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!

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. After my lesson at the range, I offered to show him my gratitude with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. While we were eating, we started talking about our past relationships. I asked him what he looked for in a partner, and he said "someone like you." I followed by letting him know that I had a crush on him as well. That evening led to three years of love, laughter, and travel, and finally, marriage.

Photos by Kathy of Love & Adventure Photography

Love & Adventure Photography Washington DC Wedding

Vendors

Wedding Venue: Josephine Butler Parks Center

Florist: Barbara Von Elm of Growing Wild Floral Company

DJ: James Taylor courtesy of The Intruders' and WPFW's DJ Captain Fly

Dress Designer: Pronovias

Dress Shop: Pronovias NYC

Suit Designer: Joseph Abboud

Suit Shop: Men's Wearhouse

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts Cakes

Caterer: Catering by Seasons

Videographer: Marshall Levy of Maverick Productions

Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas

Meet Kathy of Love & Adventure Photography: Kathy has been behind the camera since she was 13 years old. She lived in the dark room creating dramatic landscape images. She received a degree in photography from Towson University and went on to actually work in the field after graduation. Kathy was part of the team that developed the PhotoPass at Walt Disney World. She worked for Disney for eight years in both event management and photography. In 2008, Kathy moved back to Maryland and started her own photography business.

Kathy has photographed almost 500 weddings in her career all over the world. This past November she photographed a wedding in Antarctica. When she is not shooting weddings she is traveling all over the world concentrating on photographing wildlife in its natural habitat before it is gone.

Kathy got married to the love of her life in 2011 in New Orleans. They picked New Orleans because it's customary to have a parade with your wedding. She has no kids but two adorable dogs, and fish. She is looking to start raising chickens this summer.

Kathy is a lover of life and adventure and is always looking for couples who are adventurous and creative to work with for their weddings.