MEET OUR TEAM
Stephanie Calis - Founder & Editor in Chief
Stephanie is the author of the book Invited: The Ultimate Catholic Wedding Planner, a #1 Amazon bestseller in Weddings, and a blogger since 2012. A former full-time speaker, she seeks to engage the culture with the truth of authentic, sacrificial love by meeting people where they are and meeting them in matters of the heart. She has been featured on EWTN’s At Home with Jim and Joy and in Family Foundations Magazine, Brides.com, Blessed Is She, and The YoungCatholicWoman. Stephanie married her husband in 2011 on a 105 degree day, and they live in Maryland with their four children.
Andi Compton - Co-Founder & Business Director
Andi is the owner of Now That's a Party, a national wedding and event planning business based in San Diego. Combining years of professional event coordination with a passion for helping couples truly enter into the sacrament of marriage, Andi's work is set apart by her custom timelines and planning tips tailored to Catholic brides. She and her husband received a nuptial blessing from Pope Benedict XVI on their honeymoon in 2007, and are parents of five. Andi's work has been featured online at 100 Layer Cake and Aisle Planner, and in print in San Diego Style Magazine.
andi@spokenbride.com
Carissa Pluta - Associate Editor
Carissa is a freelance writer and blogger at The Myth Retold. She has Bachelor’s Degrees in English and Communication Arts from Franciscan University and has a deep desire to create and cultivate beauty in everything she does. Carissa and her husband, a FOCUS missionary, were married in 2016. They currently live outside of Philadelphia with their daughter and son.
Catherine Boizelle - Community Manager
Catherine is a graduate of DeSales University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and in Marriage and Family Studies. She spent her formative years in rigorous study of classical ballet in Leesburg, Florida. This discipline, along with her calm demeanor and live production background, made her a quick fit for excelling in the events industry when she moved to Washington, D.C. in 2013. She has served as an event planner in the DMV area for the past six years and continues to find joy in seeing the fruits of her labor (and the Holy Spirit!) come together on-site. Catherine is passionate about Saint Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and the beauty and efficacy of Natural Family Planning. In her free time, she enjoys educating and advocating for clean skincare and beauty through her small business with Beauty Counter. Catherine married her husband Bret, a convert to the Catholic faith, in 2020. Together in the D.C. area, they enjoy a strong shot of espresso in the morning.
community@spokenbride.com | @catherineboizelle
Audrey Herold - Social Media Manager
Audrey Herold is a theatre freelancer and non-profit administrator in the Seattle-area. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting from Trinity Western University, and Liberal Arts Certificate from Catholic Pacific College. She is passionate about storytelling-- combining the powers of beauty and truth-- to communicate authentically with one another. In her spare time, she learns to cook new recipes, convinces her cat to stop munching on the windowbox plants, and goes on snowshoeing adventures with the guy she met at Mass last spring.
Maggie Dunn - Shop Manager
Maggie is a wedding photographer based out of North Georgia. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a BBA of Digital Marketing. Maggie is a homebody who loves a great mountain view, an avid podcast listener, and a lover of a great Target find. She is inspired by the authentic moments that unfold between couples in love who have had triumphs and challenges to get to where they are, and loves getting the opportunity to be there with a camera and capture it all.
Danielle Rother - Pinterest Manager
Danielle is a newlywed and resides with her husband in Minnesota where she works as a freelance graphic designer – particularly designing content for Catholic organizations and institutions. She grew up in sunny Florida and graduated from the University of Tampa with a bachelor’s degree in Digital Arts. From there she moved to Minnesota to pursue a master’s degree in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas. She graduated from St. Thomas in 2016 and was engaged the following year. Danielle and her husband fell in love with the Traditional Latin Mass during their courtship and they were married on August 4, 2017, with a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form. The couple has a devotion to Bl. Karl and Zita of Austria to intercede for them in the daily life of their marriage.
Rhady Taveras - Vendor Coordinator & Newsletter Manager
Rhady works in higher education recruitment. She obtained her M.S.Ed from Cardinal Stritch University in May, 2019. Later that day, she received a second title from her boyfriend of 8 years - fiancee. Both the graduation and proposal were a testament of God's perfect timing. Rhady has three passions - unveiling the mysteries of faith, event planning, and traveling. Her ministerial background consists of serving in the Charismatic Renewal through youth ministry, worship dance, campus ministry, and blogging for Life Teen Inc. Rhady married her better half on May 23, 2020 - a date spiritually chosen in recognition of Ephesians 5:23. The newlyweds live happily in Philadelphia, PA.
Emily Meier - Podcast Manager
Emily was born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas and went to Christendom College where she graduated with her B.A. in History in May 2019. She is a newlywed, and owner of Rose & Tartan Photography. She loves capturing the beauty which is each human person through photography, and she is passionate about theology, philosophy, beauty, art, music, good food, and travel.
Chelsy Gomez - Features Editor
Chelsy is a freelance writer and editor currently supporting the work of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. A former editor and designer for the New York Times, she has Bachelor's Degrees in journalism and literature, as well as a Master's Degree in Catechetics from The Catholic University of America. Chelsy met her husband in Washington D.C. where they were married on the Solemnity of the Annunciation in 2017. A Florida native whose heart was made for endless beach days, she and her husband are currently enjoying the beauty (and lack of humidity) of the Colorado mountains in their life as a military family. Chelsy loves strong lattes, DIY home renovation, and Pope Benedict and firmly believes that holy marriages will change the world.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Emily de St. Aubin
Emily is a '15 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with a Bachelor's of Science in marketing. She spent four summers in Camp Wojtyla's Servant Leadership Program and one year working full time for their Catholic outdoor adventure company teaching the Catholic faith through wilderness experiences in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She then spent two years working in corporate administration in Virginia before transitioning to life as a stay-at-home mom in Indiana.
Emilie now pursues her creative and ministerial passions in both paid and volunteer roles during nap times, after bedtime and with the help of her supportive family in Ohio. Emily's experience of wedding planning was wild and free as she planned a very large wedding and reception on a shoestring budget from her base camp in the Colorado Rockies. She and her husband Eddie completed their Marriage Preparation in the Denver Archdiocese, before getting married in the Archdiocese of Joliet, then moving to the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. The constant moving and planning from afar was an experience she's still unpacking today. Emily and Eddie have been married for five years, and they have three children together.
Corinne Gannotti
Corinne is a Maryland native living in Pennsylvania with her hilarious husband of four years, Sam, and their their two children. Since graduating from Franciscan University with degrees in Theology and Catechetics, she has worked as a middle school teacher, campus minister, and writer. But her favorite role of all is mom, and you'll likely find her snuggling with her toddler and baby at any given moment. Much of her faith formation is the fruit of the radiant witness of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia who run her high school alma mater high school—Mount de Sales Academy—and to whom she is forever grateful. She desires deeply to live a life marked by joy, and is grateful to have a family who makes that effort much easier by helping her take herself less seriously.
Hannah Hollcraft
Hannah lives in Northern California with her husband Joshua. They thrilled to be expecting their first daughter in September 2021 and look forward to building a family life full of joy. Since graduating from Franciscan University with degrees in Theology and Business Hannah has worked for Catholic non-profits such as NET Ministries and Mission Youth.
Hannah’s Catholic faith is rooted in a deep love for the Eucharist and Our Blessed Mother. She is passionate about beauty, adventure, and living abundantly. Hannah loves warm weather, gardening, a good dance party and the little way of St. Therese. She and her husband can often be found in the mountains or near the ocean, enjoying a good book and dreaming about the future.
Emily Login
Emily Login graduated from Franciscan University with a degree in Education and has been teaching students with special needs ever since. She fell in love with her husband while studying abroad in Austria, and a piece of her heart will be forever hiding in the foothills of the Alps.
Emily, her husband, and their toddler live on a Maryland farm. When she is not planning lessons or chasing her little one, she can be found listening to an audiobook, playing piano, journaling, cooking, shopping at Trader Joe’s, or treasure hunting thrift stores. She also runs Lazarus Catholic Books, an online used Catholic bookstore.
Angela Mikrut
Angela is a recent grad from The Catholic University of America with a degree in Theology and Religious Studies, a minor in Philosophy, and a certificate in digital art and design. Ever since taking a class on Christian Marriage and Family Life at her university, her interest in "why we do the things we do" grew both in an examination of wedding traditions and standards both in the teachings of the Catholic Church, as well as in the secular society.
Angela is engaged, excitedly preparing and planning for marriage and the wedding in late December 2021.
Dominika Ramos
Dominika Ramos is a former high school English and philosophy teacher and current stay-at-home mom to three little ones. She received her B.A. in English from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. She and her husband got married on the Feast of the Visitation in 2014. In her free time she runs a small business, Pax Paper, and tries to cram in as much reading and writing as possible.
Adelae Zambon
Born and raised in Maryland, Adelae was a story-teller from the moment she could hold a pencil. During high school, her short story was published through Random House Publishing. As she studied English Literature in college, she interned as an editor and writer for Howard Magazine.
After establishing a career in the corporate sector in the DMV area, the Lord radically opened doors that led her to move half-way across the country to the Lone Star State. For nearly 4 years, Adelae served as the Director of Evangelization for a parish in Dallas, discipling new Catholics through the RCIA process.
Time revealed there was yet another layer to the Lord’s purpose for her move to Texas: for her path to intersect with that of her future spouse. After a whirlwind long-distance romance with a Catholic Canadian singer/song-writer, 13 months of immigration, and several cancelled wedding dates due to visa delays, Adelae and her husband, Joe, were married on the Feast of Our Lady of Victory—a true testament to the victory of God’s grace! Today, Adelae can be found chasing a toddler and living her dreams of stay-at-home-mom life and writing during naptime!
