A Backyard Rainbow Wedding: Jason & Gwen

Kat

I Love that Glove

September 9, 2012

Honestly? I struggled with what to write about today. Usually on a Sunday I'll post something non-wedding related that's caught my eye or I'll share something exciting that I've done in the week. But I shared my Photography Farm retreat escapades in this week's Thursday Treats and since then I've basically been chained to my computer replying to the squillions of emails that came in whilst I was away and writing as many blog posts as physically possible. I also spent rather a lot of time on the phone to Cosmopolitan Magazine. NO BIG DEAL (more on this soon!) And then this wedding pinged into my inbox and it all became clear.

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 ‘Glamping’ Wedding & a Bride with Pink Hair: Josie & Nick

Kat

July 18, 2012

I ain't gonna lie... I harbor a certain level favoritism for pink haired brides... hum, I wonder why!? So when I saw Josie & Nick's camping themed wedding I was very excited indeed. The couple didn't spend a bomb on the day, utlising things they already owned (hello, look at Jodie's awesome Antaina boots!), by having the reception in Nick's parent's back garden and by making as much of it as they could themselves. "We DIY’ed everything", Jodie told me. "It can be really easy to bite off more than you can chew though so my advice would be to decide on a cohesive theme early on. Select projects you know you can complete both skill wise and in the time you have. And start early! Anything you can do well in advance is great."

A Crazy Carnival Wedding: Dustin & Tara

Kat

July 2, 2012

Well who doesn't love a carnival? Exactly... no one. Hence why I'm super excited to share Dustin & Tara's epic adaption of a traditional carnival theme into a totally non-traditional wedding. The couple were married at home. They transformed their own backyard into the perfect carnival setting. They had a kissing booth 'altar', a bouncy castle for the kids (and big kids), a bell ringer, a snow cone machine, a popcorn machine and a photo booth! There was a paddling pool filled with rubber ducks and big carnival-style posters for everyone to take home with them. Carnival-style round lights were strung all around the garden and big wooden picnic benches, bales of hay and over 200 balloons decorated the space. They served old fashioned sodas and grilled hot dogs with tons of beer and cocktails. Even most of the guests dressed up to fit in with the theme. "We had a lion, a lion tamer, a ring master, someone on stilts and a ton of top hats and mustaches", Tara explained.

A Laidback Backyard Wedding: Jeremy & Laura

Kat

June 29, 2012

Oh Jeremy & Laura how the hell did you get so awesome? I'd like to bottle some of it up and sell it... Backyard weddings always get me excited. Not only is having a wedding at home a lovely symbol of starting your married life at a place that really means something to you, but it also means you don't have to drop £10,000 to hire an empty space.

A Secret Garden Shoot for Henry Nicholls Antiques

Kat

May 17, 2012

With Summer just around the corner, what could be a better shoot to share with you than this gorgeous secret garden shoot? Using antique and vintage piece from Henry Nicholls Antiques in Worthing, the styling had a timeless but quirky feel. Photographer Jayne Sacco told me all about their inspiration, "Anna owns Henry Nicholls Antiques alongside her husband Henry, and her style is all about being individual. She sources a mixture of vintage and retro goods for the store, as well as carefully selected costume jewellery like the Ritzy Crystal jewellery featured in the shoot. Henry has appeared in a number of Antique TV shows from Trash to Cash, Secret Dealers and is a regular antique dealer on ITV Dickson's Real Deal."

A Peacock Themed, Homespun Wedding: Wendy & Jesse

Kat

March 28, 2012

Wendy & Jesse's homemade wedding had a peacock theme. The day was held in their own house and alongside Brittany of Bshane Events, they made what they could themselves to make their wedding their own. Wendy wore a dress that had belonged to her Mother in the 70s. It was originally a pageant dress but she customised it, inspired by Gwen Stefani's wedding dress.

A Simple Wedding in the Family Home: Keegan & Vanessa

Kat

March 16, 2012

The backyard wedding of Keegan & Vanessa literally melted my heart as soon as I saw it. I love love love all the personal touches in the photos which came from the wedding being held in a family home. In fact as soon as it landed in my inbox I was dying to share it so I'm thrilled that today's the day to do so!

A Family-Central, DIY Backyard Wedding: Adam & Kim

Kat

February 17, 2012

Adam & Kim were married at home in their back garden in front of a retro caravan that they'd bought especially for the occasion! The entire day was DIY as they wanted their wedding to be about all the things, and the people, that they love. "Our love and what we love is what inspired our wedding day. We wanted to create something that was very personal and a signature of our relationship," the bride explained. "Each part of the day was special and unique to us; even the format was flipped to the traditional idea of many. I found the traditional wedding magazine’s a bore and wondered if there was something wrong to not admire these staged, stuffy epic weddings. It wasn’t until I delved more on the internet that I found that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way and that others were creating some fabulous and unique days of their own. Rock n Roll Bride was a site that made me feel at home."

An Eco-Vintage Backyard Wedding: Shannon & Nick

Kat

January 23, 2012

Shannon & Nick were married in Shannon's parent's back garden, a lovely idea that made their wedding really personal and intimate. "I was inspired by the 1950s, nature and the country," Shannon told me. "I was looking for a way to bridge the gap between vintage elegance and the modern eco-friendly way of life. Every chance I could I made things reusable, recyclable and DIY. I also tried to pick vendors that were eco-friendly. I didn't set out to do things differently I just chose to do what I wanted to do and didn't let others reservations side track me."

A DIY Carnival Wedding at Home: Bethany & Eric

Kat

January 18, 2012

Bethany & Eric's carnival-themed wedding was held at their home, Antebellum Farmhouse in Granville, Ohio. "The inspiration for our wedding really started with our pre-civil war home", Bethany told me. "When Eric and I first saw our house with our realtor we both stood on the front porch with tears in our eyes. We had not even walked through the front door but we knew this was our home. Eric looked at me and said 'we could be married here.' He then carried me across the threshold. Sounds like a fairy tale.... But so real." The theme may have started with their home but over time 'a day and night at the fair' became their manifesto. Royal Steamline provided the perfect stationery to fit the idea. "We wanted to create a vintage carnival feeling for all ages of guests to enjoy," the bride continued. "I have an antique and interior design business named after our home, so I incorporated many antique and vintage items, furniture and props to create the scene. I searched auctions and estate sales for real vintage goblets, punch cups and plates for our guests to enjoy. I used vintage furniture outside to create a living room area that was a fabulous photo booth for all of our guests as well as the bridal party."

A Heritage & Handmade Australian Wedding: Janelle & Liam

Kat

January 17, 2012

For their December wedding, Janelle & Liam wanted an aspect of heritage and an element of the handmade. They chose Eryldene Historic House and Garden in Gordon (Sydney, Australia) as the place to host their celebration. "Most of our wedding was handmade - assembled and painted by bridal party," the couple explained. "We made our own vintage fabric bunting and table cloths as well as hand made fabric napkins. We sourced over 100 vintage plates from op shops and collected jam jars from family and friends. For favours we had home made seed pouches and home made orange flavoured lolly pops. The seating chart was a window from an old home in Epping and some fence posts. We wrote on the window panes so people knew where to sit."

A Casual Wedding At Home: Ann & Tim

Kat

December 22, 2011

Ann & Tim had just the kind of wedding I'd love to have had if a) the UK marriage laws weren't so damn strict and b) if I lived in a blue house. With the ceremony being held on their driveway and the reception in their back garden, this is the perfect casual backyard wedding. The couple actually met at their house, at the house party of a mutual friend who owned it before them. Having the wedding here really brought their story full circle. The matchmaker, even spoke at the wedding. "They wanted the whole thing to feel like people were at home", wedding photographers Sarah & Adam of InTandem explained. "The home was built in 1940 and the original owners of the house who sold it to them also had their wedding reception there. Back then it was just a big white farm house, but Ann & Tim repainted, re-leveled, re-landscaped, and even built the flower boxes themselves. It was DIY to the extreme, and their love for authentic vintage came through in their decor."

A Homemade Back Garden Wedding: Philip & Katie-Jane

Kat

November 22, 2011

Philip & Katie-Jane had a handmade wedding in the bride's parent's back garden. They hired a tipi and decorated the whole garden with the things they love - creating a really magical looking space. They even converted the shed into 'The Poppy Red Shed' (Poppy Red is a bar in Birmingham which the bride and groom first met) which they stocked with local ales, spirits and liquours.

A Village Fete Meets Tattoo Parlour Wedding: Jess & David

Kat

November 14, 2011

Jess & David were married in All Saints Church in Kirby and they had their reception in the bride's parent's back garden. Jess wore a Candy Anthony Dress, Upper Street shoes (which she designed herself) and Vivienne Westwood jewellery. The lucky couple had Shell De Mar there to capture their day. "We met at school and had been together 12 years when David proposed at sunrise on the beach in Mexico," Jess told me. "Initially I’d been reluctant to get out of bed so early but something told me it might be worth it...and it was!"

A Homespun, Backyard Wedding: Emma & Nigel

Kat

October 13, 2011

The garden wedding of Emma & Nigel was held at the groom's parents house in Brisbane. Emma explained, "The wedding was a mammoth team effort for about a week before the big day with people flying in from all over the place, gardening, weeding, cooking, shaving, marking and reporting (I'm a teacher getting married the day after the school term finished!) Somehow I still managed to sneak in a quiet moment with my bridesmaids to watch Dirty Dancing the night before and eat copious amounts of fish and chips and marshmallows.

A Quintessentially English Country Garden Wedding: Liz & Blake

Kat

September 26, 2011

Liz moved to America from the UK where she met Blake while he was singing in a bar. After dating for a while he proposed while on holiday in Rome. Although well-traveled, Liz wanted to have her wedding in her hometown of Brize Norton, in her parent's back garden. She had to rely on her parents, sister and bridesmaids a lot for help during the planning, "I arrived in the UK 3 days before the wedding and immediately had to go and meet our vicar, after that we had to fight the jet lag to start decorating the marquee," Liz told me. "I didn’t realise how much stuff I had collected over the year and when I saw it all piled up in my parent's dining room I felt really overwhelmed by it all. Luckily my sister and bridesmaid were on hand to keep everything on track we knuckled down and started hanging and arranging."

Tess & Ray’s Dream-Like Backyard Wedding

Kat

July 12, 2011

Tess & Ray's backyard wedding is pretty much what my dreams look like. Tess told me all about it and I swooned over every detail, "From the very beginning Ray and I knew that we wanted our wedding to be relaxed and FUN, but most importantly something we could be proud of. We wanted to stay true to ourselves and not worry about any kind of fuss or frill. We wanted to make our dream a reality without breaking our backs trying to pay for it."

Joli & Gary’s Amazing Backyard Wedding

Kat

June 28, 2011

Joli & Gary eloped in San Francisco. They had planned to have a big wedding party afterwards with their friends and family at a biker bar in Palm Springs, but then Joli got pregnant and everything changed. So 7 months pregant, the couple had a kick ass celebration in the backyard of their Los Angeles home. They described their party as a celebration of "Love, Freedom, Wild, Raw, Family, FUN, Village, Community!" and that's exactly what it was.

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.