Kat Graham and Bryant Wood Say I Do, Twice

Kat Graham and Bryant Wood are coming off a whirlwind week, having tied the knot in front of friends and family on August 8, 2025, in Mountain Center, California, just one week prior to our meeting. This was technically their second wedding, their first being an elopement two years before to the day. It's quickly apparent to me that Kat is a force. I'm awestruck by her beauty but even more impressed by her talent. The multi-hyphenate actor and singer is confident but unassuming, despite her success on- and off-screen. Bryant is the yin to her yang, a steady and calm presence: The breathwork coach and wellness guru exudes peace. I can feel the good energy circling us as I tee up my favorite question to ask a couple: "Could you tell me your love story?"

"It's not really a love story," Kat says with a laugh. The couple first met at a birthday party. After being friends for a few years, they strategized on a wellness initiative that would bring meditation, biohacking and different health practices together. Eventually, they co-created a health startup and worked side by side for five years, organizing conferences and deepening their friendship. After the company closed, Bryant had a dream about Kat—a "sexy dream," he confesses. The next morning he called Kat, convinced the universe was at work. "I ask if she had a dream too," says Bryant. "He didn't say it was a sexy dream," Kat interjects as the two begin to ping-pong the story. She didn't have a dream of any kind but agreed to meet up with Bryant while she was visiting Los Angeles. She immediately knew something was different. "I don't want to say I'm witchy, but I am very energetically sensitive, so I straight-up asked him, 'Do you have sexual energy towards me?'" says Kat. Bryant fessed up.

Photo: Harold Julian

I ask Kat, who has been engaged twice before but never married, what made this relationship different. "I didn't really understand the 'when you know, you know,' but once we were together, I was like, oh this is my husband. I got it," says Kat. Two months into their more-than friendship, they had a bubble-bath date where Kat confessed her profound feelings. She admitted she thought the relationship could be forever but worried it was too soon. Bryant felt the same way. "I told everybody she asked me to marry her, and after that we were married," says Bryant. Kat laughs without issuing a correction. "All of these fancy Hollywood proposal scenarios—no, we were sitting in the bath and I said, 'I want to be with you. I want to marry you,'" she says.

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So they got married. It started with a desire for a secure (and private) wedding certificate and ended with a guy coming to a friend's home and doing it all at once. "It was not the most romantic thing," Kat laughs. "We were wearing matching Bermuda shorts. I think the guy's name was Alex. He wore a golf shirt and had a 'good vibes' tattoo," she continues. "I remember this really special moment where Alex looks at us and says, 'Do you want me to read your vows to you?'" Bryant says. "And then he pulls out his phone and reads off it. I thought, 'Are you kidding me?'" They planned to throw a wedding soon after the impromptu elopement, but life had other plans. Kat's mom got sick and later died. "I wasn't in the space to celebrate," says Kat. "But it's okay to do things your way. We did everything our way. We were friends first. It wasn't love at first sight. We've done everything backwards."

Photo: Harold Julian

Timing is everything, something the couple knows all too well. Kat got her start in the entertainment industry at age five, starring in commercials before moving on to music videos. Next were films and then, at age 19, she landed the role of Bonnie Bennett in the CW drama series The Vampire Diaries. "We worked so hard that I didn't even look up," she remembers. Since then, Kat has appeared in feature films and Netflix originals. Her latest role is as Diana Ross in an upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, proving what a versatile actor she is.

Bryant also dabbled in the industry. He moved out at age 15 and started working, first as an underwear model and then as an actor. He soon realized this wasn't his path as he confronted inner challenges. "Addiction, social anxiety, bulimia—everything was coming at once," he says. At 22, he went on a healing journey and became focused on an existential question: Why are we really here? "I spent the last 10 years answering this question about the meaning of life. As a by-product of my search, I found breathwork," he shares. "Breathwork was the quickest and most effective way of healing that produced a state of embodied peace. It transformed my behaviors, identities and thoughts. I devoted my life to it."

Photo: Harold Julian

Kat never saw herself as a traditional bride, but her godmother, Hollywood golden-era actor Valerie von Sobel, knew a celebration needed to happen. "People don't talk about how hard it can be to celebrate if you've lost a parent," shares Kat. "I've always made my wins about my work—it was never about my personal wins, because I never felt like I was that lucky. I don't need to celebrate; I'm happy, and that's enough." But talking to Valerie changed her perspective. Like Kat, Valerie had experienced loss in her life and wanted to make some good come of it. She decided to turn her property into a source of happiness and new beginnings by building a chapel in honor of her late son and husband. "She encouraged me to just go for it, so we did. We had the first wedding on her property."

The wedding was a labor of love, start to finish. Valerie worked alongside a handful of people every day getting the property ready. The octogenarian oversaw the construction of the chapel, built in just six months, and helped with decor details like the flowers. The morning of the wedding, Valerie and Bryant foraged the property for greenery and blooms for the centerpieces. Then they donned kimonos and meditated in her Japanese sunken-style room, calling on creativity before designing ikebana-style arrangements. "It was the coolest thing I've ever done," says Bryant.

The guest list consisted of family members and friends who feel like family. There are certain times when you really want family, Kat says, having lost her mother and been estranged from her father since childhood. "But you have friends, you have chosen family, you have people who still want to show up for you." Bryant's grandparents, who have been together for 70 years, walked him down the aisle. He was raised Catholic, Kat was raised Jewish, and they both consider themselves deeply spiritual. Bryant's friend Rabbi Iggy officiated, while another friend from India played the sitar. They passed their rings around and put a modern spin on the traditional Jewish ritual of the seven blessings, asking friends to share personal blessings.

Photo: Harold Julian

Bryant used AI to identify a color palette that matched the environment and asked guests to dress in these hues—including ivory and cream, another nontraditional choice. Kat had no fear of being upstaged: She was wearing custom Jean Paul Gaultier. "I got to work with Franck Duquenne, director of couture, for two years. It was just a dream." Bryant wanted a white silk ensemble, so Kat enlisted her best friend, Hema Bose, who represents designers in India, to help. She delivered silk pants and a white jacket—featuring a steel clasp with a white pearl—less than an hour before the ceremony. ("You couldn't plan this," Kat says.) Kat wore pearl earrings with her dress and carried a steel rose in lieu of a bouquet to honor the resilience that comes after loss. "It was perfect," says Bryant.

Their second wedding was an opportunity to close a chapter of hardships—Kat losing her mom and beloved dog, Bryant having serious back surgery—and celebrate their next chapter with family and friends. When it came time to swap vows again, they penned their own. "I'm a triple Virgo," Kat says. "Not only did I write them, but I transferred them into matching vow books." In the weeks before the wedding, Bryant prayed and meditated to find the right words, but only jokes came to mind. His were written the morning of the wedding. Kat interrupts, grinning, "And here's the cutest part about Bryant: He can't write small! So he had his vows on his phone, but he covered the phone with the vow book," she laughs. Bryant smiles, pleased with himself, while I joke that good-vibes Alex the officiant was there in spirit. Valerie walked Kat down the aisle to a string quartet playing music from the movie Ratatouille. "I'm not a bridezilla," says Kat. "But I'm a bit of a foodzilla." She had once dreamed of becoming a chef, before getting the role in The Vampire Diaries. She may have dropped out of culinary school, but she still loves to cook. "We do not like food waste, so we didn't do a typical sit-down dinner," Kat says. Instead, guests noshed on passed hors d'oeuvres and helped themselves to pasta classics served inside cheese wheels. The wedding was dry, Bryant says, so guests could be fully present for the celebration. Bryant, the house mixologist, whipped up healthy alternatives like a matcha/yuzu sparkler and floral lemonade. "Everything we had at the wedding is what we love in our day-to-day life," says Bryant. The couple opted for millefoglie, a traditional Italian cake. The chefs made the pastry in front of the guests, with an assist from the bride and groom. The guests received small spatulas to cut themselves pieces of the fig-laden dessert, ensuring no slices of cake were left behind on reception tables.

Photo: Harold Julian

Music was at the forefront of the reception. "I'm from Switzerland, his family is from Sicily and his dad has Australian roots. Our music reflected all of that—everything from Celia Cruz to Afrobeat was playing," says Kat. For the after-party, Bryant donned a three-piece white suit with tails, and Kat changed into more Gaultier for her poplin top and Betsy Johnson for her feet. "I would have stayed in my gown forever, but I know how silly we are and how we party. I could not get this dress dirty!" The couple, also known for their love of games, worried about the evening being "fun enough." So they went as far as hiring a mechanical bull. An entire corral was constructed for guests to rumble with the animatronic animal. "I always want Bryant to be the most himself that he can be," says Kat when I raise a brow about the bull. "I think that's the success of any relationship."

The two took their time planning a celebration that reflected them and their love story. Kat had felt intimidated by the idea of a wedding, fearing it had to be traditional. "But you can get married your way," she says. It was more work than the wellness conferences the two put on years ago, Bryant admits, but it was worth it. "It was the first time I could process family," Kat says through tears. "I never allowed myself that because the little I had, I lost. And then looking around, it just hit me. It was the best day."

Photo: Harold Julian

Since the wedding, the two have felt their dynamic shift. "It has to do with proclaiming your love in front of your friends and family and getting that support," says Bryant. Their day-to-day life, however, remains mostly unchanged. They each have a meditation practice, and every Thursday they Zumba together. "He's a ladies man, with all these 80-year-old women high-fiving him in class," Kat shares. When they're not dancing, they're leaning into their other shared interests. "We want to make [wellness and spirituality] accessible to communities that don't have access to them," says Kat. Giving back is a big part of who Kat is. When she wasn't landing roles as a kid, her mom encouraged her to get out of her head and volunteer. In 2013, Kat got involved with UNHCR (the UN's refugee agency), and she's been passionate about the cause ever since; she was named a Goodwill Ambassador in 2020. The newlyweds have 11 animals at home, including ferrets, dogs and a couple of kittens rescued just days before their wedding. "It takes up 25 percent of our time," Kat admits with a laugh. Even still, they're excited to grow their family. "We are in a wonderful place now with our careers and relationship, so we are actively open to accepting that role as parents when God blesses us," says Bryant.

"We are the most unconventional people," says Kat. "Don't see your partner on your wedding day? I'm in his room saying, 'Baby, do you want this steamed?' But it works for us." The couple did things their way, on their timeline and have zero regrets. Valerie's instance of a celebration has become Kat's motto now too. "No matter what you go through or where you come from, just give yourself a wedding," she says. "Celebrate your love. Just do it."

Credits:

Photography & Content: Harold Julian, Orion Bustamante, Kaajal Kukadia; Venue: Chalet Tournesol in Mountain Center, CA; Planning & Creative Direction: Marcus Allen Creative; Officiant: Rabbi Iggy; Officiant: Rabbi Iggy; Kat's Gown & Bridal Rose: Jean Paul Gaultier; Bryant's Attire: Anamika Khanna; Kat's Shoes: Betsey Johnson; Wedding Rings: Chaumet; Hair: Robear Landeros; Seamstress: Mariah McCormick; Staff Wardrobe: The Vestments Group; Invitations & Bar Signage: Luxe Marie Stationery; Rentals: Bright Event Rentals; Sullivan Party Rentals; Catering: Chef Joann & Co.; Charcuterie: Megan Chapman Wellness; Dessert: Gelato Granucci ; Beverage Partner: Smartwater; String Quartet: Pink Mozart Entertainment ; Musicians: Ronobir Lahiri, Whitewolf; DJ: Steven Spence; Sound & Production: Bouquet Sound; Lodging: The Grand Idyllwild Lodge; Special Thanks: Valerie von Sobel & Oksana Badrak; Story by Lauren Kay

This story first appeared in the 2025 Celebration Issue of The Knot Magazine. More exclusive imagery of Kat and Bryant, as well as fascinating features and planning advice can be found in our latest issue. Get your copy now!