Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Top Stories

This is Your Permission to Not Change Yourself For Your Wedding

Rachel Darwin

Lauren Covelli

May 19, 2026

Right now, there is an ever-increasing pressure to “upgrade” our faces and bodies before getting married. Pre-wedding beauty expectations have escalated from a full head of foils and a manicure… to injectables, fillers, Botox, hair extensions and even extreme weight loss drugs (GLP1s). The loud, cruel, falsehood that a wedding requires you to look like "the best version of yourself” can be harmful to your experience and your enjoyment of getting married… not to mention what it can do to your mental and physical health in the long run. To me, it sounds more like an idea from the 1950s than the 2020s.
Read more...

Wedding Planning Advice

What We Can Learn From Vintage Wedding Magazines in 2026

Kat

June 1, 2026

A few weeks ago, a reader reached out to say she'd found a stack of wedding magazines from the 1970s in her mum's house and asked if I'd like them. Er, would I ever! I love old magazines and have picked up many a vintage copy of Vogue from car boot sales and reclamation shops over the years. Wedding magazines, though, are surprisingly hard to come by. I knew they'd be fun to look through, but what I didn't expect was how much I'd end up learning from them.
Read more...

The Wedding Dress Shopping Questions Nobody Thinks to Ask

Alexandra Merri

Spring Summer Collective

May 29, 2026

Most brides go into wedding dress shopping focused on what they want their dress to look like. You’ve probably saved necklines, silhouettes and sleeve details to Pinterest boards for months… but once you actually start to try dresses on, it will suddenly start to dawn on you that there are a lot of practical considerations too. A 20-foot train may look incredible on a mood board, but in reality, it will frustrate you before the ceremony is even over. A long sleeve gown may be the vison in your head, but if you’re getting married in the height of summer, think again. That basque waist may be stunning, but can you sit down and eat while wearing it?
Read more...

Changing My Name After Marriage: The Good, The Admin and The Identity Crisis

Guest Contributor

KD Photographic

April 29, 2026

Mrs Greenfield?" I sat there in the doctors office nonchalantly flicking through a three year old version of OK! Magazine. There was silence in the waiting room as I internally judged the person who had missed their appointment. The NHS is already stretched without selfish people not showing up. "Mrs Greenfield?" I think I like how my new name sounds. I’ve loved him for eight years, he’s my family. There’s something soft and lovely about the idea of sharing a surname, of seeing it one day on a birth certificate next to our baby’s name. It felt like choosing our family name, not just borrowing his. A shared identity. "MRS GREENFIELD!"
Read more...

Ask an Expert: How to Choose the Right Type of Wedding Ceremony for You

Guest Contributor

Julia Ellie

April 22, 2026

There are several different ways to get married in the UK, and these vary depending on which country you live in. Couples who are religious may want a wedding led by a vicar, priest, rabbi, or other religious leader. In England and Wales, broadly, this can be legally recognised if it takes place in a building licensed for marriages. If you’re having a religious wedding, do check that your ceremony will fulfil the legal requirements.
Read more...

Yes, I’m a Feminist… And I’m Excited to Be a Bride

Guest Contributor

April 20, 2026

When I was eight, I came down with the flu. Coincidentally, it was about the same time my Twilight DVD was delivered so, for two and a half weeks, I watched that movie obsessively – the deleted scenes, the commentary, every little detail. It was my first real introduction to the idea of love as an unwavering, never-ending commitment. And when I got engaged in August last year, Bella and Edward’s wedding became my inspiration. From the flowers to the music to the idea that love can be an intentional, loving choice between two people.
Read more...

Las Vegas Weddings

Fun & Flirty Vegas Wedding at the Neon Museum

Kat

Jamie Y

March 2, 2026

Beth and Elliott, who travelled to Vegas from the UK for their wedding, described their day as “Fun, flirty, and so Vegas!” They brought some close friends and family members with them and treated the whole experience like a holiday. “Honestly, we just know what we like and ran with it." Beth told us. "We work so hard in our everyday lives we just wanted a big break. A day for us, about us and overflowing with love!”
Read more...

Tattooed Weddings

Fairy Forest Whimsy, Fruit Tables & Country Music in Austin

Kat

Solasta Media

May 29, 2026

Stephanie and Mason wanted their wedding to feel timeless and modern, but softened with unexpected details. Flowers became the biggest investment and the thing they focused on the most. As an avid gardener and tattoo artist, Stephanie spends plenty of time drawing florals, knew exactly where she wanted the budget to go. They worked with Ashton of The Spotted Poppy Floral who properly delivered on the visoin.
Read more...

Gothic Weddings

Forbidden Love: Red Velvet Drapes, Pearl Chains & Clouds of Dry Ice

Kat

Fien Vonk

May 22, 2026

Birgitte and Anthony met when they were teenagers, but didn't stay to fall for each other until a lot later in life. They went to a theatre with mutual friends, and sparks started to fly. "The theme for our wedding was forbidden love", Anthony told us. "This is because our love was a little secret in our early days. We we didn't want anyone to know about it from day one so we had a lot of secret dates."
Read more...

Til Death Rooftop Micro Wedding

Kat

Electric Honey

May 20, 2026

Kimmy and James planned a 14-person micro wedding with a black, gold and orange palette inspired by Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, where James proposed during their annual trip. The ring came in a black velvet coffin box and featured an opal stone surrounded by skulls and roses. From there, the aesthetic unfolded naturally. Matte black stationery with gold foil lettering sat alongside tiger lilies, skull candles and a coffin-shaped card holder.
Read more...

Halloween Party Meets Graveyard Gothic Wedding on a £1,500 Budget

Kat

Amy Davies

March 26, 2026

Chloe and Grant planned a fully themed gothic wedding, but their original idea looked very different. Like many couples, they started by mapping out a larger celebration and quickly watched the numbers climb. “Our original plans were going to cost almost £16k", Chloe told us. "We found it all very stressful so ended up cancelling everything. We went online and booked a registry office ceremony for £150 and didn't look back! We have zero regrets. I did my own make-up, made my bouquet, put together the decorations - everything! We didn't even have a photographer for the wedding itself, all the photos were taken on my Instax or by friends. The most important thing to us was to be married."
Read more...

Photo Shoots

Woodland Witch: A Queer Love Story for the Lobsters for Life Alternative Wedding Fair

Kat

Marieke Maakt Foto's

December 2, 2025

The Lobsters for Life Wedding Fair in The Netherlands pulled in makers, creatives and couples from across Europe last month and gave us a look at how alt weddings are evolving outside the UK. We were so excited to be invited along and spent the day meeting vendors who are pushing ideas forward with real intention. If you missed it and you are planning something unconventional on European soil, this shoot brings that same vibe straight to you! Every look, prop and detail was created by vendors from the show and most of them work with couples all over the continent.
Read more...

Nosferatu Meets a Candlelit Western Wedding

Kat

Nick and Lauren

November 25, 2025

When Nosferatu flickered back onto cinema screens, Lauren from Nick and Lauren Photography left the theatre feeling inspired by the film’s shadowy beauty. “I was inspired by the cinematography used in the movie, and wanted to do a wedding shoot that emulated that same aesthetic, but without being vampire based,” she told us. “We decided to combine the elements of country meets alternative, and started joking about what Nosferatu's wedding would look like if it were in the West. Everything snowballed from there!”
Read more...

Electric Love & Neon Dreams at Camino Real Ranch, TX

Kat

Lomonico

November 20, 2025

This wedding shoot was a riot of neon lights. Born inside the restless brain of Brooke Conaway, founder of CAT HAUS Collective, she wanted to create something that was the opposite of boring and beige. With a Lady Gaga lookalike bride, she built this shoot as an act of rebellion - against conformity, perfectionism, and the wedding industry’s obsession with fitting in. “I’m not a traditional wedding planner,” she said. “I have ADHD, I’m plus sized, an advocate for LGBTQA+ and someone who has had to fight to ‘fit in’ including how to work with my chaos brain, not against it.”
Read more...