Averi + Brodie Engagement | Missouri Wedding Photographer | Mackenzie Slack Photography
I had been trying to hold back my excitement all week. Finally, the day came to make the trip to Tryst Falls Park in Excelsior Springs, Missouri to photograph Averi and Brodie’s engagement! As someone who enjoys long drives and experiencing new places, I was very much looking forward to this day. As I turned onto the road, I was stunned by just how gorgeous the park was! Lush greenery, the incredible waterfall coming out from under the bridge, the hidden meadow in the back of the park; it was all a dream come true.
That dream continued to get better and better.
As this sweet couple and I walked up to meet each other I was blown away by how amazing they looked! Averie’s adorable red dress paired with Brodie’s red dress shirt and khaki slacks were the perfect pop of color against the green background of the park. Oh, and that ring! As we made our introductions I was so happy to find that their personalities were even better than I had imagined; so sweet, so happy, and so fun! I could tell how excited they were to be here because they were wearing the brightest and most genuine smiles I had seen in a long time! A short conversation later and we were ready to begin what ended up being one of my all time favorite engagement sessions.
The overcast skies gave us the prettiest diffused light to work in, so we decided to start the session off near the falls. Averi and Brodie carefully made their way onto the rock. It took a lot of yelling over the sound of the falls to get the perfect composition, but we did it! The result was an epic shot that I was beyond happy to deliver. It’s easy to think that you have to go far away (to the mountains, deserts, or oceans) to find epic locations. While those places offer some truly incredible scenes, Missouri offers its own collection of hidden gems and amazing experiences. Tryst Falls Park is one of those gems!
There were so many great spots to photograph within he park that we probably could have stayed there for hours! As we moved from place to place, I gave Brodie and Averi little prompts; drawing on the other’s cheek with their nose, “airplane” arms, hip bumps, etc. These silly prompts helped us capture playful and genuine reactions, which made for the cutest, most natural looking images! After photographing at the falls we made our way to the bridge for a few shots. This ended up being one of my favorite locations because there was such a youthful and romantic vibe to the pictures we captured here.
Another one of my favorite locations was the meadow at the back of the park. The tall grass created the perfect foreground while the dense forest that surrounded it gave the scene a depth that drew you in. Posing them in this space gave me goosebumps. These two have so much love for each other and that love was evident in every image that was captured. The way Brodie looked at Averi… was incredible. My hope is that everyone will find someone who looks at them the way he looked at her.
As our time neared its end, we decided to ditch the shoes and head back to the waterfall! These two were the most relaxed and playful couple I have ever photographed so barefooted in the cool water was the perfect way to end their incredible engagement session.
Our time was filled to the brim with smiles and laughter. My hope is that Averi and Brodie had as much fun during their engagement session as I did getting to photograph them! I am so looking forward to capturing more of their love story at their upcoming wedding at the beautiful Market 116 Industrial Wedding Venue in June!