Real Couples // San Francisco City Hall Resistance Wedding: Thomas + Craig

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Real Couples // San Francisco City Hall Resistance Wedding: Thomas + Craig

The pair was planning an August wedding at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens, but given the current political climate they decided to move up their legal ceremony. I donated this session as a part of Catalyst Wed Co’s movement to support LGBTQ and undocumented couples in the wake of the election. Thomas, Craig, and I gave $500 to the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention for LGBTQ youth, in lieu of the session fee.

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Woke Wednesday // Meet South Carolina Photographer Latoya Dixon Smith

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Woke Wednesday // Meet South Carolina Photographer Latoya Dixon Smith

We sat down with South Carolina Photographer Latoya Dixon Smith to talk about how she balances working full-time as an engineer, running a growing photography business, leading a group for Black women in photography, and being a parent.

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Real Couples // City Hall Elopement: Natalie + Lucie

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Real Couples // City Hall Elopement: Natalie + Lucie

Natalie and Lucie were visiting from London and got in touch with me before their trip because they knew that while here on holiday they wanted to tie the knot. I was not only their photographer, but also their witness at City Hall. They told me they both love architecture, so after their ceremony at City Hall in Manhattan, we went over to Brooklyn and took photos in DUMBO with the Brooklyn Bridge as an awesome backdrop, as well as the rest of the fun feel of the neighborhood. The colorful murals were perfect for their white outfits to pop against! They wanted intimate and romantic mixed with fun, and I think we accomplished that well!

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Catalyst Travels to Brooklyn for the Love Union

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Catalyst Travels to Brooklyn for the Love Union

Have you met Amy Shackelford of Modern Rebel? She owns an awesome alternative event planning company in Brooklyn that partners with nonprofits. That means Modern Rebel donates money to domestic violence, homelessness, and education-based organizations every time her team coordinates an event. She also shares our feminist values, and she invited Catalyst to join her on a panel about feminism and weddings at this year's Love Union, a dreamy week-long staycation and education opportunity for wedding professionals in NYC. It's hosted by 501 Union, a gorgeous venue for weddings and events in the Gowanus neighborhood.

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Real Couples // Coworkers Turned Lovers: Myeshia + Derrick

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Real Couples // Coworkers Turned Lovers: Myeshia + Derrick

We met in Washington, D.C. while working as armed security officers at the U.S. State Department. Both of us worked in the Control Room during most weekends. Those long shifts brought us time and conversation, and I began to fall for his charismatic and funny personality. In December 2012, it was time for me to re-qualify with our work weapons. I knew that he previously helped other officers prepare for their qualification, so I used it as my opportunity to get to know him outside of work. While I failed to inform him that I had already passed my qualification, I mustered up the courage to ask him for his "assistance" anyway.

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Real Couples // Downtown Memphis Wedding: Joe + Andrea

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Real Couples // Downtown Memphis Wedding: Joe + Andrea

As a coach, it's awesome to talk about teamwork, but I think when you exemplify it off the court, the field, the track, etc. that's when you earn the respect of your athletes. Likewise, perhaps the same principle applies to marriage. It's easy to talk about, to say what you should do, but a little bit harder to live out. I've never known Joe and Andrea as anything but a team, and I’d venture to say their approach to marriage is pretty similar to their approach on the basketball court.

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6 Ways to Reduce Anxiety & Stay Present on Your Wedding Day

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6 Ways to Reduce Anxiety & Stay Present on Your Wedding Day

Dear Quyn,

Our wedding is just around the corner, and everything’s starting to pile up! We’re nervous, stressed, and, worst of all, worried that all of this anxiety is going to show up in our photos. How do we stay sane throughout all of this?

Help,

Bundle of Nerves

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Woke Wednesday // Meet Ashley Gaffney Design Studio

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Woke Wednesday // Meet Ashley Gaffney Design Studio

Liz: I love that. When you speak of challenging clients, are you challenging them in specifically creative/design ways? Or are you willing to challenge client's assumptions around race, gender, sexuality, etc.?

Ashley: Yes. I'm constantly fighting the fight to change people's perspectives about people and how we approach them. Talk to them. Have a conversation with them. I speak of "target markets" in regards to connection points. They can be purple, gay, short, whatever...if a person connects to your message, it's because it's been crafted in authenticity, and their micro-qualities don't dictate generality. And the message part is indifferent...truly it's about authentic connections, no matter the person's make-up.

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Real Couples // New York Elopement: Katie + Sylvester

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Real Couples // New York Elopement: Katie + Sylvester

Online two years ago, they both swiped right, despite no written profile. They went out for a quick glass of wine on their first date, but Katie had made dinner plans (as an escape option), not that she really needed them as they got on very well and had quite a bit in common. She was headed to the Cayman Islands for the holidays, and then they lost touch a bit as Sylvester’s matches disappeared! Sylvester remembered what Katie did and found her on LinkedIn; she accepted his request to connect, but she was headed away again skiing in the French alps! He wondered who this jet-setting woman was… Date two was again just a drink (as Katie “conveniently” had dinner plans, again), but Sylvester persevered, and they had a lovely third date at Beauty & Essex on the Lower East Side, followed by ‘pint-size’ glasses of red wine in a nearby hotel lobby. They discovered a photo booth in the basement where they had their first kiss (yes we have the photos still) and the rest is history!

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The Avowed Podcast // Episode 08: Here, There, and Everywhere

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The Avowed Podcast // Episode 08: Here, There, and Everywhere

Jasmine is joined by Katie Stoltz, owner and creator of Venues & Vows, an online marketplace that connects people with a curated collection of privately owned homes, estates, farms, and ranches for their wedding or event. Together they tackle painfully awkward wedding day traditions, being a bridesmaid, invasive questioning from well meaning wedding guests, and why a wedding weekend will always outshine a wedding day.

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Wedding Inspiration // Bohemian Elopement with One on the Way

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Wedding Inspiration // Bohemian Elopement with One on the Way

When Brittany and Alex, owners of SCULPTEDFILMS learned that their family will be expanding come this July, they knew that they had to expand their business as well, because a triple-faceted business is hard enough for a two-person team without anticipating a birth in the middle of wedding season. Cue their new, fabulous second shooter, Brianna, who photographed this shoot. As an exercise to train Brianna, and to show off some SCULPTEDFLORALS, we put this elopement inspiration shoot together about as spontaneously as a real elopement might happen.

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Single, Straight Guys Daydream About Weddings, Too

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Single, Straight Guys Daydream About Weddings, Too

Yep. It is true. I am a single straight guy, and I do in fact dream about my wedding. It is something that I honestly cannot deny, and to that end, I do not feel the need to.In my estimation, weddings are a celebration of experiences, the excitement of future moments shared, and the opportunity to express these recognitions with loved ones that will hopefully continue to have an impression in my partner's and my life. What more could I ask for?

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10 Wedding Desserts That Will Rock Your World

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10 Wedding Desserts That Will Rock Your World

If you're like us, you've been watching the Great British Bake Off in lieu of going to therapy. Well let the dessert therapy continue because we've got ten wedding desserts that are going to knock your socks off! These desserts come to you from some of the most talented teams of creatives across the country who competed in this year's Out of the Box Challenge. Without further ado, let's have a look at our favorites in reverse order:

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Real Couples // Love & Board Games: Alex + Brooke

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Real Couples // Love & Board Games: Alex + Brooke

Brooke and Alexandria are a couple who exude warmth. Spend 2 minutes with them, and you feel like you have known them your entire life. They are a couple whose love grew quickly and deeply, and you could not imagine one without the other. Brooke wanted to surprise Alexandria with a session that captured who they are as a married couple and that included some board games, some cuddling, laughter in spades, and that warmth that just brings you into their story.

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Real Couples // Love Fest at Home: Nina + Josh

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Real Couples // Love Fest at Home: Nina + Josh

Josh: In 2014 Nina had just moved to Tampa from Lakeland. Her first weekend in town we met each other out through some mutual friends. Her sarcastic and goofy attitude instantly caught my attention. Over the next few months we learned more about each other, and in June 2014 we decided to make it official. Over the past three years we have spent time doing things we love to do with each other, like traveling, playing sports, attending sporting events, exercising, playing board games, exploring restaurants/bars, and just being our goofy selves together. Seems like every day we learn something new and interesting about each other. What I love about Nina the most is her intelligence, sense of humor, and her big warm heart. Nina would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. (She's always cold which makes this act even more selfless...lol.)

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Real Couples // A Dinosaur Love Story: Colleen + Alex

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Real Couples // A Dinosaur Love Story: Colleen + Alex

Alex proposed to Colleen in front of the Spinosaurus skeleton at the National Geographic museum in Washington DC. Their wedding date was actually on their seven year anniversary. They really added some very unique personal touches to their wedding day like the birch program scrolls which were made by Alex's mom in honor of his Russian and her Native American heritage. They also included a sage smudging ceremony and instead of the traditional unity candle lighting the couple opted to create a "Unity Cocktail" an Manhattan to be exact! This was just an overall fun wedding to shoot at the Green Point Loft. 

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Out of the Box Challenge // Nasty Women

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Out of the Box Challenge // Nasty Women

Each of our team members is passionate about representing every type of body and every type of love in our visual media. Our models are both tattooed chicks with alternative vibes. One of our lady models is a curvy model with a bangin’ booty, and the other rocks a pixie cut and an incredible chest piece. There are not nearly enough incredible lesbian wedding shoots in the blogosphere—or even on each of our websites. We loved creating relevant visual content that is exciting and fresh for our LGBTQ clients.

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Woke Wednesday // Meet Makeup Artist Brittney Taylor

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Woke Wednesday // Meet Makeup Artist Brittney Taylor

Feminism is touchy for me because I feel it was created (or given the title and taken mainstream) by white women and fails to include black women. Black children, women, and men are my FIRST priority and who I scream the loudest for. So when something puts that second, it's hard for me to carry the title—although I do understand and agree with the views of feminism. I would say I'm an advocate for social justice because I do believe in equality, and I know the system is fucked up. What it all means to me is pulling your head out of the sand and saying, "That's some bullshit, and it's not okay," and then doing whatever you can to change it.

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