October 13, 2017

Same-Sex Brooklyn Wedding Inspiration - with Sprinkles!

October 13, 2017/ Old American Can Factory/ Catalyst Wedding Co

It's not very often that a new venue pops up in Brooklyn. The American Can Factory in Brooklyn is just that. It's a work-space turned exposed-brick-dream-wedding-venue on the weekends. We snagged it to feature this gorgeous real life couple, Alexia and Charm.

Charm, a Texan, is a new NYC transplant, and Alexia is a born and bred New Yorker. They're planning to get married in the near future, and they thought, why not try it out before the real thing? We happily obliged by planning them a day that reflected them, their love, and NYC vendors who celebrate LGBTQ love stories.

March 23, 2017

Out of the Box Challenge // Richmond Association of Boss Babes AKA Girls! Girls! Girls!

March 23, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Our goal for this shoot was to have fun and highlight color and love! Our theme was Girls! Girls! Girls!, and we were able to put together an amazing team of women, The Richmond Association of Boss Babes. We thought, what would a real life couple do when they woke up together on the day of their wedding? Morning sex, obviously! Boudoir images are usually just of one woman, and even less often do you see images of lesbian boudoir featuring an actual couple. We wanted to capture our girls in their element, being themselves together, whether that was dressed or undressed.

March 16, 2017

Out of the Box Challenge // Diamonds & Pearls

March 16, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

It didn’t take our team long to get to a point where we felt like we were bending and molding to a pre-existing set of norms surrounding what a wedding is “supposed” to look like. Here we were, a group of incredibly intelligent and progressive women trying to change The Conversation, hitting up against a wall because, as one of the brilliant minds on the team commented, “trying to create something and perform according to the rules of the ‘typical wedding fantasy’ really doesn’t feel very queer at all.”

February 28, 2017

Out of the Box Challenge // Uncommon Goods

February 28, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Play. The idea of play is a form of connection, to each other and to their surroundings. We kept saying that in their world it would rain confetti. The wedding bouquet was edible. Hot pink and bold shapes. Swings, bubbles, ribbons, a hot pink bamboo altar, laughs, confetti frozen into ice, play. Anywhere you go in the world the happiest people you see are often the ones that know how to play, whatever that looks like to each person. It was fun. It was also fun to gather a group of dynamic, female, artists in the area to create together for the first time.

November 17, 2016

Feminist Photo Vacay // 60s Mod Elopement: Yazmin + David

November 17, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Carly Romeo, co-founder of Catalyst Wed Co. recently planned Feminist Photo Vaycay, which is a blend of relaxation and creative exploration. Over the course of three days, fifteen photographers descended on the desert (well, a house in Palm Springs) and talked shop, took photos of each other, and had access to four professionally-styled shoots with themes that spanned the genres of boudoir, editorial, weddings, and couples' portraiture. But more than giving photographers a chance to shoot genres that they don't usually work within, the shoots were intentionally diverse – featuring multicultural models and same-sex couples – and representative of the diversity of clients they all seek to serve. The results were spectacular: they pushed themselves creatively, they shot in pools and on top of mountains, and they practiced and shared technical skills. Oh, and the photos turned out awesome.

March 16, 2016

Out of the Box Challenge // Featured Team: Jax Kicks Ass

March 16, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

The original idea behind team Jax Kicks Ass' shoot was a Peter Pan theme: a combination of whimsy, magical and urban. After a couple of last minute set backs and the unpredictable rainy weather on the shoot day, the team was forced to revamp and improvise with the tools each vendor was left with at their disposal. Fortunately, the clouds seemed to lend themselves to the candlelit, romantic warmth created inside this urban warehouse, which wound up creating the magical vibe the team intended for in the first place.

March 14, 2016

Out of the Box Challenge // Featured Team: Fembots Have Feelings Too

March 14, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Our aim was to create a styled shoot that focused more on emotion and the narrative experience of planning a marriage than simply the glitz and staged still life that is the norm for styled shoots. We partnered with a real life couple to tell the story of what happens when a couple becomes engaged, endures the stress of early planning, and then decides to be true to themselves and elope. We wanted to create inspirational images unlike those we'd seen before, such as a woman proposing to her male partner, and the honesty of the "fuck it, let's elope" scene. In sum, we hope that our imagery pleases in not only an aesthetic way that shows off awesome details such as the Ash & Light sequined dress, but that it also hits an emotional chord and rings true about the underlying experience and significance of the wedding planning process.

March 07, 2016

Out of the Box Challenge // Featured Team: Endor

March 07, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

My experience with OOTB actually turned into a personal affirmation of what moves me to make photographs of couples. Real love. It's so simple sometimes that I do occasionally question myself! But seriously — two people in love are an overlooked marvel. There is so much pressure in this industry to present weddings as this elaborate tableau vivant — immaculate people having immaculate parties. Gorgeous? Yes. My cup of tea? Nope. Give me flower confetti and a side ache from laughing too hard any day.

February 24, 2016

Out of the Box Challenge // Featured Team: Love From The Windy City

February 24, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Last month, we hosted our first-ever Out of the Box Challenge, a styled shoot challenge similar to the cooking show Chopped. We had nine teams from across the country compete, and we sent them boxes of mystery items including dresses from Ash and Light, Celia Grace, and Urban Set Bride along with accessories from Kerry Ann Stokes and Wood Thumb. Our first and second place winners will be featured in Volume Three of Catalyst Wedding Magazine and all the other teams will be featured here over the next three weeks! We are extremely proud of all the teams and their hard work (and beautiful photos)!