Unexpected and emergency expenses crop up in almost every wedding, and that’s why the experienced wedding pros in our vendor directory encourage all couples to have a wedding contingency fund.

It’s a regular question couples have as they’re creating their guest list: Should kids be invited to the wedding? The answer isn’t a simple one, because whether or not kids are a good fit for your wedding day depends on a number of factors.

I love suggesting micro-weddings to couples on a tight budget or couples who don’t want to deal with the emotional labor of planning a highly detailed wedding. Micro-weddings are small celebrations that don’t skimp on style but do cut a majority of the costs. But there are a few other benefits to having a tiny wedding, as well.

Christopher Shelley has a new book out: Best. Ceremony. Ever.

He wrote this book for the friends of the couples that ask him to officiate their ceremonies. I read it expecting it to be straight forward and factual. In reality, I was laughing out loud as I went through (awkward, because I was on a flight!) and couldn’t wait to get back to New York to call him.

This is our interview.

If you're looking for gifts for your wedding party that aren't going to wind up in a landfill next year, these ten wedding party gift ideas, thoughtfully curated, are sure to be a hit.

Pick one or or two things to gift along the way, or stuff a tote bag (there's one listed here) full of everything for an over-the-top gift bag to present to the folks who are getting you through.

Have you met Amy Shackelford of Modern Rebel? She owns an awesome alternative event planning company in Brooklyn that partners with nonprofits. That means Modern Rebel donates money to domestic violence, homelessness, and education-based organizations every time her team coordinates an event. She also shares our feminist values, and she invited Catalyst to join her on a panel about feminism and weddings at this year's Love Union, a dreamy week-long staycation and education opportunity for wedding professionals in NYC. It's hosted by 501 Union, a gorgeous venue for weddings and events in the Gowanus neighborhood.

Online two years ago, they both swiped right, despite no written profile. They went out for a quick glass of wine on their first date, but Katie had made dinner plans (as an escape option), not that she really needed them as they got on very well and had quite a bit in common. She was headed to the Cayman Islands for the holidays, and then they lost touch a bit as Sylvester’s matches disappeared! Sylvester remembered what Katie did and found her on LinkedIn; she accepted his request to connect, but she was headed away again skiing in the French alps! He wondered who this jet-setting woman was… Date two was again just a drink (as Katie “conveniently” had dinner plans, again), but Sylvester persevered, and they had a lovely third date at Beauty & Essex on the Lower East Side, followed by ‘pint-size’ glasses of red wine in a nearby hotel lobby. They discovered a photo booth in the basement where they had their first kiss (yes we have the photos still) and the rest is history!

In this follow up to "Love is Love" Jasmine questions New York City Wedding Photographer Amber Marlow about what it was like to go through a divorce, dating, and second marriage while working in the wedding industry.

Jasmine speaks with New York City wedding photographer Amber Marlow about how she creates an elopement experience, the centering of whiteness in our wedding culture, eviscerating the seeds of intolerance, and being aggressively authentically yourself. 

Amber Marlow is a New York City wedding photographer who opens up in this interview about her challenging upbringing and the journey that followed to find ease with her racial identity and a sense of self worth.

"We have a running joke that we are always kind of late to the game on things - showing up to shows after they have closed, missing events that we talked about going to for ages. This story is not dissimilar. In June we had planned a trip upstate as a getaway, but our cats (yes, both of them) caught some sort of stomach bug so we had to cancel. Little did we know, that both of us were planning to propose to one another that weekend. Fast-forward a couple weekends later to the third of July when we rebooked our trip. It was a Friday and we both had off work. A typical day off consists of coffee in bed while we read the news and stuff on our phones. Kat got up to serve the coffee, while Lauren was in bed (unsuspecting) checking Facebook when our cat Napoleon bounded on the bed with something special tied around his neck. Kat totally beat Lauren to the punch! Lauren was prepared with a ring to return as a bottle of bubbly was popped later that morning."