Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Purple

Elder Emo Meets Celtic Las Vegas Wedding

Kat

Sarah Jay

October 16, 2024

Monica and Dominic’s wedding at The Grove in Las Vegas brought a medieval touch to a venue known for its romantic almond orchard. While most couples embrace the venue’s natural elegance, Monica and Dominic transformed the space into a scene filled with gothic magic and Celtic traditions. “We are both ‘Elder Emos,’ and I have an Irish/Celtic background,” Monica told us. “So we wanted something that really reflected our roots and personalities.”
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Fairytales in DIY: A Purple Themed October Loch Wedding

Kat

Elemental

March 4, 2020

They chose Venachar Lochside as the location for their stunning October wedding and Mazz and Alex made all their decisions for the day based on what did or did not spark joy. The bride wore a full purple/ dusky rose ensemble - from her Rosie Red Corsetry dress, painted shoes (which she did herself!) and even her freshly dyed hair. The flowers were a mix of purple and red, to compliment Alex' tartan, and they had pumpkins all over the place to reflect the season.
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Purple, Dinosaurs & Peacocks: Lauren & Matt

Kat

November 27, 2012

Purple. Dinosaurs. Peacocks... These were the things that inspired Lauren & Matt's October wedding. Although the theme wasn't really intentional, by incorporating the things they just really liked it totally worked! "Our ethos for our wedding was that we were going to what we wanted and not what people expected", wrote Lauren. "We picked and chose aspects of tradition that we liked and binned those we didn't. We had a humanist ceremony which isn't like a registry wedding - it's a lot more personal. We tied a Celtic knot which we practiced loads before hand! My friend did the reading of 'A Lovely Love Story' by Edward Monkton, which is about dinosaurs and dinosaurs are awesome! One of our other close friends gave us the book as an engagement present and we thought it was apt as a reading. We also had a dinosaur cake topper!"
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A Modern Art Themed Wedding & a Bride with Dreadlocks: Chris & Angela

Kat

August 7, 2012

"Arty & creative" replied Chris & Angela when I asked them to describe their wedding theme. "Lots of people on the day used words like 'informal' and 'relaxed' as well which was nice as it was what we kind of wanted. We were glad they picked up on it." The June wedding was held at Underley Grange Cottage in the Lake District. The couple homemade as much as possible, including all the reception decor. "Where do I begin with explaining the DIY?" laughed Angela. "Pretty much everything in the reception room was homemade. One of our favourite things was decorating parasols in the style of modern artists and hanging them from the ceiling. We made our own invitations - including hand making the actual paper! It turned out to be quite a saga; that and folding a hundred paper cranes for the RSVPs was quite a lot of work! On the plus side, as a milliner, the wedding was a great excuse to make lots of fun hats and fascinators for everyone."
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A Rock n Roll London Wedding with Rockaoke!: Chris & Natalie

Kat

November 2, 2011

When photographer Annamarie Stepney slipped Chris & Natalie's wedding my way, I just about squealed with joy. Not only was Natalie an avid Rock n Roll Bride reader throughout her wedding planning, but I could see a few little ideas that she'd gotten from my blog snuck in there - hello purple wedding dress and Butler & Wilson skull crown! "I fell absolutely head over heels for the Butler & Wilson skull crowns after seeing photos of Kat in one so I checked them out. It was great as no one realised it was made up of skulls until they got close. I also wore it for my 30th birthday a month later."
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Charlotte & Kevin’s Atmospheric Edinburgh Wedding

Kat

May 27, 2011

Charlotte & Kevin were married at The Caves in Edinburgh - a challenging venue for any photographer (it's very dark!) but photographer Bryony Claire certainly rocked this one and the couple ended up with some fantastic images of their special day. Charlotte explained, "Kev & I have been together for 8 years now. We went to The Caves for a night out and when quite by chance we heard it was a wedding venue so we booked for 8 months later before he even got a chance to propose! The Caves is a truly magical place and it felt so right to have our whole wedding there. We had a Humanist wedding ceremony that was filled with love and laughter and believe that the whole atmosphere and venue suited us and out relationship. I think quite a few people were shocked at my choice of dress, but hey, if you’re getting married, do it your own way! I've always been a bit of the beaten track, I'm sure a few of my friends and family would have been disappointed had I turned up in a traditional white gown!"
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Sarah & James’ Deep Purple, One Mayfair Wedding

Kat

May 11, 2011

I was actually really excited about Sarah & James' wedding before it even happened. My friend Alicia Barron, events manager of One Mayfair, told me about this fabulous wedding she had coming up at her venue - a bride in a purple dress, loads of dramatic lighting...ie right up my street! I told her to try and find out who the photographer was so I could beg them to let me feature it afterwards. But low and behold, would you believe that the lucky photographer was actually my friend Annamarie Stepney! I saw these images pop up on her blog last week, but before I could even email her with my request, she'd already sent them over...and told me that the bride had read Rock n Roll Bride throughout her planning too. Woo! Happy faces all roun
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Michael & Chloe’s Seriously Bad Ass Festival/Circus Wedding

Kat

January 20, 2011

Michael & Chloe got married in the Circadia Circus Tent at Woodford Folk Festival, Australia. I think that's all I have to say to let you know that this wedding is seriously bad ass and awesome right? The bride wore a handmade dress and Wellington boots (festivals are muddy!) and the entire wedding was organized by the 'Circadia' team. The couple didn't have bridesmaids, groomsmen or flowers, but they had a cake organized by Michael's sisters (and a sweetie table, again organized for them by their family!) Bogan Bingo - a 90's hair band doing a "bogan" version of Bingo - entertained the guests before the wedding began.
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Victor & Tori’s Dramatic Deep Purple Wedding

Kat

January 17, 2011

Victor & Tori's dramatic, slightly gothic - totally fabulous British wedding totally hits the nail on the Rock n Roll head. As soon as these landed on my desk I was instantly smitten with Tori's wicked deep purple, handmade gown by Janice Whitehorn of Uptight Clothing, "My bridesmaid sent me the link to Janice’s website and I loved her styles," explained Tori. "I went for a consultation and I told Janice what I liked and didn't like, and she came up with the most amazing dress/corset that made me feel like a princess, along with the headpiece which was modified from her original design and all the jewellery." The couple were married in October at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire and the deep purple theme was carried throughout the day and the details. Victor and his groomsmen wore a tailed morning suits with brocade waistcoats hired from Moss Bros, but their cravats were also handmade by Janice from the same material as the dress to match.
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Ted & Nina’s Purple-Themed, Internet-Sourced, Gothic Wedding

Kat

December 9, 2010

Ted & Nina's wedding was put together by the power of the internet - that is, they saved money as best they could by buying everything online! Nina's dress was bought from Dark Angel and really set the tone for the whole day. The striking purple & white theme was everywhere they looked, from the bride's gorgeous coat from eBay and her fabulous hat from The Black Cat Boutique to the flowers, the groom's outfit and even the bride's hair!
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