Advice

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Wedding Traditions & Deciding What’s Important

February 3, 2012 in Wedding Planning Advice | 19 comments

Photography Credit: Chennergy Weddings (full wedding here)

I put a shout out on my Facebook page to ask if any of you we’re struggling with anything wedding planning-wise and if I could help. A couple of you mentioned wedding traditions, namely how to decide which to include and which to scrap altogether. I have a few ideas on the subject…

Remember, it’s your wedding

There is a recurring theme throughout nearly all of the weddings I feature – that the couples wanted to have a wedding that was a true reflection of themselves…their likes and dislikes, their relationship, their personal style, their life influences. I believe that deciding which wedding traditions to include or ignore should also be totally dependent on you and what you value as being important to your wedding day.

Make a list, check it twice…

I’m a huge fan of the list. If ever my mind is going crazy about something I always physically write my thoughts down in a notebook. This really helps me to de-clutter my head and think things through properly without screaming “AHHHH I CAN’T COPE!”

I encourage you to give this a go if you’re struggling to make wedding decisions. Try writing down the traditions you’re struggling with and making a pro/con arguement for each section. Talk about it with your fiance and decide together if you want to have them in your wedding or not and why.

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Do You Have to Invite Plus Ones to Your Wedding?

January 27, 2012 in Wedding Planning Advice | 29 comments

I’m going start out by being 100% honest with you. I don’t really know the answer to this question. However after a discussion with Roo last week, I feel it might be a topic some of you are struggling with. Therefore I thought I’d use today’s wedding planning advice post as a forum for us to get in a discussion on the matter – I want to know your ideas and opinions on the subject please!

Although I’m sure you could Google this question and come up with the ‘proper etiquette’ answer, I think it’s much more relevant these days to figure out what’s right for you and your wedding. However I do think you should consider a few things before you make your decision…

Wedding budget

Firstly, every extra body at your wedding is going to cost you more money in food and alcohol. Before decided whether or not to allow someone to bring a guest, your first port of call should be to figure out if your budget allows for them.

The size of the wedding

If you’re having an intimate wedding the likelihood is that you want to keep it as small as possible, and only with people you really know. However if your wedding is going to be an 200 guest extravaganza a few extra bodies won’t be too weird.

Relationships

The choice on whether to invite your best friend’s husband Vs the brand new boyfriend of your second cousin twice removed is undoubtably a different situation altogether. Here’s my opinion…

The spouse or live-in/long term partner of a close friend or family member should always be invited. However if someone has only being seeing someone for a little while (especially if you haven’t met them yourself) I don’t think it’s unreasonable to not extend the invitation.

I also personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with only allowing a select few people a plus one. What is important, is to have a clearly defined set of rule and a cut-off point to explain who gets to bring a date and who doesn’t. If someone then has a strop (“Yeah sure we’ve only been dating for a week but I know he’s the one, pleeeeease can he come?!”) having these clear cut rules will allow you to explain your reasoning in a rational and fair manner.

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What Makes a Good Wife…and Am I a Bad One?

January 6, 2012 in Wedding Planning Advice | 44 comments

Photography Credit: Dan Busta

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a wife…or more specially a ‘good’ wife. I guess with the new year kicking in and all, I started a-pondering about where I am in my life and what I’m supposed to be doing next…

Anyway, Gareth & I often joke that I’m a bad wife (at least I hope he’s joking). The roles are anything but traditional in our house. As many of you will already know, Rock n Roll Bride is the sole source of income in our household and most of the work that goes into it is on my end – that’s not to say that the things Gareth does aren’t extremely valuable and important – just that he doesn’t spend 12 hours a day glued to a computer screen is all!

Photography Credit: Home Works by Miles Aldridge for Vogue

So because of this, I hardly do any housework. I put off food shopping until we have literally nothing in the fridge but mayonnaise and gin, having long haired kitties means our carpets are almost always covered in a thick layer of white fur, and my floordrobe has got so huge that we might as well get rid of my wardrobe because there’s nothing in it anymore (although in my defense, it does provide a comfy snoozy spot for those kitties of ours).

I joked on facebook and twitter last week, “Our house is not messy, its just like a museum…everything we own is out on display” and baby I wasn’t kidding.

Oh yeah and I can’t remember the last time I properly cooked!

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Alternative & Non-Strapless Wedding Dress Ideas for a Rock n Roll Bride

March 28, 2011 in Fashion Advice | 18 comments

Hi Kat,

I have a question about wedding dresses and I am super curious if you could help me out. My friend is getting married and she is having a really difficult time finding a dress. I mentioned to her how frustrated I would be if I were her because it feels like 95% of wedding gowns are “tube top” style. I find this incredibly weird considering MOST of my girlfriends hate their arms, yet all of them ended up wearing a tube top dress for their wedding. My friend flipped out (in a good way) when I said that because she said that is exactly the problem she is running into.

My question is….do you know of ANYYYYY websites/blogs/companies that sell UNIQUE, FUN DRESSES THAT are short, long, medium length, has sleeves, off the shoulder style………….JUST DIFFERENT! I feel like if I can help her find the perfect dress then the universe will be friendly to me when it’s my turn….and helping her is SO MUCH FUN :)
Love,
Deanna
♥  ♥  ♥

I get emails like Deanna’s all the time to this week I thought I’d tackle the problem head on and share some of my favourite non-traditional wedding dress companies with you all. I have to apologise in advance that I’ve gone a little over the top here…I enjoyed fantasy wedding dress shopping a little too much!

Fur Coat No Knickers (UK)

Based just off Carnaby St, London, Fur Coat No Knickers is my ‘go-to’ shop for all things gorgeous and vintage. Dresses are one-off vintage piece and Emma & Laura will customise each gown to your requirements, including adding or altering straps/necklines. Check me out in one of their dresses here and here!

You can see more of Fur Coat No Knickers on the blog here

Jacqueline Byrne (UK)

Photography Credit: Shell de Mar Photography

I fell in love with Jacqueline’s designs when I was lucky enough to wear one down the catwalk at the Luella’s Boudoir Wedding Fair. Based in Islington, North London, Jacqueline’s gowns can be custom made to your exact requirements.

Unique Vintage (US & Online)

Unique Vintage have a vast selection of both authentic vintage and vintage-inspired wedding dresses to suit every budget. Prices start from just $68!

You can see more on Unique Vintage on my blog right here.

Vivien of Holloway (UK & Online)

Based in Holloway, North London but doing a roaring trade online, Vivien of Holloway offer vintage-style dresses at fantastic prices. Their iconic 50′s halterneck swing dress is always popular with Rock n Roll Brides! each style comes in a huge variety of fabrics and colours and the prices are unbelievably affordable!

You can see more Vivien of Holloway dresses on the blog here.

AriaDress (US & Online)

Prices for these beautiful bespoke gowns start from just $500. The quality and design is superb…and I would know, I’ve got one of my own!

You can see more of AriaDress on the blog here.

Knot Couture (Online)

Based in Atlanta, but selling their dresses online, Knot Couture pride themselves on beautifully crafted dresses that are perfect for the alternative bride.

You can see more of Knot Couture on the blog here.

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How to…Deal with Uncooperative Relatives

January 24, 2010 in How To... | 4 comments

KA_1658

Credit: Calla Evans Photography  (from A Halloween-esque Steam Train of Epicness)

I need some advice. I live in Virginia, but all of my family lives back on the west coast. (I’m from Arizona) We decided that we would get married in Vegas this year so my family would be able to come (mainly my grandparents since they refuse to fly) They agreed to come and everyone seemed really excited about it. Then, I sent my mom pictures of what we’ll be wearing. She hasn’t shown my grandma yet, but she told her basically what they look like. When I called my grandma to talk to her about when we’ll be flying into Tucson, she started lecturing me. She said it’s “not a clown thing” and went on to say that if that’s what I’m going to wear, she won’t be able to come. Apparently, my clothing (which fits my personality very well) is making a mockery of marriage and weddings. I’m very upset about this, since she’s as close to me as my own mom. I don’t know what to tell her to convince her to come. Even my mother in law (who is extremely conservative) loves the outfit and thinks she’s being ridiculous. Have you known anyone to have problems like this?
(There’s pictures of our outfits attached if you’d like to see what the big deal is)

Thank you for your time.
Allison

rockabilly

Eugh Alison I feel for you, what a horrible situation to be in! So from what I gather it’s just your grandmother who has a problem with your wedding style? I can only imagine that weddings were very different in her day and so she has (unlike us!) never been exposed to anything other than an uber traditional wedding. My advice to you would be to write her a letter (grandmother’s LOVE to get real life letters) and explain to her your reasons for wanting to dress in an non traditional way – ie that this is how you dress all the time (surely she knows this already) and that you and your fiancé want your wedding to be a perfect reflection of who you are as a couple. Tell her how upset you are at the thought of her not being there and that you hope she will reconsider. The fashion and style of the wedding is all aesthetics at the end of the day and without her there it wouldn’t be right. Your wedding is the most important day of your life and it means a hell of a lot to you and your fiancé that all your family attend.

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