Married! // Adam + Tim Part 2

Surprise and delight! Shock and awe! These are just some of the words that kept circulating the room during the entire day of Tim and Adam’s wedding. It was a day rooted in love, no matter how many cool things were around the corner, which made the day feel completely grounded and special, too. If you haven’t checked out Part 1 of Adam + Tim’s blog post, I encourage you to do so! The weekend kicked off with an incredible rehearsal dinner experience and the wedding day was a continuation of all food-inspired-fun.

Gretchen Culver of Rocket Science Events brought a grand vision to life for Tim and Adam. Together with an all-star-list of carpenters, vendors, AV, lighting, musicians and serving staff, she designed two spaces. One that brought together a beautiful intimate ceremony where Adam and Tim read their own vows (and I swear there wasn’t a dry eye in the room) to a completely transformed restaurant-inspired space for the reception. This was the room flip of all room flips. Tim and Adam wanted to carry on the theme of hospitality for their guests - with surprises along the way. After their ceremony, guests were welcomed into cocktail hour by the fabulous Minneapolis drag queen herself, Luna Muse. Custom pull tabs, prizes, an oyster shucker and roaming violinists entertained the crowd while down below people were hard at work installing chandeliers, building custom tables and bringing in beautiful floral. When it was time to eat, guests were welcomed by name by Gretchen and her team where they were then sat individually at their tables. Wow. What a stage to set.

Adam and Tim worked with the team a chefs at D’amico Catering to create a custom menu for the night. What began with the chef’s personal salt & pepper chicken wings and mini Coors lights, each course opened another level of the culinary journey. I also loved the menus, which were designed by Fig.2 Design that kept the theme of the pull tabs rolling. Guests kept a sweet souvenir from the night with custom pottery from Mexico and everyone danced the night away. I particularly loved Adam and Tim’s wardrobe change that kept the energy high and the hits coming on the dance floor!

Above all, what made this day so special was seeing the connection and happiness that absolutely every guest had for Adam and Tim. Everyone is thrilled for them and want to fully celebrate their love.

Adam and Tim, I am so thankful to be a part of your wedding day and to witness your love. You truly have inspired us all.

LOVEe

VENDORS//

Venue: The Machine Shop

Planning + Design: Rocket Science Events

Photography: Photogen Inc.

Videography: Voyageur Motion Pictures - See their amazing preview of this wedding here!

Floral: Kindred Blooms

Stationary + Branding: Fig.2 Design

Drag Queen: Luna Muse

Catering: D’Amico Catering

Linens, Custom Napkins and Plates: Linen Effects

Rentals - Chairs, Flatware, Table Lamps, Sofas: Collected & Co.

Rentals - Stage, Glassware, Flatware, Pull Tab Booth: Apres Party Rental

Custom Builds - Ceremony Platform, Walls, Serving Stations: Rush River Scenic

Custom Installations - Peony Wall, Mirror Wall: Girl Friday Creative

AV + Video Wall: AV For You

Lighting + Rigging: PHOS Events

Ceremony + Cocktail Hour Music: The Violin Twins

Dinner + Dance Music: Rock With U - Fusion

Hair + Makeup: Lady Vamp Artistry

Valet: Uptown Valet

Transportation: Star Transportation

Married! // Harper + Trey Part 1

Harper and Trey’s wedding was the event of the summer for all of their family and friends. The couple chose to come back to Minnesota, where Trey grew up and his family has roots! Harper and Trey live in Brooklyn and they were joined by friends and family who traveled from across the world to experience the Midwest. It was a weekend full of fun! From the welcome drinks to the Minnesota State Fair, an incredible rehearsal dinner and then a beautiful modern-art-meets-farm wedding, the weekend brought so many memory-making events for their guests.

Let’s begin with the rehearsal dinner. This gorgeous evening took place on the terrace at the Walker Art Center. With the iconic Cherry and Spoon in the background, Harper and Trey hosted an incredible night filled with some of the best speeches. I loved how throughout the night, Harper and Trey would check in on one another. It might have been just a soft touch or a glance from across the room, but they were always making sure the other felt loved and seen. This was a theme throughout the weekend and the chatter over how perfect these two are for one another was always buzzing about the room.

Another moment that I loved was the sunset. Harper’s late Grandmother always referenced a sunset as a way that she would make her presence known. During dinner the overcast skies parted and a gorgeous, glowing pink sunset appeared that warmed the hearts of so many. Love felt close on this night!

Full disclosure - this wedding might be the longest blog post I’ve ever posted! This wedding is worthy of the long scroll. While the wedding photos will come along in Part 2 of this post, below are some wonderful details and moments from Harper + Trey’s Rehearsal Dinner.

LOVEe

VENDORS//

Event Planning + Design: Amy Zaroff Events and Design

Photographer: Photogen Inc.

Video: Curtis Kennedy Films

Venue: The Walker Art Center

Catering: D’Amico Catering

Rentals: Linen Effects

Sound + Lighting: AVEX

It's Our Golden Birthday!

Today marks 18 years of business. Wow. What started as a little dream of being a photographer and working for myself, has turned into four separate but connected businesses. It has also required me to show up – every day – for 18 years; it has taught me tenacity, resilience, and just how believing in yourself (and more importantly, those around you) can lead to creating such beautiful things. 

I’ve always been an advocate of collaboration and building the businesses over the years has happened very organically because of it. I’ve been so lucky to have such talented artists come through our studio doors and be a part of the work. I’ve been even luckier to have retained such incredible talent for so many of these years. The work that we create together is what I am endlessly proud of.

So, where are we now? At Year 18, here’s an update on all of the things we’re doing at our NE MPLS studio:

The Restaurant Project™: This is the youngest but fastest growing branch of our business. Over the last 6 years, TRP has grown into a collective of photographers, creatives, videographers, brand builders and content strategists who make marketing easier for restaurants and food brands. This year, we're working to refine our processes, make space for artistic exploration and develop a few new packages to offer, particularly for businesses in the startup stage looking for a one-stop creative shop. We're very excited for what's to come here—for our clients and our team!

Rivets and Roses: Our wedding photography studio currently features the work of four AMAZING photographers. As Melissa, Jess, Ben, and Tara embark on this year’s wedding season, I am so excited to see the work that they will all create for our clients. Every season I am endlessly inspired by their work! Our mission at Rivets is to support all couples getting married. With PRIDE month coming up in June, our studio will be rolling out information on the ways that we are continuing to support the LGBTQ+ community. I am so very proud of this work and the impact it is making for our clients.

Eliesa Johnson Photography: I’m still rolling along with this work! Eliesa Johnson Photography encompasses all of the editorial and commercial work that I personally lead. It’s a beautiful place where I get to go on assignment with just me and my camera or even better, a large production crew of the best freelancers around. There are some very exciting projects I’ve been working on that I can’t wait to share once they are released! 

Photogen Inc.: This is the original company; the foundation of it all. It has been steady and strong over the years. Photogen Inc. is the space where I come to photograph luxury weddings, which have taken me around the world. I am so grateful for these opportunities! Photographing weddings is still something that I greatly enjoy and it grounds me. I have had the pleasure of working alongside some of the absolute best wedding vendors, who are true artists in their own right! While I only choose a select few weddings each year now to photograph, I am always excited to see where each season will take me and the amazing couples and families I get to spend time with! 

What are my hopes for the future? 

To empower our clients

To support our artists

To create iconic images

To continue to have longevity in our industry