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A Beer-Swilling, Handfasting, Freak Show Wedding: Heather & Tyler

August 23, 2011 in Wedding by Kat | 17 comments

Whoa Whoa Whoa…old onto your knickers as they are about to be blown off! Heather & Tyler’s wedding is quite simply and all out freak-fest (and I mean that entirely as a compliment!) “Yeah I would describe our wedding as a Red, Black, Moustaches, Beer, Victorian, Wild West, Freak Show” Heather told me.

“We wanted to get married in place with a lot of history (and liberal liquor laws) so we chose Virginia City, NV becasue it still has the Victorian beauty, but has decayed a bit to make it spooky and they welcome rowdiness. The ceremony venue was The Mackay Mansion and it is thought to be haunted. For the Ceremony, the wedding party (bride included) walked out to ‘Hysteric’ by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We had a gender-blind wedding party with both guys and gals on both sides.”

Instead of flowers each member of the wedding party carried a beer decorated with ribbon – that is all kinds of awesome no?

“Our officiant is a friend of ours who got ordained online,” Heather continued. “We had a hand fasting as well as a ring warming and and during the ceremony, my son (who is afflicted with severe autism) ran up and tried to join in the handfasting. That was pretty cute. The cord for the handfasting was made from *gasp!* the bed sheet where we first got lucky!”

“We wrote our own vows which included ‘always bringing paper when you are stranded in the bathroom’ and Tyler promised to ‘always see Alkaline Trio with me even though he doesn’t like them very much’. At the end, we all had a celebratory beer toast.”

“After our recessional of ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe, we went for a pub crawl/scavenger hunt back to the reception. We had tons of free booze, a billion pizzas, and live music by a local country band. In between sets, we had Swingshift Sideshow perform for our guests. Our first dance was to ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes and we cut our cake with a sword. We are both ex-squatters, so in his speech, the best man commented on our lack of personal hygiene! Ha! the reception got shut down early because everyone was waaaay too drunk and someone even went to jail! All in all, it was loads of rowdy fun and we have soo many great memories.”

The bride’s outfit inspiration was Lydia from Beetlejuice, “In the scene where Beetlejuice is trying to force her to marry him. She looked so amazing in that red lace puffy dress. I have always wanted to look like that since I was a wee one.” She wore a custom corset from Battie Clothing on Etsy and a custom tutu skirt from Sisters of the Moon, also on Etsy. She accessorised with fingerless gloves from Yaso Knitting and Betsey Johnson shoes.

Mental! What’s not to love?!

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A Gypsy Rocking Dancing Celebration of Love: Cole & Mike

August 5, 2011 in Wedding by Kat | 10 comments

Cole & Mike were married at The Mercury Cafe in Denver which is is actually they first met. When I asked the couple how they’d describe their wedding they replied, “A gypsy rocking vintage dancing celebration of love!”

“I don’t know if we could ever NOT do things differently, but with our wedding, this was especially important,” Cole continued. “The venue itself created a unique atmosphere. It’s this gorgeous ballroom above a local-healthy-organic-delicious cafe, and they have dancing there almost every night of the week. The place is strung with lights all over, and the walls are painted with gorgeous murals. The whole place is a bit bohemian and romantic, and in a lot of ways it dictated the style we went with-a very eclectic and romantic theme. The only thing that was really consistent throughout was. . . peacocks.”

“We had peacock feathers and peacock colors counteracting all the red tones in the room. I started collecting glass bottles a year before the wedding, and I had quite a mix on the tables, which I loved. Our family friends made these amazing peacock-fan candelabras  for the altar too! It’s funny, because we didn’t think of ourselves as ‘Rock n Roll’ until we started thinking about our outfits.”

Cole wore a stunning black and ivory Ian Stuart gown but it was actually the third one she purchased (third time lucky hey!?) “I didn’t feel comfortable wearing a white or even off-white dress. I knew I wanted something black and ivory, but I didn’t find anything I wanted. I actually purchased two VERY cheap dresses that weren’t quite right before I found this one. Only problem? I tried it on without checking the price. Yowza! Luckily, the sample was much smaller than most and was very close to my size. I inquired at the bridal shop, and they told me they would sell me the sample at 60% off. My Dad, who had cried when I tried it on, offered to buy it for me. I was so touched, and I cherished every moment I wore the dress!”

“The funny thing is, Rock n Roll Bride convinced me to get my dress!” she continued. “While I was still debating whether I should get it, I was searching for pictures of other brides who were wearing it. Lo and behold, Rock n Roll Bride came up! The bride was soooo gorgeous and so glam in that dress, I fell in love all over again! So thank you!”

The couple chose a friend who officiate their ceremony which they felt made this part of the day even more special. “We’ve known him since before we knew each other, and he’s been through a lot with us. He was incredible. He stayed with us leading up to the wedding, and that gave us time to talk about relationships, marriage, and what we expect in our shared future together. We wrote our vows with him, and he really captured the essence of who we are as a couple, as well as the expectations we were both bringing to the altar. My advice would be to choose someone who really knows you as a couple to do this job. I think it makes all the difference.”

“We had the most. incredible. ceremony. ever. My made of honor, who happens to be an AMAZING vocalist, sang several songs throughout, accompanied by my longtime family friend, Dan. My bridesmaid Lara did a reading by Kahlil Gibran, and my brother did a reading by Madeleine L’Engle, who was one of our favorite authors growing up.  We have a very emotionally-open family and circle of friends, and the love and warmth in the room was so raw and present. Maybe it’s because we’re all ‘creatives”, but I feel like this was one of the most emotionally honest gatherings I’ve ever been to. It was breathtaking to feel that kind of love and support so open and free.”

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Kristin & Brian’s Black & White & 1940′s Themed Wedding

June 28, 2011 in Wedding by Kat | 7 comments

“We got engaged in prison. Well…that’s what my Mom likes to say – we got engaged on Alcatraz!” newlywed Kristin told me. “We both have a fascination with prison documentaries and we ADORE San Francisco. So, Brian took me to Alcatraz and surprised me with a ring. If you walk to the back of the prison by the water, you get the MOST gorgeous view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. This is where he asked me to marry him.”

Kristin & Brian’s unconventional but beautiful engagement was perfectly reflected in their glamorous wedding on Friday 13th May. “Our inspiration was a combination of vintage, old Hollywood glam, and a bit of Rock n Roll! I wanted to be in black and white,” continued the bride. An all-white dress was never an option for me.”

“I had a very specific idea of what I wanted my dress to look like from day one. I knew I would have to customize one. I found a plain dress that I loved the shape of, and then altered it completely to make it my dream dress. I was slightly nervous because I didn’t actually see the final product until 3 days before my wedding. I ordered the dress about 8 sizes too big so they could cut out the back. Originally, it laced up. We added a zipper and then 90 black swarovski crystal buttons all the way down the long train. Originally, the seamstress just wanted to put them halfway down. I said, nope, all the way down, give me some drama! Then we added the black sash and vintage brooch. The look was EXACTLY what I had imagined in my head.”

The wedding took place at The Citizen Hotel, Sacramento, a art deco inspired building that also added a lot to the theme of their day. “Our starting point for our theme was our venue. The lobby looks like somewhere the Rat Pack would be hanging out, smoking cigars and drinking martinis. We took this and ran with it. My whole look was 40′s inspired – from my platinum hair, red lips, and vintage jewelry. We kept up that theme for the reception decor, with crystal lamps and dark red roses. The result, although 40′s inspired, was also very timeless and classic.”

“Instead of a champagne toast, we did a whiskey shot. Whiskey is us, and we knew champagne just wouldn’t do for the most important toast of our lives. Our first dance was a HIM song, “When Love and Death Embrace.” It was beautiful, but also intense, a bit gothic, and PERFECT for us. The bridal party walked out to Led Zeppelin, and I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters.”

“We wanted our pictures to be city-inspired and a bit gritty. We went back behind alleys and took the most gorgeous pictures on streets lined with dumpsters and grafitti. We wanted edge, and our photographer gave us the most gorgeous, edgy pictures we could have imagined. We also wanted to incorporate rock music where we could, as we are HUGE fans. We cut the cake to Motley Crue and we played string quartet versions of songs by Metallica, Guns n Roses, etc before the ceremony. We wanted people to leave that night thinking that our wedding was “So Brian and Kristin.” I think we accomplished that!”

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Juliana & Tony’s Tim Burton Inspired Wedding

June 23, 2011 in Wedding by Kat | 9 comments

Juliana & Tony’s wedding was inspired by their favourite Tim Burton movies. “We wanted to pack a big punch in a small and intimate way,” they told me.  ”We constantly reminded ourselves to keep it simple, not to sweat the small stuff, and to enjoy the day.”

“Even though the date was set for October, we didn’t want our wedding to be considered or overpowered by a Halloween theme,” they continued. “The main focus would always be about us as the couple. It was a bit of a challenge finding a wedding theme that worked for us and that was appropriate. We started with the color scheme of black, red, and white.”

“After the colors we started looking at decorations that would work with the venue’s ambiance. We were inspired by a visit to Disneyland’s Holiday decorated Haunted Mansion. After looking more at the work (art and films) of Tim Burton it was decided that we wouldn’t limit ourselves to just one of his movies but try to select something from all of them. The purpose wasn’t to be creepy and eerie but to help describe us (like many of his characters) as off-center.”

All of the wedding favours, the cake toppers and the bouquet decorations were handmade by the bride and the Jack skeleton cake topper came from Disneyland.

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Charlotte & Kevin’s Atmospheric Edinburgh Wedding

May 27, 2011 in British Brides, Wedding by Kat | 17 comments

Charlotte & Kevin were married at The Caves in Edinburgh - a challenging venue for any photographer (it’s very dark!) but photographer Bryony Claire certainly rocked this one and the couple ended up with some fantastic images of their special day.

Charlotte explained, “Kev & I have been together for 8 years now. We went to The Caves for a night out and when quite by chance we heard it was a wedding venue so we booked for 8 months later before he even got a chance to propose! The Caves is a truly magical place and it felt so right to have our whole wedding there. We had a Humanist wedding ceremony that was filled with love and laughter and believe that the whole atmosphere and venue suited us and out relationship. I think quite a few people were shocked at my choice of dress, but hey, if you’re getting married, do it your own way! I’ve always been a bit of the beaten track, I’m sure a few of my friends and family would have been disappointed had I turned up in a traditional white gown!”

“The inspiration for the day really just came from what we are about, fun, sense of humour, great music, good food and a party atmosphere. We wanted people to just kick back relax and share our special day with us, and I think we achieved that! And the Photobooth is beyond genius! What a laugh!  The images from the day really capture the spirit of The Caves and the spirit of our relationship. So many images of us smiling, laughing and enjoying each other.”

Charlotte’s dress was from Enchanted Dreams on eBay and was the first dress she fell in love with. She saw it on another wedding blog and knew she had to have it! The dress was handmade for her within 4 weeks and so Charlotte didn’t even bother venturing into traditional bridal shops. To her outfit she added Iron Fist Zombie Stompers (note: did you know you can get 15% off your purchases at Iron Fist by simply quoting ’RocknRoll’ at the checkout?!)

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