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Weddings

About

Hiya! My name is Mary Ella, and I am here for all of the fun and none of the fuss. Weddings can bring about a lot of high-pressure and stressful situtations, so if you're looking for the absolute opposite of that experience, you're in the right spot. It's been the honor of my life to photograph so many amazing folks on their best days ever. I'm currently based in Annapolis, Maryland, but have photographed weddings from Maine to Florida, and even been lucky enough to have a stopovers in Colorado, Alaska, Mexico, and further afield.

I got started in the wedding industry while working barefoot on a beach at a bed and breakfast in Georgia that catered to elopement weddings and I knew that laughing, crying, and documenting these events was the thing for me. After getting a BFA in Fine Art Photography, I headed back to Maryland to happily follow my wanderlust, to get in to wild adventures, and meet all of the remarkable couples along the way.

Here for what really matters:

I believe that wedding photography is a balancing act between curating chaos and capturing all moments - big and small. It involves so much more than just turning up and taking beautiful pictures; it's about building meaningful relationships with clients while encouraging them to love and celebrate themselves. I appreciate and embrace love in all its weird, wild, wonderful iterations. I do my best to champion all couples, families, and communities in their many dynamic forms. My work has a distinctively fresh and fun approach that is designed to encourage you to be giddy, to laugh and cry with joy: in other words, to be fully present and to have a damn good time with it all!

Fully customizeable wedding packages:

I understand that when you’re looking for vendors, you want them to be open and transparent about their prices and what they offer. My range of packages are easy to navigate and understand, but also fully customizable to fit exactly what you want and need. My average coverage time is about 6.5 hours, and all packages features include a private online gallery, print release, and a fabulous photo album so you can revisit your day and hold those amazing memories in your hands. I'm here for weddings near and far, big and small - drop me a line about your traditional wedding, your elopement, your destination shindig! I'll even tell you about the flash-mob style weddings I've done if you're interested. Talk to you soon!

Hugs and high fives,
Mary Ella

  • LGBTQ+-owned
  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
Albums
Digital Files

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

Add'l Hours
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
Albums
Digital Files
Proofs

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Contemporary
Natural
Photojournalism

What photography services do you offer?

Additional Hours
Boudoir Shoot
Destination / Travel
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
One Event / Day
Second Shooter
Wedding Portraits

What photography items do you offer?

Albums
Canvas
Digital Files
Matted Prints
Prints
Proofs
Save the Date
Thank You Cards

Reviews of Mary Ella Jourdak Photography

J
Jean Sent on 07/26/2017
5 out of 5 rating
How do I start to describe Mary Ella? Mary Ella as a person is amazing. She is super friendly and makes you feel comfortable the second you meet her. I first met her at a friend’s wedding and knew I would love to have a photographer like that. Mary Ella has a great personality that makes you feel like you have been great friends. Along with her dashing personality, she is very responsive to text and reassures you that the day will be perfect. Our wedding was outdoors and we were worried about rain. But Mary Ella made me feel confident that rain or shine she would take beautiful pictures.

Now lets talk about the photographs. She is absolutely talented. We did our engagement and wedding photos with her. We loved our engagement photos. They really captured our interest and regal dog. She is a dog whisperer and could get our dog’s attention to take a picture. We have yet to get all of our wedding photos because it just happened. But the little teasers she has been posting and sending has been absolutely amazing. She was able to capture the beauty of our venue and made us look pretty good (we aren’t huge “picture people”). Mary Ella is the whole package: friendly and funny photographer and super talented!
Cassie
Cassie Sent on 11/17/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Words cannot express how amazing Mary Ella is!

Mary Ella is the type of personality that you automatically feel at ease with. Posing can be super awkward but she made it so fun! She was quick while still doing quality work, so that everyone knew where to be, how to stand, and we were back to our drinks! She also went way beyond regular photographer duties - she had a bag of tricks that quite literally saved the day. From fixing my broken bustle, to helping a bridesmaid with her dress, she was a lifesaver. We still get compliments from everyone at our wedding on what an amazing person she was. Thank you so much for making us comfortable, making sure we all had a blast, and capturing all our crazy dance moves!
Christine
Christine Sent on 05/18/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Best decision we made was to hire Mary Ella

Mary Ella is a rockstar. She instantly made us feel comfortable behind the lens and kept us laughing the whole day. Her pictures are creative, interesting and captivating. Our friends and families are still are talking about how amazing she was at wrangling us all for quick pictures throughout our wedding night. I dare you to not want to be best friends by the end of your wedding night. I know I did.
Heather
Heather Sent on 07/27/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding MVP

When I say that Mary Ella was the MVP of our wedding it is not at all an exaggeration. Should you choose to hire her, know that you are getting far more than a photographer. Yes - she does incredibly beautiful work behind the camera, but she was also our biggest hype-woman, an advocate for all the things we wanted for our day, and so much more. When one of my bridesmaids had a wardrobe malfunction minutes before the ceremony (literally...as we were lining up), Mary Ella - calm, cool, and collected as can be - said "I'll just sew her back into it!" And sure enough, with a needle and thread she sewed the dress together in time for the ceremony. When I say this is a truly amazing human and you need to hire her - I mean it. She will look out for you, take advantage of all the best photo opportunities, and will do whatever it takes to make your day unforgettable. I could rave about her for days, but will share just one last story. There was a beautiful oak tree in the center of our venue that Mary Ella and I shared a mutual admiration for. A month before our wedding we found out the tree died and I was devastated. Mary Ella knew how upset I was and made it a point to find another big, beautiful tree on the property to get some shots of my husband and I. She even offered to PhotoShop us under a picture of the original tree if it came down to it. She is amazing and I cannot say enough great things about her. We are so grateful to have shared our day with her.
Nathan
Nathan Sent on 04/26/2021
5 out of 5 rating

A+ photographer who goes above and beyond!

Mary shot our wedding in Philadelphia and engagement photos in Maryland, she was fantastic! She found beautiful ways to photograph us against a cool abandoned brick wall and in a stunning park. Besides Mary's amazing photographic eye, excellent sense of design, and willingness to climb to get “the shot”, what really makes her stand out is her way with people. Mary can get everyone from newborns to nonagenarians to look great, and she captures that beauty perfectly. We cannot recommend Mary highly enough.
M
Mark Sent on 12/16/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Look no further

Not only is Mary Ella an amazing photographer, she is also one of the warmest and kindest people you will ever meet. She is exactly who you want to capture your special moments. My husband and I had a very small ceremony and Mary Ella treated it, as any outstanding photographer should, that it was the most important day ever, because it was. If you want ease, laughter, and some amazing photos at the end of your special day, look no further than Mary Ella.
Chelsea
Chelsea Sent on 12/16/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful photographer, gorgeous photos!

I have been following Mary’s photography for years, as she consistently captures beautiful moments of family’s lives. I got married in November and Mary photographed our wedding and it was incredible!! We never felt self conscious in front of the camera because we were too busy laughing and enjoying ourselves! Mary was kind and friendly to our family and guests, and she even presented creative solutions to help our at-risk family members feel comfortable with socially distant family photos! The pictures we’ve received so far are incredible! We highly recommend Mary to be your photographer, too!
A
Alyssa Sent on 09/17/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Cant recommend Enough!

I cant recommend Mary Ella enough! From start to finish it felt like a close friend taking photos all day! She was so easy going and relaxed which made the day a breeze! I am still staring at all of my wedding photos 4 months later! She captured so many great moments from the morning to afternoon.
C
Christine Sent on 10/24/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Unparalleled talent and creativity

Words cannot expess how delighted we are with Mary. She has done engagement and wedding photos for my son; and engagement photos for my daughter and just shot the wedding a few weeks ago.: to say we feel as though she has become a part of our family is 100% true. The attached preview photos we got a few days after the wedding are just the beginning of what I know will be a breathtaking gallery.
You may find other talented photographers, but Mary’s ability to make her subjects comfortable is priceless. And during the event she is almost invisible, but somehow when you receive the gallery she has gotten every special shot you could ever want. Highly recommend. Also incuded engagement photos and on wedding photo from my son’s wedding.
J
Jessica Sent on 01/07/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Excellent photojournalistis style photography, but even more important to me was her personality. Mary's got a fantastic sense of humor, and really lets you relax during often-times stuffy portraits. She rolled with the punches when I, her contact point and bride, was a smidge late and we were both in different locations at the venue.

I can not praise Mary enough for her relaxed demeanor and ease of contact- our conversations felt like I was gossiping with a friend and she really cared that the right vibe showed throughout our shoot.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

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Mary Ella Jourdak Photography frequently asked questions

Mary Ella Jourdak Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • Albums
  • Digital Files
Mary Ella Jourdak Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • Add'l Hours
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • Albums
  • Digital Files
  • Proofs
Mary Ella Jourdak Photography offers the following photography styles:
  • Contemporary
  • Natural
  • Photojournalism
Mary Ella Jourdak Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Boudoir Shoot
  • Destination / Travel
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • One Event / Day
  • Second Shooter
  • Wedding Portraits
Mary Ella Jourdak Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Albums
  • Canvas
  • Digital Files
  • Matted Prints
  • Prints
  • Proofs
  • Save the Date
  • Thank You Cards
Mary Ella Jourdak Photography is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 5.0, with the same score awarded for quality of service, flexibility, value, professionalism and average response time.
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