The only thing that was truly important was that I married the woman of my dreams and love of my life.  Everything else was just delicious frosting on the cake.

Here at Catalyst, we are always on the look out for inclusive wedding wear and so we were thrilled to hear that our friends at Urban Set Bride has created a new collection of gowns available only at their boutique in Richmond, Virginia. Christine Haines Greenberg and Jennifer Haines have been bringing plus size and inclusive wedding attire to the Central Virginia area for the last five years, and we were lucky enough to sit down with Christine and hear more about the new collection.

We performed a tea ceremony with our close family and friends before the main wedding ceremony. My grandmother painted calligraphy just for the occasion and it was very special to have that part of her there when she was unable to travel from China for the wedding.

We spent maybe a bit more than we should have on bourbon . . . but it is Kentucky after all.

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.

Tinggly is a gift box that you can give the soon-to-be-married couple in your life that allows them to pick from over 400 experiences in more than 100 countries. Think of it as the “Choose Your Own Adventure” of wedding registries that can be redeemed for up to 5 years after purchase, making it great as an add-on to any honeymoon, usable for an escape close to home, or perfect for an anniversary getaway.

Gone are the days of registering for full sets of china and silver, but the truth is most guests are still going to feel the need to buy you a gift and if you don’t provide them some guidance with a registry, you may end up with a lot of things you neither want or need.

Something in both of us just 'clicked': that desperate, heart-yanking feeling of “you aren't even gone yet and I miss you” type gushy love. We didn't even know we were waiting for each other.

We met less than a year before we got married. Our connection was almost instantaneous and grew quickly. We share a background of struggle and resilience, and a passion for our Black identities and social justice. We knew we wanted to get married on a beach, and finding an LGBTQ+ friendly island in the Caribbean narrowed down our options substantially. Puerto Rico fit, however, and our desire to support the island after the hurricane of 2017 sealed the deal.

What are all the unacknowledged ways that a bride labors over her own wedding? A big part of it is emotional labor. More often than not, the bride is the wedding’s emotional referee. She fields dozens of requests, needs, and opinions (so many opinions!) from family, friends, and other guests. The stakes are high, too. If she messes up and shows any sign of frustration or anxiety or stress, there’s a nasty word to put her back in her place (it rhymes with “Godzilla”).

A family-centric wedding with a combination of Western and Persian traditions in Sooke, Victoria, Canada.

While having a photographer is typically viewed as a necessity, significantly fewer couples plan to have a videographer present at their wedding — and nearly all of those couples deeply regret the decision.

“We met in middle school!”

One tradition we made up was how our bridal party, family, and each of us walked down the aisle. We had a bridesman with a bridesmaid on each arm. Our mothers escorted each other down, and our fathers walked each one of us down.

Ephemora is the new independent stationery studio ready to change the world of wedding invitations and paper goods. Owners Molly Cichy and Natalie Shaw have already made a strong name for themselves by focusing on gender inclusivity, breaking down heteropatriarchal wedding industry norms, and working to reduce the negative impact that weddings have on our planet.

“We wanted to present an alternative option for couples in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area who want to get married in the city. All of the vendors are able to accommodate vegan couples in every aspect, from fabrics, to beauty products, to food.”

Let’s be real — not everyone can clap on the twos and fours. For your friends and family who are rhythmically challenged, save your money on a DJ and build a different experience that’s fun for them, and for you, too. Here are 7 alternatives to dancing that can take your wedding from status quo to status whooooa.

You might be used to seeing couples light a unity candle or blend sand together in a jar, but there are lots of other meaningful unity ceremonies you can choose from for your wedding. There are plenty of unity rites with religious ties such as the lazo, or Catholic wedding cord, but here are nine great non-traditional alternatives you can incorporate into your ceremony regardless of your faith or religion.

The ceremony took place inside of Portland’s City Hall with the backdrop of a spiraled staircase, historic vault, and city employees who peeked from around the corners of their office doors to catch a glance as we strolled the marbled interior halls and staircase before and after the ceremony.

There are a LOT of wedding photographers out there and pricing is all over the place when it comes to what different photographers offer. With so many newly engaged couples out there who have questions about why pricing is the way it is — and why some photographers aren’t willing to work for a lower price than others — it seems time to shed some more light on why wedding photography pricing seems to be so freaking high.

Carly Romeo, and her team at Carly Romeo & Co., wants us to envision a world where all people looking to get married get honored, celebrated, and respected as individuals, and the bride-centrism that we commonly see in the wedding industry isn’t letting us (and our unions) be great. Here are just a few reasons why.