WIN Free Wedding Photography from Xanthe Roxburgh

Kat

March 7, 2011

Everyone deserves to have fabulous wedding photography. Fact. After the wedding day is done, it's the one thing that's there for the rest of your lives, to remind you of your special day. However not everyone can afford a professional which is why I am seriously excited that Australian photographer Xanthe Roxburgh would like to offer one lucky Rock n Roll Bride reader Free Wedding Photography and a free engagement or day after shoot! And the best bit? Even though Xanthe is based Down Under, she is willing to travel world wide to shoot the winning wedding! All we just ask is that transportation and lodging costs are covered if it’s 100km outside of Newcastle, Australia.

Debbie & Jamie’s Tattoo Themed Rockabilly Wedding

Kat

March 7, 2011

Oh Debbie & Jamie how I heart thee! This Belfast couple had their very own rockabilly wedding at Belfast City Hall, followed by a suitability rockin' reception at The Printers Café. "My name is Debbie and I run a vintage nail salon in Belfast called Dazzle Me With Your Tips," the bride emailed me. "In my spare time I sell vintage clothes, accessories and homewares at vintage fairs and arts and crafts markets and also work as a stylist with several photographers. Jamie my now husband is a Maintenance Manager for a cleaning services company and his passions outside of the 9 to 5 are Skating, and BMX and Metal Sculpture. We both love getting inked going to rockabilly nights and festivals and most of all touring around Ireland in our beloved VW camper van Burt with our daughter Ellie." I loved them already.

Alexia & Nick’s Magical Rainbow Engagement

Kat

March 7, 2011

Happy Monday you gorgeous people...are you ready for some magic? Well get a load of this! I kinda don't have any words for how rad Alexia & Nick's e-session is, but when the magical Noa of Feather Love Photography emailed me asking if I wanted to share this incredible session I couldn't say really say anything else but yes! yes! yes! "For the rainbow shots, a unicorn puked onto my lens - it was magical" explained Noa.

A Sunday Kind of Love – The Luella’s Boudoir Wedding Fair, March 20th & 21st

Kat

March 6, 2011

The last wedding show I was invited to was awesome and after I posted my report, I had so many comments and messages from those of you that had wished you were able to make it. Well good news is that I've been invited to attend yet another fabulous wedding event - The Luella’s Boudoir Wedding Fair in March and I hope to see even more of you there! I was lucky enough to go to this event last year too...and it was awesome! I have a particular affinity with Luella's Boudoir as they provided the incredible backdrop and all the outfits & accessories for The Big fat Wedding Blogger's Photo Shoot that I organised last month. So, if you swooned over any of the dresses we wore on this shoot then this is the bridal show for you! Some of the exhibitors that will be there include:

How to…Crochet Your Own Cupcake Garland (DIY Tutorial by Twinkie Chan) + Giveaway!

Kat

March 5, 2011

I have adored Twinkie Chan from afar for a long time. Her "Eat your cake... and wear it too!" motto kind of speaks to my sweet tooth-loving self you see! Her colourful and super kawaii blog has brought daily rays of sunshine into my life for quite a while now ad I'm pretty much jumping over rainbows with the excitement of sharing our little collaboration with you all today! For those of you not familiar with Twinkie Chan, she is a crocheting marvel from San Francisco who has risen to fame with her cute and food inspired creations. She has made everything from scarf's, hair accessories and other wearable goodies from wool and her designs literally fly off the shelves as soon as she posts them to her etsy store. In short, she makes crocheting cool again! She's even released a tutorial book of some of her adorable creations, which got me thinking...

Serena & Brent’s Day of the Dead/Hello Kitty Themed Wedding

Kat

March 4, 2011

A Day of the Dead and a Hello Kitty themed wedding?! Could Serena & Brent's wedding be more perfect for Rock n Roll Bride if it tried?! The bad news is that I don't have any further info on the wedding, but they photos were just too awesome to not share and I'm sure you can get some awesome DIY ideas just by looking at what they created. I am literally dying over the Hello Kitty in the bouquet and her Tarina Tarantino jewellery. Classic bridal style?! Screw that!

Tommy & Katie’s Bunny Engagement

Kat

March 4, 2011

Photographer Lisa Devlin told me about her plans for this shoot when we met up to discuss my initial ideas for The Big Fat Wedding Blogger's Photo Shoot. She was keen to use the Hasselblad that we'd been lent for the shoot with one of her couples, and Tommy & Katie (and their bunny suits!) were the obvious choice. "I saw some pictures of these two on Facebook dressed in big fluffy bunny suits at a fancy dress party and that sparked the idea for this quirky shoot," Lisa explained. "Tommy is the singer in the alternative rock band Slaves to Gravity and Katie is a gorgeous 50's chick so we were aiming for something a bit vintage and a bit dark. We shot a day in the life of them as this fantasy bunny couple and had a lot of fun. Well, it is the Year of the Rabbit!"

The “By Appointment Only Design” Party at One Mayfair + Why This is the Central London Venue for YOU!

Kat

March 4, 2011

Three weeks ago I was invited to attend a party at One Mayfair hosted by by By Appointment Only Design. As I've said a few times in similar posts to this one, I always feel a little unnerved and perplexed as to why I get invited along to these things...this party was being dubbed on the inter-webs as being the swankiest of all the swanky events, so I brought my friends Emma Case and Shell de Mar (who took these fab pictures for us) along with me to hold my hand. I promised them a free cocktail or two so it didn't take much persuasion! When I thought about how to write up this event, I felt strongly that I didn't want this post to be the usual industry party report style - "Oh it was faaabulous daaarling, the cocktails were divine and I swooped around the room like a princess all night...blah blah blah" because let's be honest, what are you - my loyal readers and brides-to-be going to get out of that!? (for the record the event was bloody incredible in fact, and my breath literally was taken away as I walked into the pink lit - inside and out! - venue) I am well aware that I'm exceptionally lucky to get invited to soirée like this, but I'm also keen to make sure that the things I take away from them, and report back about, are relevant to you guys too.

Thursday Treats – 3rd March 2011 + Winner of the ‘Rock n Roll’ Ring Announced!

Kat

March 3, 2011

So it turns out that a Rock n Roll ring was just what you Rock n Roll Brides were in need of! With over 120 entries a random selection was really the only way to pick the winner and keep it fair. I'm delighted to announce that the winner is...

Margaret & Edi’s INCREDIBLE “Blows-Everything-Else-Out-of-the-Water” Gothic Alice in Wonderland Wedding

Kat

March 3, 2011

Yeah...so...um...speechless. .... Seriously people! get a load of this sheeeeeit. OK OK let me get myself together for a second.... Margaret sent me a sneak peek to her incredible wedding to Edi back in October and I had to wait until this week to see the rest of them. Do you know how hard that has been for me?! I actually teased the above photo on Twitter the other day and someone replied asking if it was a photograph of heaven...that's a pretty accurate assumption I think! The couple were legally married at Edi's parent's house and the reception took place in the fairytale setting of The Bali Room in the Kempinski Hotel, Jakarta and Margaret told me all about it. "Our theme was Alice in Wonderland. I picked Alice for my theme, because I've loved it since I was a little kid and because my Mom's name is Alice. The main colour was dark purple because purple represents magical and darkness in the same time. its so glamorous! Our family members wore purple shade outfits."

Candice & Dave’s Musical Journey

Kat

March 3, 2011

I don't feature a whole load of engagement shoots, preferring to share all the awesome Rock n Roll weddings I get sent. But sometimes, just sometimes, an e-session comes my way that's so rad I just have to share it! "In this engagement shoot I introduce you to my friends Candice & Dave, and take you on a little journey through their life," explains photographer Jacki Bruniquel. "Dave & Cands both play amazing music and are a part of the legendary band Hairlip which is a crazy eighties revival band. Dave also known as Dave McMillan, is well known as a wonderful guitarist, singer and songwriter is his own right. We themed their engagement shoot “A Saturday in the life of Candice & Dave” Starting at their flat where they often hang out and play music, then onto a coffee shop (how cute is this coffee shop?) and finally a local theatre where they often play. They wanted their engagement shoot to be s true representation of them as a couple as opposed to them as musicians so we really mixed it up a bit and had fun."

Tara & Travis’ Denim & Diamonds Wedding at The Burning Man Festival

Kat

March 2, 2011

Tara & Travis met at The Burning Man festival in 2007, so where better than to be wed than the very festival that brought them together? The ceremony, which they wrote themselves, took place under the Bliss dance statue in the middle festival and was performed by a close friend of the couple. The theme for the wedding was Denim and Diamonds/Cowboy Chic. The couple did everything themselves and due to the festival location, had very laid back attitude to the 'formalities' of a wedding, "We had a good old fashioned BBQ for everyone - no one was turned away" they explained.

Little Red Hiding Hood Gets Married

Kat

March 2, 2011

Heather & David’s Whimsical & Wonderful New Orleans Wedding

Kat

March 2, 2011

There was one thing that struck me in particular when I laid eyes on Heather & David's New Orleans wedding...Heather's incredible dress! She bought it from Natural Bridals on etsy and had it custom altered to make it perfect for her. She wore it with striped tights (rad!) and incredible orange boots. In fact their own wedding was a whimsical and wonderful mishmash of Rock n Roll fabulousness! Heather explained, "We wanted to throw a wedding that was going to stand out from the other weddings that people would be attending throughout the year. Our goal was to get a reaction out of our guests. Cool! Um, interesting. Wow, fun! Very whimsical. Those were the target reactions… anything, but, nice (blah). We did almost everything a little strangely which caused a LOT of extra planning and negotiating with vendors. Most vendors in the city of New Orleans (and other cities I am sure) are bogged down with traditions and preset packages. We found that the vendors that were excited about a challenge were the ones for us."

Alice in Weddingland – The Engagement Session

Kat

March 1, 2011

This month Rock n Roll Bride intern and columnist, Alice headed out with her fiance Graham for their very first photo shoot together - their engagement session with photographer Sassy of Assassynation. The engagement session can often be a bit of a nervous time for a soon-to-be-wed couple, as for the majority of people it's the first time they've had a processional photo shoot. So, this month I asked Alice to tell us all about her experiences and why, when you've got your perfect photographer on the job, there really is nothing to be afraid of! I am seriously chuffed to share Alice & Graham's engagement session with you today...seeing these is making me super excited to see their wedding photos too! Also...is is weird that I'm a little bit proud of my Alice when I see these? Awww love... ♥ ♥ ♥ A couple of weekends ago Graham and I ventured into the heart of the Cotswolds, for our engagement shoot. We drove to Sassy’s house, where she settled our nerves by cooking us bacon sandwiches with cups of tea! After Graham got to know her a bit (I had met her for the first time the day before at the Designer Wedding Show) we discussed possible ‘venues’ for the days shoot. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, and we decided that outside would be best, so we could make the most of the natural light. Sassy explained that the shoot would last around a couple of hours, and that what we did in that time was pretty much up to us. When she mentioned an abandoned RAF watchtower and runway a few miles from her house I was beyond excited: I am a bit of a War History buff so the thought of being able to include that element in our engagement shoot was amazing! We got in her car and drove to the tower.

Ashley & Jen’s February Beach Wedding

Kat

March 1, 2011

Ashley & Jen were married in the beach at Boesmanland in Langebaan South Africa just last week (gotta love that SA weather huh!?) "Ashley is a surfer so it was inevitable we have the wedding on the beach!" newlywed Jen told me. "We wanted the day to reflect our fun and outgoing personalities. My walking down the aisle song was “White Wedding” by the legendary Billy Idol! Ash and I are the best of friends, we enjoy every minute we spend together and really wanted this to be reflected on the day. We didn’t do any of the traditional things like cut the cake, throw a garter or bouquet (this uses up very important dancing time!) and our guest book was a custom made surf board made by the awesome Ian from Blank Boards. Most of the details were made by ourselves which we really enjoyed as it added our personal touch to the day! I didn’t want flowers, how sad that they are beautiful and fresh the 1 day and dead the next? My bouquet was inspired to my beautiful fur-kid, Holly, who passed away, rest in peace Mommy’s baby! I religiously read wedding blogs for a year to get loads of ideas but add our own twist, thank goodness for the world wide web, especially the rocking Kat at Rock n Roll Bride!"

Recapture Designs – Re-Styled Vintage Dresses

Kat

March 1, 2011

This beautiful photo shoot sent over by Deborah Huber Photography was put together to showcase some of the designs sold by Oakland-based Recapture Designs (who do ship internationally!) They say, "Recapture specializes in re-styling vintage gowns for the modern bride. Most gowns are made with precious materials and laces that are difficult to find in today’s market. My goal is to re-create a dress to fit and flatter your figure and your style while preserving the beauty and integrity of the materials. With a wide variety of gowns from Victorian to the 1970′s, a bride is able to choose a design and style that is unique to her personality and her figure."

Kirsten & David’s Folk Wedding

Kat

February 28, 2011

Kirsten and David's beautifully folky, Cape Town wedding is the pure essence of why I love my Rock n Roll Brides. Pretty much their whole wedding was crafted from either second-hand or vintage items, and the majority of the details were hand-made. They had home-made pie instead of a wedding cake and they put together all the centrepieces and flowers (bouquets & bridesmaid's headbands) themselves. "We pretty much made all the decor, even the tablecloths and runners," Kirsten told me. "We had so many friends helping us the month before and went a bit overboard with ideas, but it was so much fun! We also made sure (almost completely) that we had finished everything we wanted to do before the last week so that we could spend some good time with all our friends, and made it a big celebration." Kirsten wore a second-hand dress that a friend gave her with leather Oxfords on her feet. All of the jewellery she wore was found at various markets and antique stores. For David's outfit, he went and picked out his own material at a fabric shop with his friends and then they all drove to Mexico (David is from San Diego) and found a cheap tailor to make his suit! "Of course he left this to the week before he moved to South Africa," Kirsten laughed, "so he only got to see if it fit him the week of the wedding! Mexicans can tailor good!"

Autumn & Kevin’s Romantic Vintage Valentine’s Wedding

Kat

February 28, 2011

Autumn & Kevin were married the day before Valentine's Day so of course their wedding had to be a full on romantic affair. The bride is a self-confessed Valentine's addict and so the theme was not only perfect for the fact that it was a wedding (aww love!) but because it was themed around the celebration she loves so much. The wedding took place at the bride's Mother's house which was not only the ideal setting for their colour scheme of red and white, but made the day a lot easier for Autumn's Grandmother who also lived in the house with her. It was very important to the couple to have her there. Autumn explained, "I wanted to have the wedding at my Mom's because it would be easiest for my Grandma since she lives there too. Plus my Mom's living room is red and white, with wood floors and a fireplace, which was my ideal setting. I knew from the beginning I wanted to have a vintage Valentine's day wedding. It's my favourite holiday and I already had tons of vintage Valentines. After christmas I transform my white retro christmas tree into a Valentines day tree and I wanted to incorporate that. A lot of the other decor was found at craft stores, or hand made by my Mom. We also incorporated a lot of personal items, like my antique cameras, and Kevin's model airplanes that he had built. We featured a wall of photos with us as kids, and as a couple."

Quay & Jory’s DIY, Maui Wedding

Kat

February 28, 2011

Quay & Jory were married under a giant tree, on the beach in Maui, Hawaii. "The wedding was very non traditional," photographer Molly Marie told me. "It was a gay wedding, almost everything was DIY, both girls love tattoos, and planned the entire wedding themselves. The wedding was not for anyone else but them, pure love. However they knew family wouldn't be able to attend easily as they are from Eau Claire, WI, so photography was a very important part of the wedding to them."