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!
In some Indian weddings, brides walk down the aisle with their close family and friends under a “bed of flowers.” This is something I envisioned for my own wedding, however, it was hard to find such a frame in Hong Kong. Therefore, James did a bit of research on how it looks, picked up blocks of wood, hard string, and an array of flowers, and constructed the frame from scratch.
Read MoreFor the ceremony, I wore all traditional jewelry, except for the finger rings and the nose ring because it was too much jewelry for me. I don't normally wear jewelry and they were a bit uncomfortable. I wore a maang tikka on my forehead, which I loved, a few heavy diamond necklaces and earrings, ankle bracelets, and red and white bangles, which are the traditional wedding colors. We exchanged not only rings but also Mangal Sutras (diamond and black onyx necklaces bought in India) during the ceremony. We also got wedding Henna or Mehndi done before leaving LA on our hands and feet. It took hours to be applied and we had to sit still and sleep without rubbing it off so it would stain as dark as possible, which was so hard! As is the tradition we got each other's first name initial hidden in our Henna and during the first look we had to find it on each other.
Read MoreWe had a traditional Indian wedding. Growing up I always dreamed to have an Indian wedding, wearing the beautiful dresses and having beautiful ceremonies. I didn't realize what extent these traditions went to, which got frustrating at one point, but it was all worth it at the end! As the bride, my wedding time frame with all the ceremonies (Jagoo, Miyan and Henna night) consisted of four days in total, where some brides celebrate anywhere from four to seven days! I was happy with just four days.
Read MoreRyan and Jessica are some of the kindest people you will ever meet. They first met in the fall of 2011 at Texas A&M University. When they met at Schuhmacher Hall, Jessica thought Ryan was super weird. They became close friends almost immediately, so Jessica was also probably a little weird in her own right. From late night studying and dinners at Sbisa to playing in the rain on campus and cheering on the fightin' Texas Aggie football team, Ryan and Jessica realized there was something special between them and eventually started dating. Ryan loved Jessica for a long time and waited patiently for her to finish nursing school before they got married.
Read MoreCrystal and Jimmy met in the gym. Jimmy approached Crystal to show her how to use a piece of equipment, and that's how it all started. Crystal and Jimmy even decided to do their engagement session in the gym where they met, as that's a special place to them.
Crystal is the most down-to-earth bride that I have ever worked with. She is easy going and relaxed. For instance, she prioritized comfortable shoes for her and her maid of honor to wear on the wedding day, as comfort is very important to her. Jimmy is East Indian, and Crystal adopted the tradition of getting henna hand painting for the wedding.
Read MoreThese two handmade gowns are handmade by an Indian street vendor who knows the model's mom, and all of the jewelry is authentic Indian decorative wear and collected by the model's family.
Read MoreTrupti and Patrick met a few years ago at work. They got to chatting over Star Wars, and the rest (as they say) is history. Their friendship grew into romance, and eventually they adopted a cat and a fluffy white puppy. Getting married was in the stars. We had the honor of photographing their wedding. It was extra special to us, as the bride and groom are friends of mine. The rain came and went during the day, and a few thunder rumbles added a bit of extra drama to the tented outdoor ceremony. But nothing could ruin this day (not even a terrible mishap with a safety pin in the bride’s sari). Just look at their faces, and it is plain as day: these two are madly in love. Their wedding was beautiful, the food was amazing, and it really was difficult to pick a favorite between Trupti’s traditional Indian attire and the stunning white wedding dress she changed into for the reception.
Read MoreThese two had a very traditional two-day celebration filled with modern elements, so much color, and love. On the first day they hosted the Mehndi Ceremony and Nikah Ceremony. The Mehndi Ceremony is when the bride gets her hands and feet painted in henna. The patterns are completed with intricate details, and she sports them for the rest of the ceremonies. The Nikah Ceremony is the traditional signing of the marriage contract. The couple repeats the word qabul, which means "I accept" in Arabic three times to demonstrate they are freely marrying each other. The Shaddi Ceremony is the actual wedding day. They held a huge reception and at the end of the night performed the traditional giving away of the bride. The bride's family walks them to their get away car and reflects on the joining of their new families.
Read MoreThese two are incredibly in love. From their tearful first look to their romantic vows, Robie and Shaun's wedding took our breath away. Their reception was definitely a celebration of both their cultures and the support of their loved ones. There was even a Filipino Candle Dance and a choreographed number straight out of Bollywood! What an awesome night!
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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!
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