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!

My first time to Philadelphia was this past summer, and while I spent a mere few hours with some favorite wedding photographers, I got a glimpse into why people love the City of Brotherly Love. There is so much to explore, it’s no wonder couples love being united in Philly. Did you know in the state of Pennsylvania, you can opt for a Quaker wedding — a ceremony that does not require an officiant?! Self-uniting Quaker ceremonies allow couples to take control of their union, and it’s seriously awesome.

Read more to find out what Philadelphia couples are loving!

1. Architecture and City Life

2. Museums Make For Beautiful Venues

Video by Josh Gooden

3. PA Couples on Average Date Longer (3.5 Years)

4. The Beautiful Poconos

5. Quaker Weddings Are Available in Pennsylvania

6. The City Has Its Own Neighborhood Dedicated to LGBTQIA+ Folx (the Gayborhood!)

7. Philadelphia Is Big on Art

8. A Beautiful Place to Merge History with New Beginnings

JAMIE CARLE

Jamie is the owner of Jamie Carle Photography and resides in Vancouver, WA. Their background was always in videography. They were an AV nerd in high school and president of their school video club. When college came, Jamie decided to major in graphic design and put video second. They became pregnant — and knowing they’d be a single parent — they made the choice to put off school while they worked, scraped, and saved. One way Jamie was able to stay creative and sane was photography. Through thousands of photos of their baby, Jamie was able to keep doing something really special.

Jamie found a new passion and moved from their own child to other children, which then expanded into all kinds of family portraiture. Jamie was asked if they offered wedding services, and at the time was floored. Jamie became a second shooter for another photographer and learned some ins and outs of the wedding business. This has since become their favorite thing to do — capture love and tell your story.