Yearly Archives: 2011

2011, The Year That Was {Part Two: July – December}

December 30, 2011

Here it comes, my round-up of the second half of the year. Looking back at everything that’s happened in 2011 makes me feel totally exhausted but incredibly proud all at the same time. I literally have no words to describe how thankful I am to every single one of you for your support. Without you NONE OF THIS would have been possible. I am forever in your debt.

July

I met and worked with the incredible Jasmine Star in her first London workshop. This was a huge deal for me. I am unashamedly a Jasmine Star superfan and the whole experience was a total whirlwind. Meeting her was definitely one of my highlights of the year.

I was also featured in Marie Claire Magazine here in the UK in their article on ‘super-bloggers’. Since then, the piece has also been published in the Greek, Indian and Australian editions of the magazine!

I chose (with your help) the new Rock n Roll Bride intern, Roo!

Gareth & I were interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire (listen here)

Wedding of the Month – Regula & Bruno’s Creative, Spooky & Wonderful Wedding

Photography Credit: Assassynation

Other notable Blog Posts:

July press round-up
How to…Dress as a Wedding Guest
Jachen & Monica’s Travel Themed, Whimsical Woodland-Inspired Wedding 
Being Happy
How to…Dress as a Wedding Photographer
Wedding Fashion for Plus Sized Brides 

August

Gareth and I headed stateside as I was invited by one of my internet idols, Princess Lasertron to walk the catwalk for her at Omaha Fashion Week. We also did an awesome promotion shoot for the Rock n Roll Bride dress which she designed (you can purchase it here), hung out with Mondo Guerra of Project Runway fame and we appeared on Breakfast television! Phew. We made some friends for life in Omaha and we miss them and their big-small town everyday.

After all that excitement Gareth and I hopped over to LA for a holiday. During our trip we also got to met many more of my internet stalkees including Bowie Bride, Broke Ass Bride, Miss Dee AhoyErica Adams Photography, the ladies of AriaDress, Holly Steen of Cakes & Kisses Photography, Jasmine Star (again! See, once you become real life friends with me I stalk you for life…), Tinywater Photography and Gala Darling! Meeting Gala was a particularly massive highlight for me. Again, I am an unashamed uber fan and I so I was both nervous and ridiculously excited when we arranged to meet for dinner. I’m pleased to report that she’s just as wonderful in real life as she is online and if possible, even more beautiful.

I was even recognised a few times in LA (including once at the airport when I had a monster hangover, brilliant!) All in all though, it seemed America loved the pink one and I can’t wait to go back. I have plans for at least two trips next year.

I paid a visit to Candy Anthony, one of the favourite wedding dress designers of you Rock n Roll Brides. I even got to try them all on!

I designed my own shoes with Upper Street (watch this space, because they’ve just launched their ballet flats range, and I got to design some of those too!)

Wedding of the Month – A CMYK Themed Wedding: Rebekah & David

Photography Credit: Depict Photography

Other notable Blog Posts:

August press round-up
The Barbie & Ken wedding was SO POPULAR it crashed the website a number of times and the blog had over SEVEN times the usual daily traffic for three days straight…
A Weekend-Long Family Festival Wedding: Emily & Stef
Candy Coloured Cuteness: Lucy & Michael
A Beer-Swilling, Handfasting, Freak Show Wedding: Heather & Tyler
A Zombie Attack Engagement Shoot

September

Within just two days of returning from the US I was attending the Feather Love Artist’s Workshop in London which I’d helped to organise with Emma Case. Roo even modeled for the photo shoot portion if the day (full shoot here).

My third photography workshop of the year was The Photography Farm, a three day epic organised by Lisa Devlin. I dressed up as Dorothy for the styled shoot and spoke to the students about how to get featured on wedding blogs.

Gareth & I partied on the pier with Choccywoccydoodah.

Wedding of the Month – A Wedding in the Woods & A Bride Wearing Antlers: Ian & Jo

Photography Credit: Emma Case Photography

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2011, The Year That Was {Part One: January – June}

December 29, 2011

Two full time jobs quit, 795 blog posts written, internet idols met and a mammoth trip to America under our belts – phew we’ve made it to the end of 2011. Oh what a year it’s been, where do I even begin?!

As we hurtle towards 2012 with open arms, I thought I’d go back through the blog and share my top 12 weddings of the year, by month, as well as a few personal highlights that I’ve hit along the way. 2011 has been a HUGE year for Rock n Roll Bride but here’s to making 2012 even bigger!

Boy oh boy I feel giddy just thinking about what’s round the corner (one HUGE ASS thing in particular, I’m sworn to secrecy but I’ll be able to share it soon I promise).

Be sure to pop back tomorrow for part deux, July – December. I’d also love to know what your weddings of the year were and why in the comments section below. Happy New year lovers!

January

I left my job as a TV producer to run the blog full time (you can see a video of my farewell here, oh how we cried!) I also launched Rock n Roll Bride TV. I wanted to do some video blog posts as I love watching other people’s myself. Gosh though, this year has been so mental I really haven’t done as many as I wanted to. I’m going to try to resurrect this idea next year if you fancy it? You can see all the Rock n Roll Bride TV episodes here.

Our wedding was also featured in Wedding Ideas Magazine for a second time (!) and I tried my hand at floristry.

Wedding of the Month – Debs & Richie’s Budget Friendly, Crafty & Vintage Wedding

Photography Credit: Emma Case Photography

Other notable Blog Posts:

January press round-up
Online Negativity & Comment Policy 
Help Me Find a Rockabilly Style Wedding Dress
Vegan Shoe Ideas 

February

I modeled for the incredible Magpie Vintage for their brand new vintage clothing line… I even got on a horse! (full shoot here)

I came up with the concept for and organised the Big Fat Wedding Bloggers photo shoot, a collaborative project to show just what the UK wedding blogging industry has to offer. It went down incredibly and was featured in at least two mainstream media magazines. I also attended Mark Niemierko’s infamous Valentines Party at Browns Bride.

I exhibited as a special guest at the first Designer Vintage Bridal Show and I got to meet so many of my readers in two days, it was faaaabulous!

Wedding of the Month – Lisa & Theis’ Intimate Malibu Pier Wedding

Photography Credit: Feather Love Photography

Other notable Blog Posts:

February press round-up
How to dress your flowergirls

Make Your Wedding Day About You 

March

I walked the catwalk at Luella’s Boudoir Bridal Show (my first ever catwalk experience, oh Lord it was terrifying… even more terrifying when I found out someone was videoing it!) and I went to the By Appointment Only party in Mayfair which was waaay too posh for me. They did light the whole building pink though. Win.

I admitted defeat and gave up my Photography Friday posts. You know, sometimes it’s much better to admit something is not working and think about what else you can do. It’s a good job I did too, because on a Friday I now blog my Post It Notes which have been incredibly popular. Hurray!

Gareth & I did a ‘Beloved’ photo shoot with Marianne Taylor. These are definitely my favourite photos of us together.

Emma & Pete got married. Their surprise wedding was amazing. Even I cried…and I never cry at soppy stuff!

I was also interviewed by Photo Night Live, a web-based show about wedding photography.

Wedding of the Month – Margaret & Edi’s INCREDIBLE “Blows-Everything-Else-Out-of-the-Water” Gothic Alice in Wonderland Wedding

Photography Credit: Freyja Photography

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An Urban & Eclectic Community Wedding: Stevie & Nick

December 28, 2011

Stevie & Nick’s eclectic city wedding took place in Mile End, East London. The bride described the day to me as “eclectic retro community chic,” with so many of their friends and family pitching in to help. “So many people said ‘that’s how weddings used to be’ and ‘this is how it should be, family and friends mucking in’. It meant a lot to us that this was how we did it – it wouldn’t have happened without all of the support we received.”

The wedding day started with the ceremony at Bromley Public Hall and concluded with a rockin’ party reception at The Victoria Pub, “Old man pub heaven” as the bride described it! “They’d never hosted a wedding before, but we were there for a jumble sale and afternoon pint and fell in love with the place,” she explained. “We started chatting to Jo and Martin, the amazing couple who own the pub with their son Alfie and couldn’t believe how genuinely excited they were by it. It made me realise that experience of weddings only gets you so far – real passion and enthusiasm was a lot more important in the end. When we wanted to bring in our own flowers, cakes and decorations – including nailing things to the wall – they were all for it!”

Stevie wore a short wedding dress which she bought on lightinthebox.com. “I know this website received mixed reviews, but it was the only place which had the style I wanted for the budget I had,” she explained honestly. “It worked for me and I would recommend it to anyone how has an eye for a bargain. Visiting weddings shops didn’t even enter the equation! I found this far less stressful. I didn’t try on any dresses or partake in the crazy wedding industry world for a second – people thought I was really weird for wanting to avoid the meringue monstrosity outlets.”

The couple brought their own cake, flowers and decor items and dressed their reception themselves (well with help from a friend on the morning of the wedding). This way, they were able to have the pub exactly as they wanted for a fraction of the price. “Our cake was made by my food-obsessed bridesmaid and usher. They were mini Victoria sponges filled with lemon curd (Nick’s favourite) with a big cake topped with little handmade versions of us. They came on vintage cake stands and looked amazing. Who needs 14 tier fruit cakes? No one eats it and it costs a fortune. These were made with real love and every one got eaten. Our 1950’s waitresses handed them round to the guests at their seats like a little (drunken) tea party!”

“We also bought all the flowers wholesale from Covent Garden Flower Market the day before the wedding (at 5am. Ouch.) Two of my incredible bridesmaids then spent the entire day putting them together. Everything was a surprise for me – including my bouquet. For a control freak like me, it was amazing. I only found out later that 3 bouquets had got stuck to the back of the fridge they were stored in, meaning lots of emergency flower re-arranging on the morning! I didn’t even notice!”

“The rest of the reception decor and props came from Deptford Market, every charity shop in Essex and Kent, eBay and our house. We were engaged for 18 months and we spent the whole time collecting little bits here and there. The whole family was involved. My sister put together the most amazing candy buffet using cut glass cake stands, jars and vases from my home. My childhood friend made 20 metres of blue and white bunting to go across the garden and Nick used our collection of second hand photo frames to put together a little photography exhibition of photos since we met. The gingham tablecloths were made by my Mum and we all sat around making our birds nest favours the day before the wedding.”

“No one in my family does big weddings,”Stevie concluded. “They either elope, or live quite happily without getting hitched. I had no family pressure so we were really able to do what felt right. Both of us were brought up going to jumble sales, hunting for bargains and being suspicious of anything which demanded a whole heap of money. I guess what made it different was that the idea of ‘impossible’ didn’t exist. We had a London wedding with 70 all day guests, 30 more in the evening, 7 bridesmaids and 7 ushers, beautiful food, drink and decoration all for around £7000. If we wanted something, we made it happen. It was really hard sometimes but we knew it was what we wanted.”

“Being Rock n Roll for me was about ignoring the ‘advice’ we read in magazines and pig headedly carrying on! No one believed me that a Victorian pub could be transformed into a sit down dining reception venue, but I knew it could. You can have the wedding you want on the budget you have, it just takes a lot of love and support from everyone around you and anything is possible.”

This is all just so utterly gorgeous! And did you spy Stevie’s nails? LOVE!

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A Fashion Forward London Wedding: Courtney & Charles

December 27, 2011

Courtney & Charles were married at Marylebone Town Hall followed by a reception at The Union Club in Soho, London. The fashion forward bride wore a short wedding dress by David Fielden and incredible gold shoes by Charlotte Olympia. Not only do I love that she had a bridesman as well as bridesmaids, but I’m going gaga over his shirt and bow tie combo, made in the same Laura Ashley fabric as the girls. Doesn’t it look fabulously chic?

“Being in London, the whole day felt really informal and fun,” Courtney explained. “We didn’t want a load of wedding protocol getting in the way of a good party. A few days after the wedding we had a post-wedding shoot in our wedding attire, at some of our favourite spots around the city.”

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Thursday Treats – 22nd December 2011: I’m Accepting Guest Writers + Wedding Dress Winners Announced

December 22, 2011

Photography Credit: Bleach London

Welcome, weary traveler, to the last Thursday Treats of the year! We’ll be in Crimbo Limbo next week (you know, that weird week between Christmas and New Year where time seems to slow down. Where most people are off work and there’s plenty of terrible festive telly on?) Anyway, because of this I too will be trying to take a week off and so there will be no Treats or Post It Notes.

However there will still be a (albeit slightly abbreviated) programme of blog content going up. I have at least one blog post per day scheduled throughout next week. So, if you find time between stuffing your face with turkey/chocolate/Christmas pudding and arguing with your relatives be sure to pop by.

Remember you can always use the page numbers at the bottom of the blog to navigate through the archives if you fancy perusing some weddings and general blog content that you may have missed.

Photography Credit: Felix Lammers for Quality Magazine via Fashion Gone Rogue

…Oh and another quickie, I’m currently taking submissions from guest writers who either want to submit a DIY Tutorial or an article that fits into my ‘wedding’ or ‘business’ Post It Notes blog post remit. If you are interested in being considered then please drop me an email outlining your idea for the tutorial or article. I’ll accept posts from anyone – brides/grooms-to-be, newlyweds, wedding industy peeps, other bloggers (wedding or non-wedding).

Please note: Guest posts are not an opportunity for companies to write a post solely to promote themselves. So please only get in touch if you have an idea for an article that can genuinely help my readers (couples planning their weddings or people running their own small businesses). You will, of course, get credited (including links to your own website) in return.

PS I probably shouldn’t tell you this yet, but over the past week Gareth has been coding a brand new RIDICULOUSLY EXCITING new area of the blog. Watch out for it in January! It’s a pretty cool development too if I do say so myself…

Anyway, that’s enough from me. Wow I don’t half go on and on…See you after the break my lovelies!

Modern engagement shoot in New York
♥ Candy Land Rehearsal Dinner
Colourful Maine wedding
Do what you love, love what you do
♥ Great tips from Jasmine on working on a styled shoot
Modern French Wedding. Oh la la!

Photography Credit: Louisa Bailey

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Discounts & Savings From Some of My Favourite Wedding Suppliers…Happy Christmas!

December 22, 2011

Photography Credit: Alison Conklin via Style Me Pretty

To celebrate that Christmas is just around the corner, I wanted to share with you some amazing discounts from some of my favourite wedding designers and suppliers. Happy shopping (for yourself I hope!)

David Fielden

Iconic British bridal designer David Fielden is offering all readers of Rock n Roll Bride an extra 10% off all sample sale prices in January! Prices start from an amazing £250. Quote the code 10%OFFDFRNR when you visit their London showroom.

Candy Anthony

Rock n Roll Bride favourite Candy Anthony are offering 20% off your entire order if it’s places in December. Click here for more details.

Freya Rose

Shoe designer Freya Rose would like to offer all readers of Rock n Roll Bride 20% off any purchase between now and 21st January 2012. Quote ‘RocknRollBride’ when you place your order (either online or on the phone)

Laura Babb Photography

Laura Babb is offering 10% off all wedding packages that are booked in January. Quote ‘Happy New Year’.

Paloma’s Nest

Paloma’s Nest, the home of the original ring bearer bowl, are offering 10% off any order placed before 31st December 2011 with the discount code INSTYLE.

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A Casual Wedding At Home: Ann & Tim

December 22, 2011

Ann & Tim had just the kind of wedding I’d love to have had if a) the UK marriage laws weren’t so damn strict and b) if I lived in a blue house. With the ceremony being held on their driveway and the reception in their back garden, this is the perfect casual backyard wedding. The couple actually met at their house, at the house party of a mutual friend who owned it before them. Having the wedding here really brought their story full circle. The matchmaker, even spoke at the wedding.

“They wanted the whole thing to feel like people were at home,” wedding photographers Sarah & Adam of InTandem explained. “The home was built in 1940 and the original owners of the house who sold it to them also had their wedding reception there. Back then it was just a big white farm house, but Ann & Tim repainted, re-leveled, re-landscaped, and even built the flower boxes themselves. It was DIY to the extreme, and their love for authentic vintage came through in their decor.”

Other DIY elements included the chalkboard signs and the jars and bottles for flowers were bought throughout the year. “We went to every thrift store in Austin and more, with a $2 or less rule,” Ann explained. “We splurged on the cake toppers (which cost us a whole $5!) which we found at an antique mall. I also strung about 6 miles of doily garland, but most of it couldn’t be used because of the rain.”

“We really wanted everyone to feel at home during the whole thing. Next to the gift table was a pot of hot coffee, and the the football game was playing in the living room. The ceremony was very casual, with many of the guests standing with drinks in their hands. We wanted it to feel like a picnic.”

Even the unexpected rain fall didn’t stop these two having the perfect day, “This summer Texas saw a terrible drought, with literally NO rain for the whole hot summer,” Sarah & Adam concluded. “Their wedding ended up on the first rainy weekend to break it. They said they never took the rain seriously until the day before their wedding when they had a worried moment, and worked together with friends and family to rain-plan their wedding. It was too late for a tent, so they set up the blue tarp over the tables in desperation. They set big concrete blocks in the super muddy areas and filled the gaps with hay at the last minute.”

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A DIY Wedding with a Mountaintop View: Larry & Chelsea

December 21, 2011

Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as Larry & Chelsea’s mountaintop wedding? Just look at that view! The lucky couple we’re married at the bride’s parents home (OK I’m now officially jealous) and although it doesn’t look like it, they had a small budget to work with.

“Although we had financial limits, hand making everything not only saved us money, but it made everything much more personal and special,” Chelsea told me. “I will cherish every hilarious moment I spent crafting and to finally see all our hard work come together was awesome. I never thought I could pull it off and I got it all done in time and I am damn proud of myself!! The essential item to a DIY wedding? Get a dang glue gun girl…Oh and start early!!!”

The bride wore two dresses, the first, from David’s Bridal for the ceremony, and the second, a one of a kind custom made dress by Deborah Lindquist.

“I don’t think we had a specific theme in mind, we definitely wanted to incorporate Larry’s love for skating but we just wanted everything to have a romantic old school vibe to it,” Chelsea continued. “My husband and I are old souls and our love of things with throwback flair came out a little bit. We still wanted it to look like a wedding though so I think that it made all the fun things pop. So we kept that in mind when picking everything out. We got lucky last minute on our cake table. My stepdad had planned to make a distressed and rustic table but didnt have the time with all the last minute stuff. He ended up working a job where the property owner was getting rid of a 1922 Wedgewood Oven. The thing weighs a ton but we got it moved in time. My husband then spent several hours grinding rust off of it and we realized that it was manufactured on our wedding day 90 years ago!”

“Skateboarding has been my husbands first love for the last 20 years, and if it hadn’t been for a taste of the good weather and skatespots in southern Cali, I never would’ve met him. In fact he used to give skateboarding lessons to little kids at one of our big local parks and he conned me into a date by having a 6 year old ask me out! What a cheat. I ended up taking a ton of his old skateboarding magazines and used a scalloped puncher to create all the paper flowers in the wedding. His boutonniere was a flower that I made out of an old photo of a Rob Roskopp Santa Cruz board that I found. It took forever to make everything but it turned out awesome. We also used a board deck as our guestbook which is now mounted up on our living room wall. Who really ever looks at the guestbook every again?”

“I think the most Rock n Roll thing is being true to yourself despite the norms or cliches,” Chelsea concluded “Never compromising your day for what others think it should be. So many people give into the hype and structure of what a wedding should be like. Between the stacks of magazines and where to seat your crazy Uncle its really easy to lose yourself in the process. Truth of the matter is that you found the one amazing person to commit to you through every crazy moment of forever. Who cares if the dress isnt white or if your first dance song was “Thank You” by Led Zeppelin. Your day should scream ‘you!’ and no Mom I will not be covering my tattoos!”

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A Movie, CMYK & Zombie Themed Wedding: Elizabeth & Steve

December 21, 2011

As keen movie fans, the theme for Elizabeth & Steve’s wedding was easy to choose, especially when they realised they could have their ceremony at the amazing Tropic Cinema in Key West, Florida.

“When we got engaged, we knew we wanted the whole day to be a big fun celebration, and our first thought for a venue was Tropic Cinema,” Elizabeth explained. “It’s an amazing volunteer run theater in Old Town Key West, and we are huge movie buffs. We even had our 2nd date there. When we contacted them, they were ecstatic to be a part of our big day as they had never hosted a wedding there before.”

movie themed key west wedding12

Their brightly coloured scheme also suited the venue perfectly. “Instead of fighting the existing color scheme, I ran with it and used the CMYK theme in all our stationery and decor,” the bride continued. “Lori, the event manager at the Tropic was floored when she saw that we used their colors. Plus, you can’t really have a better setting for a colorful wedding than Key West!”

movie themed key west wedding38

“Our wedding had a definite movie theme with an island twist, but overall, we just wanted it really fun and playful. We had to throw some zombies in there somewhere of course too, as we’re huge zombie dorks. Also everybody kept asking us about the Domo cake toppers. Steve won me a Domo plush at Universal’s Islands of Adventure right after we got engaged, and he quickly became our mascot…. I bought the figurines from an online comic store and made all the little accesories out of polymer clay. Who knew they would be such a hit!?”

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The couple put their own stamp on their day by DIYing as much as they could. Elizabeth found the tutorial for the paper roses on youtube and spent 10 months in the run up to the wedding hand making them all. That’s dedication for you!

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An Indie Engagement: Karn & Poey

December 21, 2011

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand Karn & Poey both moved to Brisbane, Australia to study. They followed each other over and during one of their travels to Melbourne, Karn popped the question. This hip and quirky engagement shoot is such a perfect depiction of them as a couple. I love it!

“We met them at a local indie market where we had an instant photo booth stall and they decided they’d love to celebrate their engagement with photos” photographers Seth & Tenielle of Feather and Stone Photography told me. “All the styling was completely their own, their own personal style shone through completely. They are two of the sweetest people we’ve worked with!! We LOVE when couples individual styles really come through the photos.”

The session was shot 100% on film as opposed to a digital. “We moved back to shooting film 6 months ago and this was one of our 1st all film sessions”, Tenielle continued. “We’re loving it, there’s such an organic, raw softness feel to film. We’ve stuck to it since.”

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A Colourful Indian Engagement Ceremony: Yashwin & Avani

December 20, 2011

I’ve something a little different for you this afternoon in Yashwin & Avani’s engagement ceremony. In India, where the couple live, having an engagement ceremony is just as big a deal as the actual wedding. As photographer Kismet Nakai explained,

“What usually happens in India is that when the couple gets engaged, even if there is a sweet proposal in private, there is always a ‘formal’ engagement to announce it to the world. It’s almost like a mini wedding. In this case they had their engagement party on the same day as Avanis parents 25th anniversary so it was a combined party with like 400 people (imagine how big the wedding is going to be!!!).”

“The families said a few words about the bride and groom and then they exchanged rings, cut a cake and partied! Not very different from a wedding really! There was nothing very religious about it but our traditions such as the ring exchanging are very very important. People do combine all this into the wedding time (usually an Indian wedding will be a week long celebration, with all the different events, including the engagement ceremony, a few days apart, but these guys did it before – I guess just to celebrate!) Yashwin & Avani did have a religious ceremony for the engagement as well, at the temple but I wasn’t there for that. They also had a mehendi/henna party too! It might seem crazy that so much happens just for an engagement but India loves weddings!”

Avani wore a stunning patchwork dress by Masaba, a designer from Mumbai. “As I paraded around the studio, in my funny patchwork garb, Yashwin said I looked like a magician,” the bride laughed.  “See the love in that statement?! In fact ‘love’ has been our main inspiration throughout our wedding planning. Celebrating our engagement it on my parents 25th anniversary made it so much more special. We celebrated by being who we are – colourful, artistic and madly in love!”

“The day was a happy and shiny morning. We desperately wanted candid photos and pictures with our darling cat babies. So our photographer Kismet came over to my place first and we got some beautiful, deliciously random pictures. It was all the details, the tiniest ones didn’t escape her. At the ceremony, things were mental, a complete blur. We wanted a really low key affair which got blown out of proportion cause our parents are super social. However we made it work in the end. All you need is a close bunch of friends from all over and mad music. We were rolling in laughter and vodka and love. It was a glorious day.”

If this was just the engagement ceremony I can’t wait to see the wedding can you?!

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An Eclectic & Colourful DIY Wedding: Amy & Andy

December 20, 2011

As a regular Rock n Roll Bride reader, Amy booked some of my ultimate favourite wedding suppliers for her October wedding to Andy. Annamarie Stepney photographed the day and the bride wore a Candy Anthony wedding dress with the gorgeous ‘cherry’ Vivienne Westwood/Melissa shoes. She also dressed her lucky bridesmaids in Vivien of Holloway dresses.

“We looked at lots of wedding blogs to find a photographer and saw lots of examples of some beautiful and really cool photos but when I saw some of Annamarie’s work on Rock n Roll Bride we just loved them,” Amy explained. “After meeting her knew she’d be great. She made the day go really smoothly too so it was a good choice!”

“I also knew I wanted a Candy Anthony dress from the start, they’re such beautiful dresses and I knew would be best to compliment my curves. The thought of trying on or wearing a traditional full length dress was scary, it’s just not me and I don’t think it would have been very flattering for my shape, and I wanted something fun! I knew I didn’t want a plain white or ivory dress and I love pink so I chose the polka dots and sash and the MASSIVE raspberry petticoat which was amazing, it made me feel like a princess! People couldn’t stop touching it and making me twirl!”

The wedding was held at Gate Street Barn, Surrey “We wanted a relaxed, pretty venue with space to drink and dance so this was perfect,” the bride continued. “I looked at lots of wedding blogs and magazines whilst planning but my favourite was always Rock n Roll Bride which I looked at every day. I picked up lots of tips and inspirations from it, but mostly the idea that we could have our wedding, our way, whilst keeping a few nice traditions in there too.”

The couple decorated their colourful reception space themselves. Many items were found on eBay or Amazon and Amy painted all the jam jars herself. Her Mum also handmade the napkin rings and the embroidered hearts that hung on the back of the chairs.

“The jam jars were really easy to decorate, I made them all different because I wanted a riot of colour and didn’t want anything to ‘match’,” Amy explained. “I painted flowers, polka dots, stripes etc in lots of different colours. I used acrylic paint and a varnish so they’re waterproof. Quite a few friends took them home at the end of the night, otherwise I would be overrun with them now! Making the favours was really easy too (if time consuming), we put some chocolates in some pink and purple netting (from John Lewis haberdashery) and tied it up with a ribbon.. it saved such a lot of money as favours can be really expensive!”

“We wanted to add our own twist onto everything including the invites, decorations, readings and clothes.. it was just everything we wanted rather than trying to be refined and classic like a lot of (admittedly beautiful) weddings. Everyone said the wedding was very ‘us’ which was lovely as we did want it to feel personal. There was lots of laughter during the ceremony and then the speeches and the dancing. We had the best day, to me, being Rock n Roll is all about having fun and doing things your own way, so what could be more Rock n Roll than that?”

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A Autumnal Vintage Cinema Wedding: Holly & Robert

December 20, 2011

Holly & Robert were married at The Electric Cinema in Birmingham. After walking down the aisle to Billie Holiday ‘It had to be you’, the bride with her groom, headed to Kitchen Garden Cafe Kings Heath for a casual and DIY reception.

“Rob asked me to marry him in NYC in October last year he got down on one knee in Central Park and gave me a beautiful 1920’s pearl engagement ring,” Holly wrote to me. “It was the happiest day of my life everywhere was just bursting with Autumn colour, strolling through the park was so romantic I wanted to capture the feeling of that day at our wedding.”

“I collected some leaves from the park that day and kept them to use on our wedding day, they became part of our buttonholes. We go to The Electric Cinema every Valentine’s Day, it’s a truly old style kinda romantic place, we didn’t want to get married in a hotel or registry office we wanted it to be memorable. We both have a shared love of classic films and we chose to play a segment from Casablanca whilst we signed the register, it really is romance at its best! I decorated the cinema with simple candle light and rose petals from our garden, as it was such a unique venue it didn’t need much to create an intimate atmosphere.”

“Our reception was at a small cafe which we eat breakfast at all the time,” Holly continued. “We only had around 80 people at the wedding so I wanted somewhere which would feel cosy and intimate. Its a real eclectic place full of art work and furniture for sale we wanted everyone to feel relaxed and we love the informal nature of the venue. We had an open fire for toasting marshmallows, sparklers, fire lanterns, toffee apples, spiced apple pie and frosted carrot cake, I wanted to really embrace the feeling of Autumn.”

“I styled the venue myself with help from my friends I had over 100 pumpkins which sat on tree stumps, I used antique bottles, tins, an old typewriter for our guestbook. Many of the Autumn decorations came from our garden and woodland so they didn’t cost us anything. It took a long time to collect everything and carrying logs out of the woods was pretty intense but so worth it! I am lucky that I have a styling business (Cabinets of Curiosity – cabinetsofcuriosity@hotmail.co.uk or call Holly on: 07712101446) and I have a huge collection of vintage china, antiques and so on, but you would be surprised at what you can find down the local park for free!”

“I made all the labels, table runners, bunting, banners even sliced the logs up with a chainsaw myself! We went back to NYC this October for our honeymoon as husband and wife and it was just as beautiful as I remember, I felt really proud of what we achieved with our big day.”

“I think our wedding was Rock n Roll because it was creative, unique and honest it was a true representation of us as a couple and not just a generic template for what a wedding should be like. Your wedding should be about you as people and not how much cash you can flash.”

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A Bohemian Garden Party Fairytale: Mark & Jolina

December 19, 2011

 After seeing Mark & Jolina’s incredible engagement shoot, there was no doubt in my mind that their wedding would be AMAZING. However in my wildest wedding dreams even I didn’t imagine this. The theme for the day was similar to their engagement shoot – a bohemian/hippy chic, garden party fairytale.

“Mark & I have been active in the Philippines entertainment industry for quite some time now,” Jolina told me. “He plays drums and guitar for his band Rivermaya and they’ve been around for over 17 years. I’ve been a full-time actress, singer and recording artist for the past 22 years. Most of our lives have been spent on stage or in front of cameras, with the whole country watching and listening. Therefore we wanted our special day to be as relaxed as possible, no press, no TV cameras, no interviews, and all the ‘formalities’ were made as simple and meaningful as possible. We wanted to ignore tradition as much as possible to the day was 100% for us.”

“Only our official photographers, videographer, wedding suppliers, and our closest family and friends were there. It was simple, happy and fun. At the reception, we had our younger guests sitting on picnic blankets and throw pillows. There was a live drum circle performance before the program started and some of the guests joined in. Aside from the free-flow iced tea and lemonade, large steel vats we’re on also on the ground, filled with bottles of beer and ice. After the short program and fireworks, it was open-mic for everyone.”

The couple also added a few extra special touches to again, keep the day personal. “For our wedding invitations, we had scrapbooks made for all our guests” the bride continued. “We reproduced all our old pictures, movie and concert tickets, even airline boarding passes for each scrapbook. There’s a page where we showed what the ‘proper’ wedding attire would be. Mark and I used craft wire to create 300 miniature coat hangers and attached swatches of real fabric. Everyone said they really loved the idea.”

“Mark & I also attached lace to my shoes so they would match my dress better. They turned out much nicer than anything I saw in the stores… they’re one-of-a-kind because we made them ourselves.”

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A Bohemian Engagement with Hand Drawn Illustrations: Mark & Jolina

December 19, 2011

I have a beautiful two-parter for you this afternoon, both the engagement shoot and wedding of Mark & Jolina. When I saw this shoot by MangoRed, who hail from The Philippines, I knew I had to blog it. I love the mix of mediums between the photography and illustrations. It’s something I’ve never seen before and it creates a really different and beautiful storytelling result don’t you think?

MangoRed worked with RabbitHole Creatives to create this shoot, as they explained, “We have been working with MangoRed for a long time now and our collaborations have proved our good creative rapport. The exchange of ideas are both orgasmic and highly productive. RabbitHole‘s concepts are captured in a very special light by MangoRed. You can see the attention to detail and the desire to capture the mood of every concept.”

“Inspired by each couple’s personalities, we explore many possibilities of translating them – to push the boundaries of pre-nuptial editorials. For Jolina & Mark’s pre-nuptial shoot, the ideas initially came from them. They were aiming for ethereal, boheme and fun. We then extended these ideas to a more visceral approach. We wanted it extra lush and overflowing with psychedelic vibes. Jolina Magdangal is a pop star and paved way to a fashion commotion during the late 90’s that is distinctively hers. Mark Escueta is a rock legend in the underground sub-culture. Both have delved into the music industry and carved Filipinos’ hearts with their compositions.”

“We started with their ideas and extracted the essence, which is the bohemian life. Truth, beauty and freedom at it’s most succulent form. Referencing from the bohemian movement of the late 60’s, we looked into inspirations such as The Cockettes, Kenneth Anger, Janis Joplin and Taking Woodstock. We also looked at Pre-Raphaelite artworks by Rosetti, Beardsley and Klimt that highly influenced the lifestyle. From those ideas, we concocted a story/editorial that captures all those moods. We then proposed a story of leisure, travel and folly. Colors and patterns are important visual cues. Hence, the styling of the clothes and the production/set design were carefully composed. We provided the vibrant backdrops, embellishing everything in a loose but fiery motion. Lace, argyle, luggage, twigs, party favors, rock band shirts, harp, kites, Lambrettas, crochet, make-shift swing, eloping Sedan, trumpet, parasol, gramophone, sand, sea, paper lanterns, bicycles – all mixed together in one big stew.”

“To make the whole output more raw and teeming with details, RabbitHole‘s Creative Director, Geof Gonzales, composed hand made illustrations and collages. It was a product of all of our visions to tell a visual story supported with these intuitive illustrations. Geof made the collages with the couple’s ideas in mind. Old books and magazine cut-outs and illustrations were combined with passages from books and novels and Nina Simone’s lyrics.”

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Vintage Goth Meets Glam Heavy Metal…with a Pinch of Glitter: Amberly & Gabe

December 19, 2011

Amberly & Gabe’s September wedding was held at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. A Rock n Roll wedding to the core, music played a huge part in their day. “We are music lovers and the cocktail hour music was a custom list of electric violin covers by Ms. Jennifer Spingola,” the bride told me. “The music over dinner was provided by the Vitamin String quartet featuring our favorite songs. These included versions of Sweet Child of Mine, Stairway to Heaven, Rocking in the Free World, Purple Haze and November Rain. Our first dance was to an Adele’s cover of the Cure’s Love Song.”

The table names were also music inspired – the couple’s favoruite bands – and were made by the bride and groom themselves. “We photo-shopped the band logo and lead singer on to a 4×6 photo paper and framed them,” Amberly explained. “Other DIY details included the silhouettes of us which were made by a childhood friend. We transposed them on to canvas and displayed them at the reception.”

“We are lovers of classic rock, classic alternative and metal,” the couple concluded. “We wanted to capture what we love to do (go to gigs) and love to listen to (our favorite music). We wanted to express our creativity and love for all things rock. Our theme was ‘vintage Goth meets glam heavy metal with a pinch of glitter’.”

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A Sunday Kind of Love: All I Want for Christmas…is the Furla Candy Bag

December 18, 2011

This Week’s Love List…

♥ xmas parties ♥ getting a real Christmas tree ♥ treating ourselves to loads of new Christmas decorations! ♥ tinsel ♥ champagne deliveries ♥ finishing my Christmas shopping! ♥ overusing the word Christmas in this post ♥ Five years of Gala! ♥ Saturday nights in ♥ Sunday morning lie-ins ♥ Sex and the City marathons ♥ this Betsey Johnson necklace ♥

Best of the Rest…

You know youre getting old when you ask for carpet for christmas. However I think I can safely secure my Rock n Roll credentials for another 365 days if I have this baby with me. I was walking down Regent Street this week and BOOM! I was shot with handbag lust of epic proportions when I saw these lovelies glissening in the window of the Furla flagship.

furla candy bag

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DIY Tutorial: ‘Bobble Wobble’ Christmas Place Names

December 17, 2011

This week’s super cute DIY project was submitted by Erin of BerinMade. Erin’s etsy shop is a place for fancifully hand-drawn posters and flamboyant stationery & paper goods and I’m honoured to share with you this adorable tutorial that she created just for us. These would be awesome for a Christmas wedding or even just for your Christmas dinner table.

Over to you Erin…

This little project is a ton of fun to make and has loads of room for creativity to make it your own! I think these little bauble wobbles would make very fun place names in lieu of tent cards. If it’s a Christmas wedding you’re having, you could make simplified versions of these and your guests could take them home as a souvenir!

Supplies Needed

1. Paint brushes and paint (I find gouache paint gives the most vibrant colours that give cheer tothese little gems)
2. Scissors
3. Pencil for sketching
4. Recycled round baubles (mine were about 7cm in diameter)
5. White card (at about 200gsm – easy enough to cut with scissors but hard enough so it stands up)
6. Super Glue

Method

Step 1: First sketch out your portraits in pencil, then colour in with paint. I painted a boy with glasses called James and girl with hairband and matching polka dot scarf called Jessica (they look like me and my husband, except they have a basset called Woof.)

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