I met up with Kaylee and Landon on the most beautiful August evening in Kansas City for their engagement session, and I knew pretty much immediately that these two were going to absolutely kill it in front of my camera! And they did!! I mean…come on. Just look at them, they are such models!
We started their session at Loose Park, where we had gorgeous golden light, perfect sunny skies, and somehow managed to get an August evening in Missouri that wasn’t unbearably hot. Truly could not have asked for better weather! We also apparently picked the evening when every random thing imaginable decided to happen at Loose Park. I swear, everywhere we turned we stumbled onto something else going on that you definitely don’t see during your average engagement session. It became a running joke throughout the evening and honestly made the session even more fun! There were plenty of laughs, and Kaylee and Landon were so easy going through all of it.
After we finished exploring Loose Park, and witnessing whatever random chaos Kansas City decided to throw at us that evening, we headed over to the Liberty WWI Memorial for the second half of their session. And these two continued to impress!! The city backdrop, their outfits, that gorgeous golden August light…everything came together so perfectly!
I seriously cannot say enough great things about Kaylee and Landon. They were so easy going, so much fun to photograph, and have the kind of darling, undeniable connection that just comes alive in front of the camera. From the very beginning of their session, I knew these two were going to knock it out of the park, and they absolutely did.
But their story actually started several years before this night at Loose Park and The WWI Memorial.
How They Met
Kaylee and Landon originally met while they were both working at a hospital in Columbia, Missouri. At the time, though, they really didn’t talk much outside of things related to work.
A couple of years passed, Landon moved to Kansas City, and Kaylee was still living in Jefferson City. Then one weekend, Kaylee was hanging out at the lake with her friends when they happened to run into Landon and his friends. They said hi, but nothing really came from it at the time. A few weeks later, things finally started changing! They began talking on Snapchat and FaceTime, which eventually led to Kaylee visiting Landon and his friends in Kansas City. And before long, there was a first date! Landon took Kaylee to Kona Grill on the Plaza around November 2023 after they had watched a Chiefs game. There was just one tiny problem with his restaurant selection…Kaylee did NOT like sushi. She had looked up the menu beforehand and started getting a little nervous when she saw how much sushi was involved. Luckily, she managed to find herself a cheeseburger and immediately wondered if Landon was going to think she was crazy for ordering a burger at such a nice restaurant.
Meanwhile, Landon was convinced Kaylee needed to give sushi another chance. He had her try a piece of his, and according to him, she immediately hated it. She sat there with a look on her face like, Okay…what am I supposed to do with this now because I definitely cannot eat it? It’s something they still laugh about today. And apparently Landon’s persistence eventually paid off because they’ve gone back to Kona Grill multiple times since then, and Kaylee has actually learned to enjoy sushi!
Kaylee and Landon officially began dating on January 12, 2024! Their relationship started out long distance, but instead of allowing the distance to pull them apart, both of them remember it being something that showed them just how much they wanted to be together! They were constantly texting and FaceTiming and always planning the next weekend they could see each other. For Kaylee, it was during this time that she started realizing Landon was the man she wanted to marry. She loved how much they enjoyed spending time with each other’s families, and once they were finally both living in Kansas City, their relationship only continued to grow!
Landon has always made Kaylee feel special, whether that’s planning date nights, surprising her with flowers, or simply spending time together. For Landon, it was the way Kaylee stood beside him during some challenging seasons that made him realize she was his person! As he navigated different jobs and struggles, she continued to support him, encourage him, and push him to be a better man. Through all of it, she stayed right by his side! And that was when Landon knew Kaylee was the person he wanted beside him for the rest of his life!
A surprise proposal in Mexico
Meanwhile, Kaylee had been casually showing Landon engagement rings she liked on TikTok, having absolutely NO idea that he was quietly making mental notes every single time. Different styles. Different details. All the little things she loved. Landon was paying close attention! Before buying the ring, Landon also found an opportunity while they were back in Jefferson City for Kaylee’s best friend’s wedding to ask her parents for permission to marry their daughter. Then in December, it was finally time to pick up the ring!! Landon was supposed to head back to Palmyra to “help his mom” after surgery, which wasn’t entirely a lie, but he also had another very important errand planned. When Kaylee decided she wanted to come along, he had to think quickly. So he called Kaylee’s mom and arranged for her to come to Kansas City to shop with Kaylee instead!
And somehow, Kaylee still didn’t suspect anything. A few months later, they headed to Mexico for a vacation in February 2026! They arrived on Sunday, and everything seemed completely normal. But by Monday, Landon was internally freaking out. He had stopped drinking and gotten unusually quiet. Kaylee noticed but didn’t think too much of it at first. That evening, they had plans to take sunset photos on the beach. Without knowing what was coming, Kaylee actually asked Landon to choose her favorite dress and help decide how she should wear her hair for dinner and pictures.
By the time everyone was ready, Landon’s nerves were really setting in. Kaylee finally started wondering why he was acting so strange. She even had the passing thought, Wait…could this actually be happening? She didn’t say anything and eventually brushed it off. Their group headed down to the beach and took turns getting photos. Then it was Kaylee and Landon’s turn! As they got into position, Kaylee suddenly noticed that everyone had their phones out. She asked Landon what was going on. He pulled her in for a hug and tried to tell her everything he had planned to say…only for his carefully prepared speech to completely disappear from his brain! So instead, he got down on one knee and asked Kaylee to marry him! And on February 23, 2026, she said YES!
They immediately FaceTimed Kaylee’s dad and sister, who had been patiently waiting for the call, and celebrated that evening with a steak dinner on the beach! But Landon wasn’t finished with the surprises quite yet. When they returned to Kansas City later that week, their friends Jake and Taylor picked them up from the airport and brought them home. Waiting inside their apartment were all of their closest friends for a surprise engagement party!!
These days, some of Kaylee and Landon’s favorite moments together are also some of the simplest. On the weekends, they love waking up and finding a new coffee shop to try while exploring different parts of Kansas City. During the week, they enjoy taking long walks together and catching up on their days. Their definitions of a perfect day, however, might look slightly different. Kaylee’s perfect day involves coffee, shopping, and hanging out by the pool! Landon’s? Coffee followed by sitting on the couch watching approximately six football games at once while making sports bets, or spending the day on the golf course! Clearly they balance each other perfectly!
Kaylee describes Landon as loving, outgoing, and kind. She admires how supported and loved he makes her feel and the fact that he’s always willing to help someone, no matter the situation. And Landon describes Kaylee as compassionate, loving, and beautiful. He loves that she’s always beside him and says she has this way of making his bad days good and his good days even better.
At the heart of both of their answers was the exact same thing, They’re best friends!!
Now they’re looking forward to finally getting to marry their best friend with all of their favorite people together in one room and seeing the wedding day they’ve already had so much fun planning finally come to life. And after this engagement session, I cannot WAIT to have these two back in front of my camera again! Kaylee + Landon, you two were an absolute dream to photograph. Bring on the wedding day!!
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