Sometimes the best things are worth the wait, and Taylor and Jake’s engagement session was definitely one of those things!
This session was originally supposed to happen all the way back in June, but a series of unfortunate events (seriously, you couldn’t make some of it up) led to several reschedules. So many things completely out of our control kept getting in the way, and in all my years as a wedding photographer, I don’t think I’ve ever had an engagement session that had to be rescheduled quite this many times! But finally, September was our month, and I was SO excited to finally get these two in front of my camera!
We started their evening at Loose Park in Kansas City. The skies were pretty overcast, but honestly, it gave us the prettiest soft light and the photos turned out beautifully! Taylor and Jake showed up looking absolutely adorable, and we spent the first part of their session strolling around the ponds and bridges and of course, making a stop underneath the huge willow tree! You really can’t do a Loose Park engagement session without taking advantage of that spot!
From there, we made our way over to the rose garden, which apparently every other photographer in Kansas City also had on their agenda that evening! It was swarmed with sessions, but we worked our way around everyone and still managed to find plenty of gorgeous little spots! This is also where a very important member of the family joined us, Daisy! Taylor’s friend brought their pretty pup over so we could get some photos of the three of them together. Daisy wasn’t exactly convinced that photo time was how she wanted to spend her evening, but we still managed to steal some seriously cute ones of her! We even balanced Taylor’s engagement ring on Daisy’s nose and somehow managed to get the shot despite how much she wanted to move around. Honestly, a small miracle.
After wrapping things up at Loose Park, we headed over to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art to finish out the evening. Taylor and Jake changed into their dressier outfit option, and they came to impress! The classic look of the Nelson paired with their outfits was such a fun change from the first half of their session and gave us two completely different vibes in one evening. And can we talk about how easy these two are to photograph? Their laughter and giggles are basically ever present. They are constantly smiling at each other, making each other laugh, and just genuinely having fun together, which makes my job pretty dang easy! Their connection came through in every part of their session.
After everything it took to finally make this engagement session happen, I can confidently say it was worth the wait! Taylor and Jake, I had the best time running around Kansas City with you two and finally getting you in front of my camera. If your engagement session was any indication of how much fun your wedding day is going to be, I already know we’re in for such a good one.
How They Met
Some love stories start with a dating app. Some start with a perfectly planned first date. And some start with a girl still in her softball uniform asking, “What’s number 16’s name?” Taylor and Jake’s story goes all the way back to the fall of 2018. Taylor had just finished playing in a high school softball game for Helias when she and a friend decided to head over to a Blair Oaks football game. After the game, they were talking with her friend’s cousin when Taylor spotted Jake walking by. Naturally, she needed to know who he was! When she asked about number 16, the response was basically, “That’s Jake Closser… how do you NOT know who Jake Closser is?!” So Taylor did what any confident girl still wearing her softball uniform would do, she walked right up to Jake and invited him to come hang out with everyone afterward! Jake eventually showed up, they all hung out, went their separate ways, and later that night, Taylor got a notification. Jake Closser added her on Snapchat! And they’ve pretty much been talking ever since!!
Their official dating anniversary is in December 2018, but their first actual date didn’t happen until about six months into their relationship because Jake was only 15 when they met and couldn’t drive yet. Once he could, though, he showed up to Taylor’s house in the famous green Mustang that had been passed down from his older brother, wearing a hot pink shirt! They headed to LongHorn Steakhouse for dinner, followed it up with ice cream at Cold Stone, and when they got back to Jake’s house, his mom insisted on taking pictures of them because it was their six month anniversary. So their first official date ended with a little photoshoot in his parents’ front yard!
Fast forward through high school, college, work, school, countless everyday moments and a whole lot of growing up together, and somewhere along the way Jake became so much more than Taylor’s boyfriend! He became her best friend! Taylor told me she knew Jake was the one when she realized he was the first person she wanted to tell everything, the good things, the bad things, and all the completely random little things in between. She loves the way he shows up for her, makes her laugh and makes sure she knows she’s loved! In her words, he’s her person, her safe place and her best friend! Jake says one of the things he admires most about Taylor is her resilience. He describes her as hardworking, caring and, of course, beautiful. Taylor describes Jake in much the same way, caring, hardworking and smart! She is especially proud of everything his hard work has led to, including getting into dental school AND earning a competitive Air Force scholarship!
How He Asked
And then came November 2025! For Taylor’s birthday on November 26, Jake took her to dinner at the Loews Hotel and casually mentioned that he’d bought them a couples photoshoot as part of her birthday gift! Cute, right? Taylor’s initial reaction? She was mad because she didn’t have time to buy an outfit. Their session was scheduled for November 28 at 3 p.m. in Columbia. While Taylor was getting ready at her parents’ house, there were a few clues that something might have been going on. Her dad randomly needed to clean the floors in the detached garage, which apparently is not a normal occurrence, and Taylor spotted a Macadoodles receipt showing that her mom had bought champagne. Suspicious? Absolutely!
Did Taylor put it together? Nope. Jake picked her up and, because apparently this is very on brand for them, they were running late. On the drive to Columbia, Taylor finally looked at him and straight up asked if he was proposing. And Jake deserves some sort of award for this response. He said, “Can you stop asking me that because it is not going to happen anytime soon and I’m tired of you getting your hopes up.”
Taylor said the rest of the car ride was silent after that, and understandably, the beginning of their photoshoot was a little awkward. Eventually, their photographer positioned them in the middle of a field with their backs toward each other. She told them to turn around and face one another… and when Taylor turned around, Jake was on one knee!! Afterward, they headed back to Jefferson City for dinner with their families, but Jake had one more surprise waiting! He had planned a party in Taylor’s parents’ detached garage, but told all of their friends they were coming to a surprise birthday party!
So when Taylor and Jake walked in, their friends jumped out to surprise Taylor, only to find out that THEY were being surprised too! It wasn’t just a birthday party, Taylor and Jake were ENGAGED!!
These days, life for the two of them looks a little different than hot pink shirts, green Mustangs and Snapchat notifications. A lot of their free time revolves around their golden retriever, Daisy, whether they’re taking her for walks or playing with her. They love watching movies and TV shows, spending time with friends, cooking dinner together and occasionally ending up at Barrio for Mexican food on a random weeknight.
And after growing up alongside one another for nearly eight years, they’re now getting ready for the next chapter. Jake says one of the moments he’s most looking forward to on their wedding day is seeing Taylor in her dress for the first time and watching Gerald walk her down the aisle! Taylor can’t wait to have all of their favorite people together in one place and finally see everything they’ve planned come together.
From a softball uniform and number 16, to a green Mustang, to growing up side by side, to Jake dropping to one knee in the middle of a field, I’d say Taylor asking “Who’s Jake Closser?” back in 2018 worked out pretty dang well!
I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate these two and photograph the next piece of their story!
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