The inspiration for this shoot came, for the most part, from my own personal experiences. I knew that I wanted to embrace the romance of an elopement (my husband and I eloped!) and that I wanted to showcase the beauty of unconventionality by adding subcultural elements. I wanted there to be courtship and passion without losing a sense of self; I wanted there to be strength and individuality as well without losing the aspect of soft femininity. Three of my favorite styles of fashion and music are 1960-1970s ska (Rudies), psychobilly, and punk rock; this was the driving force behind making my vision a reality. There are no fancy venues or elaborate décor here. This is meant to be the down-to-earth, private, backyard celebration you’d love to have with the people closest to you.

Searching for wedding rings can be exhausting. There are seemingly millions of options — and you don’t want to choose something flippantly because it is something you plan to wear for the rest of your life. It should be special. It should mean something. You should love your ring, right? After all, the wedding ring symbolizes your never-ending, unbroken devotion to your chosen life partner. It’s a big deal.

Roxann and Trey have traveled in the same orbit since they were 18 years old, their lives circling around each other and convening at certain points. When tragedy struck they got closer, but it just was not the right time yet. Through relationship after relationship, they stayed in each other's orbit being that shoulder for each other but declaring nothing because the orbit was just not perfect. After a decade of love, support, and caring it all finally clicked, and they knew the other was their person. Seeing them together, it's obvious that even though it took a while to get to this point, it was the exact perfect point for them both. They are already a family, and their wedding in June of this year will just solidify what was known by all.

Mitch and Erynne are a special kind of special, man. Mitch met Erynne at a show they played together at Chicago's Double Door, and the rest was quickly history. So it seemed only fitting they'd marry in a place where they met: onstage. They wed at the Bottom Lounge, a venue in Chicago's West Loop, surrounded by over 200 of their closest friends and family. 

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.”

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.

Jess and I met at Arizona State University when we were 18 years old and freshly out of the closet to our very religious families. We started dating in 2011, without acceptance or support from our families. My sisters were the only supportive ones from my family. We lived at the dorms for a semester because we had no where to go. We moved into our first apartment when the semester ended and slept on the floor for months. We didn't have anything but a few blankets, pillows, clothes, and towels. We saved the first nine months together to buy our first couch and continued saving for other basic things. Five years later, on our 5th year anniversary (10/26/16), we tied the knot! Our parents aren't fully on board, but Jess's are a little more supportive. I'm still struggling with my parents. We have been through very rough lows and some good highs, we have grown stronger together, and been there for each other when it's most needed.

Jasmine talks with Catalyst Wedding Magazine's Editor in Chief, Liz Susong, about long-distance marriage, racism and sexism in the wedding industry, making peace with discomfort, and finding more reasons to celebrate.

These ladies are a beautiful couple madly in love. They were just friends for years, both dating other people. When they both found themselves single, a love blossomed. Both are simply divine people...and both are hilarious. The shoot was a blast. Cammie is a coach and is back in school. Marie is an area food safety and nutrition agent. They live together in a cute lil' house in Greenville, South Carolina.

Q: Pricing for wedding flowers is often confusing to couples—sometimes even a shock. Often, couples budget a lot less than floral designers charge. Why do you think that is, and what do you wish couples knew about it? 

A: The two main components that impact price are the flowers themselves and the labor to design, transport, and deliver or install the flowers. 

We met at church; his mom was my Girl Scout troop leader. He was always trolling and dropping in on our Girl Scout meetings. We were like kindergarteners. I'm pretty sure he picked on me because he was so in love, lol. We became really close friends and remained that way through college.

Jennifer and Quinton's love story is that was a long time coming. In eighth grade he fell for her quickly; she took some time. They dated for a brief period before she called it off. He stuck by her, being a great friend and over the years, as these stories tend to evolve, she, as he says it, finally got it right! Their wedding was a celebration of not just a love story a long time in the making but a blending of families and friendships. Each person involved in the wedding, from the vendors to the wedding party, were people who had a place of significance in each of their lives and in the story of their love. From getting ready until they said "goodnight," it was not just about Jennifer and Quinton, but about family.

Black BeauTEA talk is a monthly column, and I look forward to bringing you ladies all sorts of TEA. No, seriously I'll definitely be sharing with you all what tea (as in the drink) I'm sipping as I write each post, as well as what tea (as in the latest news) I'm sipping as far aa beauty tips, tricks, and products for us.

My grandparents were part of the buffer class unintentionally established by the Dutch over their three hundred and fifty years of colonialism in Indonesia. My very Asian-looking grandmother has the beautiful European name of Gladys, and her dark husband is named Renee. Throughout the years, a few stories and asides have been mentioned in passing by both of my grandparents, and a documentation of their experiences as teenagers in Indonesia was in process. Piecing together these stories results in a remarkable history of my family and culture.

We met in person for drinks and were unanimously feeling we had picked the perfect couple. Our first evening together was spent listening to stories of their meeting: an almost-missed connection, driving hours to meet halfway for a first date, facing a fear of heights, falling in love, moving to the same city, revisiting the first date and Carolina’s fear of heights during the proposal (“I still don’t know what the view looks like.”). We felt that Sarah's entire body seemed to smile while talking about Carolina, and Carolina's deep, soulful smile and tenderness toward her future bride were qualities we couldn't wait to convey.

We sat down with Jamie Thrower of Studio XIII Photography, a queer-owned, LGBTQ wedding and family photography studio based in Oakland, California, to talk about how grief informs art and how to be a social justice advocate in the wedding space.

Our ceremony was, and is, the most meaningful aspect of our wedding for the both of us. Lauren wrote the whole thing. (Amanda: I would love to take even partial credit for it, but I can't. I contributed maybe ten words total. The rest of the time she just read me what she wrote while I cried. Good tears, obviously.) We loved that our vows were written to reflect our lives together—our joys, our struggles, our shared experiences—but it was also important that we each repeated those same vows to one another

The wildly in love photographers behind Kindred Wedding Co., Elle Wildhagen and Zach Domes, open up about rejoicing in the dark, messy moments of love, gendered narratives, silent discos, the evolving language of “we” and how familial sagas of love and divorce help shape our contemporary perspectives on love.

Have you ever Googled “beautiful weddings"? You know what comes up? Pages and pages of white couples and maybe an Asian couple for good measure. But there is very little that speaks to a black bride and groom. When I see this, I am saddened. I think of when I was a young girl and did not see much that represented or looked like me. Black men and women get married, too!

Throughout our relationship we have had to deal with long distance and being far apart for months at a time. After we lived in Shanghai, I moved to Amsterdam, and Remy moved to New York City for university. It is not easy doing long distance but we have managed to make it work over time. We've been together now for six years, and I think what makes our relationship so special is that we've become accustomed to traveling to see each other and love traveling together to new places.