By Jordan Lemke
While designing their own big day, Dustin and Hannah Towery were dismayed by how much of the simplicity and intimacy of wedding planning had been lost. Fast forward, and they’ve transitioned from newlyweds to power couple as the founders of Catalog Atelier.
Drawing from her design tastes, honed at Anthropologie, and his experience in brand development, the wedding and special events rental company stocks and styles modernly minimalist florals, tablescapes, and other subtle elegances for San Diego couples’ big days. Here, the duo dishes on their “not fancy” mantra and what trends and vendors they’re loving now.
What traits define you and, as an extension, your company?
Details! We are both very detail-oriented people and place a lot of value and attention to the small things whether in our everyday lives or on the pieces we’ve chosen for our collection. To us, it’s the details that make something stand out and memorable.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Currently, our three-month-old daughter, Sutton James. Followed by a cup of coffee and a walk at Kellogg’s Beach in Point Loma.
Where is your favorite place?
When we’re not in San Diego, we are back in Hannah’s hometown Nashville, or finding a new place to discover in San José del Cabo. One of our favorite little hotels is Casa Natalia, and we love spending time at Flora Farms.
Your job in three words: Creative. Analytical. Refreshing.
What do you love about your job?
One of our favorite things is curating and sourcing the pieces in the collections. It’s just the beginning, and we are really excited about all new pieces we are already working on to debut in 2019.
What’s your go-to motto?
Dare to be different.
Tell us something surprising about yourself.
We’re not fancy people, at all. We love designers, nice things and a nice glass of champagne, but more often than not we are in our workout clothes with our baby and Great Dane in tow.
The wedding trend I am obsessed with right now is: All white florals! We love layering the same colors to add depth with shadows and textures.
What’s your favorite detail in Exquisite Weddings’ recent issue?
The Real Weddings are always fun to read through and see all the details from the wedding day and what they chose to capture.
What San Diego venue do you adore?
San Diego has some amazing estates that we love. Hosting events, engagements parties, rehearsal dinners, and even more intimate weddings at estates give guests a sense of intimacy and comfort that we personally really adore.
Which San Diego wedding vendor do you admire and why?
There are a lot of great vendors in San Diego. We are big fans of local photographer, Garrett Richardson. The women behind PartyKroo are revolutionizing the way people entertain by making party staff easy to hire and affordable.
What is your most beloved wedding?
Our own wedding back in Nashville is by far the best wedding we’ve worked on. We had over six different rental companies at our wedding so that each piece was a reflection of our own style. Every detail, from the Sugarfina mocktails, to the big band, to the chairs, was a reflection of us. That’s why we started Catalog Atelier.
