July 17, 2015

Love + Zen: Alexa + Stephen

July 17, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Alexa and Stephen are totally awesome. Alexa is a petite and meditative (with a Buddha-like personality) woman from Puerto Rico. She has an awesome Brooklyn accent, and wildly amazing hair. Stephen is originally from Washington state, and is funny and quirky, and still knows how to rock a paperboy hat and suspenders. Their energy from day one of knowing them was rooted in just being, and loving and it shows. Best of all, they were so real, top to bottom. They met while working together at Ruby Tuesdays in Virginia Beach, and fell in love. What is more real than that? Their wedding was crazy fun, and felt like a true celebration of not only their love, but their families as well. They blasted traditional Puerto Rican music far into the night, danced their butts off, and belted in Spanish with fist pumps in the air.

July 03, 2015

Real Couples // Dark Wave Anniversary Photos: The Poes

July 03, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

The Poes are one badass, game-changing couple: she a Surgical Trauma nurse by night and he a University professor of Social Justice by day and goth DJ by night. Their life breathes an unconventional yet genuine aesthetic, remaining 110% true to themselves in everything they do and create in their world together. So naturally for their anniversary shoot they chose some pretty off-beat locations that were meaningful to the Poes if no one else; starting with an abandoned racetrack and ending inside of and on top of the warehouse they used to reside in. This power couple's love remains deep, inspiring and undying.

June 12, 2015

Epic Halloween Surprise Wedding in Washington, DC: Dan + Cecilia

June 12, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

When Dan and Cecilia sat down to plan their wedding, they had a very clear vision of what they did NOT want it to be. When they thought about what they wanted it to be like, they kept coming back to the epic Halloween parties they throw every year. They thought, Why not make our wedding celebration just like one of our amazing Halloween parties? So they did. They moved their ceremony to the day before the party, at the courthouse, with their close family and friends, and then focused the rest of their energy and resources into their epic party- which included lots of awesome halloween decorations like a Dia De Los Muertos paper mache thing to put greetings into, and a skeleton welcoming everyone out front. Some guests even brought them carved pumpkins!

June 05, 2015

Real Couples // Unwedding Photos: Chris + Maegan

June 05, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Chris and Maegan have been together since early college. Chris is an engineer, and Maegan is co-founder of oVertone, a totally badass hair product line for fantasy hair color. They're atheist non conformist intersectional feminists, have two rescue boxers, and love to hike, travel, Netflix binge, and eat as many delicious things as fiscally possible.

May 29, 2015

Real Couples // Heritage + Hometown Richmond Virginia Wedding: Vanessa + Ed

May 29, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Ed and Vanessa are a queer couple that are activists for social justice in the Richmond area. Their wedding was DIY and cost less than $500 including Vanessa's traditional West African wedding dress, jewelry and headpiece. The food was catered by potluck through friends. Vanessa made the gluten-free red velvet wedding cake with cream cheese buttercream frosting with a friend's help with the frosting and decorating with the flowers! A true celebration of love and community!

May 22, 2015

Real Couples // Fort Myers Florida Surprise Wedding: Katie + Ben

May 22, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Katie and Ben opted to ditch the intense scrutiny and judgment of traditional wedding procedures by inviting their nearest and dearest to what the guests believed was, "An over-the-top engagement dinner." On January 24, 2015, a gorgeously sunny day in Southwest Florida, they hosted a dinner at the historic The Veranda in downtown Fort Myers, FL. Before the salads were served, Ben made a small welcome speech to all guests, one that announced they were all there for the couple's wedding. How's that for disrupting the traditional wedding narrative?

April 09, 2015

Let's Launch this Thing! Join us at our PARTY!!

April 09, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Have we said it enough? THANK YOU for backing Catalyst Wedding Magazine and giving us the opportunity to print not just one, but TWO volumes, with the funding from the Kickstarter. We are so jazzed, and we are ready to CELEBRATE!

February 11, 2015

A Letter from Liz: Catalyst is All of Ours

February 11, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Today we are reflecting on the roots of Catalyst. Catalyst is truly an example of putting an intention out into the world and watching it blossom due to the care and love of a community. Carly and I started with a simple idea. We wanted to build and engage an existing community of nontraditional wedding lovers. After we met so many awesome fempreneurs at {un}convention, we wondered: what's next? On a whim, Carly said to me "why don't you quit your job and start a magazine with me?" I said, "Okay." And I did. On Monday, I gave my two weeks' notice, and Carly and I got to work. I'm not usually so impulsive, but there was something about this project that tugged on me, and I needed to see it through. What better way to reach a national (even global) community of diverse, progressive creatives, who love weddings but can't get behind all the traditional trappings of the industry? We knew very little about print media, but we knew lots of talented people. Have you ever looked around you and thought, man I bet my friends could build something awesome. This was one of those times.

January 20, 2015

Catalyst Takes New York // Toasted Wedding Event

January 20, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

One of our most exciting meetings was with Dawn, co-owner of Toasted, a traveling indie bridal show. She and her partner, Tara, started their company in Brooklyn. They've taken the show to Washington, D.C., are currently out West in San Francisco and San Diego, and they'll make their way back to the East Coast for a Boston show and an encore Brooklyn show in the spring.

January 15, 2015

Catalyst Takes New York // Anna Thompson Design

January 15, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

One of the many fantastic people we met with in New York was the graphic designer for Catalyst Wedding Magazine, Anna of Anna Thompson Design. We met her, along with her two sisters, at The East Pole on the Upper East Side for dinner. After chatting about sibling dynamics, we got down to business. Anna will be adding her own flare to the magazine's clean layout, quirkifying some of the pieces with custom graphics.