Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get engaged in Country Club Plaza? We were lucky enough to capture this special moment with a Country Club Plaza engagement session, where the happy couple shared their excitement and love for one another. The Country Club Plaza is an amazing place for couples who want a beautiful backdrop of lush green trees, flowers, fountains and architectural details.
Kansas City Engagement Sessions
Back in March, I came to Kansas City for my first ever KC wedding with Allison and Joseph. It’s close to a 4 hour drive, so I always try to make the most of my trips to Kansas City by doing multiple engagement shoots while I’m there. In the past I’ve done shoots at Overland Park and Loose Park.
In this trip, I set up two engagement shoots for the day after the wedding. The first session was with Samantha at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center and then afterwards I finish with Rebeka and Kody at the Country Club Plaza.
Rebeka and Cody’s Story
Rebeka and Cody are quite the couple. I really enjoyed meeting them and learning more about their story because it’s an amazing one. I thought I’d share what she said so you can see how special it is.
“I am a paralegal and work for a law firm in Kansas City. My fiancé, Kody is a firefighter and a K9 handler for a live rescue dog in Manhattan, KS.
Kody and I lived in different small towns growing up. He used to work for my best friend, Sam’s high school boyfriend fathers’ business in the summer. We “met” my freshman and his junior year. We were too shy to speak to each other in the brief interaction we had. I remember always telling Sam how cute he was but that was as far as things went! He had graduated high school and moved away for college in 2008. I graduated high school in 2010 and moved to Kansas City for school and stayed there for work after graduating.
Fast forward to March of 2019. I got a random Facebook friend request from Kody. I had screen shot a photo of the request and sent it to Sam and we talked again about how cute he still was and asked what he had been up to.
In June of 2019, he had gone to Oklahoma City for training to become a K9 handler and to be paired with a dog. His AC went out in his house, and he had called my Sam’s husband, Paul who had a heating and cooling business to come fix his AC while he was still in OKC. Paul was too scared of Phoenix, a pure bred German shepherd and asked if Kody’s mom could come let him in. Paul and Kody’s mom were talking and she mentioned that Kody was not dating anyone and Paul said he had the perfect girl for Kody. Sam had called me later that evening to tell me what Paul had suggested and I told her I would be open to a double date. She said she would talk to Kody and let me know! She called me back five minutes later and said that he was open for a double date as well!
Well… it had been over a week and I had not heard from Kody so I got the courage and messaged him on Facebook… and here we are! We had a long distance relationship the first year and a half, until the pandemic hit. I had packed everything up and had moved in with him in Manhattan in March of 2020. He proposed October 28, 2020.
We live out in the country with our three dogs. Phoenix, Kody’s German Shepard I mentioned earlier; Arlee who is mine; and Duke who is Kody’s working dog. We love being outdoors and being active! If we are not working we are fishing, kayaking, our riding our bikes. Kody is the social one in our relationship and can make friends anywhere. I am the one who prefers to stay at home. Kody and I balance each other perfectly. “
What is the Country Club Plaza in KC?
The Plaza is one of the more popular locations in KC. If you are into shopping and fashion, this is a great place for you. There are shops lining the streets and wonderful restaurants. This is where we spent time when I came with my family. You can just walk around and explore for hours.
Besides the fun of shopping, the Plaza is a great urban location for an engagement session. There are fountains, architecture, bridges, and a creek. There isn’t a ton of nature backgrounds in the area, but if you are wanting a shoot downtown, that’s what you should expect.
Engagement Photos at the Country Club Plaza
For Rebeka and Kody’s engagement, we roamed around the plaza and found locations for photos as we went. Fun enough, the first location was actually where they met, so that was perfect. I always love when engagement sessions have some personal connection or inspiration.
We actually avoided using any really well known structures. Some of my favorite photos involved them sitting on some concrete. There was nothing special about the place, but I loved their emotions. We did go down to Brush Creek, but that might be the only thing that gave away the location.
Loose Park Engagement Photos
Our next destination was Loose Park to get more nature and the complete opposite look. It was so gorgeous there that day, but that meant the place was filled with people. I can’t remember how many other photographers we saw, but it was a ton. I guess that means it was a perfect day for an engagement shoot.
I have been to Loose Park before, and it is great. It’s such a large space with a lot of different looks. You have wide open fields, trees, a pond, a rose garden, and plenty of other things.
One of the main reasons we did this shoot was for Rebeka and Kody to show off their amazing pup, Duke, who is a search and rescue dog. It’s always fun to bring dogs along, but it was really interesting because Duke was trained and somewhat famous. Apparently, he has been on the news and other things for what he does. At one point he did jump in the water, but that was not a big deal.
Downtown and and Nature Photography
I had such a wonderful time with Rebeka and Kody. It was awesome that we were able to visit two locations and get such different backgrounds.
I will be coming back to Kansas City soon to do more wedding photography and other sessions. I can’t wait to explore more of Kansas City and connect with more awesome couples. If you are looking for engagement photos or a wedding photographer in Kansas City, I’d love to talk to you and hear your story. Fill out the form below and I’ll get back to you with more info.
