A Last-Minute Branson Engagement Session with Kyleigh & Jed

Some sessions come together at the last minute—and somehow turn out to be absolute favorites. Kyleigh & Jed’s engagement shoot was one of those.

They had reached out while visiting Branson, Missouri, hoping to squeeze in a few engagement photos while in town. This wasn’t tied to a wedding package—just a one-off session they decided to do on a whim. And I’m so glad they did!

Since I typically shoot in Springfield, I wasn’t as familiar with Branson's outdoor photo spots. But they wanted something with an outdoorsy feel, and as luck would have it, I happened to be spending the day at my parents’ lake house when their inquiry came through. It was looking pretty that day (thank you, spring!), so I snapped a few quick phone photos of the lake and an overlook nearby and sent them over. They loved the idea—and just like that, we had a plan.

On the day of the session, I was down at Stonegate (which is about 10 minutes from the lake house) and noticed one of the trees out front was absolutely stunning. I’m talking—peak bloom, perfect light, the works. And we didn’t even have a wedding that weekend, so no one else was going to photograph it! I snapped a photo and brought it with me, just in case.

We started the session at the lake house, though it wasn’t quite as in bloom as I’d hoped. The water was low, but that actually worked in our favor—we discovered a rocky bank that was accessible and made for a perfect photo spot. Kyleigh and Jed described themselves as “creek people” and were totally down to scramble out there. Those photos? Some of my favorites.

Before we wrapped at the lake, I showed them the picture of the blooming tree at Stonegate. Without hesitation, they were all in—so we made a quick location switch. And wow… I’m so glad we did. That second location gave us soft, glowing light right as the sun decided to peek out, and Kyleigh and Jed were once again up for the challenge of tucking themselves under branches for the perfect angle. Totally worth it.

This session felt easy, relaxed, and full of good energy from start to finish. So glad they found me while they were in town. Wishing these two the best as they tie the knot in May—all the way in Georgia!