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!

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing cobalt celestial invitation suite Ariel Kaitlin Photography

4he Barn at Reynolda Village Wedding Photos.jpg

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing two brides in wedding dresses with bouquets Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing two brides in wedding dress and jumpsuit with bouquets Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing two brides in wedding dress and jumpsuit in front of greenhouse Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing two brides in wedding dress and jumpsuit kissing in front of greenhouse Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing two brides in wedding dress and jumpsuit dancing in front of barn Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing bride in wedding dress holding bouquet Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing bride in wedding jumpsuit holding bouquet Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing two brides leaning in for kiss at head reception table Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing cobalt blue and gold moon menu and table setting Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing cobalt blue and gold table setting Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing cobalt blue and gold star menu and table setting Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing floral centerpiece on blue purple and gold head reception table Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing floral centerpiece on head reception table Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing autumnal floral arrangement above barn door Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Celestial and Geode wedding inspiration in Winston Salem NC showing geode blue and gold wedding cake on reception table Ariel Kaitlin Photography

Photos by Ariel Kaitlin Photography. Words by Erica Greenwold, as told to Amber Marlow.

Inspired by celestial elements, geodes, and gemstones, we set out to create a photoshoot that captured these trends in a new and unique light. Erica, our wedding planner has been a longtime collector of gems and minerals, a hobby she shares with her dad and sister. She wanted to incorporate some of her collection into the decor of the shoot, but also as inspiration for a geode cake. The concept for the photoshoot came into clarity when Kasey from Revelry + Heart shared her progress on a celestial inspired invitation suite that she was working on as a portfolio piece to experiment with different media for her stationery. From there we reached out to a few other vendors to participate who shared our values and those who we could support as they got their start, such as Uniquely.U Bridal and Formalwear, a black-woman owned bridal salon that just opened last month in Holly Springs, NC. The team for this shoot was inspirational in itself and we were happy to keep it focused and small so that our values and design aesthetic could remain a key factor throughout.

For the florals, Erica was inspired by modern, minimalist garden style arrangements and included some atypical textural and dried elements along with fresh summer florals sourced from local farms. Our color palette was a lot of fun to work with, blending rich blues and purples with neutral, gray, black, and blush... and even some dark red accents through the florals and foliage we used.

The geode cake was something that Erica had always wanted to try her hand at making, and an amateur baker, it was an artistic challenge she looked forward to for a long time!