Welcome to my blog! I'm thrilled to be able to share with you my favorite images from weddings, engagements, maternity, and more! Grab a cup of coffee and get snuggly cuz this blog will give you all the feels!
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Middle Fork Barn, Meadowview VA
Keeping it authentic!
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One thing about wedding photography that I’ve learned over the years is expect the unexpected! Every wedding has different moving parts, personalities, and lighting situations. It’s one of the biggest reasons I love what I do, it’s different every time! Keeps things fresh!
I’m surprised to say that in my 9 years as a wedding photographer, I have yet to shoot a ceremony in a sun shower! There have been rainy wedding days and nights where the formal shots have just been spectacular. I’ve even shot a couple of weddings in the rain! Way to go my courageous couples! Yet none of those ceremonies or formals have simultaneously had the sun shinning through the rain! Now I can check that one off my bucket list! YAY! Katie & Lee’s ceremony started just as a tiny thunderstorm rolled through. Sun + Rain = MAGIC! Then you get all of the sweet moments, like couples and friends huddling under coats and shawls, rain drops on jackets, and sweet secret looks between a bride and groom that say “Who cares about the rain! We’re getting married!”
Other than the unexpected sun-shower, Katie & Lee’s wedding day went off without a hitch! The Winmock at Kinderton barn was a seriously epic and romantic backdrop for this gorgeous wedding that Amy Wuster of Knots n Such designed. I was definitely in my happy place with all of the insanely beautiful details and DOUGHNUT BAR (Nom, nom, nom)! It was SUCH a great day, can we go back please and do it all over again?
Thank you to Katie & Lee for such an awesome day and choosing me to capture it all. I loved every moment and my kitties loved meeting you both! Come back any time! 😉
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
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Tell me about the planning process of your wedding:
Truthfully, I had already chosen my venue before we were engaged. I knew my theme had to be vintage-rustic-romantic, and the Winmock (which is just even more stunning in person) just hit all the marks for me. my favorite color is purple, so that was an obvious decision. but I don’t even feel like the colors or other decor details were a choice. they were really just “me” and pieces that I knew fit together. -
What was the hardest part when planning your wedding?
Meeting with all the vendors! my planner gave me the option of going to all the meetings, or letting her vet them for me first. but i wanted to be more involved, so going to three meetings for each vendor (DJ, caterer, officiant, photographer) was just exhausting! -
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Katie: seeing Lee dancing with his Aunt Debbie, as his mom passed away when he was 15. I could see how happy and proud she was and it just made me tear up with all the happy!
Lee: seeing my beautiful bride for our first look -
What was the funniest moment of your day?
Katie: waiting in the staging area with the wedding party, and right before we’re about to exit, it starts to rain. my planner’s face was priceless. then continuing the ceremony as it sprinkled, my smile was huge and I was laughing a little bit. (or the more awkward moment when the DJ bumbled our name for our entrance into the reception….). I had three separate people tell me afterwards, “when it started to rain, I knew Katie was just like, ‘f**k it, let’s keep it going.’
Lee: “maybe Glamore’s speech, that was pretty funny” -
If you had to do it all over again is there anything you’d do differently?
Katie: I can’t think of anything! I don’t think there’s anything I regret about the process or my choices. I do wish that my family or bridal party lived closer to help out with some things
Lee: “I probably would have ate more.” -
Any advice to future brides & grooms?
Katie: don’t be shy about sticking to your budget or style! all vendors have their own style and will make suggestions along the way. Don’t be afraid to say no to something.
Lee: “Enjoy every moment, it goes by super fast.” -
What about Mabyn Ludke Photography stood out and caused you to book?
The images just looked so natural and beautiful. It felt like the photos really conveyed the true emotion of the day, without getting lost in editing or fancy effects. I think the resulting photos will have a timeless look. -
What was your biggest fear when looking for a wedding photographer?
Price! And what you end up getting for the price. The photos might be what I was looking forward to most, since once the day is gone, you either remember moments or you don’t. I’m so excited to relive the day over and over again looking through our photos. Also I was terrified that something would go horribly wrong and all the photos would get lost/deleted. -
Did it come true? If not, what happened instead?
I think Mabyn offers great value! not to mention, friendship on Facebook includes so many kittehssssss -
What, specifically, was your favorite part about working with Mabyn Ludke Photography?
Mabyn’s personality. She’s weird, I’m weird. It worked. She was really easy to get along with and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. -
If you were to recommend Mabyn Ludke Photography to your best friend, what would you say?
Mabyn is really talented and knows how to get gorgeous photos without wasting any time between shots. She has vision and ideas of how to work with her surroundings to get the best of out a shoot! -
What was your favorite photo that Mabyn Ludke Photography captured?
So far, the one from our engagement shoot where we’re sitting on the ground in front of the antique car. It’s on our fridge, it went on our save-the-dates, it’s in my office, we printed an 8×10 to go on display at our wedding!VENDORS:
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Amy Wurster – Knots N Such
This is one of my most favorite times of year! It’s CANVAS GIVEAWAY TIME!!! WOOHOO!
Usually I do this right before Christmas, because I LOVE giving away presents! This year though, my schedule was a level of crazy that I was not prepared for. So here we are about a month after Christmas, but hey, belated presents are still presents and we love them ANY time of year!
This season we have 17 fantastic contestants! Here are the rules:
Vote once a day, every day, until midnight of January 26th. The couple with the most votes will win a free 16×24 canvas to feature in their home! Get your family, friends, coworkers, gym buddies, strangers on the street, etc…involved! The more people you can get to vote for you, the better your chances! Only votes on the actual poll at the bottom of this page will count. “Write in’s” on FB are not valid. I will announce the winner next Monday, January 27th.
Now I need to put in a disclaimer here, in past years there has been issues trying to vote from multiple devices. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t. I think it has to do with the ip address. If you have any issues voting, please contact me at MabynLudke@gmail.com.
Rachel & Ben
Stephanie & Brian
Bethany & Chris
Nancy & Jason
Erin & Meaghan
Tirzah & PJ
Erin & Kyle
Liz & Tom
Katie & Tim
Jenna & Jon
Mariel & Jamie
Heidi & Matt
Kassie & Harley
Erin & Ben
Megan & Chris
Amber & Dave
Lesley & Russell
As an artist, one of the highest compliments I can receive is having another artist book me to shoot their wedding. There’s a mutual understanding and respect for ones work, time, and effort. On top of that, their weddings tend to be VERY creative and fun! Right up my alley!
Mariel is a visionary and creates stunning work through graphic design. She even designed & printed her own invitations! Talk about incredible! She and Jamie are a wonderful blend of joy, humor, and love. I just had so much fun talking with them and could do it for hours! When their wedding day rolled around, I was so thrilled to walk into the Frog Pond and see Mariel’s vision come to life. We artists tend to go a little overboard in the DIY section, and although Mariel is no exception, she knows when to hire good people to help bring her vision to life. This is where MLH Events comes in. Megan of MLH Events, took Mariel’s dream and made it a flawless reality! The whole day dripping with gorgeous details and moved with a perfectly timed grace.
I can ensure you that everyone at Mariel & Jamie’s wedding had a fantastic time! Even my rockin’ team and I couldn’t help but put our cameras down at the end of the night and tear the dance floor up a bit! Thank you to Mariel & Jamie for trusting me to capture your vision & dream. It was absolutely spectacular!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
This is the first time I actually brought along my OWN cinematographer! That’s right ladies & gents, Gina shot her first ever wedding! I’m not sure she’ll be continuing to do more, but I can tell you that she’s done 3 this season and loves them! It’s amazing what can happen in just a few short months. I’m so excited for Gina and her new found talent, she shot & edited Mariel & Jamie’s Love Story with out an ounce of help. I can’t say she’s for hire yet, but who knows what can happen in the 2014 wedding season?! 🙂 Congrats Gina!
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/77543008[/vimeo]
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