Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Kat

DIY Theatre Wedding: Amanda & T’Neil

Kat

October 29, 2012

It wasn't love at first sight for Amanda & T'Neil, but their romance is certainly what epic love stories are made of. Now call me an old sop, but what a great movie their story would make! "T'Neil and I met through our parents in our mid teens," began Amanda. "It was one of those friendships you had because your parents 'encouraged' it. The two of us could not have been more different if we tried to be - she was miss pep and I was miss 'leave me the heck alone'. I wanted to set her pom poms on fire and she says she was scared to death I was gonna beat her up or something! Through the first year that we were 'encouraged' to be friends it was a lot of small talk and 'my dad said to ask you if you wanna hang out' invites - movies, the mall, game nights. Then we began to see that we weren't so different after all; we had more in common than we wanted to admit even to ourselves. What was once an 'encouraged' friendship became inside jokes, sleep overs, and overnight texting. We look back now after 7 years of the best friendship and we can't say what was the moment it all changed, but somewhere over the years of helping each other through a move across states, the sickness and death of a parent and divorce of others, heartbreaks, injuries and so much more, we became inseparable. And eventually best friendship turned into a 'once in a lifetime', movie script type of love, with all the tests of A Lot Like Love, hope of A Walk to Remember and love of The Notebook."
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A Musical & Modern Wedding: Katie & Adam

Kat

October 29, 2012

"Without wanting to sound too sucky I've read Rock n Roll Bride for years, even before I was engaged", wrote newly-wed Katie, who married Adam in Leicestershire in September. "I loved looking at the photography and the different styles & ideas out there. So as soon as Adam popped the question I had a great starting point!" The entire wedding had a music theme - from the vinyl motifs, the homemade posters, the guitar pick favours and the concert venue table names, "Music was a really big inspiration for us, from the background music to the first dance & church music", the bride continued. "Everything was carefully planned and picked to fit our theme. The vinyl theme continued all the way from the invites to decorations around the venue."
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Idyllic Camber Sands Beach Wedding: Jo & Rob

Kat

October 26, 2012

Jo & Rob were married at The Gallivant Hotel, an eclectic, shabby chic coastal hideaway. Once a former retro motel on the edge of Camber, the hotel is located right opposite the sand dunes and beach of Camber Sands - what a perfect and idyllic spot to get married! In fact it was even more perfect for this romantic pair because Rob proposed to Jo whilst flying kites on this very beach! "With its beautiful British beach side charm we knew straight away it was the perfect place for us to get married", began Jo.
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Retro Mod Wedding: Nikki & Paul

Kat

October 25, 2012

Brought together by a mutual love of the 1960s and mod culture, Nikki & Paul met at a 1960s themed club. "I was inspired by wedding blogs like Rock n Roll Bride that talk about weddings that are slightly left field", began the bride. "I was inspired by weddings with bright colours (we had orange and electric blue with grey) and we wanted to make sure each part of the day was reflective of who we are. We also didn't take anything too seriously - it was meant to be fun!"
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Geeky & Movie Themed Ironworks Wedding: Ellery & Arlyn

Kat

October 24, 2012

Back to the future, Indiana Jones, zombies... If you were to ask me to list my all time favourite things they would all be way up there. So when Ellery & Arlyn's geeky gorgeous wedding landed on my lap I was more than a little bit excited to blog it... but also rather gutted that we didn't do our wedding this way! The Canadian couple were married at The Ironworks Studios in Vancouver. "The Ironworks used to be an old iron factory near the train tracks just outside of Gastown," began the bride. "It's now an eclectic venue used mainly for concerts and TV or movie shoots. We went to our friend’s book signing event there a few years ago and when we started talking about venues, the Ironworks was the place we both thought of first."
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A Sexy South African Winter Wedding: Tertius & Melissa

Kat

October 23, 2012

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it's going to be full on winter soon. I personally don't mind when it starts to get all icy and crisp outside - it's the perfect excuse to wear something knitted and cute, order a ridiculous sounding coffee drink (Cream! Caramel! Sugar! Marshmallows!) and snuggle up close with your lover. Perfect. Plus we get to see weddings like Tertius & Melissa's... The wedding took place at Oakfield Farm in South Africa. The ceremony was held in the onsite chapel, and the reception in the homestead. For the decor, the couple went for a dramatic look with deep reds and earthy tones. "I'm not fond of the idea of 'colour schemes', but I love textures so we went for the earthy feel with just a little dash red", explained the bride." We added deep red roses and the bridesmaids wore red jackets. The rest we left up to mother nature!"
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The Blogcademy New York: A Quick Recap

Kat

October 22, 2012

I'm currently lying in bed in my East Village apartment (well, I wish it was mine!) with Nubby the day after the first ever Blogcademy. It's 7am and we're both bolt upright excitedly gabbing about the events of the past 48 hours. It was a weekend of magical, unexpected, positivity and excitable exhilaration. Loving, learning and inspiring each other - all in our own imitable fashion. I feel mentally exhausted and my feet hurt like hell but it's oh such a good feeling. Our 30 attendees were just what we hoped & prayed for and more, and I honestly feel we've all made some new BFFs for life.
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A Retro Glastonbury Wedding: Beth & Jonny

Kat

October 22, 2012

Oh Anna Hardy you do have a way with that camera of yours. A way that makes everything dreamy and beautiful and cool all at the same time... although to be fair, I think you had it pretty easy with Beth & Jonny, like, how totally smokin' are these two!? And Beth's second dress by the epic Delphine Manivet is AMAZING. I love me that high collared cape thingy! The wedding took place in Yorkshire in June. They had an informal registry office wedding in the morning with just a handful of their nearest and dearest, then got changed and had a big Glastonbury themed ceremony & reception with all their friends and family. As devoted Glastonbury goers, Beth & Jonny chose the weekend that the festival should have been on this year so that all their future anniversaries can be celebrated there! "Originally we wanted to marry in the woods, and have a tipi reception in a field", began the bride. "This turned out to be seriously and surprisingly expensive, and finding a field for rent in the north of England was pretty much impossible. When we went to see the venue at Broughton Hall it was a miserable day to say the least, but even in the rain, the place looked awesome."
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A Festival Tipi Wedding on the Family Farm: Amy & Chris

Kat

October 20, 2012

Festival and tipi weddings have been big in 2012... like huge. Like they're the wedding trend that just won't quit. And that not necessarily a bad thing, because hell, who doesn't love a festival and camping and toasting marshmallows over an open fire? When Amy & Chris set to planning their July wedding, they decided that the groom's family home, Laskey Farm in Thelwall, was a more than perfect spot. After a humanist ceremony performed by Kate Gee came a various bands and performances with the evening being rounded off with a silent disco!
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Alice in Wonderland Wedding: Adam & Louise

Kat

October 19, 2012

Alice in Wonderland themed weddings have been pretty popular since the Tim Burton version of the story was released in 2010, but that doesn't mean I don't still love to see them! I mean who wouldn't want to look at photographs that transport you into a much more psychedelic world? When Adam & Louise got engaged, and despite the fact that they thought the theme had 'been done' quite a bit, they knew it was perfect for their wedding. Louise had been a huge fan of the story for her whole life, and had always dreamt of an Alice themed wedding... so why go changing?
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A Quirky Railway Museum Wedding: Emily & Rob

Kat

October 18, 2012

Having visited East Anglian Railway Museum since she was a little girl (and in more recent times, every September for their beer festival), Emily always knew it was the place she wanted to get married. In her own words, they chose the Town Hall for the reception, and the pub for the lunch "out of necessity", but luckily for them the sun shone for the whole day and in the end all venues were equally stunning. "People loved that we had three venues throughout the day", she explained. "We even had the miniature railway running for the children at the railway museum."
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A DIY Wedding in Downtown Santa Ana: Candice & Nathaniel

Kat

October 17, 2012

One of the things that bums be out about living in the UK is that we can't get married anywhere we like - of course many couples these days opt for a humanist ceremony at the spot of their choice with the 'legal bit' taking place a few days before or after, but it's not really the same. And when I see ceremonies as gorgeous as Candice & Nathaniel right in the heart of Downtown Santa Ana, I'm even more envious! The wedding took place on June 3rd. The couple organised everything themselves and did so for less than $5000. The ceremony was held on 2nd Street Promenade, and the reception was at Memphis at the Santora, just round the corner. The couple met online and had their first date in the area, and Nathaniel proposed on New Years Eve at Memphis at the Santora,. Basically it was the obvious location for them to have their wedding too!
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Zoe Lem’s Vintage Wedding Fair, London

Kat

October 16, 2012

With 15 years experience as a fashion stylist, Zoe Lem, who pioneered the concept of dressing to suit your shape, has now turned her hand to wedding fashion and design. Zoe was controversially revealed by The Daily Mail in 2006 as the brains behind Trinny and Susannah’s ground breaking show ‘What Not to Wear’ so as you can imagine, she knows her stuff! Zoe's passion for style and weddings (she used to run the iconic My Sugarland wedding boutique in London) has converged to create the brand, Zoe Lem – Vintage Shape Mistress and to launch Zoe Lem’s Vintage Wedding Fair.
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A Low Key Belfast Wedding & A Bride with Lilac Hair: Terri & Garreth

Kat

October 16, 2012

Ever since working on the Ice Cream Dream shoot, where Elbie wore a lilac wig, I've been a little obsessed with this colour hair. If I was ever in the market for a deviation from pink, it might have to be my next move. Anyway so, as you can imagine, I loved Terri, and her wedding to Garreth, just as soon as I saw it. The day was split into three parts. The first, a ceremony at Belfast City Hall, was followed by lunch at Made In Belfast (who I've featured before - remember?) Then for the afternoon celebration and evening party, the wedding moved to The Secret Garden at Filthy McNasty's.
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