This was ONE heck of a fabulous styled shoot!  It was something very different for all of the vendors involved as everything was literally planned within a week.  I was so happy to finally get to work alongside some of the best vendors DC has to offer!  We all sweat and maybe shed a tear by the end. We laughed and hugged and had one of the best times creating this magic.  We may not have won the challenge, but it was far worth the effort! Our incredible coordinator + event extraordinaire, Sharia,  really said it best, but before I let her take over,  I want to first explain what the “Out of the Box Challenge” was. You see once a year, the Catalyst Wedding Co. throws a challenge where they choose 8 teams who will receive a box full of random details as well as a dress!  It is up to each team to take each item in the box and create something unique not only to the contents of the box but to your team collectively.  You receive the box only 12 days before the challenge is due so it was fun to be on our toes for this!

“The contents of the Catalyst Out of the Box delivery, so lovingly curated by Color Pop Events, really set the framework for our restyled photo shoot. Originally we wanted to go with a museum/art walk vibe, but as we had to compete with the weather and President Trump’s inauguration to complete our shoot, we had to go rogue with this experience.

Fabulously photographed by Candace Nicole Photography, we opted for a modern interpretation of an 80s/90s pop diner wedding!  With beauty services provided by Anitra Natalia Beauty and planning and fashion styling by Eclectic Fete, we wanted the couple to convey color and spunk!  Christine’s attire was a Kelly Kapowski/Prince mash up featuring a one-piece black jumpsuit, fuchsia bolero jacket, and a single earring provided by Rosey West.  Nadirah’s attire was more traditional with a side of punk rocker featuring a gown from JLM Couture, a black leather jacket, colored neck choker, and a removable paper flower corsage (made with the bowtie from Becoming Neckwear).

One of the featured patterned papers from Suite Smith gave us all a “Saved by the Bell” vibe, so we secured the inclusive, vegan/vegetarian Fare Well Diner as the backdrop for our shoot.  After playfully sharing a milkshake with custom California Lustre acrylic name tag paper straws, the couple proceeded to cut their custom designed wedding cake from Rebekah Naomi Cake Design—a six layer vanilla rainbow cake with vanilla buttercream.  The couple had a little helper to cut their cake as a fabulous transgendered Lego man adorned the top to wish them well!

After hitting the diner, the couple scampered off to take some shots near this really amazing graffiti art wall before going to make the ultimate statement at the US Capitol Building & Supreme Court!!  We ended the colorful evening with a celebratory confetti toss with confetti provided by The Confetti Bar.”