Ted & Tamara’s Budget-Conscious ‘Tree of Life’ Wedding

Kat

June 11, 2010

There ain't no one that 'did it their own way' as much as Ted & Tamara. "Our budget 'tree of life' themed day was filled with love" they began their email to me last week. "With a limited budget, I set out to make our special for us with simple tree stumps found along the Mississippi River. Our bridal party wore simple summer-loving attire that are so 're-usable'. My J Crew dream dress was found on ebay for $80. Orchids sang, yellow petals danced, willow branches waved all around us. Pure bliss." The couple only spend $2000 on their perfect wedding day. "When I started dreaming up my wedding," Tamara continued "we were going to be starting a new life together. I always think of trees as representing life and when Ted found the perfect pieces of driftwood from the Mississippi River for us to use we knew that was what sort of wedding we wanted. We wanted a ceremony to be sweet, meaningful with a fun casual atmosphere."

1950s Housewife Engagement – Tea, Cakes & Scrabble!

Kat

June 11, 2010

Alex & Claire's retro, 50's housewife engagement is aces! Not only because it was shot by one of my bestest wedding buddies, Emma Case but because it has tea, cakes and scrabble! "Alex and Claire are getting married in August and Alex is my best friend's boyfriend's brother so I know them both pretty well and am ridiculously excited about their wedding as I know what our nights out are like when we all go out together!" Emma began to yell me excitedly. "A special treat is Claire's wonderful rendition of "Oh, wouldn't it be lovely" in a cockney accent...she's actually very Northern (that's usually nearer the end of the night)."

A Big Explosion of Pre-Wedding Excitement

Kat

June 11, 2010

Chris & Megan's engagement is so awesome. I just adore her dress from etsy seller Chula. It's fluffy and ruffled like a big explosion of pre-wedding excitement. I'm pretty sure their 2011 wedding is going to be amazing and I can't wait to see and blog it for you once it's happened.

Great British Bridal

Kat

June 11, 2010

Suzie wanted a bridal shoot to commemorate her 6 year wedding anniversary. Don't you just love the muted tones and bright pops of colour. The British countryside makes for the perfect backdrop too.

Thursday Treats – 10th June 2010

Kat

June 10, 2010

It's everyone's favourite time of the week again - Thursday Treats BABY! As you read this I will again be sat in that tattooist's chair being all brave and getting my sleeve (hopefully) finished. I can't wait to get there and I can't wait to share it with you even more! It's going to be epic. If you fancy a sneaky peek the check out this photo I snapped on my phone and tweeted the other day - yes that is a roll of film!

Laundrette Lovers

Kat

June 10, 2010

I've always loved laundrette photo sessions so when Brighton photographer Joanna Brown sent me this set I couldn't wait to share it... "I have been living in quirky Kemptown in Brighton for some time and have always had my eye on the Laundrette round the corner thinking it would be perfect location for a shoot" Joanna told me. "I have always thought that there is something quite lovely and romantic about laundrettes; the sound of the machines quietly whirling that combined with complete strangers just hanging out sharing a really mundane chore. So I have been patiently waiting for my opportunity to arrive and hey presto a lovely couple got in touch and I could not quite believe it. Laura and Rikki met whilst studying at Bath University and had seen each other around the campus; at the bar, in the library and also spied each other at the local laundrette; after sometime Rikki finally asked Laura out and the rest is history. They are simply an adorable couple who have a great sense of humour, Rikki even took Laura on one of their first dates to a Laundrette (how romantic). We had a hoot at the Laundrette (I think some of the regulars thought we were balmy) especially when Laura lay on the floor for one of the shots; hey it is Brighton though anything goes!"

Playful, Retro Boudoir

Kat

June 10, 2010

I don't feature that much boudoir photography, which doesn't mean that I don't like it, it means that I don't like most of what I see of it. However when a session like this one from Sergio Mottola lands on my desk, boy do I approve! Sexy, sensual and girlie without being overtly so. That's what I love. The shoot almost has a playful, retro tone and you can't argue that that is way too Rock n Roll for words.

New Orleans Elegance

Kat

June 9, 2010

Flickr is one of my favourite online hangouts. One of the things I most enjoy about it is uncovering a little gem of undiscovered talent or seeing a sneak peek of a wedding before everybody else and Flickr allows me to do just that. Whilst having one of my daily stalks, I saw this beautiful New Orleans, LA wedding and photo session. Matt & Anna Lora got married at Margaret Gardens (est. 1884) and afterwards had some beautiful portraits in the French quarter. She wore a stunning, full yet elegant dress by Mikaella, a bolero by Rosalyn Robbins and a hairpiece by Molly Gee Designs. I have much love for these...

A Yellow Field & the Big Purple Balloon

Kat

June 9, 2010

I was lucky enough to meet up with Steve Gerrard a few weeks ago where he told me a little about this rad engagement session he'd just shot that weekend. As soon as I heard the words 'yellow field', 'picnic' and 'big purple balloon' I was pretty much sold, and as usual he certainly didn't disappoint.

Pom Poms, Succulents, Neon Cheesecakes & Californian Sun

Kat

June 9, 2010

This wicked shoot was put together by Bowman Nichols Event Consulting. They wanted to highlight the beauty of California’s Central Coast and the historic and rustic elegance of the Santa Margarita Ranch, but in a fun and fabulously colourful way. They put together a rustic feeling set up with the table in the field and the almost neon cake/flower table. "We were looking to craft a rustic feel pulling inspiration from the colour palate and style of the Carlisle linen pattern from BBJ Linen. The concept was to accentuate a blend of traditional and non-traditional elements for the bride and groom, while staying with the feel of the venue in its rural tradition" they explained. The couple they chose for the shoot was also very important to them as they wanted a pair that could pull of an alternative, edgy feel. "For the couple, we paired an edgy, big city, tattooed groom Josh, with a beautiful blonde, 1950’s inspired bride Natalie, for a Rock n Roll feel. Natalie wore a vintage inspired, short lace gown by Alfred Angelo and western style cowboy boots. To tie in the theme of color we chose large non-traditional jewellery embellished in turquoise with red and black accents to play up to her rockabilly groom. The bouquet was a beautiful unique arrangement adorned with billy balls, kangaroo paw, and succulents pulling in the bright contrasting colour."

How to…Get your Wedding Featured on a Blog

Kat

Mario Testino

June 9, 2010

I get a lot of submissions. And I mean a LOT. So many in fact, that most people might break down and cry if they saw my inbox in the morning. However I LOVE it and I enjoy looking at every single one - really really truly do so don’t stop them coming! However there are some common mistakes made with submission sending and I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few that I see over and over and over to try and make the process of getting your wedding or photo shoot featured on Rock n Roll Bride a smooth one for both of us.

Purple, Green & Everything in Between – Stunning Australian Wedding

Kat

June 8, 2010

OK so this was the Australian wedding that I'd planned on posting yesterday but me being a bit pink (as apposed to blond) I forgot about the crazy time difference between here and Oz so when I was emailing the photographers to get the info I needed, unsurprisingly they weren't replying because it was like 3 in the morning or something. Aaaanyway it matters not because NOW my babies I am able to share this fan-bloody-tastic wedding with you...and I'm so pumped to hear what you think. I literally wet myself with excitement when I saw Madeline's purple and green dress! Madeline & Nic decided very early on that they didn't want a traditional wedding - the bride's two sisters had both done the white wedding thing and although their days were beautiful and perfect for them, it wasn't quite right for this couple. "We are non-traditionalists (hence no white/ no flowers/ no favours/ no wedding cake/ no sit-down dinner) and we wanted a wedding that reflected our personalities and relationship. Bit crazy, lots of fun, different and unique" the pair told me.

My Cupcake Love

Kat

June 8, 2010

I've got a second picnic-themed engagement session to share with you today, however you'll forgive my repetition when you see these bad boys. Cupcakes + tattoos + bicycles + bunting + everything awesome you could want in one session = LOVE! Candace & Tyler are way.too.awesome. he even calls her 'Cupcake' AND she has the word tattooed on this inside of her fingers. Oh swoon swoon swoon... I can't wait to see/blog their wedding. I might die with anticipation.

Slightly Damp but Oh-So-Gorgeous Engagement Session

Kat

June 8, 2010

Maura & John's slightly damp, slightly vintage and more than slightly gorgeous engagement session is totally inspiring! I love how they incorporated the things they love into the shoot - they collect old schwinn bikes, love going for bike rides and are crazy about all things vintage/retro/antique so they used some antique china for a mini picnic setting. Cuteness.

Incredible Victorian Steampunk, Corset Heavy & Generally Awesome Diy Wedding Day…with Masks!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the Australian wedding together on time to take us over to Oz for our final wedding of the day today (I want to make sur that when I put it up it will be perfect and have all the info you might want on the event so pweease forgive me!??)...however I have managed to secure a pretty damn shaaaweeet Steampunk wedding which took place in San Francisco to round today off nicely. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this babyin fact I am so in love with this wedding that I appear to have titled this post will the longest, most over-excited, rambling header ever! Violet & Eric are certainly going to being some much needed spice to Rock n Roll Bride today. I had an amazing chat with the super creative bride (who also makes her own Steampunk inspired jewellery - you can see some of her designs here) where she told me all about their wedding.

Fabulous Chicago Town, Quirky & Creative Wedding Fest!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Stop number two on our whirlwind tour takes us to the windy city - aka Chicago. I have always been a massive fan of photographer Jeremy Lawson so when I saw this latest wedding, in the same antique/salvage shop that we all fell in love with from his last wedding that I blogged, I couldn't wait to get him on board for another feature! Denise & Mark are both self-confessed quirky and creative types - she is an art director for a music and diy magazine and he runs his very own 'nerd blog' Wolf Gnards - so of course their wedding was going to be a super special one. "When it came to the wedding we wanted to create a fun, unique experience for our friends and family" the couple told me. "Our venue was an architectural salvage / loft space which ended up being the inspiration for the whole event-- everything from my dress to the centerpieces took on that unique, vintage, diy feel...Expect for the cake-- that was straight from the future! But it definitely was a crowd pleaser."

A South African, Eclectic, Red-Infused Spectacular

Kat

June 7, 2010

I didn't plan today's post this way but when I was uploading all the images for the weddings I selected I realised we're going to be taking a little trip all around the world - starting with this amazing red themed wedding from South Africa! Philip & Jay's wedding took place at Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa, overlooking the spectacular South African landscape. The location made for some really unusual and fun places for their portraits. The incredible decor was all organised by Andene of Aleit Wedding Planners who was able to perfectly capture their vision of a eclectic, red-infused spectacular! I am totally nuts about those red glasses hanging from the roof and the ornate chandelier lying on the table - just amazing and so so original!

A Sunday Kind of Love – The Moustache & The Crown

Kat

June 6, 2010

I've been thinking long and hard about who should be my Sunday Kind of Love victim this week...it's getting increasingly hard as so many of you are so awesome to me! So I'm going to pick something a little bit random but something I know you'll enjoy! I had a total Tatty Devine fest. this week and I am in utter love with my new purchases. Therefore I dedicate this week's post to my new Moustache necklace and Crown ring. They are pretty, they are funky and they are random as hell. Love!

A Non-Traditional, Family Central, Urban & Industrial LA Wedding

Kat

June 5, 2010

Shannon & Os are both part-time photographers so their wedding photography was really important to them, they found Australian Annevi who came to LA to shoot their informal wedding. They decided to hold their ceremony and reception in Barbara’s at the Brewery, Los Angeles. The Old Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery is known as the world's largest live-work art colony and offers amazing industrial landscapes and interesting backdrops. So, of course that's where they decided to shoot all their portraits. They decided to skip a lot of the traditional stuff they didn't have a lot of meaning to them so they didn't have any catering in favour of a more casual Sunday picnic, where the guests brought food, cake and dessert dishes to share. They also abandoned the idea to have flowers as they felt they didn't really suit them or their industrial setting. The bride wore a non traditional dress, a yellow number from Arthur S. Levine teamed with white converse. She used her jewellery as a way to represent the people that couldn't travel to be at their wedding - her bracelet was designed by her mother, her earrings and necklace were from her mother-in-law and an antique handkerchief from her great grandmother (price tag still on it: Famous and Barr 25 cents.) The groom dresses in a similarly non traditionalfashio - his jacket was from a charity shop, his shirt and jeans were items he already had in his wardrobe and his braces/suspenders where from his father in law. He also wore red PF Flyers "guaranteed to make a kid run faster and jump higher."

One Night Only – Beautiful Bali Wedding

Kat

June 4, 2010

I challenge you to find anyone who's heard of Jonas Peterson and doesn't love him. His meteoric rise to 'rockstar photographer' status has been quite frankly ridiculous but with the credentials and talent he has behind him,I can't help but know that this success is nothing short of deserved. So popular is Jonas now that I usually don't even ask if I can blog his weddings anymore because more often than not they are snapped up by other bloggers quick smart but when I saw Sian & Barry's beautiful Bali wedding I knew I had to give it a go...and what do you know, he said yes!