When it comes to weddings, alcohol is one of those things that has become an unspoken requirement. I mean, how can you possibly celebrate your love without booze?! The truth is, alcohol at your wedding is totally optional and having an open bar is nice, but it is definitely not a requirement for your wedding to be a success.

Catalyst co-founder Carly Romeo started the Feminist Photo VayCay a few years ago, a retreat where photographers can participate in styled shoots using local vendors and gorgeous couples who are PoC, and/or queer/non-binary. This the first of two styled shoots from the retreat: an elopement inspiration in the high desert at the Tumbleweed Sanctuary. Mia and Sasja are our real-life couple and models, and they were incredibly brave in what was shockingly cold weather.

With so much pressure to have a Pinterest-perfect wedding day, choosing the backdrop for saying your “I Do’s” can be a tough decision. Thankfully, there is no one way to choose a backdrop for your wedding ceremony. As with anything on your wedding day, choose a backdrop that really reflects who you are as a couple. Here are some of our favorites to inspire you and show you that any choice can be beautiful!

What could make a wedding even more special than sharing it with loved ones? Sharing it with your fur babies, of course! Most couples consider their fur babies members of the family, so why should they stay home on this special day? Here are some of our favorite wedding fur babies.

When Janean first inquired with me about shooting her wedding, she described the wedding as "invoking old fashioned elegance, but not fussy by any means." Janean and Andrew got ready in the home they’ve been renovating over the last year, along with their cat, Pam. Then came a pop-up wedding in Glen Echo Ravine, and it was a very short and sweet ceremony. Led by a flautist, the guests played follow-the-leader to the bride and groom’s Clintonville home for a cocktail hour (catered by Al-Tubasee Street) and a serve-yourself-bar of mini champagne bottles. After toasting the bride and groom, the group moved to the sister of the bride’s house, which was only a few blocks away. The DJ spun records, and the tacos from Taqueria El Fogoncito were plentiful on a beautiful October evening. Janean made the invitations and all of the signage. Hannah Hoffman Jewelry made their custom rings and jewelry.

Andy and Karen have been through the ringer in love. They thought they both had something but both ended in divorce. What Andy thought was love was simply going through the motions. What Karen thought was love was a different kind of love. These were both hard times, yet they have healed and learned and have become stronger.

And through this, they have discovered new depths. New uncharted continents. Andy has learned to love and take care of himself. Karen has discovered new power in herself and loves Nick as a friend and co-parent. I think you both have discovered love in its fullness and depth. A greater depth and rooting....A love that won’t dissolve and fall once the season changes. Your roots are entwined and you are one tree, not two.

It is an honor to have the responsibility of documenting a day that is the result of hard work, sweat, and often tears of wonderful people. I love all aspects of my photography business. It’s nice when I can step away from editing and respond to inquiries; even the financial side isn’t a bother. But since I’m actually quite horrible at balancing work and life, I’ve decided it’s time for a break. 

I woke up the morning of my wedding exhausted, stressed, and haggard. My mom was frantic about the forecasted rain that day, and I hadn’t slept a wink. A few hours later I hunched in the salon chair letting the stylist do most of the work to keep my head propped up and debating whether a cup of coffee would jumpstart the best day of my life or unleash the full-blown, barely-concealed crazy. Then I had a near meltdown when I couldn’t find my lipstick, and I coped by throwing back mimosas on an empty stomach as my friends worriedly stood by. While I felt calm, collected, and present during the ceremony, the full day of preparations was just not that great. But that time is precious, and as everyone will tell you, it flies by. Part of mindfulness is simply noticing; being present makes a moment that you would otherwise skip past expand like a balloon.

My husband and I spent half of the last year apart. We were not forced into a distance relationship by factors outside of our control, but rather, like many Millennials with our privileged upbringings, lifestyle options seemed endless despite limited career realities, and our jobs and interests led us in different directions. Adam’s employer decided to transfer him from Washington, D.C. to Houston, Texas right before Volume One of Catalyst Wedding Magazine went to print and just as I began to feel rooted in a community of District creatives. We had been married a little over a year when I tentatively told him that in my heart of hearts, I was not ready to leave and proposed that he move to Texas alone. Always my biggest believer, he barely winced and got to helping me find a room to rent on Craigslist. Ever the realist, the day he left for Texas he gave a little spiel about what administrative things I should take care of if he were to die before we were reunited, and I verbally willed him eleven boxes of wedding magazines through teary eyes.