About this vendor
Wedding photography is an intimate job. I always “joke” that I’ll see you in your underwear on your wedding day, but it’s true! It’s an honor to be included in such intimate moments on your wedding day, and the closer of a relationship we have, the better. So let’s be friends!! I want to develop a friendship where we can play “name that movie” successfully during your engagement session (hint: the answer is usually anything with Drew Barrymore). I may not have known you since elementary school, but if you let me into your life, I promise your photos will make you feel the same way as when your childhood crush handed you a valentine personally.
So, let me take you out for drinks or ice cream. I want you to be able to let your guard down around me and show me your true self–that’s when the magic happens. I want you show me your love and excitement, rather than put you in a static pose. From getting ready in your pajamas to dancing under the stars, I’ll be there through the moments you’ve planned, the moments you couldn’t even imagine, and everything in between.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
- Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
2021 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Reviews
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5
out of 5.034 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
We couldn't be more thrilled that we partnered with Empiria Studios for our wedding. If you're considering Athena, stop considering and book her!
Photography was one of the most i...
mportant wedding investments we made, because we wanted someone who could capture not just how our wedding looked but how it felt. We weren't looking for stiff poses and straight faces or traditional wedding photos. We wanted someone who would let us be ourselves and authentically capture who we are. Just as important, we wanted a photographer who felt more like a partner than a vendor, someone we could trust completely and feel comfortable around.
After reviewing the work of dozens of photographers, Athena stood out because it's clear she doesn't force couples into a signature style. Instead, it appeared as though she takes the time to truly know her clients and captures them in a way that feels genuine to who they are.
What we saw in her work and hoped to achieve in partnering with her is exactly what we received... and then some.
--She was not only game for but ecstatic about a themed engagement shoot with five different sets and outfit changes... and built on my ideas in a way that further energized the vision.
--Prior to wedding day, Athena helped us thoughtfully build our photography timeline, scouting locations and providing realistic timing guidance. Her expertise helped us create a plan that felt stress-free, achievable and fun!
--From our traditional wedding ceremony to our over-the-top EDM festival-inspired reception, she flawlessly captured who we are and the unique vibe of each moment. It was quite the spectrum!
--Athena took the time to know us as people over our two-year engagement. We received incredible photographs, but more importantly, we gained a friend.
If you're looking for a wedding or event photographer with exceptional talent, professionalism (while still being goofy), and the ability to capture people authentically, Athena is someone you can trust from start to finish.
We booked Empiria Studios because we wanted to work with a photographer that could truly capture the JOY of our day. To say that we got all that we were hoping for an more is an un...
derstatement. Thank you Athena!!!
Okay, let me make this easy for you—just book Athena. Seriously. 5 stars, no question.
She did both our engagement photos and wedding day coverage, and from start to finish, she w...
as just so easy to work with. She made us feel comfortable, confident, and like we were in good hands, which is exactly what you need when you have a camera in your face all day.
What I loved most about her? She just gets it. She knows when to bring high energy (getting ready), when to step back and let intimate moments happen naturally, and when to jump right into the action (yes, she was on the dance floor getting all the best shots). She gave great direction during our couples shoot, which helped us get some really beautiful photos that are now hanging on our walls. But she also managed to capture so many moments that I don’t even remember happening, which was such a fun surprise when we got our gallery back.
Speaking of the gallery—we got our photos way faster than expected, and there were so many. Like, way more than I could ever need (which is the best problem to have). Everything was organized, easy to look through, and just really, really well done.
One thing that was really important to us as an interracial couple was finding a photographer who could handle lighting across different skin tones. Athena absolutely blew it out of the water. Not a single photo where one of us is poorly lit while the other is overexposed—she knocked it out of the park. The balance, the richness, the warmth—she got it all perfectly.
Here’s the deal:
- Athena is amazing—just book her.
-She’s not here to copy Pinterest inspo—she does her own thing. If you want someone to recreate a shot-for-shot mood board, she’s not your girl. But if you’re cool with letting go and trusting her creative vision, you’re going to love what she delivers.
I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about our experience. Highly, highly recommend.
Athena is the most amazing photographer I have ever worked with. She’s so high energy and fun and gets everyone to laugh and enjoy the photo taking process. She is also incredible ...
at getting candid shots and is so smart and subtle in her style. We had my husband’s 10 year old son in many of the photos and she was so good with him, getting him to laugh and look where she needed with much grace and patience. We feel so honored to have her and her colleague at our wedding!!
Athena was incredible on the day of the wedding, months prior for our engagement photos, and even a year before that for some Christmas pictures. She truly is a master of her craft...
. We are in love with our pictures and she perfectly encapsulated our big wedding day without any stress or worry. She had our backs the entire time and made the whole process so simple and organic. Kayla and I can’t recommend Athena enough and we can’t thank her enough for all of her awesome guidance and friendship throughout the process. We will be using Athena for any professional photos that we need going forward and I highly recommend you do the same!
Erik and Kayla wedding 5/25/24
Where do I begin? Athena was so great to work with! We had quite a long engagement, but I knew from the start that Athena had the photography style we were looking for. I asked a l...
ot of questions, but she was always prompt and friendly in her responses. Our wedding sneak peeks are amazing, and we're looking forward to seeing the rest of our gallery! If Empiria Studios is on your short list of photographers, rest assured that you are in good hands.
We have absolutely loved getting to work with Athena. She is so kind and makes taking photos comfortable and fun!! We had her do both our engagement and wedding photos and have bee...
n so happy with the results. The photos are absolutely gorgeous! She also had a secondary photographer named Emily at our wedding which helped to capture different moments throughout the day. Communication with Athena was always prompt. We got our sneak peaks soon after the wedding and are OBSESSED.
Where do I even start about how great Athena and her team are!? She went above and beyond with our engagement and wedding photos. She is fun, positive, and made taking photos feel ...
so comfortable and natural. I absolutely adore her style. Her photos are gorgeous, creative, and tastefully edited. She captured such meaningful moments from our day and her photography felt like it told the story of our wedding day. I couldn't be happier with how our wedding photos turned out couldn't imagine a better photographer. Hire Athena, it will be your best wedding decision you'll make :)
We worked with assistant Emily for our engagement photos and Emily and Katie on our wedding day, as well as working with the owner Athena the whole time on coordinating our wedding...
photos. Emily was wonderful, providing structure, humor, and absolutely perfect photos for both the engagement shots and the wedding. Katie was an excellent second shooter. Athena was wonderful to communicate with, always quick to respond (even while on maternity leave!) and worked beautifully with our vision for our wedding day. I highly recommend Empiria Studios for all your wedding and life needs!
I cannot say enough about Athena and Empiria Studios to adequately explain how AMAZING she is. She first shot my brother's wedding, then we hired her to do my sister's wedding, and...
this summer she photographed my own wedding. My only regret is that I am now out of siblings and we don't have another wedding for her to photograph!! She is an incredible human being, she has an unmatched talent for seeing light, shadow and architecture, and she is able to capture emotions of the day that many other talented artists couldn't. She loves what she does, she loves her clients, and she truly cares. Book her!! Thank you, Athena for everything!
Athena was fantastic from the moment we started working with her back in 2019! From our engagement photos to our mini ceremony in 2020 and postponed vow renewal/reception in 2021 (...
classic COVID workaround...) she was kind, understanding, and flexible. Don't hesitate to have her as your photographer!
I can’t say enough good things about Athena!! She does more than your average photographer. She helped me every step of the way by assisting in creating our wedding day timeline, c...
oming to our house to discuss best places to get ready on the day of, making decisions for us on the best places for our first look and wedding party photos. I honestly do not think my wedding planning and wedding day experience would have been the same without her. She is truly AMAZING!!
Not only is she the world’s kindest person, she is also SO talented! Athena knows what she is doing behind a lens to capture every special moment. When I look at our pictures it’s so easily to go back in time and relive each moment. Oh and she has a thing for reflections with mirrors and water that I adore. Love her for babe!!
Okay, not many people would say that they've been waiting their whole wedding just to be able to write a review about Athena and Empiria Studios - that just goes to show literally ...
how amazing Athena is!! From the moment we met Athena, she was genuinely enthusiastic about learning more about our relationship journey, our vision for our wedding, and how we envisioned our photos to turn out. Neither my partner and I are huge camera people and the day of our engagement shoot, she showed up with a playlist of ALL our favorite songs, made sure that there was no one else nearby so we could be comfortable and shot THE most beautiful sunrise photos in a flower garden for us. We've been incredibly lucky to have her shoot not just one, but two of our weddings because of COVID-19 and can confidently say that she shoots both intimate (our first wedding) and large (our second wedding) celebrations equally well. No detail is over looked and she has a knack for capturing photos that when you look back on it, the memories and emotions of the day rush back to you like no time has passed. Athena is truly spectacular and we couldn't say enough good things about her! But the last thing to note, while she is an immensely talented photographer, she is an even better human that shows up ready to welcome and love everyone one (no matter their background). We had several cultures coming together for our wedding day and she navigated the day with ease, fitting in no problem, and taking everything in stride Athena would be my first photographer of choice, hands down, every time.
Athena's work is incredible. Her photos are STUNNING and she has the most infectious personality! We loved having her with us and laughing with her all day.
If you're looking for someone who will creatively capture every single detail and moment, as well as every candid smile, laugh and tear on your wedding day, Athena of Empiria Studi...
os is your gal! We absolutely LOVED having Athena as our wedding photographer. Not only does her work speak for itself, but her upbeat/positive attitude, spunk and calming nature truly did wonders to all of our nerves and excitement the day of and prior to. On top of her awesome personality, Athena is also very proactive, organized and adaptable, and she made the entire planning experience such a breeze (even during COVID!). We were super impressed with the timeliness of our several sneak peaks, and also, how prompt she got us our entire wedding album! Athena was a true joy to work with and get to know, and we look forward to having her capture future moments/occasions. Now go check out her website, view her work and hire her - that’s exactly what we did - I promise you won’t regret it!
Our wedding photos turned out amazing thanks to Athena! We had specific shots that we wanted prioritized throughout our day and she fully listened to and implemented our requests. ...
Throughout the day she was attentive to everything that was going on to not only take all the posed shots we wanted but to also capture perfect candid shots. She also worked well with our videographer, and they felt like a team throughout the entire day. We received our photos very promptly, which was great since our sneak peaks posted were so beautiful! We can’t wait to print and frame our favorites and look forward to calling Athena any time we have life moments that we want captured!
Athena with Emipira Studios is absolutely wonderful to work with. Not only is she organized, friendly and professional, but her finished work is amazing. We are thrilled with all o...
f our photos we've received from Athena. She is fantastic at helping orchestrate all of those harder family pics before the wedding, and great at capturing both staged and candid photos. We will be using her photography skills for our family for life!
Athena is amazing and so wonderful to work with, she is truly a joy to be around. Not only does she do and amazing job capturing the most beautiful photos, moments and emotions sh...
e went above and beyond by ensuring everything on our wedding day stayed on track for time while not rushing anything! She was a great resource for so many of my wedding related questions to the moments coming up to our engagement session and the wedding. She is very organized and her communication is exceptional. She also was SO prompt with getting our photos back to us, and she had some amazing sneak peaks posted the DAY of our wedding! We were a bit nervous for our engagement photo session as we have never been the center of attention but Athena made us feel so comfortable! She also did a great job knowing exactly what shots to take and did this in a timely manner! We absolutely love all of our engagement and wedding photos, I am having such a hard time picking which ones to print! 10/10 I would highly recommend Athena for any of your photography needs!
Empiria Studios was a wedding dream come true
Working with Empiria Studios was nothing short of an amazing experience. Athena is the best and our engagement photos and wedding pho...
tos showed her talent. After your wedding is over one of the only things you have left are your pictures, so it makes such a difference who your photographer is. Athena made sure she knew the most important parts of our wedding and spent time capturing them so that we could look back and remember those moments. She listened to us and truly went above and beyond. We loved that she not only captured our family but candid moments that made us smile. I would and have recommended her to everyone I know. Empiria Studios was the best wedding decision we made.
I was lucky enough to come into contact with Athena for a photoshoot prior to my wedding, so by the time I got engaged, I knew I already had one big decision out of the way! Athena...
is so sweet and easy to work with. My husband is incredibly uncomfortable in front of the camera - Athena went out of her way to make pictures take as little or as long as we wanted them to. We celebrated our 6 month anniversary this week and I'm still giddy looking at our wedding pictures (and engagement pics for that matter!). She's also super professional - communicative throughout the wedding planning process, sending tips & tricks for makeup/outfits/etc, and asking all the right questions so that every special moment is captured. The fact that she is kind and caring is icing on the cake! We couldn't be more pleased and can't wait to work with her in the future for family/home photos.
Choosing Athena as your wedding photographer is hands down the best decision you could possibly make for your big day...expect for the person you are marrying of course! We had Emp...
iria Studios do our engagement and wedding photography and we could not have been happier. Athena's balance of professionalism and friendly outgoing personality makes for a great combination where you can feel relaxed during the day and know that you are going to get the top of the line quality when it comes to photography! She captured every moment of our special day perfectly and we could not be happier with our photos! One of the big things we were hoping for in a photographer was photos that captured the day in a natural sense and did not look staged and we got exactly that!
With our wedding being about a year and a half ago, we still look at our wedding photos that were taken by Empiria Studios on a regular basis and are amazed at how fantastic they turned out!
We would HIGHLY recommend Empiria Studios and Athena to anyone who has a wedding coming up or any occasion that they want great quality, life lasting photos!
I am going to cut to the chase, Athena is seriously the best photographer ever and was such a fun addition to my wedding day! She means it when she says she wants to get to know yo...
u, and she makes you feel so comfortable. I was feeling very anxious on my wedding day worried about if I'd look good in photos and how everything would turn out. Athena and her second shooter were both so comforting, and made me feel like I was the most beautiful bride. On top of that, she kept my family and bridal party laughing, and everyone loved her. I cannot recommend her enough, and I know you'll love all your photos if you choose her.
Athena did an amazing job with our wedding photos! She was really able to capture our joy on the day and also got great photos of our friends and family that we'll cherish for a li...
fetime. Also, she's just a really nice person to be around. You end up spending a lot of time with your wedding photographer on your wedding day, and she has a such a great energy that puts others at ease. I cannot recommend her enough.
Working with Empiria Studios was a dream come true for our wedding! Athena is such a sweetheart! She made my husband and I feel so comfortable in front of the camera, kept us looki...
ng natural while making us laugh, and was so helpful in the planning process. She was the one vendor that we knew we didn't have to worry about. Just to give you an insight on the type of woman Athena is- on our wedding day, I walked barefoot for a moment and couldn't bend over in my dress to wipe my feet, so she offered up her super nice coat for me to wipe them on! It really is something so small, but was a moment on the day that made me feel like she actually cared about us. She was very professional and checked in on us during the planning process, making it feel like we were more friends than just clients. Not only were we impressed with her creative eye, but we were so impressed with how quickly she turned around to give us our phenomenal photos. We'll cherish these photos forever and will definitely be booking her for future milestones in our lives! We highly recommend her for all of your photo needs- you won't regret it!
Choosing Empiria Studios was one of the easiest and best decisions we made for our wedding. Athena is genuine, warm, creative, fun, and not to mention an all-around great person. S...
he even helped us find a wonderful videographer when we decided to pull the trigger one week before our wedding. Athena knows how to set the tone to capture the perfect shot, whether playing music or sharing a silly joke. While fun and light-hearted, she is still very professional and was flexible when we needed. We asked to incorporate an additional session to do pre-ceremony photos the week before our wedding and she didn’t hesitate to make it work. While not a traditional route, my husband and I captured some of our best photos since we didn’t have the added wedding day stress. When it came to the wedding day, Athena helped to calm nerves and guide us, our family, and the wedding party to capture beautiful planned and unplanned moments throughout the day. We were astonished at how quickly Athena returned our final album and beyond pleased with how many stunning photos we now have to cherish our special day. I would highly recommend choosing Empiria Studios. You will not regret it!
I have known Athena for a few years now but have never hired her for her amazing photography abilities. When it came time to hire a photographer for my wedding, it was a no brainer...
! Athena has amazing talent and a huge heart. I had been following her on Instagram and Facebook and continued to see stunning photo's which made me excited about using her for our wedding! She loves love and makes the experience that much more special and enjoyable.
Athena really brings a light to the room with her creative and artistic abilities as well as the ability to take charge and fulfill the requests of the bride and groom!
I would highly recommend Athena for any life event!!!!
Love Athena! She did a great job capturing our day and all the details. Very fun to work with and makes you feel comfortable. I am very happy with our engagement and wedding photo...
s! Beautiful!
I can’t even describe how wonderful Athena is! She has been the best person and best photographer ever! If you are looking for the nicest, bubbliest and most passionate person. You...
will have that with her. She automatically clicks with everyone she photographs. My photos are beautiful from my engagement and my wedding. I love all of them and never stop looking at them. She also did a family shoot for my sister and it was amazing too! If you are looking for your lifetime photographer, she is definitely the best one!
My husband and I cannot recommend Empiria Studios enough! Athena was warm, kind, professional, and communicative throughout the planning process. Her personality is perfect for a w...
edding photographer - she is very bubbly and outgoing. We loved spending our special day with her. She had helpful verbal cues and a fun playlist to help us "loosen up" during our couple photos. And I am still amazed at how efficiently she zoomed through family/group photos. Everyone is smiling and nobody blinked! :) After the wedding, Athena sent our edited photos to us before we had even returned from our honeymoon! The photos themselves were gorgeous. Even my photographer friend was impressed! Athena helped walk me through the process of choosing our favorites and deciding whether to order prints, albums, etc. Book Empiria Studios - you will not regret it!
We asked our friends if they had any recommendations for photographers and I am so glad we heard about Empiria Studios! We were looking for someone with an excellent portfolio, gre...
at communication, and reasonable rates and Athena satisfied all of our criteria. We were planning our wedding out of state so clear and prompt communication was key.
Upon confirming availability, we set up a FaceTime meeting and discussed ourselves, what we wanted, and contractual obligations. Athena sent us a few options for a timeline and it was very helpful for setting up our own wedding day schedule.
They say that something always goes wrong on the day of the wedding. Our issue was that we planned to take photos at a nearby lake. However, the day of the wedding there was a marathon that blocked access to the lake! Thankfully, we decided to take pictures near the ceremony and it ended up being even better because we had more time to take photos. Athena and her assistant had no issues with our plans changing and helped us out at every turn. My favorite pictures were the ones we took at sunset.
Within 2 days Athena had edited a number of photos sent us a preview and the pictures turned out fantastic! We went to a few weddings this summer and we got our pictures back much faster than our friends. The final album was available for download within a month.
I highly recommend Athena and Empiria Studios!
Where do I even begin? From the moment we met Athena, she immediately won us over. Her sweet personality and energetic vibe was just what we were looking for when it came to our we...
dding photographer. Not to mention, she showed us amazing examples of her work downtown Minneapolis.
Athena was highly recommended by one of my contacts at The Marquette Hotel. She shot the professional photos of the renovated space on 50th floor of the IDS Center (Windows on Minnesota) - which was perfect bc that’s where we got married.
The photos are stunning. All of our friends and family, particularly in the wedding party made so many comments about how great the photographers were. Also, I’ve received countless compliments raving about the photos.
I had no idea someone could truly capture the entire day so beautifully.
My family and I will be asking Athena for photography work in the near future and for years to come.
If there’s one piece of advice I have for you soon-to-be-brides out there: reach out to Athena with Empiria Studios. You won’t be sorry. It was one of the best decisions I made throughout 2017.
Empiria Studios was a dream to work with. We felt so comfortable with Athena and our day was stress free and went very smoothly. On top of that, Athena was willing to drive from M...
inneapolis to St Paul to make sure she caught moments of both myself and my husband getting ready. She is calm, collected and very professional. I have a large family (9 siblings!) and was so impressed with how Athena got to know many of them throughout the day, helped corral them all for photos, and managed to capture little moments when they weren't watching. For our family, pictures can be a huge and sometimes stressful/exhausting ordeal, but Athena's ability to keep everything moving quickly and efficiently made it so much easier -- we were actually ahead of schedule all day! Aside from that, she has a stellar personality and makes the day fun and exciting. By the end of the night my entire family was raving about her and asking for her contact information. She's extremely talented and I would highly recommend her, especially to anyone like me who appreciates natural light photography. Athena is great at it.
Athena is such a fun person to work with! The moment we met with her at caribou, we knew she had to be our photographer. She works so well with the whole bridal party, everyone lov...
ed her! The work she does is purely amazing. Extremely easy to work with, responds to emails quickly, she goes above and beyond to make sure she gets the pictures you want. Highly recommend for any occasion!!
Athena was incredible! We absolutely adore both our engagement pictures and wedding photos and would highly recommend her for your big day!
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St Louis Park, MN
Wedding vendors in St. Louis Park
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