Photography by Emma Jae Photography
With cheers thundering though the Capitol in 2013, the Minnesota House took a historic step toward legalizing same-sex marriage and we couldn't be happier! Just another reason to love our great state!
Always inspired by beauty, authenticity and the power of story we chose to feature Stephanie and Becky's love story under the inspiration section as they were amongst the many rejoicing and taking action, almost immediately in fact. And that's what makes their story so unique.
Upon first getting engaged, Becky and Stephanie faced the usual adversity to LGBT, yet that didn't stop them. After dating for over six years, they decided to have a private commitment ceremony on New Years Eve 2012, on the shores of Lake Superior with intimate family only. Since, at the time, Minnesota had only been granted Domestic Partnership, this was a ceremony that signified their commitment to one another.
Stephanie and Becky lived in Oregon at the time, but with both sides of their families living in Minnesota, it was always their intention to have an official celebration in Minnesota. As luck would have it, Minnesota passed gay marriage over the summer and Stephanie and Becky were married in the fall, marriage license and all!
They planned a fantastic wedding, personal to their style, and included all the fixings - flowers, music and dancing, a photographer, dessert table with real wedding cake, plated dinner, and even a receiving line for over 130 guests. One of the guests, a family friend of Stephanie's, happened to be a Lutheran minister so she stepped in and performed an impromptu ceremony. Just after cocktail hour, before everyone was to be seated, they asked their guests to join them on the golf course grounds. There, they surprised their friends and family with a brief and beautiful ceremony with the "I Do's" and a "You may kiss the bride."
This is the kind of story that continues to be told, over and over again. Inspiration exists everywhere; go after what you want and let the rest fall into place.
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