Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Kat

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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Faking the Books: A Styled Wedding Shoot with a Difference By Brooke Davis

Kat

October 15, 2012

"I don’t like your typical styled shoot," wrote wedding photographer Brooke Davis. "I just I have to come clean here. I decided that if I do one it has to be different." And different is what Brooke does best. Not just 'Ohh let's throw a few random things together from a decided 'theme' and see what works... like, hum... how about a goth wedding shoot? we haven't seen anyone do that for a while... Or what's the latest movie blockbuster, can that become a wedding shoot? That will be sooo popular on wedding blogs'.
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Punk Rock Wedding: Lauren & Con

Kat

October 15, 2012

Being unapologetically punk rock in their everyday lives, having a punk themed wedding was really the only option for Lauren & Con, who tied the knot at Pavilion Gardens, Mt Tamborine, Australia. "We’re punks so we wanted to have a wedding we’d enjoy but still wanted it to be nice and have most of the usual wedding trimmings for both us and the family", Lauren wrote. "We weren't trying to do things differently on purpose, we just did things the way we wanted and it all turned out awesome."
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A Farm Engagement Shoot: Jo & James

Kat

October 13, 2012

I was married at 24, which is pretty young really, so I was by far the first of my friends to tie the knot. But now, getting scarily close to 30 (as Gareth likes to kindly tell me. Oi! I'm only 28 buster!) a lot of my friends are now walking down the aisle too. EXCITING. So when Jo, who I used to work with at the shopping channel, got engaged to James, I was straight in there with my recommendations and ideas for her wedding... in fact I'm probably verging on annoying about the whole thing. But for Jo, wedding photographer David McNeil was the obvious choice. He also used to work at said shopping channel (!) and feeling comfortable in front of the camera was super important to Jo & James. David is a wizz at this. I can vouch for him. "I was quite apprehensive before the shoot as I just wanted it to be perfect", Jo explained. "I know James isn't keen on having his photo taken (I'm not so bothered!) so I was nervous we wouldn't get any decent photos of us both, then when it came to the wedding day I'd be constantly stressing about it! But I need not have worried. David made us feel really comfortable from the get go. There was no awkward posing or cheesy smiles... it all felt really natural, which really shows in the photos (I think!) In the end we both really enjoyed the whole experience, we're both extremely happy with the photos... David was awesome and I can't wait to see what he does for the wedding! I'd definitely recommend an engagement shoot to any couple that are getting married as it prepares you for the big day."
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A Colourful Multicultural Wedding: Piyush and Bex

Kat

October 12, 2012

Gosh where does one begin with a wedding like Bex & Piyush's? This is pretty much what wedding bloggers dreams are made of... at least mine are anyway! Bex & Piyush wanted to celebrate the heritage of both families in their wedding. The wedding was an Indian/Western fusion celebration at Heaton House Farm near Macclesfield. Unlike many mixed-background couples, they opted to have just one ceremony incorporating both a Western civil ceremony alongside Indian traditions. Bex & Piyush didn't want to have two separate ceremonies, preferring to represent both their heritages together. "Our wedding was a bright, colourful, inclusive, multicultural and non-religious, light-hearted day, providing an alternative to the inherent narcissism of traditional wedding", began Bex. "We had the wedding on an English farm, complete with views of rolling hills, wellies and rain showers."
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Taxidermy, Tattoos & A Cute Log Cabin: Kari & Bryce

Kat

October 10, 2012

Kari & Bryce choose Southern Alberta Pioneer Memorial Building, a beautiful log cabin situated, unbelievably, in the inner city of Calgary as their wedding venue. It's on a park ridge by Elbow River and provided a prime location that didn't feel like it was slap bang in the middle of an urban area. "We had the ceremony and reception at there", explained the bride. "Bryce and I lived in the same neighborhood for 5 years and we walked around there a lot. Once we found out that anyone could rent it out for functions, we contacted them right away about having our wedding there. By that time we had already been engaged for over 3 years, so we were happy that we finally found something that was right for us. It is spectacular! You can walk through paths just behind it along the ridge and it feels like you aren't in the city anymore. It is really quite perfect, and a fantastic price."
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An Eclectic Vintage & Bric-a-Brac Wedding: Emalie & Duncan

Kat

October 10, 2012

Getting engaged on the top of Toyko Tower in Japan in 2010, Emalie & Duncan's wedding was never going to be traditional. With a bride rocking mermaid green hair and a groom adding a much needed modern twist to the tweed suit, this couple wanted a wedding that screamed 'them'. A field in Cookhill, Evesham was chosen as the location and the pair were married outside, in front of a homemade giant heart shaped flower wreath.
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DIY Farm Wedding & the Wedding Photographer who Captured the Milky Way: Shirley & Waz

Kat

October 9, 2012

You've probably seen one of Shirley & Waz' wedding photographs before, because it went kinda viral. Remember the wedding photograph that captured the actual milky way!? Yeah that one... (and if you didn't - and where have you been? - it's at the bottom of this post). Anyway after wedding photographer Lakshal Perera published that image and everyone calmed down and people stopped squealing "PhotoShop!" (it wasn't by the way) every single wedding blogger on the planet (probably) waited with baited breath to see the rest of the images. And jeez I nearly fell off my chair when Lakshal emailed me to ask if I'd like to be the blog to share it... erm... let me think about that for like 2 seconds... HELL YES PLEASE!
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Gratitude

Kat

October 9, 2012

As this is my last Green Room post before I jet off to New York, I'm feeling a little apathetic. I'm sure I'll be coming home with a truckload of post-Blogcademy inspiration in tow but right now I'm just... tired. Keeping up with life and work, getting things organised before I leave, it all piles up and sometimes it can feel like it's becoming too much. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm knackered and in need of a holiday. Badly. I can't be the only one who's feeling like this either. I guess it's a lot to do with the time of year, and if you work in the wedding industry you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The Summer season can be rather mental all-round, and it's swiftly followed by the usual October wedding fair circuit and new collection launches... AKA it's exhausting.
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A Bohemian Mexican-American Wedding: Felicia & Ariel

Kat

October 8, 2012

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Felicia & Ariel wanted to plan a wedding with a nod to their heritage as well as the place they grew up. The wedding was held at The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, a non-profit education and research organisation, owned by the groom's parents. "As born and raised Austinites and the children of hippies, we knew from the get-go that we didn't want to have the 'usual' wedding," began Felicia. "Ariel and I both love being in nature and so it seemed like a easy choice to have the wedding at the site of his family's home and non-profit organization. We wanted the wedding to have a lot of color and reflect our passions and cultures. I'm Mexican-American and loved the idea of embroidered Mexican dresses for my bridesmaids, delicate papel picado banners, and bright paper flowers."
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A Festival & Picnic Wedding… in the Rain: Charlotte & Josh

Kat

October 8, 2012

Recently I dubbed 2012 the year of the festival wedding. I've been seeing them all over (particularly on my own blog's pages!) and loving it. I used to be a huge festival kid. I live in Reading and we have a pretty famous rock festival every year, so I've always been a bit of a fangirl. I have fond memories of dancing til dawn, getting soaking wet in the rain and not giving a damn and waking up in stranger's tents ...(I'd like to point out this was before Gareth by the way!)
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Alternative Asian Bridal Shoot

Kat

October 6, 2012

We don't get to see a whole lot of alternative Asian wedding inspiration, so I was thrilled when I received this bridal shoot with an edge from School of Rock graduate Rabbia Ali Shah from the Asian Wedding Ideas blog. "Seeing the same Asian bridal images can start to get a little repetitive", wrote Rabbia, "and the idea of something a little edgier is one that I had been thinking about for a while. Getting people on board wasn't the easiest of task but getting in touch with wedding photographer Priti Shikotra, changed all that. She had similar thoughts about a shoot."
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A DIY Wedding at a Safari Park: Jodi & Dave

Kat

October 5, 2012

I'm not gonna lie, where was something in particular that swayed me when it came to featuring this wedding... Stan, the ever so slightly disgruntled looking cat. Of course when I saw the rest of the photos, I just happened to fall in love with Stan's owners, Jodi & Dave as well, but if I'm going to be 100% truthful, Stan did help their cause. This couple didn't want to spend a fortune on the wedding and so by DIYing as much as they could the day came in at under £9000. The ceremony was held at Swiss Gardens, Shuttleworth with the reception taking place in the Safari Lodge at Woburn Safari Park. "We looked at about 12 venues from a marquee where I keep my horses to a vintage factory ballroom but nothing quite ticked all the boxes", wrote Jodi. "But when we found Swiss Gardens we knew instantly this was the one. We originally booked it for August 2013, but then were told the venue would be shutting down for 18 months for a lottery funded renovation so we could only postpone, cancel or move it forward! So we moved it forward giving us only 6 months to plan and make everything!" "We were married in the tiny thatched house in the centre
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An Intimate Wedding in France & Monte Carlo: Kenna & Scott

Kat

October 5, 2012

It seems that recently not a week goes by when I don't get a flippin' incredible wedding submission from wedding photographer Assassynation... This woman is just a magnet for awesome weddings! It must be because so many of her couples find her through Rock n Roll Bride - not that I'm biased or anything but it is widely accepted that that Rock n Roll Bride readers are the coolest couples, like, ever. So when Kenna & Scott's nuptials slipped their way into my inbox a few weeks ago I, as ever, couldn't wait to get them on my blog. The intimate wedding took place in France and Monaco. The bride & groom just bought their maid of honour and her partner as witnesses. They hand no other guests. The ceremony was at L'Abbaye in La Colle Sur Loup, in the south of France and for the reception, they hopped over the border to Monaco for a low-key meal at the four star luxury resort of The Fairmont in Monte Carlo.
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