April 08, 2017

6 Tips for Couples Shopping for Ethical Wedding Rings

April 08, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Many jewelry retailers have jumped on the ethical bandwagon or tout conflict-free diamonds, but what does ethical really mean for the conscientious shopper about to commit to an engagement ring or wedding band? How do you cut through the noise and the the green-washing to get to the truth? What questions should you ask to ensure that your rings are made with standards that address glaring issues like unsafe working conditions at mines and cutting facilities, the environmental effects of mining, and child labor? The following tips should help you navigate through the complex process of choosing truly ethical wedding rings, and create a ring that both represents and supports love and progress.

April 04, 2017

The ARQ Wedding Guide // Navigating Culture and Family Expectations Together

April 04, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

No matter what your background is, this guide will help you and your partner prioritize the religious and cultural traditions that matter to you and prep you for those tricky family convos. These tips also set you up to understand, honor, and incorporate traditional Jewish customs into your wedding in a relevant and inclusive way.

March 23, 2017

Ask a Wedding Planner // Cutting Costs for Budget-Friendly Weddings

March 23, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Dear Ciera,

My partner and I are recently engaged and can’t wait to get started planning our big day! We are hoping to buy our first home soon, so we’d like to keep our wedding budget under $15k. Any tips on how to manage this budget?

Sincerely,

Newly Engaged & Economical

February 09, 2017

12 Questions to Determine What Kind of Wedding You Should Have

February 09, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

You just got engaged! Congrats! Don't freak out. Here are 12 questions to ground you and lay the foundation for your wedding priorities. And if you're already partnered, these questions are a good way to check-in with your loved one.

January 27, 2017

Ask A Wedding Planner // Weddings for Introverts

January 27, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Most couples have anxiety about their ceremony, after all it is the highlight of the day and movies have taught us that we’re meant to freak out. Consider instead a quieter ceremony with just your immediate family. Your friends can join you at cocktail hour, and I promise they will be fine with it! When you say private ceremony, guests understand. If they don’t, tough for them. Remember, you can always get married in total privacy with just the two of you and still have a wedding reception with everyone! It’s a thing, and it’s awesome.

January 13, 2017

Modern Rebel & Co. Brings Activism to Weddings

January 13, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Amy of Modern Rebel & Co. is an alternative event planning company that gives back to local New York City non-profits that serve survivors of domestic violence, provide homes for the homeless, prevent suicide, and bridge education and art. She recently planned an immersive theater experience in a cemetery. She also happens to be a delightful person, and her website is the bomb.com.

January 11, 2017

Woke Wednesday // Meet Björn VW, New York City Wedding Planner

January 11, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Björn VW is the owner of Björn & Company, a New York event planning and design company, who also organizes Forks, Corks, & Cocktails, an annual LGBTQ Food, Wine, and Cocktail show.

July 26, 2016

5 Steps to an Empowering Perspective Shift While Planning Your Wedding

July 26, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

In most of the wedding planning world, "styling" your day means deciding what you want everything to look like and then buying all the stuff you'll need to make it look like that...

It's all fun and games at first, but eventually the whole decor choosing process can start to feel a bit out of control.

May 02, 2016

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

May 02, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Pinterest, Facebook, & Blogs. We live a world where visual inspiration abounds. For a first-time bride with very little experience in the wedding planning world, I started my year-and-a-half long engagement thankful for all of the “wedding-inspo” on the Internet. But my gratitude for pretty pictures quickly turned into a much darker force as the pre-wedding months wore on.

April 19, 2016

The Problem with Styled Wedding Shoots

April 19, 2016/ Catalyst Wedding Co

I had a bit of a revelation the other day. A hosting revelation. An event epiphany, so to speak. I’ve been fairly vocal on my blog about trying to ease the pressure to be crafty, keeping things simple when it comes to party and wedding decor and DIY projects, and even shared my own personal holiday and party decor to show that it can be easy and uncomplicated. However, I wasn’t sure where this desire to calm people the eff down about decor came from. Why was I so anti-decor and making tables and centerpieces and events look nice? I realized the other day that it’s about the motivation. It’s about staying true to WHY you want your table to look beautiful.

December 07, 2015

Planning a Nontraditional Wedding with Traditional Families

December 07, 2015/ Catalyst Wedding Co

Back in 2010 when I planned my wedding, most of the things I wanted (bridesmaids in any black dress, no assigned seating at the reception, groomsmen in chucks, and a short wedding dress with *gasp* no veil) seemed pretty nontraditional. Wedding blogs were just getting started and Pinterest wasn’t even a glimmer in the internet’s eye. So I clung to my Microsoft Word collage of images and ideas every time I had to brave the storm of trying to explain to my mostly traditional parents why I wanted these things in our wedding.