Kat

A Black & Red, 50s Rock n Roll Wedding: Hannah & Lewiss

Kat

August 1, 2012

Hannah & Lewiss' small and sweet wedding was held at St Fagans Castle, the National History Museum of Wales. For their evening party they moved to the trendy Jolyons at No.10, a boutique hotel in the heart of Cardiff. The venue choices were important to this couple and they both wanted places that stood out. Hannah explained, "We both didn't believe in long engagements so we set a date for 9 months after we got engaged. Finding a unique venue was important to us, but this was harder than we imagined. Living in Cardiff, we wanted somewhere in South Wales but it seemed to be flooded with chain hotel venues or vast historic buildings which were too big for the small wedding we had dreamed of. After overlooking it a couple of times we went to visit St Fagans Castle. St Fagans is the National History Museum of Wales, an outdoor museum full of historical buildings from all around the country. The Castle is a Grade 1 listed Elizabethan Manor House set in the most fabulous gardens. Even though it wasn’t what we originally had in mind, we knew straight away it was perfect. Also it’s in the area where Lewiss grew up and his parents still live, so it being local meant a lot to him."

A Backyard Pool Party Wedding: Kate & Doug

Kat

July 31, 2012

Kate & Doug's backyard wedding took place in Kent in June. Kate designed her own dress, hand-crafted the decor and played in a band with her husband at the reception! She told me all about their magical day. "We have been together for 10 years so we really wanted to have a proper big wedding to cement our relationship and have a blast with our friends and family. I really wanted to get married in the garden of England, Kent, where I grew up and have a proper English country wedding. So we started looking at venues and found Ratsbury Barn, a beautiful 17th century Kentish barn in Tenterden for the ceremony. Then, my Mother's boyfriend who lives down the road very kindly offered to let us use his amazing place for the reception! We got a marquee and extended his pool house area, it was perfect."

A DIY Farm Wedding with the Ceremony on a Dam: Bobby & Gitte

Kat

July 31, 2012

There are certain weddings that literally made me smile from ear to ear... OK well yes, all of the weddings I feature are flippin' awesome but there are some that just have that extra something. I think in this case it's the bride & groom themselves. I want to be BFFs with Bobby & Gitte please! For their May wedding the couple knew they wanted to do something different - something low key and fun. They spent just £2500 pulling off the event. The ceremony was held on Claerwen Reservoir Dam in Rhayadar, Wales. Although not the most practical of choices, they wanted it there for sentimental reasons. The reception was on a friend's farm in Ballingham, Hereford. "It took us a few days to get the venue together, as there were literally cows and horses – and their muck - in it prior," wrote Gitte. "But once we saw it we had our heart set on it, and didn’t stop until our hands were dirty and we were happy."

A Whimsical Alice in Wonderland Wedding: Kristi & Ben

Kat

July 30, 2012

Our Labor of Love, Sharkpig, The Flashdance, Smilebooth.... oh boy did Kristi & Ben have the dream team behind their San Francisco wedding! With an Alice in Wonderland theme and a ceremony at the Golden Gate Park, they really did go all out to make their wedding day extra special. The reception was held at RF-80, a studio space in the city. "Our inspiration was the eclectic city we live in combined with a love for all things imaginative", began the bride. "We wanted a wedding that wasn’t cookie cutter and that reflected both of our personalities. There were a lot of DIY elements involved. I scoured wedding blogs for my ideas. I also got inspiration from magazines and store windows. I would recommend figuring out what is doable within your timeframe or it can all get overwhelming. Enlist your friends, buy or make some cake, pop open some champagne and get crafting. It saves you money and gives such a personal touch to your wedding. I'd also advise other no not listen to the masses, they will scowl at your ideas, mostly because they’ve either never seen anything like it before or can’t get the proper visual. It’s your day, do what you want."

It’s Finally Here! Issue 2 of Rock n Roll Bride Print Magazine Available Now!

Kat

July 30, 2012

It's here! It's finally here! To say creating issue 2 of Rock n Roll Bride Magazine has been a labour of love would be an understatement of epic proportions. When Gareth & I made the decision late last year to create a second edition of the magazine after the unanticipated appreciation over issue 1 (which was initially conceived to just be a free handout at a wedding show), not in a million years did we think it would take so long... and take so much out of us. Dear God, I have a new found respect for everyone who works in the print industry. I won't bore you with the trials and tribulations we've had along the way, but rest assured that magazines are hard work. But when 50-odd boxes of something we created were delivered to our house on Friday, it all suddenly felt worth it. I have never been so proud!

A Sunday Kind of Love: This is My Excited Face!

Kat

July 29, 2012

Be here, Monday morning, 9am (BST) to find out how to get your grubby mitts on a copy. Being sold exclusively through Rock n Roll Bride and shipping worldwide, I am very excited that we've finally wrapped this incredible project. The only thing I ask is that if you get one that you post silly pictures of your excited face all over the internet too. Mkay?

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at The Fancy Dress Lodge

Kat

July 28, 2012

When artist Paula Shepherd, owner of The Fancy Dress Lodge (!!) in Winslow, decided to open her home as a wedding venue, she knew that a photo shoot to celebrate was in order. With the help of accessories designer Aria Sandis from A Little Bit Of Sparkle, she got to planning a shoot quirky enough to suit the eclectic space. "How about a Mad Hatter's Tea Party with a slightly insane twist?" they thought.

A Warehouse Wedding: Leslie & Ian

Kat

July 27, 2012

These punk rockers really shook up my inbox when they crash landed into it last week. Leslie & Ian were married in March at Cluster Studios in Denver. "Ian and I wanted to throw an amazing party for our friends and family", the bride wrote. "Nither of us are religious at all, and wanted to customize everything about our wedding. We wrote our own ceremony and had his friend Cory be our officiant (he picked up a badge that said 'clergy' from somewhere and hooked it to his chest, haha, it was perfect!). We had food trucks come rather than traditional catering. We wanted it to be more like a party then anything formal. I rocked a mohawk, which was pretty sweet. Plus, we were in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere (this meant no closing time, we partied straight through till dawn, and no noise or smoking requirements). We had comfy furniture, so people could sit and catch up. We also had high top tables, an outside area with heaters and a sweet bar area. It was awesome to have a laptop hooked up to a killer sound system, so we could listen to what we wanted to rather then the cheesy stuff some DJ's play. There is always someone who wants to play DJ at a party anyway, so a lot of the the time people were just rifling through my extensive music collection and playing whatever they felt like."

Let’s be Frenemies

Kat

July 27, 2012

Work friends are a strange concept. You're thrown together 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and expected to not only get on but to combine your differences to work together. And then you're expected to want to hang out in your own time, go to office parties... oh and add each other on facebook too. If not you're bring rude right? I guess that's why, no matter how much we say it won't happen, when you leave a place of work you rarely end up keeping much contact with these people. There are exceptions of course, but as harsh as it sounds, when the inevitable does happen it usually becomes pretty obvious that the friendships were never really that genuine in the first place.

A Fancy Dress Glastonbury Festival Wedding: Alice & Matt

Kat

July 27, 2012

After dating for four and a half years, Matt proposed to Alice on the long drive home from Glastonbury Festival in 2011. So needless to say, the couple decided they wanted a festival themed wedding... or more specifically a homage to their favourite festival. "It had been an amazing weekend of music, love and cider-fuelled reveling," began the bride. "It was pretty much an unspoken agreement from the off that our wedding would be an homage to Glastonbury. The festival has played a massive part in both our lives and running around in the mud, dressed like loons, dancing until dawn is high on our favourite things to do list. As soon as we'd verbalised the words 'festival', 'camping' and 'fancy dress' the thought occurred that it might be worth a punt asking the Eavis family (who own the land Glastonbury Festival is held on) if they would consider letting us use Worthy Farm. The family are great friends of my parents and scrumptious people. Amazingly they were really excited about the idea and more than happy to help (although they have since decided they don't want to host further weddings - we might have put them off for life...eek!! - that's not their bag). Glastonbury was having a year off so we chose to wed on Saturday 23rd June, a date which anyone who knows anything about Glastonbury will know understand to be highly significant!"

Thursday Treats – 26th July 2012: Hello Sunshine!

Kat

July 26, 2012

Wow, what a scorcher this week has been! I ain't complaining (honest!) but my productivity has gone waaaay down. That glorious sunshine outside my window has just been too darn tempting. I did purchase the brightest neon orange dress known to man though. I am seriously excited to wear blind people in this baby! I also found out this week that I'm going to be featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine! I don't usually mention my press features here anymore but this is a really exciting one. I'm going to be profiled in their 'So you think you want my job?' section and oh boy I can't wait. Squeeeeeal! But the biggest news of the week is that a truckload (literally) of copies of issue two of the Rock n Roll Bride print magazine are being delivered to our house tomorrow!! I know, I KNOW It's taken so flippin' long to get this project completed but oh boy it is gonna be worth it. I have a new found respect for anyone in the magazine industry. How they manage to pull together monthly editions is beyond me! Issue two is bigger, better and even more glorious than the first. Again, we've ordered a limited print run, so be sure to pop by the blog 9am on Monday to find out how you can get your hands on a copy! HOLY GUACAMOLE I MIGHT EXPLODE.

Colourful Californian Ranch Wedding: Jamie & Chris

Kat

July 26, 2012

This colourful ranch wedding winged it's way to me all the way from sunny California. Held at The Holland Ranch, San Luis Obispo, with all the guests staying at the nearby Madonna Inn, the day was one of colour, fun and a rockin' good time! "Our inspiration was to make our wedding as fun as possible and as uniquely 'us'", Jamie, the bride, told me. "We knew we wanted to do it in San Luis Obispo because it's our favorite little town on the coast and would be a destination wedding for our families who live out of town and our friends who live in LA. The Madonna Inn is a special hotel for us and we stay there a few times a year. It's so fun and funky. And we love that every room was different, we knew it would be a fun part of the experience for our guests. As soon as we found the Holland Ranch and saw all the neon signs and taxidermy on the walls of the party barn, we knew it was our place. Plus, it had the gorgeous mountain-backdrop and cool archway for the ceremony. We loved the idea of having our big day all in one location. And the barn was the perfect back-drop for the party! More than anything, we wanted our guests to have fun and from what we've heard, they did!"

A Rustic French Countryside Wedding: Natalie & Oliver

Kat

July 26, 2012

Natalie & Oliver were married in France, at Oliver's parents home in L’Isle En Dodon. The British couple live in The States but made the trip to France to marry surrounded by their friends and family. "The French countryside and beautiful barn were our main inspiration and did a lot of the hard work for us!" explained the pair. "The family setting and DIY approach gave the wedding a really personal touch, which we would never have been able to achieve in a more traditional venue, and gave the wedding an incredibly unique feel. So many people contributed to making the wedding as amazing as it was – it really was a family affair and those invites, certainly a labour of love!"

Register for Wedding Gifts that Don’t Suck with Wedding Republic

Kat

July 25, 2012

The whole wedding gift registry thing can be a bit of a baptism of fire. On one hand you don't really need yet another toaster but on the other it's often really awkward to have the "actually we'd just really rather have cash" conversation. Back in the old days (when I got married ha!) pretty much the only option for couples was to register with a department store or have that awkward cash convo. We opted for the former and although we got some great stuff (Vera Wang crockery that we still can't afford... a Dyson vacuum... fancy bedding!) it would have been nice to have had more choice you know? John Lewis stocks some great stuff but it's hardly up there in the cool stakes.

The Inspirations: Austin Kleon – Steal Like An Artist

Kat

July 25, 2012

I was introduced to the work of Austin Kleon by a reader who emailed me a link to his latest book, Steal Like an Artist, after attending my School of Rock workshop. She thought I'd like it (thanks Emily!) and she was right. I bought it straight away and devoured the whole thing in one sitting. Austin uses drawings and simple analogies to share his vision of what makes an artist... theft. Sounds controversial huh? Well it's not... it's awesome... and hugely enlightening. I'd enourage you all to go out and read it right now. I wanted to know more so I decided to interview the man himself... enjoy!

A Great Gatsby & Peacock Themed Wedding at Nonsuch Mansion: Chloe & Michael

Kat

July 25, 2012

The first thing Chloe & Michael decided upon for their wedding was the venue. They picked Nonsuch Mansion, in the heart of Nonsuch Park, as it held great sentimental meaning to them. They'd spent a lot of time there thoughout their relationship and so having the wedding there made total sense. "The mansion is built on the site of Henry VIII’s long gone Nonsuch Palace and is located in the middle of a huge park that we live within a few minutes walk of," Chloe explained. "The park is very important to us and we spend lots of time in there, running, walking, picking berries, lazing in the sun with a beer etc when the seasons are right! In fact, it was lazing in the shade of a tree just by the mansion on a sunny afternoon when we first said 'I love you' - so it’s a pretty special place. Choosing the venue really was a no-brainer for us!"

A Purple Feathers, Purple Hair & DIY Elegance: Jeni & Manny

Kat

July 24, 2012

The eagle-eyed amongst you may recognise the gorgeous Jeni & Manny from their urban beach engagement shoot that I posted back in May. Well shortly after that feature they were married, and they pulled the whole incredible event off for under $5000!

A Californian Ranch Wedding: Natalie & Dave

Kat

July 24, 2012

The ranch location of Natalie & Dave's wedding helped to set their theme. With crafty DIY details creating a rustic charm, this wedding was one with a real relaxed vibe. The Californian sunshine probably helped as well! "I am not sure what to call our theme really," began the bride, "because it was outdoors we used berlap, wildflowers and wine barrels which gave it that country feel. But I also liked adding lace, pearls and hanging lights to give it a more elegant look."

A Pink & Leopard Print Themed DIY Wedding: Ele & Raph

Kat

July 23, 2012

As soon as I saw the sneak peek of Ele & Raph's wedding on their wedding photographer's facebook page, I knew I wanted to feature them... it's not really that difficult to see why is it? Could these guys be any more Rock n Roll if they tried?! The couple booked Rock n Roll Bride favourite Assassynation to capture their amazing day. "What a great pleasure it was to have Sassy do the photography on our special day! I felt at ease as soon as I met her", began the bride. "Upon speaking to my (camera shy!) husband afterwards, he said exactly the same about Sassy, that she jumped at every opportunity to get that perfect shot and with simple instructions made him feel comfortable and contented. Ecstatic with the sneak peeks that Sassy had uploaded within less than 24 hours (wow!) onto her Facebook page, we both knew that Sassy is one Rock n Roll photographer and it would not have been the same without her!"

Hippy Luxe at The Photography Farm

Kat

July 23, 2012

As the fourth Photography Farm drew near Lisa and I sat down with Hannah, stylist extraordinaire, to plan the shoots. I always look forward to this epic 3-day wedding photographers workshop as I know I'll learn new things, make new friends and have a hell of a good time in the process. We do two styled shoots on the first day, but the second, a bridal shoot, is always the most exciting and experimental. I'm so excited to come up with a new concept and work with the Farm dream team to make it a reality.

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