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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April and Dave’s Old Salem, NC wedding didn’t happen quite the way they planned. I feel like that was a theme for 2015, but in each and every wedding it turned out better than they could have imagined and this gorgeous day was no exception!
Originally April and Dave were going to get married in a little chapel in Winston Salem. They had it all planned out, floral arrangements, decor, ect…They decided to go visit the chapel about a week before the wedding and to their dismay they had started construction on the building! I wont go into detail, but lets just say blue tarps didn’t go well with their wedding decor. So in a mad scramble (because we all know the state of our brains a week from our wedding!) they found a gorgeous outdoor wedding spot at The Tavern at Old Salem. It was a risk, considering their wedding was in November, but was a risk well gambled in my opinion!
When their wedding day came, it was a crisp and beautiful fall day. A little throw blanket around your arms and you were perfectly cozy for a gorgeous outdoor ceremony! With all of the fall leaves and the bright yellow barn they said their “I do’s” in front of, you couldn’t ask for a better day!
As a little side note: this was the first wedding that Daniel got to experience almost all the way through! I’m pretty sure he’s caught the bug just from this awesome pair! The official announcement isn’t up yet, but I’m pretty sure you can tell something big is brewing for us! More on that coming soon!
Lets jump to post ceremony awesomeness, where we got to wander around Old Salem with April and Dave and snag some of my favorite Old Salem shots I’ve yet to take before heading to a rockin’ party! We especially loved how April & Dave are just as addicted to books as we are! They love them so much that they made them their center pieces and favors! Genius! Daniel and I made our way home with the Hobbit…we may or may not be a little obsessed….;)
April & Dave’s families were just so sweet too! There were so many great moments where love was lavished on both of them. Dave’s brother even went above and beyond to deck out their “get away” car and brought us in for a real treat!
Oh and lets not forget that gorgeous Old Salem bridge that was all decked out for Christmas. Could we have timed that any better? I seriously don’t think so!
*Sigh* Can we go back guys? Let’s do it again okay? 😉
Thank you over and over again to April & Dave for choosing MLP to capture your day. Thank you for walking with Daniel and I through our journey too! It was so wonderful to have someone walking that same road going through the same things and being able to come together and celebrate our joys and lament our long tired nights of planning and unpacking! 😉 Daniel & I love you lots and we can’t wait to continue our walk together very soon!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
We both knew we wanted a fall wedding. Finding a venue for that time of the year was more challenging. After searching high and low in Asheville, we decided on picking a venue closer to where we live. We chose the Davis Memorial Chapel for the because I loved the intimate, charming feel (and it was second best to my dream outdoor wedding, which we decided against because the weather in November was too unpredictable). After a long hard day of looking for reception venues in Nov 2014, we decided to take a walk around Old Salem. It was the perfect fall day and we immediately got chills! We picked the auditorium in the visitors center for our reception venue because we loved the auditorium because we loved the thought of our family getting to enjoy the beautiful surrounding setting.
One week before our wedding, the Chapel emailed us and let us know that construction around the Chapel had been scheduled the day of our wedding. Dave stayed up late that night (unbeknownst to me) and immediately got to work finding a new ceremony venue. Turns out the Tavern Meadow at Old Salem was still available and the weather prediction for our wedding day was 0% chance of rain. It took a little bit – okay, a lot – of scrambling, but in the end, I got the perfect fall outdoor wedding I always dreamed of! Everything turned out better than we could’ve ever expected!
– Funniest memory from your wedding day?
I regret not having more photo time with our bridal party, but as a whole, we had so many amazing photos that helped us piece the whole day together. It was awesome to look back at all those little details we missed. We feel like the photos we came away with tell the whole story of our big day and really capture how much fun we were having!
But in all seriousness, we loved working with you and Daniel! You guys are so caring and personable. We both felt incredibly comfortable with you, which is important considering you have to follow us around with a camera all day! You genuinely care about the work you do and the couples you shoot, and that comes through in your photography.
We all know I’m a sucker for a mountain view and Asheville’s Crest Center & Pavilion provided an epic backdrop for Lindsey & Mark’s incredibly romantic wedding day! This wedding is one for the books folks, between the epic mountain views as far as the eye can see & Lindsey’s flawless taste their wedding day was just perfect!
It’s amazing to me how impeccable their wedding was when you take into account the giant mountain that they had to climb! You see, Lindsey & Mark experienced something no couple should have to deal with in planning a wedding. Their original wedding venue had an electrical fire about a month prior to their wedding and they were left without a venue for their very special day. However Asheville’s wedding community is AMAZING! They went to bat for Lindsey & Mark and found several venues that they could host their wedding. One stood out among the rest, Crest Pavilion. If I wasn’t already in love with Crest Pavilion due to it’s beauty, I quickly fell MORE in love with them after their generosity towards Lindsey & Mark. Truly everything worked out better than expected!
When their wedding day finally came, the vendors did an incredible job decorating Crest Pavilion with flowers by Karen Brown’s Floral Design, the cutest little cake by Well-Bred Bakery & Cafe, and an a rockin’ party hosted by Craig of Mitch Fortune Productions all of the details flowed beautifully in this dream like day! Then add in all of Lindsey & Mark’s beautiful family & friends. I normally have a great relationship with my couples, but it’s even more exciting for me when I bond with their family as well. From the moment I got to Crest Pavilion I felt like I was part of the family. It warmed my heart so very much!
I am so honored to not only have documented Lindsey & Mark’s beyond incredible wedding day but call them my friends…hopefully for many years to come!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
Not a thing! We would do it over again just because it was amazing and didn’t last long enough!
Hair:Adorn Salon (in Asheville) Emily Rexford did mine // Makeup Artist: Joanna Ferree (powder me pretty) // Dress Designer & Store Location: Dress by Pronovias, Wedding Inspirations Bridal Boutique in Asheville // Jewelry: Olive & Piper // Veil or Hair accessories:Wedding Inspirations Bridal Boutique // Shoes:Blue by Betsey Johnson // Bridesmaids Dresses: Anthropologie // Grooms Attire: Christophers Formal Wear // Ceremony Venue: Crest Pavilion // Reception Venue: Crest Pavilion // Florist: Karen Brown’s Floral Design in Weaverville,NC // DJ: Mitch Fortune Productions–Craig was our DJ // Caterer: Corner Kitchen // Cake: Coconut Cream by Well-Bred Bakery & Cafe // Wedding Coordinator: Amy Lasher (event Sales Manager) Lauren Miles (sales assistant) she helped coordinate things. I can’t remember who the day of person was –oops! The bridal attendant was an unhelpful idiot (sorry, but she was!) you had to do the crowd control that day (thank you!) // Lighting: most of the lanterns came from pier1 and anthropologie, the twinkle lights were part of the venue // Invitations & Stationary: We got our invites from groupon-Zazzle I think?? and skipped any paper at the wedding bc all in one location.
Rain on your wedding day is typically seen as a bad thing. Outdoor ceremonies have to be moved, dresses run the risk of getting wet or even muddy, your whole vision of your day shifts and it generally causes stress. Those things are all very legitimet. When I got married, I prayed and prayed there wouldn’t be rain! But if there had been, I would have rolled with it just like Natali & Cody did. There was no dodging this rain storm, so they embraced it and so did I! Autumn Creek Vineyards in Mayodan, NC did an exceptional job making this rainy wedding just as (if not more) beautiful than it’s original outdoor plan. I was floored to see the transformation of their lovely vineyard barn! A huge shout out to Botanica Flowers & Gifts in Greensboro, NC! Their unique floral arrangements with that rich red color was just stunning!
So the biggest problem was embraced, and the rest of the day was just incredible! These two have been together forever and ever and it was so evident how much EVERYONE had been anticipating this glorious day! I have to say I was smitten with Natali & Cody’s “First Look.” They could not have been more excited to see each other and snuggle up in each others arms. It was a bit of a challenge figuring out where to hide them away from the encroaching crowds, but the cabin that Cody got ready in had the sweetest of sweet covered porches. Seriously, the recipe was made perfect with “just add water!” Thanks rain! We got to the ceremony and everyone was crying…and laughing…and then crying some more. Yes! I love tears of joy! That theme went on well through out the day. Then there was Natali & Cody’s reception, man my clients know how to throw a good party! It lasted well into the night with so many freaking awesome moments I couldn’t fit them all here on the blog cuz you’d be here foooorrreeeeevvveeeerrrrrrr! After partying the night away, I stole Natali & Cody for one of my “night sessions.” They happily obliged as they were dire need of a dance break. Some of my favorite images are created after dark. There’s such a “magic” to them. It’s that theatre kid that still lives in me!
Over all I just adored Natali & Cody’s rainy wedding day and I’m so glad they chose to embrace the rain, not just “make the most of it.” It really made their day special and oh so beautiful! I’m also officially in love with their families and will happily become their adopted photographer if they’ll have me! 😉 Thank you Natali and Cody for being bold and loving life! I just adored being part of your day!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
A note from the bride:
Sooooo, it’s the end of wedding season. Normally I’m up to the hilt in October weddings. Normally. This season has been anything BUT normal. So here we are in the middle of busy season and what do I get to do? Why PLAY! What’s that you say? Playing? How does a photographer play? Well, one way is to have an amazing bride and groom adventure with you down to Chittenango falls and the other is to have your best friend put on a fun dress and douse her in baby powder!
The first allows me to try things that I wouldn’t normally get to do on a wedding day. Liz & Steve were totally up for everything and we had SO MUCH FUN! The second speaks to my artsy fartsy side. I love creating composite fine art photos, but wedding photography doesn’t allow a lot of time to do that. I’m so glad I have amazing photog friends who push me to always be creative. Below is a behind the scenes shot of our shenanigans. I can’t wait to work on this project!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
Liz & Steve’s Rock the Dress at Chittenago Falls
Behind the Scenes of a Fine Art Composite
