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!
Lauren and Adrian met at her brother’s wedding and even walked down the aisle together as part of the bridal party! They hit it off right away in all their quirky glory. Adrian proposed in Paris on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower with a gorgeous ring he had specially-made for the Disney-loving Lauren (can you see the hidden Mickey Mouse?).
Read MoreNausheen, a marketer from San Jose, and Husam, a consultant from Chicago, were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. They first met in San Francisco and spent countless weekends exploring the city together — which is why they chose San Francisco staples for their engagement shoot locations. They wanted a rustic backdrop focusing on the natural beauty of San Francisco so they picked the redwoods of the Presidio.
Read MoreWe spent a beautiful Friday evening at Hollywood Beach in Chicago, exploring the area with this amazing duo and their adorable pup Floyd. Paul and Keith are so perfect together, and after meeting through mutual friends, these two have been inseparable ever since. Their wedding next year at Promontory Point is undoubtedly going to be one epic celebration!
Read MoreVal proposed to Lawrencia on Valentine’s Day 2013. They were not considered officially engaged until July of 2015, when their families came together to pay and accept the dowries, and their ceremony traditions were performed. Val and Lawrencia met in April 2009 shortly after Val came to the U.S. Val’s sister had just given birth to her first child, and Lawrencia went with a friend to visit her. Val recalls exactly what Lawrencia wore that day and was immediately attracted to her, although he made no attempt to ask her out. Within moments of being introduced to each other, they had an in-depth conversation about their passions, goals, values and future endeavors, and they quickly discovered they had a lot in common.
Read MoreKelly and Tom met during Lollapalooza weekend at exactly this spot in 2013, so this location was very important to him. On a perfectly crisp November afternoon, we met at Buckingham Fountain under the guise of maternity photos. I began their session just as I would any other. Focusing on that sweet bump, a few on her own, a few of them together. Until we made it around to "the spot".
Read MoreIvan got in touch with me a week before his trip to Chicago, with his girlfriend, Fara. They had a fun agenda planned for their weekend getaway, and the Midwest welcomed them with some amaaaazing weather AND a memorable, busy/buzzing city...celebrating the Cubs' achievement of making it to the World Series! Though, I'm sure that will be the last thing they remember about their time in Chicago, ha!
Read MoreWhat a pair! Manny and Neiba met one night at an ugly sweater party. His first impression was not the greatest, but Neiba gave him the benefit of the doubt and eventually the two began dating. Shortly after, Manny deployed to Afghanistan, and it was during their time spent apart that their relationship blossomed. He told me, “It was hard to think about life without her.” Soon after returning from deployment Manny decided to propose. He wanted to ask her to marry him in front of the one who brought them together, so after a Wednesday night service at River of Life Church, Manny got down on one knee and proposed. Neiba was completely surprised, and with tears running down her face she said "DUH!"
Read MoreKaylen and I actually met through Tinder. I was living in College Station, and she was stationed at Fort Hood. We talked for a few months, every day all day, before Kaylen drove two hours to come meet me back in the summer of 2014. We hit it off right away. She was different from anyone I had ever met and I was surely different for her. Kaylen was so unique, and I had never met anyone who was so grounded yet so beautiful inside and out. She was serious most of the time, and most of my friends didn't understand what I saw in her, but they didn't see what I saw under that tough skin. Now, all of our friends say they don't know a more perfect and lovable couple.
Read MoreSpring and Jayni have been together six years and just recently got engaged. They met in Silverlake, so the nearby Echo Park Lake seemed like the perfect fit for their photo shoot. Spring proposed to Jayni by orchestrating a choreographed "dance" to try together, starting with them facing opposite directions and when Jayni turned around, Spring was down on one knee. We met for their shoot in Echo Park the day before the Spring Equinox, so the days were getting longer and the sun didn't set 'til 7pm. Spring is a musician, but rather than bring along her guitar, she opted for an adorable (and more portable) red ukulele for a serenade in the park.
Read MoreJeremy and Sean’s friendship began in college. Actually, Sean took Jeremy to his audition room when he auditioned to get into The University of the Arts. They became friends during Jeremy’s freshman year, and their relationship began the next year. They fell in love with each other and became an inseparable pair. Jeremy brought Sean home to his family not too far away from school and Sean brought Jeremy home to Georgia. On the day they moved into their first apartment together, Sean popped the question surrounded by candles, rose petals, flowers, and with a ring in his hand. A few months later, Jeremy popped the question and gave Sean his ring. Since then, they have been very much enjoying their engagement and loving planning their wedding. The big day is this October and they could not be more excited. They fall more in love with each other every day and are lucky to call each other their best friends.
Read MoreAmanda and Lauren met about seven years ago when they were both teaching in Mississippi. They became fast friends and were friends for several months before they realized and admitted that they were crazy about each other.
Read MoreWhen Felisity saw Laine for the very first time, the word "home" immediately came to mind. There was something that felt familiar about this vivacious actress with the killer smile and fun-loving spirit. And for Laine, Felisity's sense of adventure and affectionate personality inspired her to chase new experiences. During hiking trips and romantic in-home dates, Laine and Felisity fell in love without thinking twice. The way that they look at one another says everything about their relationship. Their engagement session on Missouri's Eleven Point River was the perfect fit for their personalities and created some of the most emotional images I have ever shot.
Read MoreWe met at a bar. Rachel's friend bailed but she decided to go out anyways so she was standing by the wall. I walked past her at first but stopped and turned around to talk to her for some reason. Neither of us were expecting to meet anyone that night; neither of us were looking for a relationship at that point actually, but we started hanging out constantly after that night and we've basically been together ever since.
Read MoreSally and Sophia are two incredibly fun and in-love individuals who made the trek [twice] to Charlottesville from their home in Washington, DC. Due to some crazy winter temperatures (10 degrees, plus 20 mph wind chill) we ended up postponing the original session date and, instead, met up for a delicious brunch at The Clifton Inn. Many amusing stories were told, along with much discussion over some recent movie theater experiences.
Read MoreTaymah and Brittany traveled to Seattle from Chicago for a summer getaway and wanted some portraits done together in front of the Seattle skyline. I took them to one of the best spots to get romantic views of Seattle, Gas Works Park. Little did Brittany know, though, that Taymah had something else extra special in mind. She snuck a diamond ring in their bag and gave me the signal when she was ready to drop to one knee and propose to Brittany right there in front of the perfect Seattle backdrop. I had Brittany facing the other way, and when she turned back around to see Taymah holding out a ring she could not believe her eyes. Their smiles for the rest of the evening say it all. Their love and joy with one another easily spreads to everyone around them, and the glow in their photos does not just come from the sun.
Read MoreBen and Paul wanted to keep their engagement session casual yet classy and chose to contrast their dapper looks with the more industrial feel of the borough of Queens — in particular the Queensboro Bridge in Long Island City and Hells Gate Bridge in Astoria Park. Additionally, they finagled their way into a badass view of Manhattan by utilizing their wedding hotel's rooftop deck (Ravel Hotel) for their engagement session, avoiding the need to shell out any extra funds for an exclusive location. They made sure their tailoring was bold and vibrant to celebrate their ability to marry. They got engaged shortly after the repeal of DOMA, and their backgrounds are in theater.
Read MoreJoe and Joey met in a nontraditional way through an online app. They had talked to each other for a month before meeting up and totally clicked when they learned that they share a mutual love for all things pharmacy. It was on a whim that they decided to meet for their first date, and in full first date fashion, trying to impress his date, Joey decided to not wear his glasses. Unfortunately, that completely backfired because the menu was on the wall. He thought he had just made a fool of himself but Joe simply laughed it off and said, "How cute are you?" In that moment, Joey realized he could be completely himself around Joe, and they have been inseparable ever since and will officially be tying the knot on October 1st, 2016 in Richmond, VA.
Read MoreI met Yewande “Yeye” and Colin through a referral. Our initial email connection almost got lost because of that very important "@" but we finally connected. The two met in school and have seen been inseparable since then.
When stars align, they do it perfectly.
Read MoreTwo women from seemingly opposite worlds, a lawyer and an artist fell in love. From first meeting, it was obvious to me how much Kristen and Laura cared for each other. It's the gentle, soft kind of love you can notice from how they speak to each other. They chose to have their engagement photos taken at the Chickamauga National Battlefield, a national park in North Georgia near Chattanooga, TN. The park boasts lots of beautiful fields for roaming with their pup, Bartlett. We had a blast chasing the evening light.
Read MoreWe met during college; Michelle was a freshman, and I was a sophomore. We were introduced through a mutual friend at a party, and it didn't take long for us to start dating. Six years, a cross-country move, and an engagement debacle later, we are now in the midst of wedding planning. Debacle in this case meaning an adorable story of how we were on the exact same page at the same time.
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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!
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