September 02, 2016

In-Home Engagement: Trey + Kari

September 02, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

I giggle at my desk writing this and thinking about the first time I met Kari. My now-husband, Sean, and I had just moved into our first apartment together days before. I pulled in the gates and found a giant rent-by-the-hour Home Depot truck horribly parked across the equivalent of four parking spots. I was annoyed that I couldn't get to my parking spot. In fact, I think I went in and told Sean that whoever had rented it had clearly not grown up driving a truck and pulling a horse trailer around (me), but amidst my annoyance Kari come running out of her new apartment with another friend who was helping her move apologizing for her terrible parking job. I couldn't possibly stay irritated.

July 22, 2016

Real Couples // A Story of Fate and Love: Eric + Ramond

July 22, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

So there we were in a pre-shift meeting, neither of us were suppose to be there, but both of us there staring at each other and smiling a lot. We flirted for the entire shift, and went on our first date that night. Jurassic World ;-) We now live together and we couldn't be happier!

July 01, 2016

Real Couples // A Geeky Engagement Session: Lilly + James

July 01, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Lilly and James (yes, really!!) are self-confessed geeks with a love of all things Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Batman, Star Wars, and just about everything else in between. They wanted an engagement session that really reflected who they are, so they opted to do it in Southend-on-Sea, a little English seaside town where Lilly grew up and both she and James spent a lot of time together early on in their relationship. They chose to start at an amazing coffee shop they know called Utopia. It's full of quirky furniture, interesting decor, and the food and coffee is pretty damn good, too. After working their way through a slice of raspberry cake and relaxing a bit more in front of my camera, we strolled over to James' favourite place, the local comic book store, where he could wander around and choose a few of his favourite graphic novels to take home with him. Then, for Lilly, we headed to a bookstore just around the corner where we mooched around opening and sniffing all the new books (aaah!). Finally, we finished by wandering down to the seafront, buying ice creams, and getting a few final shots on the shore.

April 15, 2016

Real Couples // A Motorcycle Engagement: Sarah + Nicole

April 15, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

As a wedding planner, I (Sarah) get asked a lot of etiquette questions, but my mantra is — whatever makes you happy and reflects who you are. As a couple, Nicole and I have applied this to our own wedding planning. We've decided on a destination wedding in Italy (and honestly don't care that we can't legally marry there because our best friend is officiating and the good ole USA has granted us that right) because we like to eat and Nicole says the best meal of her life was in Positano. While I don't mind bigger weddings, for my own, I want to have time to hold each guests hand, look them in the eye and thank them for being a part of our lives. 40 guests makes this totally doable. We focus on our relationship and the love that surrounds us — that's what the heart of a wedding is about!

April 01, 2016

Real Couples // A Mountain Engagement: Jay + Colin

April 01, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

In my time with these two, it was immediately clear they were operating so outside of the expectations of the wedding world. A lot of life still has to happen before they begin to plan the wedding (medical school, jobs, etc.), and during this shoot they were solely focused on enjoying the time they had together rather than stress about a self-imposed wedding deadline. They had a ton of fun showing me up and down the trails, and it was like hanging out with old friends while taking some photos.

February 05, 2016

Real Couples // A Sweet D.C. Engagement: Brigid + Cara

February 05, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

This beautiful Saturday, a chill was in the air, but even more... love was in the air! I was delighted this past spring when Brigid contacted me from Orange County to say that she and Cara (who's from the DC area) were getting married in DC next spring, and would I be their wedding photographer? Heck yes!

January 22, 2016

Real Couples // A Lush Maine Engagement: Jessica + Lauren

January 22, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Lauren and I met through an online dating service ;). Lauren sent me an email to initiate communication, and I was immediately interested after reading her email and profile. Our back-and-forth emails on the first day quickly turned into back-and-forth text messages, and about an hour or so into our conversation Lauren invited me over for dinner the following night. She cooked a complete meal from scratch, including homemade buns for our veggie burgers. Dinner, a friendly board game, and instant chemistry made for the start of our love story.

October 23, 2015

Real Couples // LA Arts District Engagement Session: Alissa + Bethany

October 23, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Alissa and Bethany traveled from Chicago to LA and while they were in town they wanted to do their engagement photos. They had planned out the shoot months in advance and seeing their style, Elmer knew the Los Angeles Arts District would be perfect — a real LA vibe. At the end of the shoot, they went down to the LA river where you can see all the iconic bridges in the background (if you’ve watched any car commercial it’ll look familiar). The thing that stuck out most to Elmer about Alissa and Bethany was the way they got along together: specifically, how Bethany was happy simply seeing Alissa happy. Bethany is apt to do little things to show Alissa she cared for her.

August 21, 2015

Real Couples // Foggy West Virginia Overlook Love Portraits: Rachel + Jeff

August 21, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Rachel and Jeff have forged their love for one another in the mountains. The two met at a friend’s barbecue in Charleston, West Virginia, last summer and have been roaming the woods together ever since. Neither Jeff nor Rachel are West Virginia natives. The two both found themselves settling there when their families relocated from the south—Jeff’s from Louisiana, Rachel’s from Texas. But their spirits are entwined in the state’s mountains and rivers. It seemed like fate when Cassie, a longtime friend of Rachel, woke up one morning to text her about a dream photoshoot at a magical, plateau campground. The two decided to make Cassie’s dream come true the following weekend with a spontaneous photo session in West Virginia’s New River Gorge—home to some of the most beautiful vistas on the East Coast. It has been easy for Rachel and Jeff to begin their journey together in the place they’ve come to call home. We are obsessed with the earnest, not-overly-styled quality of these photos, and how clear their love for each other and their environment is.

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?