December 31, 2015
I’ve been teasing you relentlessly for months, but on Monday morning at 8am GMT we are finally launching the veil collection that I’ve designed with Crown and Glory!!
Stand by for glitter, gems, and rainbow poms… in other words veils like you have never seen before. I promise it will have been worth the wait!
December 30, 2015
My favourite kinds of articles to publish are the ones where I can give some really practice wedding planning advice. It was the kind of content I really craved when I was organising our own wedding because wedding magazines didn’t ever seem to delve any deeper than “How to choose the right wedding dress for your shape” and “10 things he does that proves he really loves you” (give me strength!)
So I dug around the blog archives to gather he most popular advice posts from the last 12 months. Have a browse, read some things you might have missed, maybe even revisit some of the pieces you enjoyed the first time round. And if any of your friends got engaged over Christmas, you might want to pass these on too!
As a side note, if you ever have any questions or dilemmas surrounding wedding planning, please feel free to email me and I’ll try my best to turn it into a blog or magazine article in future.
Wedding planning advice for the newly engaged: Did you get engaged over Christmas? Freaking out just a little bit? This step-by-step guide will help you get started.
I’m a bridesmaid and I’ve been asked to dye my hair and lose weight for the wedding: I was horrified to receive this email and my readers were just as perturbed to read it too! I think we can all safely agree that this bride in this instance is just a real arsehole.
The pre-wedding freak out: Stressing out about everything? Read this article and chill ya boots lady!
How to get the most awesome engagement photos: Those dreamy, Pinterest-worthy pre-wedding shoots don’t just magically appear, but with a few simple preparations you too can get utterly some gorgeous pictures.
What’s your love language?: Having a fabulous wedding is one thing, but having a fabulous marriage is way more important. The Love Language principles have really helped Gareth and my relationship, and I’d encourage every single one of you to read this post.
How to ask for a discount without offending your suppliers: Weddings are expensive and everybody loves a bargain, but how can you ask for a discount without mortally offending your vendors?
The Pinterest bride: Pinterest is awesome, but are you in danger of becoming just a littttttle bit obsessed?
Wedding traditions, what are they good for?: What is the point of all this garb? Are they all really necessary? (Spoiler: NO!)
Your wedding does not have to be the best day of your life: Unpopular opinion – your wedding is just ONE DAY. It’s what comes next that’s the most important thing.
Self esteem, body confidence and learning to love yourself: My babe Gala Darling schools us in the magic art of Radical Self Love for brides.
The six most common wedding concerns and how to quash them: Stop ya frettin’!
How to banish your inner bridezilla: Are you guilty of turning into a bit of a bridal monster?
My top ten most effective weight loss tips for brides: Believe me, they won’t be what you’re expecting!
How to make sure your guests enjoy your wedding: Worried about keeping your guests happy? Here’s a few simple things you can do.
December 29, 2015
Floral Gloss Top, £200
Bridal Tulle Maxi Skirt, £105
British clothing brand Needle & Thread, known for their elegant embellishments and flowing tulle skirts, has just launched its very first bridal collection… And with prices starting at just £105 I don’t see them being available for very long! If any collection is sure to sell out lighting-fast it’s this one.
Graphic Rose Maxi Dress, £350
Chiffon Rose Gown, £550
Ribbon Rose Top, £200
Ribbon Rose Maxi Skirt, £450
Floral Gloss Gown, £850
The collection features short mini dresses, fashion-forward separates, and long, elegant gowns, all of which are perfect for Rock n Roll brides.
Voluminous Tulle Skirt, £150
December 28, 2015
I love looking back at the weddings I’ve shared at the end of each year (you can see the lists from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 here!) It’s like a mini time capsule of wedding awesome. I shared a mammoth 331 real weddings this year (woah!) so if you’re bored over the festive period there’s plenty of pretty things to entertain you.
While every single wedding I publish is wonderful, unique and gorgeous in its own way, these are my personal favourites from the past twelve months. What were yours?
December 26, 2015
Put down that mince pie for one second because issue 6 (officially on sale January 7th) is available for pre-order TODAY! Alternatively, you can subscribe and get every new issue effortlessly delivered to your door. All payments are processed securely through PayPal on a rolling basis which means there’s no big upfront fee, just £4.99 (plus shipping if you are outside the UK) every other month*.
Isn’t the new cover beaaaaautiful!? I love that we have a couple, not just a bride, on the front this time. The photo was shot by the incredible Ed Godden and Sophie and Kyle’s full wedding in all its retro glory is published inside. I have to say though, every single one of the 11 exclusive real weddings that are featured are bursting with the most awesome steal-able ideas. I’ve been saving the most amazing weddings and it’s been torture having to keep them offline! I just know you are going to love them all.
Just because I love you so damn much, here’s another teeny sneak of some of my favourite spreads…
December 24, 2015
I have an early Christmas gift for you… a teeny sneak peek of issue 6!! Isn’t she a beauty?! I seriously can’t wait for you to see the full thing, and there’s not long to wait because its on sale on January 7th.
For those of you that are extra impatient, we’ll be taking pre-orders from first thing Saturday morning. So if turkey, tinsel and family politics get all too much, make your excuses and pop by our shop page on Boxing Day and order yourself a treat for the new year. We will also be able to accept new subscribers then too, what a great way to spend any Christmas money (lucky you!)
December 23, 2015
Ravid and Avishai were married in Tel Aviv, Israel. They wanted the day to represent them so that meant Star Wars, Disney, Pokemon, Cats and J-pop!
“It was important for us that the wedding represented ‘us’ and the things we like”, Ravid explained. “In the end we called it (behind closed doors) the ‘Ravid and Avishai ball!’ It was a mix of things we love; Star Wars, Pokemon, Scott Pilgrim, Japanese boy bands, Disney… I guess you could say it was a geeky-fairytale themed wedding.”
“I spent a lot of time looking for ideas online, but we had a strong idea of what we wanted the wedding to be like from the beginning. The design was inspired by fairytales, Disney movies and romance books; the reception was inspired by glam-pop parties we usually go to. We wanted the wedding to be based on our relationship and the things we grew to love together.”
December 22, 2015
Ben and Rosie’s fun-filled July wedding has a summer festival and retro kitsch vibe. “Above everything, we wanted our day to be fun,” said the bride. “It hard to pick one theme because it just turned out being everything that was rattling around in my brain! However we were inspired by the 1950s and 60s and anything cute and handmade.”
“I upcycled plenty of things including the celebrity coconut shy, and the table decorations. My mum and I also spent 18 months collecting vintage bits and pieces like embroidered hankies and tablecloths from car boot sales. We also collected vintage plates from which I made the cake stands. During the planning I learnt that people are only too willing to help if you ask.”
December 21, 2015
The last twelve months have been HUGE for Rock n Roll Bride. We saw the magazine in physical stores, we worked with (and then ditched!) a external publishing company, and then we started our own! It also saw the last in-person class of The Blogcademy, and we signed up for massively exciting collaboration with the National Wedding Show! PHEW.
My highlight of 2015 was taking Rock n Roll Bride magazine from a small, self-published mag, to one sold in shops up and down the UK. Seeing it in WH Smiths for the first time (when I was on the cover no less!) was a feeling I can’t even describe. I went in with my mum on the first day it came out and she bought, like, 5 copies!
There have been ups and downs on the magazine journey. Most of you will know that in June, after producing three issues with another publishing company at the helm, we decided to break out on our own and start our own limited company to produce the entire thing ourselves again. Going from a team of around nine people to just three was obviously going to take some adjustment, and would mean that my work load tripled, but it was one billion percent the right decision.
Not only did we have complete control again (something I value very much, Rock n Roll Bride is my baby after all!) but having a much smaller team means there would be less overheads, which is super important if you actually want to make money!
In retrospect, the match with the publishing company was not a good one, but it’s not something I regret doing. If we hadn’t worked with them the magazine would have never, ever got into stores. In fact before we signed with them I was ready to pack it all in because I had no idea how to take it to the next level. Although the partnership didn’t work out how we expected, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity they gave us. Its helped our business develop in a direction that we probably would have never got to on our own.
Things have been moving on in leaps and bounds since then. Sales are increasing, the companies who are advertising with us are more in-line with the brand, and we were asked to partner up with the biggest wedding show in the country for next spring! Pretty amazing, considering we still work from home (which I love, #dailysweatpantparty for the win!) and our third team member, design wizard Shauna of We are Branch, is based 5000 miles away in Portland, meaning we do everything via email!
Bigger and better, onwards and upwards! I am so excited to see what happens with the magazine in 2016. I didn’t start this blog to eventually turn it into a print edition, but now that its happened, it just feels SO RIGHT.
December 20, 2015
Emma and Leigh had their wedding in their own back garden. They wanted something relaxed and colourful, and inspired by some of their favourite places.
“The inspiration for our wedding grew over the few months we were engaged, we didn’t set out with an initial plan but knew we wanted it to feel relaxed, colourful and have a country element”, said Emma. “I lived in Kenya for a while and love the bright colours of African material. I bought some when I went to Uganda last year and began making bunting. A shop in Tetbury called Artique is an Aladdin cave of Indian artefacts. The owner showed us bright wall hangings and large umbrellas which they have used at Womad festival. We also wanted to bring in a country feel. I love sunflowers, so this also added to the expanding bright colour theme.”
The ceremony was held at Westonbirt Arboretum and the bride arrived in her Grandpa’s consul. “It was much more relaxed and personalised than we could have ever imagined”, she explained. “There were spontaneous fist pumps between Leigh and bridesmaids as they came down the aisle. We had lovely readings that were chosen by our friends and two special songs sung by our talented friends.”
December 19, 2015
If you’ve just got engaged, then you might be thinking about doing an engagement shoot with your photographer. They are a fantastic way to get to know the person who will be there on your wedding day, but also to practice in front of the camera and get some fabulous images to boot! (You can read more of my advice for getting great engagement pictures here).
While many couples opt to keep things casual and fuss-free, maybe shooting around their own neighbourhood and wearing comfortable clothes, others like Federica and Stefano choose to go all out! The Italian pair dressed up and went to a fun fair for their pre-wedding shoot.
“The idea behind the shoot was that love is fun!”, said photographer Simona. “Everything is illuminated when we are in love, things dance around like a carousel and life has the delicious taste of cotton candy! We wanted to reflect that in these photos.”
December 18, 2015
Oh Danni and Ben, your wedding gives me LIFE. I am so excited to share it on the blog today.
This gorgeous heavily-tattooed pair were hitched in Maidstone, at a venue called Kent Life. “Our wedding theme was a bit of a mixture of 1950s, rural farm life and a tea party!” said Danni. “We love the 1950s anyway, I have a huge collection of dresses already and we just love the music and the dancing. I really love that our wedding was personal to us and wasn’t generic.”
“One of the highlights of the day was our fire breathing burlesque dancer!” she continued. “That’s pretty different to most weddings! We just wanted to be ourselves and also to make sure there was a lot going on all day. I would never want anyone to say they were bored, so we had wooden games, a sweetie table and a Rat Pack tribute. We also had close up magic and it really created such a great atmosphere with people crowding round and laughing!”
December 17, 2015
Chris and Jen wanted a bohemian, outdoor wedding inspired by their love of festivals and each other. “We’re lucky to be able to have a pretty bohemian lifestyle”, the bride said. “We like to travel and we like to let our hair down at festivals. Many of our friends come from theses and other creative pools. Chris has African roots and we both wanted to acknowledge this in the symbolism and ceremony of our day. So I guess our theme was… us?”
“The inspiration for our wedding has to have been the party we envisioned throwing for all our family and friends. We knew from the various cabaret/ music tents we’ve hung out together in what kind of feel we wanted. First we found the venue, Wyresdale Park near Preston. We wanted somewhere that people would be able to stay for the full weekend and that we could have the reception outside.”
December 17, 2015
Lulu and Alex’s June wedding was held at The Historic Overlook House in Portland. Their wedding theme was based on a sentence that they came up with on early in the planning process. “Science, Stars and everything we love”, Lula said, “and we only picked things we really loved. We obviously had our favourite colours but also dinosaurs riding pine cones, temporary star tattoos (our son loves temporary tattoos), food from our favourite restaurant, Erlenmeyer flasks, wood tables and chairs, paper crafts, mercury glass, and all the weird beautiful flowers and eucalyptus I could have asked for.”
“Our wedding was so especially ‘us’ in every way possible and everyone commented on that throughout the day”, she continued. “We didn’t pick a random theme and we weren’t obsessed with Pinterest even though we incorporated a lot of DIY ideas and printables from the internet. The day was also geared towards families. We made a chalkboard table for an entire kid area with printable colouring books, lots of lemonade and (non-alcoholic!) cider.”
December 16, 2015
Anja and Almir eloped in Lisbon, Portugal. They started the day with a legal ceremony, followed by some photographs around the city. However their second ceremony, on a beach in Bafureira was the one they felt most connected too.
“Our wedding was about celebrating ourselves and starting our new life together the way that felt most natural”, the bride said. “We did it just for the two of us. We were inspired by Lisbon itself for the photos we had taken.”
“Nobody knew about our plans to get married”, she continued. “We informed our family and friends after our ‘weddingmoon’. We also did things very quickly, planning it all in under a month. In that time we booked flights (we are from Vienna), our hotel, hair and make up, flowers and made a wedding arch. We spend less than two hours finding out outfits. My dress was from H&M. We had no formal reception, we just booked a restaurant for dinner the day before! We also booked a tuk-tuk for a ride across Lisbon’s oldest parts to take photos.”
December 16, 2015
As someone who loves tattoos, its probably not that surprising to you that I’m also pretty obsessed with henna. In fact after getting some really great artwork done in Marrakech last month, its my new favourite thing!
So when Sanna’s bridal shoot landed in my inbox, I knew I had to share it. “Sanna is dressed in traditional Turkish wear and the shoot took place in Stockholm, Sweden”, photographer Lena told me. “The henna on Sanna’s hands isn’t traditional – they normally just have some in the palms of their hands, but Sanna wanted some anyway. Simply because it’s beautiful.”
December 15, 2015
There’s been all sorts of uproar in the press about Ariel having given blonde hair (shock horror!) in the Little Mermaid reboot that’s set to hit the silver screen in 2017… but imagine if they made Eric a girl! How amazing would that be!? OK so that’d probably not going to happen in Hollywood, but it did at Fremantle’s South Beach, Western Australia!
“I get stars in my eyes when I look at these two girls who are such spunks as well as being clearly smitten and up for adventure!” photographer Natalija said. “I told them I just must do a photo shoot with them and Emma suggested this idea. It’s purely about fun for all of us. I also liked the idea of gender bending the Little Mermaid story.”
“Emma thinks Katie looks like the Little Mermaid with her stunning long red hair and Emma has always liked the idea of being a prince. We decided to play up the theme and dress up for a seaside adventure. As a photographer, I love the idea of adding more elements into a shoot to inspire my clients and have fun myself, so I handmade the sea crown and the epaulettes. They brought their own clothes and we ventured to Fremantle’s South Beach dunes.”
December 15, 2015
I often say that the weddings I blog are like my children, and to choose a favourite just wouldn’t be possible or fair. But Carly and Tom’s is definitely way up there. Not only because I’ve known Carly for ten years (she was the first person I met at University and we’ve been BFFs ever since), not only because I was maid of honour (my first time being a bridesmaid no less!) but because it was such a wonderful and special three days and I just know you guys are going to love nosing at their beautiful pictures just as much as I did.
I remember vividly when Carly first met Tom. She’d booked a last minute (impulsive you might say!) six week trip on her own travelling all around Asia and she met him on her very first night. “We met in a hotel bar in Bangkok”, she told me. “He’s British but was living in Australia at the time and he ended up extending his trip when we met. We then spent the next six weeks travelling around before he went back to Sydney. I think we both knew fairly early on that it was more than a holiday fling but we lived on opposite sides of the planet… A few months later he emailed me saying he was going to try and get a job in London, making out that it was because the employment market was better. He turned up where I lived a few days later, and we’ve never really been apart since.”
December 14, 2015
I’ll admit, I don’t always watch BBC Three’s Don’t Tell The Bride, but I’m so glad I caught Rosa and Harry’s episode. In fact it’s probably my favourite wedding that’s ever been featured! For those of you that don’t know, the premise of the show is the couple get £12,000 to spend on their wedding, the proviso being that the groom does all of the planning… in three weeks! The couple are separated for that time and bride can know nothing about the wedding until the day. Cue ridiculously bad decisions, overspending on crazy things and tears… lots of tears. This is reality TV gold my friends.
When I saw this episode, I immediately fell in love with Rosa and Harry, I thought he did so well! Although it wasn’t what the bride would have picked, the fact that he planned a colourful Indian wedding (to reflect the fact that they got engaged there) was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, and anyone who has a mechanical elephant to ride on at their wedding is OK in my book!
December 14, 2015
I’m sure you will have heard by now, but Rock n Roll Bride is partnering with the National Wedding Show, the UK’s biggest bridal event, to host an area for alternative suppliers in the spring. It’s VERY exciting indeed!
The exhibitor stands are filling up fast, and today I wanted to share some of my top tips for those of you wanting to come along and showcase your products or services. If you’ve ever wondered why some companies seem to be overrun with business after doing just one show a year, whereas others struggle to get any bookings from them, read on!
Invest in your stand
Exhibiting at wedding shows can be expensive, not only is there the cost of the stand itself to consider, but there’s the travel and accommodation around it, as well as decking out your space and printing any marketing materials. However its true what they say, you have to speculate to accumulate and you really do get out what you put in.
If you just turn up and plonk your products on a table in front of you, don’t be surprised if you don’t get an amazing reaction, especially if the person next to you has gone all out on the décor and props! Even if their product or service is inferior to yours, if they’ve made an effort with their stand, they are going to get more people stopping by to have a look.
You don’t have to spend a fortune, but you do need to get creative and put some effort in. In a sea of boring, bland, white on white on white stands, people will FLOCK to you if yours offers something interesting and different (even if its just to borrow your decoration ideas for their weddings) Hey, there’s no shame in hooking them in with your amazing-looking stand and then starting to talk to them about what you do.
Research the market
It is vital that you know what kind of audience the show is going to attract. Ask the organisers for information on the kind of brides and grooms that usually attend. Are they having city weddings or countryside ones? What’s the age range? How far in advance are they planning? What are their budgets? It is up to the organisers to know all this so that you can plan accordingly.
Not only will this information give you an idea of which of your products or services might be most attractive to them (remember you don’t have to bring along everything you’ve ever made!) but on the day it will also enable you to speak to them in a language they understand.
Ask questions
Before you book your spot, don’t be shy about asking the organisers what they can do for you too. Find out where they’ll be marketing the show to ensure they get a good turn out on the day (wedding blogs and magazines, national press, radio, TV, email newsletters, social media?)
Be sure to also find out what your booking includes. Will your name be mentioned in any marketing? What about on the programme of the day? Where will your stand be located? Does your booking including a plug, tablecloths or any furniture? Some wedding shows will give you a booth and nothing else, others will provide a table but no sockets or walls. Does the venue have WiFi? Can you contribute items to the goodie bags?
Promote the show yourself
Getting people through the door is the job of the show’s marketing department, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help out too! Make sure you’re promoting the event on your own website and social media, and let your clients know about it. It could be a great opportunity for those that have already booked you to come along and meet you, and anyone that’s following you online also might be interested in attending if they know you’re going to be there.
Offer a show-only discount or deal
People LOVE a discount so offering a ‘show-only’ deal is a great way to encourage people to book or buy then and there. Research shows that a discount has to be significant to really make an impact, 10% off probably isn’t enticing enough for people to make a quick decision (unless you are selling really big ticket items and the saving will be significant), but a 30% reduction probably will!
If you don’t want to discount, you could always included something extra instead, such as free shipping if they purchase on the day, or a little gift.
Be memorable but not OTT
As I mentioned earlier, its vitally important to make an effort with how your stand looks so you stand out, but you yourself must also be memorable!
Never just sit, watching people go by. There’s a fine line between being enthusiastic and friendly and annoying and pushy, but you do need to be on your feet, smiling at people as they walk past and trying to encourage them to chat. The British are notoriously reserved so this can be tricky at first (for both exhibitors and attendees) but do persevere! After a while you’ll get into a flow and it will feel less awkward. Remember, no-one is going to come up to you if you’re sat on your phone, or chatting to your friend at the next stand.
Here’s another little pro-tip for free, please, for the love of all things holy, think of a more interesting opening line than “So… when are you getting married?” Couples will have heard that so many times that they’ll probably start to tune it out. How about asking people what their favourite thing about wedding planning is? Or what they’d buy for the wedding if money was no object? You could even offer them a cheeky cocktail (have a stash at the back of your stand!) Honestly, they’ll probably be so stunned that you seem like a normal human being that they won’t be able to help themselves but stop and talk to you!
Host a workshop or seminar
A lot of wedding fairs put on workshops or seminars that attendees can book into. Why not speak to the organisers and see if you could sign up to host something? Not only are they great ways to interact with potential clients, but they showcase your product or services in a really organic, non-sleazy way.
In the past I’ve taken part in flower crown workshops, watched make up demonstrations, and once I even got to paint (and then keep!) a pair of shoes. But one of the best I’ve ever been to was a wine tasting, and let me tell you, it was PACKED. I mean, who doesn’t want to try some free wine!? The person putting it on was also offering discounted bottles if you bought them then and there and you know what, even though I wasn’t looking to place a bulk order for a wedding, I left with two!
Network with other suppliers
Wedding shows are a great place to meet other wedding suppliers. In this industry a lot of opportunities that come your way will be because of who you know, so don’t be shy, go up and talk to other people exhibiting at the show and make some new friends!
