Real Weddings, Advice, & Inspiration

Catalyst Wedding Company highlights weddings by and for game-changers. We seek to amplify and empower voices and viewpoints that are usually missing from the Wedding Industrial Complex. We're a community of badass wedding professionals who love all things funky, fresh, diverse, unique, and personality-driven; we convene twice yearly for (un)convention, a collaborative workshop, styled shoot, and dinner party. We're also the publishers of Catalyst Wedding Mag, a resource for couples looking for inspiration and affirmation that doing things differently in wedding-world is not only ok, it's wonderful!

Tricia and Molly met and fell in love in an unconventional and completely 21st century way: on an online dating website. They shouldn’t have met, but their combined fates could not be stopped by the 10 mile radius set by Tricia. They decided on a small wedding at the Norfolk Courthouse to keep the most important people involved in their wedding day, opting for immediate family only. Tricia recalls the day of the ceremony being stressful yet glorious. One of Molly’s favorite moments was on the way to their honeymoon in the Outer Banks, rocking out to Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, their unofficial wedding song. Tricia’s favorite moment was having dinner with their families, while enjoying the aura of love. Currently, Molly is an Auto Damage Adjuster and Tricia is a banquet server by day and rockstar bassist by night for the band Blue Ribbon. They live in the Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia with their cat ShiShi.

Words and photography by Shawnee Custalow, A Lovely Photo

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography embrace in front of mural

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography bride, brides together, and ring

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography brides' feet by triangle painted on sidewalk and bouquet

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography necklace detail, kiss, smiling family member, bouquet

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography pictures with families

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography brides with their families

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography holding hands in front of mural, kiss, sitting on log bench

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography man with little girl and couple holding hands

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography grinning couple

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography kiss in front of mural and couple in front of mural

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography walking down street, kiss on cheek, and couple in front of mural

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography holding hands and couple in front of mural

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography couple in front of murals

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography individual brides and kiss

A Lovely Photo Wedding Photography couple in front of mural reading "we can create"

SHAWNEE CUSTALOW

Shawnee Custalow is the lovely lady behind the lens of A Lovely Photo. Shawnee prides herself on getting to know each and every one of her couples and what they are passionate about in order to capture the true authenticity of their personalities in each hilarious, emotional, beautifully real moment of their big day.