Okay my friends, it has been FAR too long since we had a delicious photo stuffed blog! I know I’ve been MIA for the past couple of months on my website and I will say again and again and again how grateful I am for this job and the clients it has brought my way. I absolutely HATE being behind in work because that means my clients friends have to wait that much longer for their treasured memories.

These past few months have taught me exactly how important those memories are and in turn has kept my anxiety to get my friends their photographs that much higher. Getting married myself and then to have my dear friend (and the man who married Daniel & I) die unexpectedly has intensified my deeply rooted belief that good photographs are important. I’m not going to stand up on my soap box and tell you why you should invest. If you’re reading this blog, I’m pretty sure you already understand that good photography does cost and that there’s a reason for it. However, I will say that even the cheap iphone photographs matter. Moments matter. This is more of a plea than a call to arms. PLEASE EXIST IN PHOTOGRAPHS! No matter how much you hate them. Photographs aren’t for you, they’re for those who are left behind.

Okay, there is my heartache for today. Done. Some people may wonderful why I chose to write all of that at the top of a wedding blog that is suppose to be joyous. Why would I use a wedding to say such things? Well friends, it’s because this was one of the last events my friend Mike was photographed in. Emmalee & Stewart have been a part of Cre8 and what the Shroyers have been doing for a long time. So when they chose to get married, they couldn’t think of anyone other than Mike to unite them. These photographs are just as important to them as they are to Mike’s family & myself.

I could sit here and tell you all about how beautiful their wedding was, how all of the details were perfect, how Emmalee & Stewart had an amazing time surrounded by there loved ones, and all of those things did happen. However, I want to talk to you about grass. Yes, grass.

You see, when Emmalee & Stewart decided on Cre8 as there wedding venue there were a lot of placed they could have gotten married, but they chose the most perfect field out of the bunch. This field wasn’t just filled with berry bushes and wild flowers. This field also had a lot of poison ivy. We didn’t think that most people wanted to walk through poison ivy on their wedding day, so Mike and a few others worked tirelessly to turn that field into a beautiful grassy haven. The timing of this field work happened to be in the middle of the July & August, two of the driest months we had here in NC. It was a week and a half before the wedding when the grass was finally planted in the bone dry earth. How was this grass suppose to grow when there hadn’t been rain and there wasn’t any forecasted either? Mike would go up to that field with a little mower that had a 26 gallon tank on the back and would water the field. It would take 2 hours with that little mower to water the whole field AND he had to do it 3 times a day. If Mike were just a grounds keeper this probably wouldn’t have been an issue, but he had other responsibilities too. So 6 hours of watering grass a day just wasn’t going to cut it. Through God intervening tho, the Shroyers found a tanker truck that they use to fill up swimming pools and rented it for the last few days before the wedding. In most circumstances that field would have been a large patch of dirt or had very little grass growing. But with God, the grass grew…and grew….and GREW! Until there was a lush green patch right where Emmalee & Stewart were to wed! That was no miracle grow people, but it WAS a miracle! You can see in the pictures that under their feet is a rich green carpet! What a fantastic way to start a marriage, standing on top of God’s miracle! 

Though Mike’s passing still doesn’t make sense to myself, the newly wed Jimerson’s, or anyone else who knew him, we know that his legacy was just like that “miracle grass.” He looked at people who may have seemed covered in poison or dry and broken and saw the lush green life that was inside of them. He would nurture it and offer them water, Living Water, to help that grass grow and grow. He did that for every person he met. I will treasure these photographs and re-tell the miracle grass story as often as I can. I can’t thank Emmalee & Stewart enough for trusting me with such an important role in their wedding.

Thank. You.

XOXOXO,
Mabyn

-Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding:
We had picked a venue in Kernersville that fell through. After a long time of searching, I finally decided that what I really wanted was a church wedding. My church just happens to be in the community of Cre8 Home. Mike and Ami Shroyer were very gracious to prepare the property and make our dream wedding come true.

– What was the most memorable moment(s) of your day?
During the ceremony, Mike gave us huge pieces of bread for communion. My mouth was so dry and it took FOREVER to eat. Everyone was laughing because Mike started stalling so we had time to finish chewing before the kiss. – Funniest memory from your wedding day? See above smile emoticon

– If you had to do it all over again would you change anything? nope!

– Any advice for future bride & grooms? Enjoy every minute.

– What was your biggest fear before hiring me? Did it come true, and if not, what happened instead? I had NO fears. I know how professional you are and how much you care for the couples that hire you. Your pictures are always amazing.

– What, specifically, was your favorite part of working with Mabyn Ludke Photography and why? I loved knowing you had it! It was great to spend time with you during our you&me session and bridals; you know how to make us laugh and get just the right shot.

– If you were to recommend Mabyn Ludke Photography to your best friend, what would you say? HIRE HER! Mabyn is a great photographer, she cares about her work and your experience.

Hair: Face Forward Triad // Makeup Artist: Face Forward Triad // Dress Designer & Store Location: Southern Bride, Yadkinville, NC // Jewelry: My mother’s necklace and my grandmother’s earings // Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal // Grooms Attire: Men’s Wearhouse // Ceremony Venue: Cre8 Home // Reception Venue: Cre8 Home // Additional photo venue: Handover Park Vineyard for Bridal session // Florist: Young’s Florist in Kernersville, NC // DJ: A&A DJ service // Caterer: Fresh Good Local Food Group // Cake: Maxi B’s Bakery // Invitations & Stationary: David’s Bridal Invitations