Emily Steffen . Wisconsin and Minnesota wedding photographer . Textile Artist |

February 3, 2012 : Weddings

Meghan and Christian :: Brooklyn, New York wedding

From the first phone call, I KNEW that Meghan and Christian’s wedding would be rock-star amazing! It was in Brooklyn for crying-out-loud….how rad is that?! :) We started out with a series of phone conversations and just kind “fit” for one another! Meghan and Christian are laid back, FABULOUS souls that wanted to throw a celebration in their hometown (well close….) in New York! :)

Katie and I had no idea what to expect out of a New York wedding, after all, we had never photographed there before. So we flew in a few days early to “scout the place out” and make sure we had our heads on straight! :) It was amazing. From the moment we walked off the plane we were thrilled and excited for the opportunity. And both the Mahoney’s and Mcevoy’s welcomed us with open arms! :) From constant smiles, to offered food and many many hugs….it was just as if we were family and it was SO FUN for us to be a part of it! :)

The day, nay…..the weekend was just fabulous and we would go back over and over and over again if we could! :) Meghan and Christian, you guys are HONESTLY fantastic. I admire your laid-back personalities and strength…I wish you the BEST OF LUCK with your little Findlay in Colorado! :) I hope you are enjoying your first weeks as husband and wife! :) YAY!

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Ceremony and Reception location: The Green Building, Brooklyn, New York

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February 1, 2012 : Crafty Things, My life

Relaxation meets inspiration :: Heather Ross Sewing workshop! :)

As I sat on the plane yesterday on my way home, I just took a deep breathe and felt full (and not because my belly is perpetually growing with a little one in it)! :) I felt full. Full of joy. Full of imagination. Full of warmth. Full of creativity. And SO full with vision! :) And it’s all due to this fabulous weekend behind a sewing machine and a few yards of fabric!

I spent the weekend with 20 other FABULOUS ladies at the ever-so-hipster Ace Hotel in Palm Springs at Heather Ross’s sewing workshop! The weekend was magical! Full of tasty food, bolts of fabric, the sound of sewing machines and amazingly creative women! :) I was nearly in Heaven! (No…..really…….hearing giggles and 20 sewing machines racing through projects as you look outside to warm, fresh air and the view of palm trees and mountains….HEAVEN! :)

I didn’t really know what was in store for the weekend. Call it pregnancy brain or call it “Emily being un-prepared again” but I just packed my suitcase full of fabric and ideas and off I went. (And I think we all admittedly traded some clothing choices in our suitcase for the chance to be able to pack a few more yards of fabric without going over the weight limit! :) GUILTY! :) Among the talent were, of course, Ms. Heather (and her adorable family) who gives the best hugs in the world and radiates joy every second of the day, Anna Maria who helped me translate a quilt idea into reality (and made me fall more in love with needlework and stitching….and I’m kinda secretly loving EVERY SINGLE design that her talented self puts out every season! :), Denyse who left me star-struck, and Gretchen who makes me want to be as cute as her while sporting those beautiful 1950′s dresses! :) Every one of these ladies OOZES creativity and it was such an honor to chat, share and dream together this weekend!

It was an amazing weekend overall! I was challenged, encouraged and so so so inspired this weekend by not only the instructors, but the other talented attendees. Annabel and Alessandra encouraged me to dream just a bit bigger with my plush cameras (and I’ve already made a few ideas come to fruition this afternoon….thanks ladies! :) Deborah shared her incredible business with me, Jane’s creativity is just freaking incredible, Clover gave me SO SO SO many Mommy tips which I loved, Tara challenged me with balance in my life (go girl!), and Kathy and Caroline opened their amazing Canadian hearts to me about their lives and their journeys (love you ladies)! :)

I’m telling ya, this weekend was just stinking amazing! :) I can’t wait to share the projects as they get completed…and as new ones begin as I keep dreaming about my handmade vision! :)

And my favorite photo EVER from the workshop….Anna Maria and I with the quilt that she inspired and helped me make! :) YAY!

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January 26, 2012 : Weddings

Shauna and Travis :: MN Boat Club, St Paul MN

One of the MOST creative and well thought-out weddings of the summer! Travis and Shauna (especially) pulled out all the stops to make their wedding day 100% about them and 100% their dream wedding! From details to flowers to colors to wedding party, it was just plain amazing! :)

Shauna has ambitions of planning weddings and events and I can tell you right now, that if this wedding has anything to say about it, she is going to ROCK at it! Follow those dreams my girl, because you have some talent! :) With the boathouse as their perfect backdrop and atmosphere for their guests, she started to pull together an elegant, charming and “Shauna and Travis” wedding! Their pups even joined in for a few hours with their polka dot bow ties (my favorite!) :) Everything was thought of and it left guests with a smile on their faces for the entire night! They danced the night away, giggled all night long and celebrated as these two FABULOUS people tied the knot and joined their lives as one! :) It was not only amazing to photography, but amazing to attend! :)

And it helps that both Shauna and Travis are GORGEOUS eh?! :)

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Ceremony and Reception site: MN Boat Club, St Paul MN
Coordination and Design: Shauna (the bride! :)
Design and Styling: Bethany Hway
Flowers:Acanthus Floral Art
Wedding Dress: Wtoo, bought from Rafine in Stillwater MN
Bridal Jewelry: Lucia K Jewelry
Bridesmaids Dresses: Jim Heljm Occasions
Cake/Dessert: Cream of Cakes
DJ and Live band: Kern Entertainment

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My name is Emily and I am an artist; WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER by day and FABRIC ARTIST by night. Here, you can follow my creative journey and perpetually see what I'm up to! I try to infuse joy in everything I do; from sewing to knitting and photography! You’ll generally see a giant smile on my face because I am overjoyed about living the life where the dreams that I once doodled about are coming true! I'm a midwestern girl that loves people, my sewing machine, our two pugs Edward and Gweneth and every flavor of ice cream (you can even bribe me with it at times! :)

I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to contact me at any time! :)