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!

liz susong, editor-in-chief at catalyst wedding co.

Photo by Aimee Custis

Want to get to know the people behind Catalyst Wedding Co.? Our Editor-in-Chief Liz is opening up about how she got here, what she wanted to be when she grew up, and what the next big wedding trend should be.

1. You’re the Editor at Catalyst Wed Co. What does that mean to you?

Being the editor of Catalyst means that I have the privilege of providing a platform for unique and diverse voices. Everyone has a story to tell, and I get to witness that story from initial pitch to published-in-print. I also have the opportunity to select a set of stories that I feel harmonize together to tell an even bigger story about what it means to love in this moment in time. AND I WORK IN PAJAMAS.

2. If you had a tagline, what would it be?

#midwestfeminest - because I'm nice but I have OPINIONS.

3. Everyone at Catalyst does a million things. What other work or hobbies do you have on your plate?

Since starting Catalyst two years ago, I’ve lived in five states, so yes, I’ve balanced many other jobs including working as a barista, a yoga instructor, a small business assistant, and a freelance writer. Most recently, I spent four months hiking 1300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail through California with my husband.

4. How did you find/get started at Catalyst?

Carly Romeo found me, and we founded Catalyst because we wanted to explore whether a feminist analysis could have a real impact on the wedding industry. Two years later, I think we are onto something.

5. What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was really little I wanted to be the first woman in Major League Baseball. When I was a teenager I wanted to own a card shop.

6. What did you go to school for?

I got a degree in African Studies and Women’s Studies, and then I went on to do a Masters in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

7. Has failing at something or quitting ever led to success for you?

I was working full-time at a law firm when Carly and I started Catalyst. I really hated that job, and it was a bad fit for my skill set. I quit after only seven months to start Catalyst, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I have so much more self confidence and purpose even though I have less money.