A DIY & Foodie Wedding: Kathryn & James

Kat

April 12, 2012

Kathryn & James' wedding is one of those beautiful events that just prove to me that the details, the fluff and the stresses of making your wedding 'cool' just don't matter. Simple personal touches, friends, family, laughter and love are what make the world go round - why should it be any different for wedding? I fell in love with this couple as soon as I saw the first photo in their wedding set. The love that oozes from these two is palpable and I'm seriously honoured and thrilled to share that love with you all today.

A Day of the Dead Shoot for Madeleine Bride

Kat

April 12, 2012

I have a feeling this is another one of those bridal shoots that you're going to either love or hate. Me? Well I love it! Pushing the boundaries of bridal fashion and taking influences from things that inspire you outside of the wedding world excites me greatly. It's shoots like this, set up by millinery & headpiece designer Madeleine of Madeleine Bride, that reinvigorate my love of the alternative and remind me that yes, it's not for everyone, but oh boy is it exciting to see something different!

A DIY Church Hall Wedding: Zoe & Richard

Kat

April 11, 2012

Sometimes I see a wedding and I literally can't wait to learn more about it and (hopefully if the photographer and couple agree) write it up to share it with you lot too. Luckily for me, in this instance both parties were more than thrilled to share this wedding with us today, particularly because newlyweds Zoe & Richard found wedding photographer Joanna Millington on this very wedding blog. Hurrah! Their DIY, family-central wedding was held at Christ Church in St Albans. "When we were first engaged I asked Richard if he knew where he wanted to get married," Zoe explained. "He said he didn’t want to get married anywhere but Christ Church St Albans. It was my childhood church on the estate where I grew up and where Richard and I went to school. We knew it wasn’t exactly the idyllic wedding venue – a flat-roofed, slightly tired and drab looking carpeted church with very green curtains – but it was home. We had our reception in the same place. Luckily they had just built a shiny new hall attached to the old church building, which was very handy. No one (apart from us) had to venture out into the rain!"

The Inspirations: Tattooist Mike Harris

Kat

April 11, 2012

I always loved sleeve tattoos on women, so when I finally got up the courage to get one done myself I really did my research to get the very best artist I could. Mike, and the London studio he was working in at the time, was recommended to me by a heavily inked friend when I said I was looking for a cartoony, colourful and fun design - nothing to serious, just like me I guess! After spending 18 hours together I got to know Mike pretty well. I was surprised to find out he was so young but this along made me respect him even more. He is incredibly talented, devoted to his career and seriously inspirational. The perfect candidate for this week's Inspirations interview if you ask me!

The Secret Glamour of Hollywood: A Styled Shoot for Alexandra King’s 2012 Bridal Collection

Kat

April 11, 2012

Secret Hollywood glamour was the inspiration for this shoot, set up to promote the new range of wedding dresses from British designer Alexandra King. "The shoot was originally based on the morning after the Oscars, a hazy, sun kissed feel with the soft prettiness of the dresses against the cold concrete and run down beach," Alexandra told me. "As if an Oscar/wedding party traveled down to the beach in Lost Boys and here was the morning after. The shoot then developed to two more locations. To shoot the look book, we found a village hall which had the perfect school play feel to it with a velvet curtained stage and lighting that gave the models the appearance of being a puppet show.The abandoned 1960s caravan images gave a trashy contrast against the dresses again and I love the way some of the images have a romantic gypsy feel to them."

WIN One of Five Free Trash the Dress Bridal Shoots with Photographic Blonde

Kat

Photographic Blonde

April 10, 2012

Don't worry you don't literally have to trash your dress (well unless you want to!) to enter this contest with wedding photographer Photographic Blonde! Photographer Emily would like the opportunity to shoot some kick ass Rock n Roll Brides and what could be a better way to do that then to ask you lot if you'd like to model for her? Not only will you have a great day but you'll have some really fun and unique photographs to keep forever.

Husband & Wife Teams and How to Make them Work

Kat

April 10, 2012

Last week I revieved the following email from Green Room reader Kristi, "I would love to see a post about husband & wife teams (or working with your spouse/partner etc) but in a super honest way. I feel like all the husband & wife teams out there only talk about the good and not the real challenges. I myself have always hated the phrase 'husband & wife team' because it makes it sound like we were matching jogging suits and finish each other's sentences. When that is totally not us. We are more likely to argue about the shot one of us missed or the one of us choosing to many of our own photos etc. Please can you help?! P.S Viva la Rock n Roll Bride! Well Kristi that's what I'm here for - and we all know I'm going to be as super honest as possible! As one half of an accidental husband & wife team (the initial plan for Rock n Roll Bride was never for us to work together) there have been lot of steep learning curves that we've had to navigate along the way. We've had to make changes to how we live and work, mostly without any forward planning (I'm sure 'proper' business people are shuddering right now) but I do think we somehow have made it work. Like with anything business-related I think it's very easy to look at other husband & wife combos and think they've got it made, when of course, deep down, we all know they're only sharing the good stuff and keeping the real nitty gritty and blazing rows under wraps. It's certainly not all high fives and long lunches in our house, but there are a few conscious decisions and changes that we've made along the way, all of which have made a huge difference to our work/life balance.

An Alabama Cave Wedding: Melissa & Greg

Kat

April 10, 2012

Yes you did read that correctly - Melissa & Greg got married in a cave (and instantly went into my 'coolest ever wedding venue' mental checklist). "Greg and I picked up the love of spelunking (caving) during our 4 ½ year relationship and wanted to show our families what we found so beautiful about underground," Melissa explained when I asked them about their unusual choice. "The ceremony felt very romantic; low lighting, candles everywhere, glowing stalactites and the silhouettes of the people who love us the most. My stepfather Mark became ordained and performed our ceremony. It was very special to have him be such a huge part of my wedding since my father refused to attend for his own personal reasons. One of the more emotional moments of the day was when I danced with my stepfather. I hate crying but there was no holding back my ugly crying face! Greg walked me down the aisle, which was a perfect way to begin our marriage. I was much less nervous than I would have been otherwise. We broke a few traditions that I used to think were important, but now I understand exactly what a wedding is all about; it’s about man and wife and everything else is too insignificant to worry about."

The Five-Year Engagement Save The Date Sweepstakes – WIN $1000 of Amazon Vouchers!

Kat

April 9, 2012

Whenever I blog a wedding, I always ask the couples about their engagement story. I don't always include them in the final posts, but it really helps me get to know the couple and what makes them tick - how they got together, how long they were engaged and how they got from 'will you?' to 'I do'. In fact some of my favourite wedding stories have been those with interesting engagement tales. One of my besties, who was married just last month, was only engaged 3 months (in fact her now-husband did a lot of the planning before he even popped the question!) but at the other end of the scale, Emma & Pete were engaged for 3 years before their surprise wedding last year!

Something Borrowed, Something Roo: Choosing My Bridesmaids

Kat

April 9, 2012

I’ve been thinking it over a lot this past week, and I figure that we know each other pretty well by now. There’ve been ups and downs as far as our wedding journey goes – so far – and you’ve been there through it all. I reckon I’m right in saying that you all know what makes me tick, but I realise that I’ve neglected to tell you about some of those who make me tick. In this instance, I am talking of course about my bridesmaids.

An Alice vs Evil Queen Bridal Fashion Shoot: Beyond Burlesque

Kat

April 9, 2012

This Alice vs evil queen shoot took place on Hampstead Heath in London. The shoot was set up to promote the new collection of wedding dresses by Beyond Burlesque. The collection has a range of both sweet white and ivory gowns as well as more dramatic dark coloured pieces, hence the Alice vs evil queen/good vs evil theme of the shoot.

A Sunday Kind of Love: Eggs, Baby Bunnies & An Ombre Wedding Dress

Kat

April 8, 2012

Well what else could I be loving this Sunday but Easter!? I don't like chocolate at all (I know, I'm a freak) but I do love spending the day with my loved ones and taking some much needed time off work. I couldn't leave you without some Easter inspo pretty though could I!? Today I wanted to share something a little different, Melanie & Michael's sweet Easter inspired shoot that was sent over by wedding photographers Jenn & Derrek of Jennifer Sullivan Photography. If this doesn't get you in the Easter egg munching, baby bunny petting spirit I don't know what will. I hope you all have a fabulous day whatever you're up to.

DIY Tutorial: Ombre Cake Icing

Kat

April 7, 2012

As I'm in the birthday spirit, what could be more celebratory than a big fat pink cake!? And with ombre being a wedding trend I'm still utterly loving, I thought this DIY from blog reader Heidi would be the perfect way to get the party started...

Start Each Day Like it’s your Birthday…

Kat

April 7, 2012

Except today when I'll be extra specially in the party spirit because it actually is my birthday! Woohooo 28 today. My plans basically revolved around hoping that Gareth has something in the realms of utter spoiling under this sleeve (no pressure G-man...) I have a feeling 28 is going to be a very exciting year indeed. Be sure to pop by later today for a super cute ombre cake DIY! My birthday gift to you.

The Green Eyed Plateau-Puss // How to Overcome Inertia and Jealousy: A Guest Post by Amma of Beyond Beyond

Kat

April 6, 2012

Hi, my name is Amma and I would like to confess that sometimes I have green eyes. Yes, I know that biological anomaly that I, as a child of African parents could have emerald green peepers – but I’m talking about professional jealously and how you get over it. As, some of you may or may not know – I still have a day job; as day jobs go mine is not half bad and given the state of female unemployment at present; I certainly know which side my bread is buttered; so I am more than happy to plod along – albeit sometimes sulkily as a 5-9er until I hit my professional tipping point. Now, without getting into the nitty-gritty of it all – I had some personal stuff going on that really meant that despite streaking the sky like a comet when I first began my foray into business. I got forced to slow down, in fact not just slow down – I had to hit the brakes and I experienced a mega slide into a career plateau. Although, work requests and projects were coming in thick and fast, there was no way that I could take it on, and circumstance meant that ‘my stuff’, blogging, and the day became an all encompassing festival of woe.

A Barbie & Breakfast at Tiffany’s Inspired Wedding: Anna-Marie & Paul

Kat

April 6, 2012

Anna-Marie & Paul had a simple, down-to-earth and beautiful wedding. Barbie pink accents sat perfectly with their eclectic styling ideas and Breakfast at Tiffany inspiration. The reception was held at The Grand Café in Oxford, as the bride explained, "We went for a high tea affair in a beautiful 1920s style café. It is a special place for us as we started our dating years visiting Oxford and The Grand Café. In fact Paul proposed in Oxford too. We were aiming for a relaxed and informal atmosphere. No cutting of the cake, no first dance - just tea, cake and friends. We created a playlist of all our favorite songs and put it on shuffle throughout the night. It isn’t a wedding venue, partly why we picked it, we didn’t want anything typically wedding style. We aren’t crazy party animals so we only hired it for 4 hours, (5pm – 9pm). We wanted maximum impact, and minimal drunk people (the latter bit didn’t work out, It seems people cram more in a short space of time!!) All in all, it was the perfect choice for our wedding reception."

Thursday Treats – 5th April 2012: Instagram on Android & Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner

Kat

April 5, 2012

Oh sweet lord this is the most exciting thing to happy to me in weeks (OK so slight exaggeration but...) Instagram finally came to Android! No longer will I be envious of all the cool kids and their beautifully filtered phone photos. I'm RocknRollBride (duh!) so why not follow me? In other wonderful news, I had a rather exciting Skype date with Gala & Nubby this week. Watch this space lovers, we're planning something quite spectacular.

A Dramatic Alpine Wedding: Brie & Leonard

Kat

April 5, 2012

With a penchant for the dramatic, is it any wonder that I went a little gaga over Brie & Leonard alpine wedding? The black wedding dress, the intimate ceremony, the epic mountain top photographs...I love it all! The bride even had a rams skull (yes really!) instead of a bouquet. "Basically our story goes like this," the bride began, "Leonard and I are not really conventional people and despite a few failed ideas to do things more traditionally we quickly discovered that your wedding is not the time to be what you are not. So we followed our hearts to our dream wedding in New Zealand. Leonard proposed to me on the top of a New Zealand mountain in the snow, which was just magical, so we decided that a snowy mountain would make the perfect place for our wedding. We had no guests so we decided to use a helicopter to travel to a completely isolated place with no road access."

A Low Key, Family-Centric Wedding with a Bowling After Party: Daniel & Zara

Kat

April 5, 2012

Daniel & Zara wanted a really low key wedding that focussed on family, friends, celebration and laughter. The ceremony was held at Camden Town Hall (where the bride's parents were married 35 years earlier). The reception kicked off with drinks at The Gilbert Scott or Cider Tap (the guests went to either or both!) and finally Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. "Over several bottles of wine on holiday last summer we drew up lists of things we did and didn't want as part of the day," Zara told me "Over-formality was a big no-no and fun was a big yes! We fell in love with the Kingpin Suite at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes as soon as we saw it so that became our after party venue. It was as close as we could get to running off to Vegas without sacrificing having our friends and families there. Dan and I are both terrible at bowling, but he did propose outside a bowling alley (with a ring in a packet of hula hoops) just before we went in for a game - so it all seemed to fit into place. We managed to keep the reception venue a secret from guests until they turned up. No-one had a clue and it was brilliant for Dan and I to greet people with massive surprised smiles on their faces."

A Dusky Pink Wedding with a Touch of Vintage: Louise & Paul

Kat

April 4, 2012

Louise & Paul were married in London on 11th February, just a few days after their 12 year anniversary. "Our 12 year anniversary was the Thursday before our wedding!" Louise told me. "This is the reason why we chose this date. We got engaged two year’s previously on our 10 year anniversary! We were lucky enough to find our photographer Annamarie Stepney through a wedding blog and we just fell in love with her pictures. They are so romantic and unconventional. Her photos just tell a story of the day - people who were there can re-live every fab moment and fill in the gaps on the moments they couldn't remember or missed. And those who weren't there, get transported to the day. I've been blown away by all the amazing comments on them!"