Thursday Treats – 23rd June & A Little Reminder

Kat

June 23, 2011

First up a little reminder and some good news! The Rock n Roll planning notebooks and wallplanners are still available to buy through the fabulous notonthehighstreet.com. We originally planned to limited the ordering until the end of June, however the response has been so phenomenal that Sugalily and I have decided to extend ordering time indefinitely. Great news if you don't get paid until the end of next week...or if you friend has just got engaged and you're on the lookout for a unique gift (hint hint.) The wedding planning notebooks and 2012 wallplanners will be available to order from notonthehighstreet.com for the foreseeable future. Hurrah! The notebook costs just £7.50 and the wallplanner will only sent you back £20 - and both come with free delivery to anywhere in the UK (although we can ship worldwide.)

Juliana & Tony’s Tim Burton Inspired Wedding

Kat

June 23, 2011

Juliana & Tony's wedding was inspired by their favourite Tim Burton movies. "We wanted to pack a big punch in a small and intimate way," they told me. "We constantly reminded ourselves to keep it simple, not to sweat the small stuff, and to enjoy the day." "Even though the date was set for October, we didn't want our wedding to be considered or overpowered by a Halloween theme," they continued. "The main focus would always be about us as the couple. It was a bit of a challenge finding a wedding theme that worked for us and that was appropriate. We started with the color scheme of black, red, and white. After the colors we started looking at decorations that would work with the venue's ambiance. We were inspired by a visit to Disneyland’s Holiday decorated Haunted Mansion. After looking more at the work (art and films) of Tim Burton it was decided that we wouldn't limit ourselves to just one of his movies but try to select something from all of them. The purpose wasn't to be creepy and eerie but to help describe us (like many of his characters) as off-center."

Alice in Weddingland Got Married! – A Little Teaser

Kat

June 23, 2011

Alice & Graham were married on Tuesday in sunny Brighton. The imtimate wedding had only 30 guests and I was one of the lucky few to be invited to join in the celebrations. We ate ice creams, drank champagne and Pimms and wore silly glasses on the beach...

Loretta & Andy’s Backyard BBQ Wedding

Kat

June 22, 2011

"I would describe our wedding as a bit country barn ho-down, a bit backyard BBQ and a sprinkling of vintage," newlywed Loretta. "We've always been a bit Rock n Roll. We met over a shared love of music and spent the first three years of our relationship going to gigs together. Our first date after our son was born was going to see Midlake at the Prince of Wales. Andy's other true love is his Martin guitar. Our inspiration came from drives through the country, we always stop when we find a great old ramshackle barn and take photos. Some of our favourite gigs have been in places like Meeniyan at the old Town Hall. It's in places like these that bucket loads of inspiration can be found. You mix pretty fabrics and detailing with rusty old sheds and and fields of grass and hay and it's a match made in heaven."

Nick & Nikki’s Sweet Philadelphia Wedding

Kat

June 22, 2011

I don't have much information on Nick & Nikki's sweet Philadelphia wedding, but I felt the gorgeous images by Love Me Do Photography spoke a thousand words. A lovely way to easy into blogging this morning. Enjoy...

Under The Spotlight – Special Events Painter, Arlissa Vaughn

Kat

June 21, 2011

Artist Arlissa Vaughn specialises in wedding day paintings, something you might not have considered (or even heard of) until now, but something that can certainly add a new dimention to how you document your wedding day. This unique idea usually sees Arlissa attending the wedding and painting live - which can also add an extra element of entertainment to the day. She explains, "Wedding paintings are seen as a bit of a novelty, and some have suggested it is a new trend in wedding services. However, if you look into art history, it's easy to find that actually marriage paintings aren't anything new and have long been a tradition of documenting the joining of a couple. Some were painted on-site then finished in the studio, while others were painted before or after the wedding. Some examples from history include Jan van Eyck's painting commonly referred to as The Arnolfini Wedding, 1434 A.D, Marc Chagall's Wedding Candles, 1945, and Vladimir Makovsky's Goodbye Papa, 1894, among others."

Oysters, Beach Huts & Paddling in the Sea – Abby & Julian’s Beautiful Whitstable Beach Wedding

Kat

June 21, 2011

Ahh the great British seaside! While we can't rival (what seems like) the rest of the world in the sunshine stakes, our beach resorts certainly do have some beautiful British charm don't they? I've visited Whitstable a number of times (it's where we shot the mad hatter bride shoot!), and I have to say, photographer Joanna Brown's capture of this wonderful town is pretty much perfect. What a lucky couple Abby & Julian are to have had her as their wedding photographer! After Julian proposed on Whitstable beach in September, the seaside town seemed like the perfect place to get married too. The couple were wed at The Beacon House on the seafront. "We both really wanted to get married, but to be honest neither of us were particularly fussed about a fancy wedding, and once I'd had a look at a couple of wedding magazines I started having mini-palpitations at the horror and the cost of it all," Abby told me. " I do love a wedding, but I hate being centre of attention myself and the whole coordinated, packaged nightmare of it was enough to bring me out in a sweat. We did visit a few beautiful venues, but knew they were just not us, and the final straw was visiting a perfectly manicured courtyard garden venue which had installed a permanent marquee 'facility' complete with carpet tiles AND bow back seat covers (my two pet hates), glowing colour change pillars 'to fit your colour scheme' and multi-function twinkling 'star canopy'. They were so proud of it and it just epitomised everything I hate and DID NOT WANT at our wedding. Finding the world of wedding blogs was a revelation and really just gave me the confidence to do what we wanted all along."

Alexandra & Kevin’s Homespun, Canadian Wedding

Kat

June 21, 2011

After a ceremony at Cathedral of Mary Immaculate, Alexandra & Kevin headed back to the bride's family home for their reception. Alexandra and her sister were actually married within a week of each other (!) and so they both decorated the property to suit both their weddings. Their photographers treated the couple to a ride on their pink cruiser bike for their portraits as it perfectly complimented the bride's 50's inspired Dolly Couture dress.

Under The Spotlight – The Vintage Wedding Fair at The Old Finsbury Town Hall

Kat

June 20, 2011

Nic & Mike’s Incredible Homemade Backyard Wedding

Kat

June 20, 2011

OK so I am one lucky wedding blogger. My friend and photographer Assassynation sends me the very best weddings to feature! It helps that so many of her brides are readers of Rock n Roll Bride anyway (yeey!) but I just have to say that her work and new video project (with cinematographer Frank) is on FIRE right now. Today's little gem comes in the form of the adorable backyard wedding of Nic & Mike.

A Vintage Hen Do Inspiration Shoot

Kat

June 20, 2011

I wanted to start this week with something not all together bridal, but a shoot that you can certainly take inspiration from. I like to think of these vintage beauties as girls-on-tour...maybe on a hen do, or on their way to a beautiful bridal shower....but a classy, and non trashing one of course!

A Sunday Kind of Love – Bid tv Wedding Weekend

Kat

June 19, 2011

As some of you may already know, before I was a full time wedding blogger I was a producer for bid tv, a shopping channel here in the UK. Whilst I loved this job and the people I worked with, once Rock n Roll Bride got really popular and busy I simply couldn't do both jobs anymore so I had to leave

How to…Make Your Own Wedding Garter By Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess

Kat

June 18, 2011

If you're a wedding blog junkie like me, you will probably have seen Elsie & Jeremy's beautiful wedding photographs on a number of the 'big boy' blogs this past week. However I'm super excited to be getting a piece of this beautiful handmade wedding to share with you too. Over the next few weeks I will be posting a number of DIY tutorials that this super crafty lady made for her wedding. First up, a DIY garter...

Elizabeth & Simon’s Homemade Vintage Tea Party Wedding

Kat

June 17, 2011

Elizabeth & Simon's crafty vintage tea party wedding was a DIY effort and the beautiful touches and attention to detail really shows. The couple put a lot of themselves into their day and the bride especially homemade a lot of their wedding details. "Over several months I purchased vintage china and glass wear from various charity shops and Pannier Markets," she told me. "This was used as the crockery for the tea party and because we've managed to collect some really nice pieces and a substantial amount, we’re keen to start a small vintage crockery hire service after our wedding."

Post It Notes – 17th June 2011: Posing & Poise

Kat

June 17, 2011

Thursday Treats – 16th June 2011

Kat

June 16, 2011

I made my first Lime Crime purchase this week. I'll be honest, I was totally swayed by the pretty pink packaging and the fact that one of the lipsticks I bought was called 'Airbourne Unicorn' - you know I need that in my life! I was also completely taken with the 'Mint to Be', 'New Yolk City' lipsticks from the latest 'Pop Romance' collection too too...but I think I might get some weird (well even weirder than usual) looks if I rocked these around town! Lime Crime cosmetics are are not tested on animals & certified cruelty-free by PETA. So now I feel even better about my new purchases. Also, must put a quick reminder about the Rock n Roll Bride wedding planning notebooks and 2012 wallplanners, which are available for purchase now. Thank you to everyone who's bought one already, they're pretty awesome huh? So, apart from spending my hard-earned cash on pretties, here's what else has been filling my mind this week....

Sarah & Aaron’s Rustic Vintage Wedding

Kat

June 16, 2011

Sarah & Aaron were married at the bride's Grandparent's farm in Lake Ariel, PA. "Our wedding could not have been done as well as it was without the selfless help of our family and friends," the bride told me. "People were always volunteering their time to help us out in any way they could. And in that way our wedding day was not just about me and Aaron, but a celebration of our friends and family as well. Our community not only came around us in support of our marriage the day of the wedding, but were also a big part in making it the beautiful day that it was!" Their rustic vintage theme was set by the venue, but continued with the DIY elements the couple put into their day like the fabric garlands and tin can lanterns. "We didn't want one of those cookie cutter weddings that you go to a store to pick out and purchase every little thing. No printed napkins, no machined decorations--we wanted a hand and a heart to create our wedding instead, " Sarah continued.

Janel & Eddie’s Action Packed Central Park Wedding

Kat

June 16, 2011

Janel & Eddie were married at Central Park's Conservatory Garden. "As soon as planning started I realized that if I worried about givving people what they expected from a wedding or what would make them comfortable, I would not enjoy my day as much as I should" Janel told me. " So I just went for everything that makes me happy and comfortable and made those the focal points of the wedding. I don't see the point in buying an expensive pair of shoes for a dress that you are going to only wear once, so I got cool sneakers that I can wear again, and again, even if the dress will have to stay hung up forever. I also love our action figure collection and my British Sci-Fi shows (escepcially doctor who), so I threw them in there too with a weeping angel in my bouquet and a TARDIS as my card box."

Claire & Joe’s Beautiful & Funky New Forest Wedding

Kat

June 15, 2011

A Temperley dress, a skull handbag and a groom in Vivienne Westwood? Oh yeah, this is my kind of wedding! Claire & Joe's wedding was held at Rhinefield House Hotel in the New Forest and was beautifully captured by photographer Lisa Devlin. Quite frankly this wedding is made for these pages, and so I'm more than a little bit thrilled to share it with you today. "We knew we didn’t want to look like every other bride and groom and wanted to be ourselves," the bride told me. "We took our inspiration from the 1930’s and although it wasn’t a theme it had a definite feel. One of the most important things for me as a make up artist was how to wear my make up which I did myself on the day. I love a strong rock n roll lip so I went for a dark 30s look using MAC Current lip liner all over with MAC Ruby Woo lipstick on top."

Katherine & Marc’s ‘Non-Weddingy’ Brisbane Celebration

Kat

June 15, 2011

"Your blog inspired me to reach for the stars," wrote newlywed Katherine. "We began our seven month wedding planning journey with no theme and no colours...I did not want to be restricted. We choose wedding elements that we loved...not because they matched or fit a certain criteria and let it come together organically. I love everything whimsical...so it was a natural progression for our wedding to have whimsical elements." The ceremony was held at St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane, and the couple rocked up in a blue Cadillac belonging to their friends. "Afterwards, 40 of our family and friends boarded a boat for a twilight cruise on the Brisbane river...it was magical! We chartered a 2 level boat; with an open top deck and enclosed area downstairs where we had a buffet dinner & desert. We walked around with no shoes on, mingled, ate, drank and had a good time! It was so nice & relaxing with just our family and closest friends."