Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Graffiti

Jen & Bijan’s Multicultural, Diy, Totally Personal, Un-traditional Wedding

Kat

April 16, 2010

Can you imagine my excitment when Jen & Bijan amazing wedding landed in my inbox? Jen, the bride began her email "I am an American living in Berlin, and recently married. My husband,Bijan, is German-Irani, and I think our wedding was as multi-cultural and untraditional as we are." I was smitten...and their story just makes it even better. "My background in event planning for President Obama (!) and Vice President Biden came in very handy for a diy wedding" Jen told me. "Bijan and I haven't been to many weddings, nor have we been married before, so we kind of made a lot of stuff up as we went along. The actual ceremony was on Friday, March 26, and the reception was the following day. My best friend, Scout Tufankjian, is a photojournalist and doesn't actually usually do weddings but as her gift to us she agreed to be our wedding photographer. Bijan is born and raised here in Berlin, and we really wanted our photos to reflect our everyday life and the things we love about Berlin. The graffiti pictures are taken along an old section of the Berlin Wall called the "East Side Gallery," and was one of the places Bijan took me on my first day here. With his Persian background, he has always been a fan of shisha (flavored tobacco smoked out of a water pipe)- I also share his love for it, and on our way to the party, we decided to take a break for ourselves and get a smoke at our favorite shisha cafe. We were also starving, so we stopped at our favorite neighborhood schawarma place, Habibi's, for a bite to eat.
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Stop Staring

Kat

April 14, 2010

Jacquie & Robby's fun yet sexy engagements were sent over to me today. I instantly fell in love with her funky style (her 'Leopard Lolita Dress' is by Stop Staring she got it from Daddy-o's) and their 'poking-fun' attitude - gotta love that 'RIP Rob' graffiti behind them! "We had these pictures taken in March 2010 on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland" Jacquie explained. "We explored the area and happened to come across the graffiti that said "RIP Rob" and although I usually hate that old idea that once a man is married his life is over, but I couldn't resist taking a picture seeing that my fiance name is Robby! Also, we stumbled across that old red car and we loved the pictures near the car so much, we used one for our save the dates. If you take a look at the pictures of us near the car, you will notice that a train went by while we were shooting. That day seemed like it was really meant to be."
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Old/New School Vintage Vogue

Kat

April 3, 2010

This scarlet-themed, soft, cool, old school/new school vintage session was sent over today by Jessika of December Photography. "I've been seeking clients who want something different " she told me. "I love experimenting and new ideas to channel my creativity. This engagement session had an old school/new school vintage theme. Outfits were organized only by colors. My vision was 'vogue meets nylon, and bring the chair'. I wanted some things to be out of place and clash, yet tie together beautifully in the end. While editing them, I kept with the vintage theme, de-saturated, vignettes, and warm/cool tones. The couple was very fun and up for anything, they made the pictures what they are!"
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The NotWedding 2010 – Graffiti Chic

Kat

March 30, 2010

Those of you, like me, who were loitering around blogland this time last year will certainly remember the immensely popular 'NotWedding' event that was held in Atlanta. The photographs of the even circulated pretty much every blog - and with due cause. They were awesome (you can see my coverage from the 2009 event here.) The NotWedding is a unique bridal event in which a handful of Atlanta’s most talented and brilliant vendors come together to stage a one-of-a-kind wedding. Complete with an unforgettable ceremony, an over the top first dance, a cake cutting, and reception, The NotWedding has become a killer production that promotes an atmosphere which inspired brides towards creative options rather than cookie-cutter weddings. From classic to sassy, this year’s event hosted four different wedding themes for brides to visit: Enchanted Forest, Southern Glam, Vintage Chic, and Global Fusion.
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Serious Fashion & Style Inspiration

Kat

March 16, 2010

What's not to love about this shoot? Alex & Kaori's downtown LA engagement session was the perfect expression of who they are as a couple - lovers of LA and fashion (they are both designers.) I will never stop loving the Vivienne Westwood Lady Dragon shoes (I have them in yellow & black) and Alex's fabulous red & white checked shirt and black bow tie combo. In fact this pair have got to be some serious fashion inspiration to at least a few of you!
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Rock that Frock

Kat

March 3, 2010

This fun all day trash the dress shoot was sent over by UK photographer Natasha Hurley. I really love seeingg the evolution of time thoughout these images - from the early morning light in the garden shots, to the late afternoon sun in the graffiti shots and the evening time darkness with the contrast of the artifical lights in the final urban images. Quite appart from that, the bride Miranda looks like she's having a ball and I love love love her heart shaped pink sunglasses.
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Urban, Girtty, Hearts & Love

Kat

February 19, 2010

Emma & Mattias' urban & gritty engagement session in Hackney Wick (the East End of London) have inspired me no end. I not only love the rough 'n ready, graffiti style shots (which are fast becoming a bit of a McNeil signature) but the wonderful heart shots send my heart a-flutter. I asked David how this images came about and he told me that as they were wondering down the street, looking for locations, they came across a hall where a Valentines night was being set up. They asked nicely if they would use their heart covered wall as a backdrop and the lovely people said yes. Aren't the results fabulous? Another photographic win for my friend David I feel! Thanks to David for sending these over today Credit: David McNeil
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Pretty. Gritty. Daring.

Kat

February 12, 2010

Melanie's bride shoot has a fabulously sexy feel, especially with the contrast between herself and the derelict locations. Her dress was by Chic Star and was not actually a wedding dress but doesn't it look wonderful for the photo shoot? "The venue was an old abandoned warehouse yard and some near by deserted railroad tracks" photographer Keira told me. "The theme of the shoot was to portray a confident, edgy bride. She is pictured, alone, amongst an abandoned industrial background that is currently being taken over by nature (lots of prickly brush, vines taking over man made objects, along with pieces of glass and old rusty objects, etc ) The photos are meant to be pretty yet at the same time somewhat gritty and daring." Thanks to Keira for sharing this shoot with us
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Amy & Jay and Their Way too Awesome New York Wedding Day

Kat

February 4, 2010

I may well be stating the obvious here, but Amy & Jay's wedding is freakin' awesome. Hell to the yeah...I love to blog this stuff! We were married on 01/02/10 in Brooklyn, NY. We really love our neighborhood and wanted to keep it local, allowing our guests to fully experience the day in Williamsburg Brooklyn. We had our ceremony and three course vegan meal at a place called Monkey Town. As a wedding gift, one of our best friends/dancer/aerialist/choreographer, Sarah Wollschlager, did an aerial performance to Etta James' "At Last," which contributed to the uniqueness and beauty of our ceremony. Our officiant, from the Brooklyn Society of Ethical Culture, Tasha Paley, also made the ceremony even more personal- she brought laughter to our guests and made several of us shed a tear while reading an excerpt from "The Little Prince." We then had the reception at Trophy Bar, which included an open bar, dancing, vegan cupcakes, and a photobooth. For the photobooth, two of our best friends created a caution tape backdrop and set up a wireless remote, allowing the guests to get ready and pose! As far as vegan cupcakes in NYC go, Babycakes is the absolute best...we were so relieved that all of the non-vegan guests really loved them! They also made us a 6" cake, where we put our super cute monster cake toppers, created by Leslie Levins. It was absolutely an incredible day and it wouldn't have been what it was without our amazing friends! Amy had two dresses - the ceremony dress was found on Ebay and was a similar design to Maggie Sottero's Rasharna dress, which she loved but when she saw the less-fussy Ebay version she was sold! Her reception dress was from Betsey Johnson's Spring 2008 collection. She carried a felt bouquet by Jennifer Rae of Ribbons n Bows Boutique (who she discovered through Rock n Roll Bride!) Wanna see more? Check out their slideshow! Oh...and their wedding invitation video is too damn cool for words (check it out after the jump...)
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Glamorous DIY

Kat

December 22, 2009

Lauren & Chris had their gorgeous, heavily DIY wedding at The Maritime Hotel in NYC's meatpacking district. The neighborhood was perfect for the edgy and non-traditional wedding and photographs that they wanted. The bride's Mother made all the table decorations to fit their theme which encompased all the cities Chris & Lauren and traveled to together. All the flowers (including the bride's bouquet) were purchased at the Union Square farmers market the day of and assembled on site by friends before the ceremony. The cake was from Sugar Sweet Sunshine and the cake toppers were cute salt and pepper shakers which were a gift that Chris gave to Lauren a few months earlier. Thanks to Angie for sharing this funky NYC wedding with us today
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Crazy in Love

Kat

December 16, 2009

A 'typical' engagement session this certainly is not. Axioo have gone and blown my mind again! Fun, flirty, hilarious, sexy, cool, crazy and quirky all in one shoot - you're going to go nuts for these. For Nico & Emil, together we came up with the craziest mix of ideas to show who they are. Each with a color of their own, but together they are truly one of a kind. Emil is gorgeous, when I first met her I really thought she's model or miss beauty queen. She's elegant, edgy and yet quirky...who would have thought she's a dentist. Nico is all out wacky, funny and full of expression. It's been a while since i know someone like Nico, he reminds me of Ivan our uber-hyper-creative photographer. Thanks to David for making me laugh today Credit: Axioo
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Celebrate in Style

Kat

December 11, 2009

I have rather a loving relationship with all the regular contributors to Rock n Roll Bride. After all, they are the ones keeping me going and sending me wonderful and inspiring content to share with you all. So when Jeremy Lawson told me that his love for me continued to grow...well I could hardly say no to featuring Melissa and Howell's fabulously chic wedding could I? (ps emails like this really make me smile so thank you thank you thank you!)
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Til Death Do Us Part

Kat

November 26, 2009

This British groom and his Texan bride may have met at a Chicago Cubs game but flew back to Texas to get married. Both parties brought some of themselves into their day - most notablyin the cakes! Matt must certainly be a football (soccer) fan. I loving Holly's David's Bridal dress, the Rock n Roll graffiti portraits ('til death do us part' how perfect is that!?) and the masquerade ball-esque masks. Thank you to photographer, Belen for sharing these today
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Elegant & Quirky

Kat

November 25, 2009

I'm having a bit of a Philippines love fest today because as many of you will know I seem to adore everything that comes out of that country. The photographic style is so elegant yet so quirky, so fashion-let but so personal. Love love love. I'm starting off with newbie photographer Joey Boquiren who sent me Filmore & Margaux' engagement session...now tell me I'm wrong! Super stylish yet super sweet and personal right? Faaabulous Thanks to Joey for sharing these
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NEWSFLASH!

Kat

November 21, 2009

Stand by for the announcement of the year...Yes I, Kat Williams obsessed with all things blog am taking the weekend OFF! "Holy crap" I hear you cry, "How is such a thing possible?" Well you're right, this will be my first weekend away from the blog since...well...January I reckon. How ridiculous is that? Gareth & I are heading to a family event and whilst I would normally work my fingers to the bone the week before scheduling posts over the weekend so you wouldn't miss me, I've decided that I really could do with a bit of a break and this weekend away to just concentrate on me and Gareth, not worry about moderating comments, replying to emails or checking my twitter. Therefore if you do need to get hold of me you'll just have to wait! Have a good old weekend people. Love you all! But hang on, I couldn't leave you with nothing could I? No no no no....let's hope these keep you busy until I return. Why not also take the time to go through the Rock n Roll Archives? There are 135 pages and 1341 posts of Rock n Roll wedding goodness on my little site. PLUS this weekend is your last chance to get those entries in for the Erica Berger Trash the Dress contest so do so, er..like now. Finalists will be announced on Monday!
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Contrast & Style

Kat

November 18, 2009

This Australian wedding blew me away as soon as I laid eyes on that dress! Shannon & Carl got married in Brisbane and had a vintage glam wedding full of quirky and classically styled delights. I am loving the multi-layered, uber cute dress and accessories that Shannon rocked (including her amazing bouquet - le swoon indeed) and the locations are to die for - the glamourous ceremony hotel contrasts perfectly with rough 'n ready portrait site and the super trendy, waterside reception venue. A wedding of contrasts and a wedding of style. Thanks to newcomer Stephen for sharing one of his very first weddings with us.
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