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!

Cydney + Lauren // Mountain Elopement from Evergreen Era Films on Vimeo.

Bride in white unlacing Kenneth Cole blue suede shoes outside in the North Carolina Mountains Evergreen Era Films

Brides getting dressed together on a mountainside in North Carolina Evergreen Era Films

Bride buttoning their brides white lace dress in Asheville NC mountains Evergreen Era Films

Brides smiling together in a mountain forest in North Carolina Evergreen Era Films

Brides with backpacks holding hands and hiking through a forest in Asheville North Carolina Evergreen Era Films

Brides wearing backpacks kissing in the forest of North Carolina mountains Evergreen Era Films

Brides wearing backpacks hiking in the mountains of Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides sharing an intimate moment and kissing deep in the woods of mountainous Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides wearing backpacks kissing in a forest outside Asheville North Carolina Evergreen Era Films

Brides holding hands and walking along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides walking along a rocky mountain at sunrise in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides holding each other and kissing at a Blue Ridge Mountain lookout in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides with their arms around each other overlooking the sunrise on the Mountains of Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides walking along a mountainside while one hold’s the other’s dress train in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides reading each other their vows in the woods of Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Same sex couple reading wedding vows in a green thicket on a mountain in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Lesbian couple about to kiss after reading vows on a mountain in North Carolina Evergreen Era Films

Same sex couple holding hands wearing wedding attire in the North Carolina Mountains Evergreen Era Films

Brides holding each other and smiling surrounded by greenery on a mountainside in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Newlywed brides sitting on a large mountain rock drinking tea from a thermos in Asheville NC Evergreen Era FIlms

Brides sitting together on a mountainside drinking out of camping mugs in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Wedding couple sitting on a rock holding camping mugs in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

One bride drinking from camping mug and one bride smiling at them and holding mug in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Two brides in wedding attire wearing backpacks and hiking sneakers on a mountain in Asheville NC Evergreen Era Films

Brides wearing backpacks and wedding attire hiking a mountainside in Asheville North Carolina Evergreen Era Films

Words, photos, and video by Kathryn Ray of Evergreen Era Film + Photo.

I have been calling the styled shoots I've done lately "not-so-styled shoots". As a videographer and photographer who specifically works with couples who dread the idea of a big, traditional wedding with stressful expectations, I instead help them to have an elopement day that is unique, adventurous, and true to who they are.

This shoot shows couples that they can get married in nature with very simple details and no other pressures. Lauren and Cydney are already married, and are hikers and outdoor lovers already, so I thought they would be the perfect fit for this shoot. I particularly wanted to show that all couples are welcome in outdoor spaces. A lot of the outdoor adventure elopement industry is full of heterosexual white presenting couples and I knew that when I moved into the outdoor elopement space, I wanted to continue to represent all couples (and especially those frequently underrepresented in the outdoor industry) as much as possible.

We woke up in the early morning when it was still dark, drove down a long gravel road and started hiking up the trailhead before the sun rose. As we were hiking up we started to see the horizon line glowing pink. We made it to the top just in time for the beautiful alpenglow on the mountains. Lauren and Cydney got ready together, and re-read their vows from their original wedding day. We sat around with warm drinks, chatting and enjoying the view, and then hiked back down the mountain together.

We decided to have no florals and didn't have any type of cake, but since we hiked up in the dark to catch the sunrise, we had warm tea and coffee to celebrate. This is a beautiful private spot in the mountains where I knew the couple would have a quiet space to enjoy each others’ company while taking in a beautiful view at sunrise with alpenglow.