauty anywhere around here. We also had plenty of time to chat about their cats and dog, about how they get to spend their time doing all the things the love and how they both work in education (LOVE OUR TEACHERS!!!)

Don’t worry – we went back and edited out the damage the wind tried to do to their hair! I’ll update with that picture soon!

As we were strolling down the street, headed toward lunch (the surprise lunch with mom and great-grandma) – here comes mom, driving right down the road next to us! Emily and Hayley just laughed – mom definitely didn’t follow the plans or the map! HA! But even though the cat was out of the bag, and the wind was blowing at what seemed like 100mph, we had so much fun finishing out the shoot!

AH THE RING!

When we finally met at the lunch destination, Emily’s mom, Hayley’s great-grandma, Clara, Elsa (and of course Emily and Hayley), all stopped to pose for one last picture together and off to lunch they went!

Congratulations to this beautiful couple! Can’t wait for the updates on all the camping, visiting Colorado (one of my favorite spots), and, of course, the WEDDING PLANS!!!!

A Romantic SURPRISE PROPOSAL Picnic!

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! 😉

Make sure to follow us on Facebook – http://Facebook.com/kansascityphotography

A Surprise Proposal at Loose Park!

Have we mentioned we love surprise proposals yet? Oh, we have? Well, one thing is for sure, they will never, ever, ever get old! We LOVE everything about them. The secret emails, the code words, the excitement and shock when someone gets on a knee … like this Sunday at Loose Park!

Matthew reached out to us December 1, letting us know he had just moved to Kansas City a few months ago with his girlfriend, Angie, who is attending KU. He ordered had already ordered the engagement ring, and was wanting to set up a surprise proposal.

The ring finally made it in on December 19, so we were ready to set the surprise date! Matthew had originally envisioned Penn Valley Park for the proposal, but the day of we ultimately decided on Loose Park!

Once Matthew had the ring, the plan was set in motion. We even exchanged photos so we knew what each other looked like (we don’t get to see each other until surprise proposal happens usually)!

These two lovebirds first met when Matthew watched her dog over Thanksgiving three years ago. When she came back from her trip, to a well pampered pup I am sure, they continued talking!

Matthew fessed up that he’s a wild child (his words!) and said “I love how Angie accepts me for who I am and what I do. Her love is my rock and keeps me grounded!”

They can be goofy together, too, clearly!

We here at Kansas City Photography wish you ALL the best in the world! Props to planning a surprise proposal for Angie! Don’t forget, we do weddings, too! 😉

Want to plan your own surprise proposal? Send us a message!

A Surprise Rooftop Proposal in Downtown Kansas City!

Even though it was their 5-year anniversary, Willie still managed to convince Alisha she wasn’t going to be proposed to that day. All of his hard work certainly paid off, too!

Willlie&Alisha (1)

Last week, Willie reached out to me about planning a surprise proposal for his girlfriend of 5 years, Alisha. In his own words to me, he said, “I know, I know…it’s about time!”

He decided on the Rooftop Garden Park in downtown Kansas City. We agreed to meet at 7:20. My second photographer, Alyssa, and I were 30 minutes early. No sooner did we get up to the roof garden did Willie walk in!

Willie&Alisha

As I say with all of my surprise proposal clients, when you arrive, I will not acknowledge you. We can’t give away the surprise! I always instruct my client to walk in front of the camera and just pop down on a knee.

We couldn’t have practiced it better!

Willie & Alisha

Of course, she said “yes!”

Alisha and Willie met 5 years ago in Joplin, Missouri, when Alisha was teaching English. She told me they had an instant connection, and planned their first date at a restaurant called “Instant Karma.”

 

Willie & Alisha (1)

She said the name of their first date restaurant seemed really fitting! She was right!

“After 2 years together in Joplin, I moved back to KC to start my new job at a new school. We did a year of long distance and then he moved up here with me.”

Willlie&Alisha (2)

And now, they’re engaged!!

Alisha told me Willie is the perfect compliment to her type A personality. “He is compassionate, caring, and just the most wonderfully considerate person,” she said.

Willie & Alisha (9)

Willie told me he avoided mentioning any weddings, proposals, or rings all week. He confessed he knew exactly how to get to the rooftop park, but pretended he didn’t when he was taking Alisha to it.

He had actually scouted out the location the week before. He even went over and received her parents blessing to propose the same week!

Willie & Alisha (3)

All of us here at Kansas City Photography wish you the best! We can’t wait to see what wedding plans you both cook up. Don’t forget to keep us in mind. 😉

Willie & Alisha (8)

CONGRATULATIONS, Willie & Alisha!!

###

Make sure to follow us on Facebook! Planning your own suprise proposal? Shoot us a message today and we can help!

A Romantic Surprise Proposal With The Kansas City Skyline!

Jimmy reached out to me a week ago via email seeing if I was available for … his surprise proposal to his girlfriend, Lauren! Eeeeeee!!!! If there’s one thing we love at KCP, it’s a surprise proposal!

After readily agreeing and setting the date for Saturday, we immediately jumped into trying to figure out a location. Jimmy had at first thought about proposing at the location of their first date, Broadway Arcade, for sentimental value. However, we ultimately decided on the WWI Museum for the scenic view of the Kansas City skyline.

We set a calendar date labeled “brunch,” so Lauren wouldn’t be suspicious if she had his phone, exchanged photos of what each other looked like, and we were set! Well, at least that’s what we had thought 

Summers (6)

Fast forward a week to the day of the surprise proposal. I arrived early to scout out the location, and noticed yellow ropes saying “do not enter” all over the property. I quickly texted Jimmy and told him what was up. I called a security guard for the WWI Musem and he told me there was too much ice on the landing, and the ground we were going to do the surprise proposal on were closed. OH NO. 

prop1

Thankfully, I wouldn’t let this poor security guy off the phone just like that. I told him the big plan, and asked if he had any suggestions for me. He did, and I quickly drove there to find a new proposal spot! I filled in Jimmy, and we were set … again!

image1
image2

Jimmy did great. He walked right by me as instructed, pretending he didn’t know who I was. I waited for them to get several feet ahead, and then started casually following, pretending to take photos of other things until he got down on one knee …

Summers (1)

The next thing Jimmy saw out of the corner of his eye was me sprinting into the snowy field and kneeling onto my own knees to start snapping the moment.

Summers (12)

Lauren told me she was definitely surprised! Jimmy had a list of plans for the morning that included a trip to the WWI Museum, brunch, and grocery shopping … so she wasn’t expecting him to pop the question!

Of course, she said “YES!”

Summers (14)
Summers (4)

That ring? GORGEOUS.

And Jimmy set up this next moment perfectly. All day throughout Valentine’s Day just the day before, Jimmy left these little candies around with sweet love messages written on them. Before getting down on one knee, he handed Lauren this for her to read:

Summers (8)

It says “This is where I propose.”

He let that sink in for a second, and then pulled out the ring!

Summers (3)

As far as how this love story began, Lauren was transferred to the Kansas City area by her job. She lived in a different state before her transfer here — and only six months after her big move, met Jimmy. It was fate!

She said her first impression of him was that he was very personable and outgoing. “My favorite thing about him is how selfless he is. He will always put everyone else first, and do just about anything to make someone else happy.”

Summers (5)

 

Jimmy told me that other than being blown away by her beauty, his first impression was that she had a great sense of humor, even laughing at what he calls his “terrible” jokes.

“My favorite part of Lauren is how she never lets me get down.” He said he has never met someone who loved and supported him as much as she does — and that she makes literally every situation better.

Summers (11)

If these two lovebirds aren’t just the cutest!

“I have a higher sense of confidence in life knowing she is by my side,” Jimmy told me.

I can’t wait for you two to start planning the big day. All of here at Kansas City Photography wish you the happiest life together! Let’s chat wedding once you set a date! 😉

A Surprise Rooftop Proposal In Kansas City!

We just LOVE surprise proposals. They are so romantic, and seeing the look of genuine shock and excitement as a significant other gets down on a knee … priceless! 

propose

IMG_6980

Daniel reached out to us about two weeks ago. He had planned on doing a surprise proposal to (then) girlfriend (now fiancée), Julia. They’ve been together since August 2018 after they met on Coffee Meets Bagel.

IMG_7104

Julia told us she’d been going through her calendar guessing which day Daniel would propose, but she had not guessed it would be Sunday!

IMG_7011

Daniel met us at Rooftop Park (also sometimes called Green Roof Park), which is in downtown Kansas City. It’s a park that’s, you guessed it, on a rooftop!

IMG_7140 (1)

Daniel said he knew he wouldn’t have much left to hide once he got Julia up there with him, so he dropped down to a knee almost immediately! No worries, though, our photographer, Dawn, had her trigger finger on point!

IMG_7127

Julia said she thought he was going to propose the last five times they went out, so by our session Sunday she convinced herself it wasn’t happening! Ohhh, but it did! And she was more than happy to say “YES!”

IMG_7046

Right after the surprise proposal, we launched right into a miniature engagement session.  These two lovebirds are so incredibly sweet, and we are honored to have been there to capture this  moment!

IMG_6989

Hope to see you at the wedding! 😉

Planning a surprise proposal like Daniel? Contact us!

3 Tips On How To Pull Off A Surprise Proposal

At Kansas City Photography, we love LOVE. So much so, that we’ve had several clients come to us with their surprise proposal plans. Since we’re the photo pros — we wanted to give you some tips on how to pull it off successfully!

_DSC9022

1. Have A Plan

The first step to success is setting up “the plan.” You don’t want them to know what’s coming or that would ruin the surprise, right? Several of our clients have planned the proposal on anniversaries. This way, the two of you were already planning on going out and doing something anyway, so it doesn’t seem as suspicious.

You could plan it around a holiday or special day of the two of you. If that’s not your style, then you could always plan it around an activity the two of you do together often, so as not to raise any red flags.

Take Kyle, for example. He planned a brunch with his now-fiancee Emily. Afterward, he told her they had an appointment to go look at a house. There was conveniently enough time after brunch and before the “realty appointment” that they could go take a walk in Loose Park … where we were waiting. 😉

Emily Kyle 3

2. Find The Perfect Location

Picking the perfect place for the backdrop of when you officially started planning your “forever” is crucial!

But we are here to help! We know people take this one seriously because our “Top 10 Photoshoot Locations” blog gets hundreds of views a day! So, that is our gift to you, dear reader, 10 potential locations all in 1 blog post for you to peruse.

tony-katie-11

Get the time, the place, and then …

3. Contact Us!

This is definitely a moment worth capturing and remembering forever! Once you have the plan in place, reach out to us and let us know what you’re planning.

We usually exchange photos so that we know what the other person looks like and will be ready when we see each other.

We arrive at the location 15 minutes early. What we do is pretend to be taking pictures of other things. Roses in the rose garden, a fountain, etc.

Bret & Hannah (1)

When you arrive at the scene, there is always that brief moment of eye contact before we go back to pretending we aren’t supposed to be there. Once you are on one knee, we turn our cameras around and capture all of the emotions and reactions!

Hats off to Tony & Katie — who had one of the best reactions we’ve ever seen!

22291435_1459899030783929_3838263663233341208_o

Keep in mind we travel! There is no distance too far for love. <3

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

 

Surprise Proposal at Loose Park!

We at Kansas City Photography LOVE surprise proposals because get beautiful candid shots of the exact moment a couple starts their journey from “you and me” to “we”.

Kyle contacted us about a week before he was planning to pop the big question, with time and location already figured out! Tatiana got to bust out her ancient ninja skills and enter stealth mode as Kyle and Emily entered the scene.

Emily Kyle 1

Although, Kyle ended up kneeling a bit far away since Emily told him she didn’t want to get in the way of Tatiana’s shot. Much to her surprise, she was the main subject!

Emily Kyle 2.jpg

And as usual, as Tatiana grew closer and closer snapping away there’s that awkward conversation of “Congratulations! I’m not creepy, I promise. I’m supposing to be here doing this!”

Emily Kyle 4

Emily seriously had ZERO idea this was happening, and Kyle’s planning skills are on POINT- that’ll come in handy for the wedding!

Emily Kyle 5.jpg

“I had one of my good friends ask us to go to brunch on Sunday morning. I had mentioned that morning that I wanted to go on a walk and run some errands later that day. While leaving brunch, I had our realtor text us about a “fake” showing she wanted us to meet her at. This was perfect as it left an awkward amount of time prior to the showing from the time we left brunch. I said, “Let’s go for a walk at loose park to kill some time before the showing.” While walking around the rose garden at loose park, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me! Everything worked out perfectly and she was totally surprised.”

That explains why Emily was so confused asking, “wait… so there’s no house showing today?”

No, girl, but you get a ring instead!

Emily Kyle 8.jpg

And what a ring it is!

Seriously, kudos to Kyle! He got everyone in on it, including her mom who took her to get her nails done the day before. He thought of everything!

Emily Kyle 9

Kyle and Emily met in Junior High and were friends throughout high school. They attended Kansas State together when they became a couple. Five years later, they are now engaged!

Emily Kyle 10-1

Emily was so shocked she almost felt betrayed by how many people knew!

“You all are a bunch of liars!” She proclaimed through the smile that just couldn’t fade away.

Kyle even arranged for their family and closest friends to meet them after the shoot to celebrate. He was pretty certain the answer would be yes!

Emily Kyle 11

Thank you so much to Kyle and later to Emily for letting us be a part of your incredibly special memory! Your smiles are contagious and we can’t congratulate you enough!

We would love to talk wedding photos with you soon. 😉

O-M-G: A Surprise Proposal at Unity Village!

Hey, everyone! Tatiana here to share with you how I, a professional photographer, was accepted into the ancient order of NINJA!

Uhhh … or, how I totally snuck up on Katie and surprised her with an engagement photo shoot!

Tony Katie 3

More on that in a moment!

Tony Fisher contacted us Sept. 19th after he found us — wait for it — THROUGH OUR BLOG! We’re pretty happy about that, since we put so much work into these.

He wanted to surprise his beloved of almost four years, Katie, when he popped the big question! We suggested Unity Village as the meeting area, and he had to fib a bit to get her to go with him without any questions or suspicion. You could say Tony was Ninja #2.

Tony Katie 1

He told her they needed to go to a dinner with friends, but it was a pretty fancy place — great cover and excuse to dress up!

We had emailed Tony and we agreed to meet at the big tower at Unity Village. I was “taking” photos of the flowers … this is when I spotted them! #sosneaky

It was abnormally more crowded than usual, so the rose garden wouldn’t do for the big finale! Ninja 1 and Ninja 2 (Tony and I) thankfully linked minds. He didn’t seem to know quite where he wanted to go, so instead of following them like I had been, I veered off course and started moving away from them. I then started taking photos straight ahead — signaling that was the perfect spot where he should get on one knee! He understood and walked right in front of the camera — and bam! She couldn’t even stop smiling enough for that smooch!

Tony Katie 5

When I stopped and pointed my camera in front of the fountains, Tony brilliantly followed my lead — directing Katie in my line of site. Here is the exact moment when she realized what’s about to happen — so magical!

Tony Katie 2

I’M NOT CRYING; YOU’RE CRYING!

Tony Katie 6

I don’t even think Katie noticed me getting closer and closer to them until I said, “Congratulations!” I then felt it appropriate to say “I’m not being creepy, I promise! I’m supposed to be here!” and that’s when Tony explained his master plan to his now fiancée.

Tony Katie 7

“Well, now that you cried all your makeup off — would you like to do a photo shoot!?”

She said yes to me, too. 😉

Tony Katie 9

She was so overwhelmed by her gorgeous ring that instead of breathing, she just kept exhaling “OH MY GOD!!!” every second. It was so wonderful I told her that would be the headline for the blog.

Tony Katie 13

“Oh my gawd, I’m going to wear this for the rest of my life!”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you pulled this off!”

“OMG, I can’t stop looking at it!”

Tony, make sure your bride-to-be looks up from her hand long enough to cross the street!

Tony Katie 12

Aw, look at that cheese face! I think in this very moment, on October 9th, 2017 at approximately 6:30 pm — Katie was THE happiest woman in the world. I’m so overjoyed that I was able to capture this incredibly special moment for these two. Plus, they are huge “Game of Thrones” fans like myself … so they are great people in my book!

Tony Katie 11

We wish you many more happy memories to come at Kansas City Photography — and hope you keep us in mind for a wedding photographer (we travel, tee hee).

Follow us on Facebook!

 

 

 

 

This Dog Posed With An Engagement Ring On Its Nose! A Unity Village Engagement Shoot

We first met Tyler in January, when he called Kansas City Photography about his secret plans for a surprise proposal for his girlfriend (now fiancée), Taelor!

_DSC9021

This was his adorable spiel to me over the phone:

“I’m planning on proposing to my girlfriend, and I want a photographer to be there to capture the moment. But, I don’t want her to know you’re there for us until after I am down on one knee.”

We chatted about when and where to meet — everything was set in place. We met at Kaw Point Park … and then this happened:

_DSC9022

Gorgeous, right?! It has one of the best views of the Kansas City skyline.

Since their surprise proposal session was a mini shoot, Tyler & Taelor decided to bank the rest of their engagement shoot time for when it was a bit warmer outside. Liiiike this Monday! And boy, it sure was a lot warmer. So hot, in fact, everyone at the shoot joked about jumping in the fountains there!

Tyler Taelor Engagement 5

They picked Unity Village from our list of Top 10 Photo Locations in KC. It’s full of glorious roses, but has amazing architecture as well — as you can see:

Tyler Taelor Engagement 9

This time, they even brought their doggy, Bentley! Tatiana was thrilled, dogs are pretty much her favorite thing in the world! Miss Bentley definitely isn’t well loved, poor thing!! 😉

Tyler Taelor Engagement 10

Also, we absolutely have to mention how well behaved she is. Tatiana was able to put Taelor’s engagement ring on Bentley’s nose! She didn’t even try to eat it! Although, they did walk around Unity Village a few laps beforehand to make sure she was nice and tuckered out.

Tyler Taelor Engagement 4

Taelor met Tyler through her brother, Alex. They all went to UCM together. Props, Alex! You introduced your sister to her future husband. That must feel really awesome!

Taelor also has impeccable taste in clothing. Both dresses she wore were beautiful. One was lacey, with an open back similar to a wedding dress (how fitting since she’s going to be a bride soon!):

Tyler Taelor Engagement 3

Tyler Taelor Engagement 11

And the other was long and flowy — perfect to twirl in! Also, great practice for their first dance at their reception!

Tyler Taelor Engagement 7

Taelor, feel free to dress us any time — your taste is amazing! Tyler was dapper himself, don’t feel left out! That yellow was a perfect choice!

Tyler Taelor Engagement 2

We are so excited for your wedding! To see their surprise proposal shoot, click here.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook!