Mariah Rusch, a talented 23-year-old wedding photographer, videographer, and creative entrepreneur from Merrill, Wisconsin, passed away on Monday, July 13, 2026. Known throughout the region as the founder and creative force behind ML Creative, Mariah was a passionate artist who dedicated her life to capturing the love stories of couples across the Midwest. Her sudden passing comes less than a year after celebrating her beautiful wedding to the love of her life, Brandon Rusch, on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Merrill Town Hall. A vibrant spirit who found beauty in everything, Mariah leaves behind an enduring legacy of art, warmth, and deep community connection.
The Information Gain: Capturing Love Through ML Creative
While local residents knew Mariah as a warm, farm-raised Wisconsin native, the regional creative community knew her as a brilliant, self-made entrepreneur. Mariah launched her business, ML Creative, in 2022 as a digital marketing venture while working a full-time job. Her natural eye for visual storytelling quickly transformed the side project into a highly sought-after, full-time creative hub by January 2024.
Mariah combined her digital marketing expertise with a deep-seated passion for wedding and lifestyle photography. She specialized in capturing candid, dreamy, and authentic moments for couples on their most important days. In her own words, she described her business as a true “labor of love” and felt incredibly fortunate to spend her days creating physical art with the people and local businesses she aligned with.
Context and Background: A Life Rooted in Creative Joy
Growing up on a farm in Merrill, Mariah developed a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors, volleyball, and the cozy, pine-tree-lined landscapes of northern Wisconsin. After graduating from high school in 2020, she studied digital marketing in college while managing social media for a local boutique and coffee shop—a formative experience that sparked both her business trajectory and her legendary love for local coffee shops (especially iced oat milk vanilla lattes).
Beyond her professional achievements, Mariah was a true multi-disciplinary creative. She was an avid reader of fantasy and thrillers, an interior design enthusiast with a signature cozy, vintage decor style, and a dedicated writer who had spent seven years writing and revising her own novel.
Personal Life and Legacy: Brandon and Little Oslo
At the center of Mariah’s world was her family. On October 25, 2025, she married her soulmate, Brandon Rusch, surrounding herself with family, friends, and colleagues during a beautiful autumn celebration at the Merrill Town Hall.
The couple shared their cozy home in Merrill with their beloved miniature golden retriever, Oslo. Whether she was traveling to beautiful new forests, binging her favorite shows wrapped in cozy blankets, or exploring a new Wisconsin coffee shop, Mariah approached life with a rare, infectious gratitude. Her legacy survives through the countless love stories she beautifully preserved in her photographs and the warm, artistic light she brought to the Merrill community.