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!

Brandy & Conley (lovingly referred to as Bronley) are one of the most amazing couples I've ever met. Their wedding day was gorgeous and memorable for so many reasons. These two are very dear friends of mine, so photographing their celebration was already an honor. Everything about their celebration magnified just how much these two love each other and their friends and family, as well as what an incredible and caring support system they have. The ceremony was held at a local park that overlooked the city. Brandy & Conley said this was really important for them, because they could come back and visit the spot where they said their vows anytime they wanted. The reception was hosted by a fabulous drag queen and one of their friends did a pole dance performance in the middle of the dance floor that left everyone with their jaws on the floor. Many people at the wedding didn't know that Conley had started transitioning (including his Father), and it was a beautiful moment to see Conley called by his chosen name for the first time in such a public yet intimate setting. Everything was uniquely Bronley. No bullshit, just awesomeness, tons of laughter, and lots and lots of love.

Photos and Words by Shawnee of A Lovely Photo

SHAWNEE CUSTALOW

Shawnee is a queer feminist photographer and the creative eyes behind the lens of A Lovely Photo. She likes to genuinely get to know her couples and has been known to bust a move on the dance floor with them on more than one occasion. She strives to capture those in-between fleeting moments of the day that tend to reveal more about a celebration and couple than a stiffly posed portrait ever could.