Ask An Expert: The Real Value of a Wedding

Guest Contributor

Alina Kay

July 9, 2026

We just got engaged and feel super overwhelmed, especially when scrolling social media! How do we figure out which parts of the day will actually make the biggest difference to the atmosphere and make sure we, and our guests, enjoy ourselves?

The Wedding Details Nobody Puts on Pinterest (But Everyone Notices)

Guest Contributor

Seattle to London

July 9, 2026

Scroll through Pinterest for five minutes and you'll find endless tablescapes, seating charts and floral installations. What you won't find are generators, rubbish bins, extension leads or portaloos. Fair enough. Nobody's pinning photos of a well organised waste collection, but these are the things you really need to think about - especially if you're having a DIY or festival wedding!

Forget the String Quartet: Making Piano Music Work at a Rock ‘n’ Roll Wedding

Guest Contributor

Petite Cherry Photo

July 8, 2026

If the word "wedding pianist" makes you picture someone playing Pachelbel's Canon while guests find their seats, you're probably not alone. But a piano doesn't have to mean traditional.

They Said ‘I Do’ at Download Festival

Kat

Steph Mead

July 8, 2026

Some couples spend months searching for the perfect wedding venue, but Toni and Danny already knew theirs. Download Festival has been part of their relationship for a long time and when they found out they could get married there, there was simply no other option.

Wedding Dress Shopping Advice That Sounds Wrong (But Actually Works)

Guest Contributor

July 7, 2026

If you've spent any time on wedding TikTok or Instagram, you've probably picked up a long list of rules about finding your dress. You'll know it's "The One." You'll cry. Your mum will cry. Your entourage will gasp. Angels will sing. The boutique will hand you a glass of prosecco and it'll be just like a moment from your favourite Rom Com when everything in life falls back into place.

These Vintage Lovers Planned Their Slovakian Pier Wedding in Just Three Months

Kat

Paulína Hindy

July 7, 2026

Three months is not a timeline most people would choose for planning a wedding but Romie and Matty did exactly that. Their day, held in yacht club on the banks of the Danube in Čunovo, Slovakia, was a celebration that reflected their shared love of vintage style, music and doing things their own way.

Curtain Call: Classic Bridal Shoot with a Rebellious Edge

Kat

Kirsty MacKenzie

July 6, 2026

For the issue 68's cover shoot we wanted to explore the contrast between classic bridal styling and a more rebellious presence. A little bit gothic, but not overtly so. Our model Clo’s heavily tattooed skin brought an edge that felt perfect against the refined interiors of the newly renovated The Trafalgar on King’s Road in London.

Vegas Las Vegas, The Wedding Chapel with 150 Themes, Just Had a Major Glow Up

Kat

July 6, 2026

TThe legendary Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel has had a glow up and it's now more iconic than ever! It now feels brighter, more modern and even more immersive while keeping the playful fun that made it famous in the first place. And with their popular Rocky Horror Picture Show-inspired package you can now be married by Frank-N- Furter in front of hot pink neon lips inspired by the cult classic!

Why Wedding Planning Brings Out Family Tension (And What It’s Really About)

Guest Contributor

Celeste Burns

June 9, 2026

Wedding planning is supposed to be joyful. But for many mothers and daughters, it unexpectedly becomes emotional, tense, or explosive, and usually not because of flowers, seating charts or venues.

How to Budget for Your Wedding When You’re Not a Billionaire, an Influencer or Being Funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad

Kat

Leena Rose Photo

June 2, 2026

Last week, Vogue Weddings published an article called "The Real Budgets of Vogue Weddings", sharing the costs behind a selection of weddings previously featured on its pages. It was behind a paywall but from the Instagram post alone people had thoughts. Lots of them.

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.

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?

‘Til Death Do Us Punk

Kat

Christina Srorzah

January 26, 2026

Casey met Dwayne in 2005 while looking for a tattoo artist. Appointments turned into years of friendship. In November 2022, when they realised they were both single, Casey invited Dwayne to a local venue to watch a friend’s stand up set after a session. Sitting in the booth, he reached over, grabbed her face, and kissed her. “He said he’d been waiting to do that for a long time and we’ve been inseparable ever since."

If We Were Getting Married in Vegas in 2026, Here’s What We Would Want to Know

Kat

Of Colour and Hue

January 22, 2026

It’s no secret that we love a Vegas wedding here at Rock n Roll Bride. We’ve been lucky enough to shoot in Las Vegas multiple times over the last few years, so without blowing our own trumpet too much, it’s fair to say we’re pretty clued up on how to do a Vegas wedding well.

Dolly Parton Meets Mars Attacks with a Wes Anderson Spin

Kat

Of Colour and Hue

January 20, 2026

Tattoo Artists’ Low Maintenance Vegas Wedding

Kat

Christina Sforza

January 16, 2026

Angela and Garrett wanted to elope, but they also wanted a few of their favourite people with them, So they had the best of both words with their micro wedding in Vegas. They invited a few guests but it was 'lets just run off to Vegas' elopement vibes through and through.

‘Tats & Cats’ Dive Bar Wedding

Kat

Lilry

May 27, 2026

Monique and Jay's London, Ontario wedding day began with a ceremony at Holy Diver where they actually got tattooed! They then moved to The Early Bird, a family owned restaurant and bar, where they had a second ceremony (with both their grandmothers as flower girls) and reception with their 35 guests. It was the very first wedding the venue had hosted, but the couple couldn't have been happier with how it all turned out.

Hellvis, Burlesque & Baby Elvis: Inside This $5K Las Vegas Wedding Shot Entirely on Film

Kat

Cactus Bloom

May 25, 2026

EErin and Thomas got married at Sure Thing Chapel with Hellvis officiating, a burlesque dancer surprising the guests midway through the ceremony, and their one-year-old daughter dressed in a miniature Hellvis costume. The whole thing was shot entirely on film, which suited the mood perfectly.

Vintage Meets Vegas Elopement on Their Own Terms

Kat

To Have Her

May 21, 2026

Amanda and Connor got married at A Little White Wedding Chapel at midday, ate burgers at In-N-Out by 1pm, spent the afternoon inside Meow Wolf, then ended the night in dive bars before heading to the Neon Museum. From the beginning, they knew exactly what they didn’t want: a big, traditional wedding with timelines, formalities and months of pressure.

Elegant Meets Emo Utah Wedding with Blink-182 Played by a String Quartet

Kat

Beth Mac

May 18, 2026

Emily and Alex didn't set out to have an 'alternative' wedding, but they wanted an elegant affair that didn't feel stuffy and was unmistakingly them. The bride even planned her tattoo sessions around the wedding, having three sessions in 45 days to get her backpiece finished!

Victorian Goth Ghosts in a Haunted House

Kat

Keri Lynne

April 6, 2026

Did you know there is no rule that says your engagement shoot has to be pretty pictures of you in a field or on a beach. I mean, those make lovely shoot locations and all but do you know what's way cooler? A freakin' haunted mansion! For Anita and Michael, who love all things dark and romantic, these vibes were elite.

Middle Earth Meets Pagan Gothic: A Dark Fantasy Wedding

Kat

Philipp Groth

April 2, 2026

Annika and Leon love Tolkien, fantasy worlds and video games, so they built their wedding from that foundation. They planned the day entirely by themselves, with the help of many talented friends, and held it at Mildenstein Castle in Saxony, Germany.

Gothic Masquerade Ball in Milwaukee

Kat

Alisa Grieve

March 30, 2026

Sam had always wanted to attend a masquerade ball, so that, her a long-standing goth aesthetic and love for antiques, vintage furniture and trinkets were the main inspirations for her wedding to Liam. "It was like a moody gothic masquerade with antique eclecticism", she said.

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."

Shakespeare’s Ophelia Meets Gothic, Rural Renaissance

Kat

Fairfoxes

December 8, 2025

The Baltimore based team behind this shoot built a world that sits somewhere between Renaissance folklore and the haunted calm of Shakespeare’s Ophelia. They worked with candlelight, irregular textiles, sculptural florals, velvet, and a couple styled like they had stepped out of a painting. The mood came from a mix of rural myth, faded royalty, and a willingness to sit inside the strange.

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.

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!”

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.”