The best way for me to get clients is word of mouth. I shoot one wedding and their friend sees it on facebook and asks “who shot that wedding?” Then I receive an email or a phone call not too soon after. Sometimes I’ll get a cold call from a google search, but most often someone has referred me. Liz and Tom are a little different. Yes, they got referrals from other friends/weddings I had shot, but mostly because they were there at them rather than seeing pictures online.

I remember the first time I met Liz and Tom, it was Julia & Lee’s wedding and Liz was a bridesmaid. I remember Liz’s joyful spirit and sweeeeeet dance moves! She and Tom TORE. IT. UP. Fast forward two seasons later and I noticed a rockin’ couple out on the dance floor of Liz & Mike’s rockin’ wedding party and low and behold it was Liz & Tom! I was so happy to see them again! I really feel our relationship is like Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon…

Then when Liz emailed me after her engagement I was SO EXCITED! Not only did I feel like we were all friends already, but I knew their party would be fantastic! On top of that, both couples who’s weddings Liz & Tom attended were there. Oh and it gets better, Mariel & Jamie were there too! My soon to be couple! Needless to say it was like a mini wedding reunion for me. I had so much fun catching up with all of my couples and dancing the night away! Thank you so much to Liz & Tom. I can’t believe how full circle everything has come!

XOXOXO,
Mabyn

How did your fiance propose? Tom proposed on July 4, 2012. He had mentioned wanting to check out the west trail at Onondaga Lake Park earlier that week, so I suggested going there. Little did I know he was waiting for a bike ride to propose. He was almost too nice as we got our picnic packed and our bikes in the car. We biked for about a half an hour, found a bench on the west side of Onondaga Lake, and had a picnic. I had asked him to get something from the backpack and he was taking a long time. I was just about to impatiently grab the bag from him when he got down on one knee. I was shocked and thrilled. I made him stay at the bench for two hours as we called everyone.
Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding (how did you pick the venue, colors, funny stories, etc..): Sometimes the wedding planning overwhelmed us when we were at home, so Tom and I scheduled wedding planning dates at Barnes and Noble and Roji Tea Lounge to go over the details and our progress. It sounds very businessy, but it worked for us and forced us to have some coffee dates and time together.
What was the most memorable moment(s) of your day? The coolest part was getting to the cocktail hour after taking pictures. Everyone we love was in the same room waiting for us. It was overwhelming.
Funniest memory from your wedding day? During our ceremony, Tom’s brother and sister in law were seated on opposite sides of the circular chapel. Their daughter, Susanna, our 1.5 year old niece, couldn’t decide which parent she wanted to be with more, so she ran back and forth across the middle of the chapel. It was funny to watch, and it lightened the mood. There was also a spill of a tin of mini Altoids, which our three-year-old nephew Oliver graciously cleaned up one-by-one.
If you had to do it all over again would you change anything? Nothing! It was a wonderful day and a great party.
Any advice for future bride & grooms? Remember to take time out during the last few weeks of your wedding to relax and be with friends and family. Most of the big stuff is done. Don’t stress too much about the details.
What was your favorite part about working with Mabyn Ludke Photography? Mabyn took us out of the reception for a nighttime photo shoot. It was so special because it forced us to appreciate a quiet moment. Mabyn is also super fun and thoughtful. She even showed up on the dance floor at the end of the night. Because of her kind spirit and wonderful talent, I knew I wanted Mabyn as my wedding photographer even before I was engaged.

Hair: Soigne Salon//Makeup Artist: Erica Abdo//Dress Designer & Store Location: Impression from Off the Rack (SpyBabies)//Jewelry: For a necklace, I wore my grandmother’s pearls that she wore on her wedding day. My earrings were family heirlooms; my cousin Rosemary surprised me at the rehearsal dinner with them. They were diamond earrings that had been made from her mother (my great aunt) and grandmother’s (my great grandmother’s) engagement rings. It was special to have jewelry representing both my grandmother and grandfather’s family.//Veil o//Hair accessories: Off the Rack (SpyBabies)//Shoes: Blue heels at the ceremony (brand unknown); New Balance Blue Sneakers at the reception//Bridesmaids Dresses: I asked my bridesmaids to just pick a purple dress and any shoes they wanted.//Grooms Attire: Men’s Wearhouse//Ceremony Venue: Le Moyne College Panasci Family Chapel//Reception Venue: Genesee Grande Hotel
Additional photo venue: Franklin Square. Tom and I used to work at 500 Plum Street in the heart of Franklin Square when we were at Eric Mower and Associates, so it was special to us.//Florist: Wildflowers//Transportation: American Limousine//DJ:Jason Paussa from Salt City Sound Machine//Caterer: Genesee Grande Hotel//Cake: The very wonderful Sally Mitchell//Event Designer: Jamie and Sarah at the Genesee Grande Hotel helped us pull everything together. They were the most fun, chill people to be around.//Lighting: My dear friend and coworker John Haley hooked us up with wonderful up lighting.//Invitations & Stationary: Tom designed our invitations and save-the-dates.