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

My first weekend back in NY was 90+ degrees and called for rain all weekend. Of course…it is Syracuse NY after all…and guess what? The weather delivered on the heat but not the rain, surprise surprise there! The weatherman was wrong again! 😉 I’m ok with that, it allowed for Chris & Bethany to make the most of their wedding day!

Belhurst Castle is always like a fairy tale, beautiful rooms, great lighting, and there is always a new picture for me to find! It’s a great all in one wedding venue. It’s fun for me when I run into people I know at the weddings I shoot. Apparently, Chris, Bethany, & I know A LOT of the same people! It was a day of hugs, laughter, and reunions for both the newlyweds AND me! Then there is the DANCING, Chris and Bethany were on the dance floor every moment they could! All in all it was a beautiful day with a beautiful couple! Thank you Chris and Bethany, it was so wonderful capturing all of the bright and colorful moments of your day!

XOXOXO,
Mabyn

How did your fiancé propose?
We drove up to the Adirondacks and climbed Severance Mountain. When we got to the top he played our song “A dream for us” by the Appleseed Cast on a cd player. We looked out at the view together and I turned around and saw him bent down on one knee. He said “It’s beautiful isn’t it? But not as beautiful as you. I love you. Will you marry me?” And I said yes!
Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding?
We spent about two weeks straight driving to all venues I could think of that looked decent online within an hour and a half of home. We must have visited 15 different places, most of which requiring a 45 minute drive or more. No place seemed quite right until we visited the Belhurst Castle. That was definitely the hardest part of the process. Centerpieces, cake, colors etc were much easier decisions (not to say they were quick decisions, for an undecisive person like myself).
What was the most memorable moment(s) of the day?
The most memorable moments were our first dance and walking down the aisle and seeing Chris’s face. There are so many people surrounding you the whole day, but those were some intimate moments where it was just about us an no one else.
Funniest memory from your wedding day?
My dress was getting pretty heavy and hot halfway through the night so I was lifting the bottom up. My 5 year old niece offered to carry it around for me instead. So she followed me from table to table holding up my dress.
If you had to do it all over again would you change anything?
I only wish I got to dance more and talk more to everyone that was there, otherwise everything came together better than I expected.
Andy advice for future bride and grooms?
Start planning early if you get overwhelmed easily like me! Pick the venue as early as possible, and the photographer too 😉
What was your favorite part about working with Mabyn Ludke Photography?
I was very comfortable around her and felt like I could be myself. She knows what she is doing and you know while you’re with her that you’ll be getting some amazing pictures back.

After Jen and Dan’s wedding day I remember talking with several other wedding photographers. They all lamented about how that day was a washout and they couldn’t do the outdoor pictures/ceremonies that they loved. Well let me tell you something, favor looked down upon Jen and Dan’s particular wedding day!
I kept track of the radar and it was literally like God put up his own umbrella over Glenora Winery! Everywhere else had severe thunder storms and we had these epic gray skies with the sun peeking through! It was PERFECT!

Now Jen and Dan themselves are some of the most laid back and care free people you’ll ever meet! Everything was a celebration that day! I don’t think we stopped cracking jokes or laughing at someone’s antics at all! Amy and I had a fantastic time laughing, capturing moments, and dancing the night away! Thank you Jen and Dan for allowing us to capture your epic wedding day! We love you!

xoxoxo,
Mabyn

How did your fiance propose? Dan is not a man of many words and not a huge surprise person. We had talked about it for a while back and forth, deciding if we should, if it was a good time between trying to buy the house and probably having to put work into it. During this time he had been looking at rings and secretly buying one. So one morning while I was in the kitchen making him lunch for the day (he drives truck and works crazy hours) he comes out and just asks! Completely surprised and unexpected. Just us in our normal routine, it was perfect for us.
Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding (how did you pick the venue, colors, funny stories, etc..): Dan and I love wine and doing wine tours, so what better place than a winery. I had originally picked Ventosa winery for my venue, but they did not have any of the dates we were going for, so after some searching we found Glenora Winery. It was perfect with awesome people, beautiful scenery, and hotel with it so our guests would have someplace to stay, as well as us! After we picked our date all of the rest just fell into place, the colors the flowers, and the theme. I had a wonderful florist that I told her the colors I wanted to use and what I didn’t like and she had awesome ideas and I let her have her way with her creative flow and I was so happy I did let her go. One of our best times (although there were many in the planning process) was when we went for our taste testing at Glenora it was Dan and I, my parents, my matron of honor Karen and her husband Mike all went for it, we had so much fun at the tasting that we stayed and had dinner and drinks and had a wonderful time just hanging out and relaxing with everyone.
What was the most memorable moment(s) of your day? We had a 4 oclock ceremony time and that was the best decision we made, the girls and I were able to get up have breakfast together and just relax with no rushing or anything. I couldn’t have asked for better ladies to stand and share these days with than Lindsay and Karen, they were fantastic. I also was not expecting Dan to get me anything on our wedding day as a gift so I was totally surprised that he had conspired with my matron of honor Karen and got me a beautiful and simple silver heart necklace and a sweet poem that he had come up with on his own. Something I never would have expected from him.
Funniest memory from your wedding day? Was when I was suppose to be repeating my vows to my husband and I totally said the wrong words and left a few out. The judge asked if I wanted to start over I said no way! Lets keep it going.
If you had to do it all over again would you change anything? No, I loved everything about it. We had a wonderful day and great time dancing the night away.
Any advice for future bride & grooms? If it goes wrong or something gets forgotten, oh well, it doesn’t change what the end result of the day is suppose to be about. Just relax and have fun with the process.
What was your favorite part about working with Mabyn Ludke Photography? She is very easy to work with and is everywhere you want her to be without you even asking. I was very excited when we booked her and even more excited that day to have her there with us. The family loved her as well. I will definitely be using her in the future for other things in life when they come about, she was that wonderful to be around. She flows with changes and makes you feel very comfortable. I also have to give props to Amy who was there that day with her, she handled the guys well, she’s a trooper!
Hair: Tiffany Dewald//Makeup Artist: Erica Abdo (love love love her)//Dress Designer & Store Location: Maggie Sottero, From the wonderful people at NY Bride//
Jewelry: Was my something borrowed from my matron of honor from her wedding.//Veil or Hair accessories: Veil by Nancy at NY Bride.//Bridesmaids Dresses: Jim Hjelm//Grooms Attire: Men’s Warehouse for all of them.//Ceremony Venue: Glenora Winery//Reception Venue: Glenora Winery//Additional photo venue: Beautiful waterfall in Dundee NY near the winery.//Florist: Ann Canastra from Ann’s Sunny Day//DJ: Pat Lapage – Owner of “At your request DJ”//Caterer: Glenora Winery//Cake: Gingersnap in Phoenix//Wedding Coordinator: Kathy Marchenese at Glenora//Invitations & Stationary: Invitations by Paper Divas, place cards and programs by Kathy Colvin of “Celebrations in Ink”

I’m writing this current Love Story from the Miami airport! I finally have internet access again after being in St. Thomas for several days! Next stop Long Island for a gorgeous black tie affair.

Ok enough of that, let’s focus on this next AMAZING Love Story!

I can’t tell you what joy it brings me when I open up my car door, step outside, and the first thing I see is my bride skipping and dancing towards me with a giant smile on her face! Then to be greeted with an enormous hug and excited squeals! I in turn squealed back and skipped…ok maybe more like rolled…my camera bag is heavy! 😉 back into my brides home to help her prepare for her day! Combine all of that energy with an already glowing bride you get Katie, who was positively RADIANT! We had so much fun getting her in her gorgeous gown and taking bridal  after bridal, after bridal! I just couldn’t stop!

Then we whisked off to downtown Union Springs where we sneakily set up Katie and Mike’s first  meet up. Of course they couldn’t see each other, but that didn’t matter! The tears and smiles were a flowing! Then came the ceremony in the cutest little country church where everyone cried tears of joy! Add in a dash of epic with their gorgeous vineyard formals and their rockin’ Belhurst party…well…lets just say the whole day went by WAY TOO FAST and resulted in so much goodness it was hard to narrow down!

Thank you Katie and Mike! I am so overjoyed to know that not only did you have a spectacular wedding day, but that we are truly friends after this whole experience! Thank you so much for choosing me!

xoxoxo,
Mabyn

P.S. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should totally check out their NYS Fair You + Me session! The newspaper on their wedding day was WAY too perfect! 😀

How did your fiance propose?
Mike and I went out for drinks, talking about our weekend plans, I wanted to go to the Renaissance Festival, he said we are going to the ADK’s for a surprise instead. We got up early and hit the road. I had no idea where we were going, we drove through Old Forge and past all civilization. To my surprise, we ended up in Long Lake, parking in front of the sea planes that I said to Mike I would never fly on, not knowing his planes. Next thing I know, we are walking toward the planes, Mike said this is my surprise (I am not adventurous, so I was a BIT terrified). After a breathe taking- white knuckled flight over the ADK mountains we headed into Old Forge for tapas and wine at Sisters Bistro and then we took a walk near the lake at sunset where Mike asked me to be his wife! I of course said YES, after some screams and tears, we headed back to Sisters Bistro to celebrate!
Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding (how did you pick the venue, colors, funny stories, etc..):
Mike and I are both from the Finger Lakes,, after searching around NY, we decided there was no better place to get married than at my childhood church. One Saturday, we went to Belhurst for some local wine and lunch and decided that it felt right, so we booked our reception!
Our “theme” was navy blue damask and flowers. We love nature and being outside so we wanted a variety of flowers, my mom even went out and bought 11 trees for the church and reception (she was a HUGE part of the planning and implementing!!!). We both really love pickles  and wanted to find a way to incorporate them into the reception. We made homemade jars of pickles decorated with a damask cloth to tie in our theme. We also had deep fried pickles served as a late night snack at our reception.
What was the most memorable moment(s) of your day?
Bride: First, being with my dad from our ride to our church in his corvette with my dress taking up the entire car and having him by my side as all the emotions came over me. Second, the moment I am standing in the back of the church and see Mike for the first time. All of my emotions poured out as I walked down that aisle to him, I wasn’t expecting mine and his reactions. (And) Third, before being introduced into the reception, standing in the foyer with my HUSBAND, our parents and all of our siblings, seeing everyone laugh and create memories together.
Groom: The most memorable part of the day was definitely the ceremony, I loved the entire ceremony, from walking into that tiny, sunny country church and seeing it completely filled it friends and family, and standing in front of everyone waiting to begin, then seeing my beautiful bride walk in through the front doors of the church. It was a truly overwhelming moment that I’ll never forget.
Funniest memory from your wedding day?
The moment when we took a step back and saw all of our guest having a blast: people being lifted up on shoulders, ties around their heads, dresses being ripped from the hard core dance boogie marathons. Also, the next morning looking at the photo booth pictures and how much fun our guests had!
If you had to do it all over again would you change anything?  Not at all, it was exactly what we wanted. We wanted our ceremony and reception to be personal, we wanted our families involved and for our guest to feel our love for each other and them. If anything, I wish we could have slowed time!
Any advice for future bride & grooms?  
Savor the moments before the wedding, it does fly by and it will be over before you know it. Don’t get wrapped up in the pre-wedding stresses. We are so thankful to have had all the support and help from our family. We couldn’t have made these beautiful memories without them.
What was your favorite part about working with Mabyn Ludke Photography?
Mabyn is a jack of all trades, from capturing breathe-taking moments to bustling my dress to picking leaves out of my train after pictures in the vineyard. We knew we wanted to hire Mabyn before we were even engaged because of the gift she has, but after meeting her, we wanted her apart of our day for more than that. She is full of passion and positive energy that affects everyone around her. We cannot wait to work with her again when we eventually have a family!

Hair: Gemini Salon, Auburn NY//Makeup Artist: My Mom- MAC from Macy’s//Dress Designer & Store Location: Justin Alexander 8557, NY Bride Syracuse, NY//Jewelry: My Mom’s Pearls, ETSY, bracelet//Veil or Hair accessories: Veil was my mom’s from 1976, hair comp from ETSY//Shoes: Nina, I added the bling and feathers (etsy)//Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Aneglo, NY Bride and Groom Syracuse, NY//Grooms Attire: Men’s Warehouse//Ceremony Venue: Trinity Church of Christ, Union Springs, NY//Reception Venue: Belhurst Castle, Geneva, NY//Additional photo venue: White Manor, Geneva, NY//Florist: My mom did the recepetion, church and bridesmaids, Foleys’s in Auburn, NY did my bouquet and boutonnieres.//Transportation: J&J Limo, Auburn, NY
//DJ: Black Tie Entertainment//Cake: Maria Giacona, La Dolce Vita, Auburn, NY//Event Designer/ Wedding Coordinator: Bride’s Mom, she is the creative/crafty one that went above and beyond on every detail!!!//Lighting and Photo Booth: Black Tie Entertainment//Other: Bride’s two cousins sang at the ceremony with the String Tio.