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Middle Fork Barn, Meadowview VA

I love that every story we get to tell is so unique! One weekend we’ll be at an upscale hotel shooting an elegant back tie affair. Then next we’ll be in a backyard for an intimate casual event.

For this wedding we traveled up to the Middle Fork Barn in Meadowview VA for a country wedding!

Middle Fork is an incredible wedding venue. It’s nestled in the Appalachian mountains with acres and acres of rolling hills to see.

It was my lucky day because thunderstorms were passing by and gave us some seriously epic clouds! We all know how much I love clouds and mountains and here they are in one gorgeous wedding day!

Keeping it authentic!

Hillary & Will are so authentic and down to earth as is their families. Will loves to keep everyone laughing with his jokes and Hillary’s warmth is incredibly inviting. They make a perfect pair! We were immediately welcomed into the fold as family which we just love! It was a DIY affair and all hands were on deck. Family and friends scurried around all afternoon setting everything up. I loved all the rustic details that Hillary & her family had made themselves. It added a beautiful personal touch to the entire day.

When Hillary & Will were ready we got them together for their first look and I was trying hard not to cry! All the anticipation that had been building up burst from both Hillary & Will in tears of joy! What an emotional and beautiful moment.

From then on family & friends started to flood in through the gates to get ready for their ceremony. While they said their vows, cows even moseyed over to watch their union! It was literally picture perfect with the clouds, mountains, and joyful moments. I couldn’t stop snapping away! As Hillary & Will exited their ceremony, they gave one last epic kiss before running away to the barn! A signal to start the party!

The rest of the evening was filled with home made BBQ, soda pop, and LOTS of laughter. It was truly a joy to witness! Thank you Hillary & Will for allowing us to capture your beautiful country wedding day! We loved every moment!

XOXOXO,

Mabyn

Middlefork Barn Wedding in Meadowview, VA by Mabyn Ludke Photography

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Middle Fork Barn Wedding in Meadowview, VA

Wedding

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Nu Wray Inn Burnsville, NC

Last winter, Daniel and I attended the Burnsville Bridal Expo as vendors. It was a last minute decision since we’re not big into the mass chaos that comes from Bridals shows. However, Burnsville knows how to do it right and we had a great time meeting so many fantastic brides!

We also took the Bridal show as an opportunity to give back. 2017 marks the 10th season that I’ve been shooting weddings! Can you believe it?! So in celebration for 10 years of weddings, we decided to give away a wedding collection to one lucky couple at the bridal show!

Margaret & Jackie were the very deserving winners of that giveaway! They chose to get married right in Burnsville at the Nu Wray Inn. Their wedding was a perfect blend of old Burnsville charm and whimsical details! Most of the details were hand made by Margaret & her family! Just look at that wedding ceremony background?!

The rain held off long enough for us to get through the ceremony & formal pictures. A light sprinkle settled over the day, which was perfect since Jackie’s last name is Sprinkle! Everyone had a blast dancing in the rain and cheering Margaret & Jackie on! There were sprinkles in abundance! Rainy sprinkles, human sprinkles, and CANDY sprinkles! What wedding have you attended where there was a sprinkle battle commencing on the dance floor?! It was SO MUCH FUN to photograph!

As the event wound down, friends and family helped clean up and warmed up inside the Nu Wray Inn. We said our goodbyes and drove back down the mountain with giant smiles on our faces. What a wonderfully unique and beautiful day! Congrats Margaret & Jackie! We’re so excited for this next chapter in your adventure of life!

XOXOXO,

Mabyn

Beautiful seating sign at Margaret & Jackie's Nu Wray Inn Wedding in Burnsville, NC Bride dances in anticipation of walking down the isle at the Nu Wray Inn in Burnsville, NC

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Wedding at the Nu Wray Inn Burnsville, NC with Margaret & Jackie

Newly weds Nicki & Brad snuggle close with a breathtaking view of the appalachian mountains on the blue ridge parkway.

Adventures

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Western North Carolina Wedding Photographers Featured on Otterplan Connect

I am a big fan of community over competition. I spent most of my musical theater collegiate years fighting for a spot on the stage, fighting to be heard, fighting just to feel accepted. Those years were hard, but they taught me to never give up! Plus, I’m pretty sure that’s where I get all of my dramatic flair from in photography.

When I tumbled head over heels in love with wedding photography, part of my joy was finding a community of people who wanted to help me succeed. It was incredible to go from fighting the world all by myself to having a family of like minded photographers cheering me on. I am so grateful for each and every person who poured their time, knowledge, and sometimes even money into. I am forever grateful for your investments!

All of this mushy stuff is leading to a point and that point is I’m always on the look out for amazing communities to connect and invest in. If I can help just one other photographer reach a goal, get inspired, or never give up, then it’s all worth it! One such community that I was recently invited to join is called Otterplan Connect. Their motto is “Connecting wedding creatives. Growing together” and it’s specifically designed for North Carolina Wedding Professionals.

Otterplan recently reached out and asked to interview me for their monthly member spotlight! What an extreme honor! You can read the full interview here:

March Spotlight: Mabyn Ludke Photography

Interview sample from the otter plan connect spotlight blog on Wester North Carolina wedding photographers Mabyn Ludke Photography

Now that Daniel & I have settled in Western North Carolina, we’ve been looking for new ways to connect with professionals in the area. Otterplan is a great way to meet new people & they’re constantly revamping & implementing new connection strategies into their site! I’m looking forward to the network of amazing wedding creatives that Daniel and I will continue to connect with through this site!

XOXOXO,
Mabyn

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Western North Carolina Wedding Photographers! – Otterplan Connect

Burnsville, NC Wedding Photographer Mabyn Ludke Photography

Tips for Brides

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Burnsville, NC Wedding Photographer Mabyn Ludke Photography

You may recall a sweet little wedding nestled in the Appalachian mountains about 45 minutes from Asheville that Daniel & I shot last summer. Jenna & David are worship leaders and they contacted us to shoot their incredibly sweet & beautiful Burnsville, NC wedding. After most weddings, I send a few photos to the vendors who helped create such a wonderful event. We love lovin’ on our vendors and we appreciate all they do so the least we could do is share a few photos with them. Little did we know that this simple act would lead to quite the chain reaction!

Our images were shared from vendor to writer to magazine editor! We ended up getting a full page feature in Mountain Escapes Magazine! A completely unexpected and wonderful surprise! We also landed an invite to the 2017 Burnsville Bridal Expo. After all of that love, how could we say no?! So we packed up our photos in the car and headed to what is quickly becoming one of my favorite little towns, Burnsville!

Amelia Hoilman of White Falls Catering did an incredible job of setting the stage for all of the talented vendors to showcase their specialties. We had a great time introducing ourselves and getting to know the local community. I’m a HUGE fan of supporting local and this community sure knows how to do it right! On top of the beautiful setup in the Burnsville Town Center, they invited West Entertainment to get the party going, & had a hilarious cake smash where brides clawed through layers and layers of cake to find the ring hidden inside! It was quite possibly one of the nicest & most entertaining bridal shows I’ve ever attended!

As some of you may know, 2017 marks my 10th year as a wedding photographer. That means I’ve officially been shooting weddings for a DECADE! Okay, now if looking in the mirror didn’t make me feel old, this sure does! However, it’s a milestone I will gratefully celebrate! To work at something I love so much for so long, to have others support me, to be able to see hundreds of joyful brides and grooms as I scroll through my website look back at me, it’s a feeling of satisfaction and peace that I can’t aptly describe.

Most of the time when we attended a bridal show we give away an engagement session. This year however, I wanted to go big in celebration of 10 years! So we opted to give away a wedding collection! WHAT?! I know! We’re crazy! So it is with much joy & excitement that I get to announce that the winner of our Wedding Collection Giveaway is Margaret Casey & Jackie Sprinkle!!!!! Congrats!!!! We’ll be sending you an official “You won lets get our happy dance on” email and we can setup a time to discuss all the details! EEEE! YAY! This is so much fun!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth. We can’t wait to shoot more beautiful weddings in the WNC area and have an amazing 2017 season!

XOXOXO,
Mabyn

Burnsville, NC Wedding Photographer Mabyn Ludke Photography