A Bohemian Mexican-American Wedding: Felicia & Ariel

Kat

October 8, 2012

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Felicia & Ariel wanted to plan a wedding with a nod to their heritage as well as the place they grew up. The wedding was held at The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, a non-profit education and research organisation, owned by the groom's parents. "As born and raised Austinites and the children of hippies, we knew from the get-go that we didn't want to have the 'usual' wedding," began Felicia. "Ariel and I both love being in nature and so it seemed like a easy choice to have the wedding at the site of his family's home and non-profit organization. We wanted the wedding to have a lot of color and reflect our passions and cultures. I'm Mexican-American and loved the idea of embroidered Mexican dresses for my bridesmaids, delicate papel picado banners, and bright paper flowers."

Elbie’s Ice Cream Dream

Kat

October 3, 2012

When Lisa & I sit down to plan the Photography Farm styled shoots our criteria is simple - will it be fun and will it fulfill a current obsession? Well I can safely say we hit both those things with this one! Ice Cream Dream was born from our unwavering obsession with rainbow colour palettes and the fact that Hannah, our props stylist, has her own vintage ice cream cart (that she hires out at weddings - don't you just I love this idea!?) Plus the gorgeous Elbie, who we'd roped into modelling for us, is as cute as an actual button and has the most rampant sweet tooth, like, ever. Our plan was for her to look like a sugary sweet treat herself and I think we managed to achieve that pretty well actually! I also can't get over how good she looks with lilac hair. Jealous much?!

A Colourful Country Garden Fete Wedding: Tom & Jenny

Kat

September 27, 2012

The DIY wedding of Tom & Jenny took place in Kent in July. After a church ceremony, their low key reception was held in Tom's parent's back garden. The bride wore a short wedding dress from Yours Truly Bridal Shop in Maidstone which cost her just £180 with a gorgeous headpiece was by a Rock n Roll Bride favourite, Crown & Glory. Alongside her lucky bridesmaids, she wore Vivienne Westwood/Melissa Lady Dragon shoes and instead of bouquets they all carried a single giant faux flower stem, bought from Hobbycraft costing just £2 each!

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 Rainbow Wedding inspired by their Living Room: Ruth & Alex

Kat

September 5, 2012

I think green is a totally underrated bridal colour. We see brides in white, red, even black, quite often, but rarely in green - and doesn't Ruth show us how wrong this is? She looks incredible! "I remember looking at photos of my Gran in her wedding dress from 1960 which was blue with a pink petticoat and telling myself that I was going to wear my favourite colour when I got married too", Ruth began, "and so the green dress was born. My something old was my Gran's actual pink underskirt from her wedding dress." "Finding a green dress was hard work though. At first I tried on bridesmaid dresses but I never really felt myself or special enough. I was also being pushed into trying on white dresses by everyone but I didn't recognise myself. I'm a total tomboy at heart and the concept of being feminine for the day felt alien to me. I still don’t understand the concept of feeling like a princess on your wedding day. The most important thing was to feel like me. I found Vivien of Holloway online after looking at the adverts on Rock n Roll Bride. After three trips trying on various Vivien of Holloway dresses, I ended up ordering from a limited run of only 4 (!) plain green circle dresses. I love the fact that I can and will be able to wear my dress again and that I'm only one of 4 people to have bought it!"

A New York Wedding with an Explosion of Colour: Ali & Jason

Kat

August 8, 2012

What could be better to bright up your morning than this incredibly colourful wedding which was held in the Vanderbilt Museum and Mansion in Centerport, New York? "Our wedding was a kaleidoscope of all our favorite things in life: each other, colors, friends, family, booze, and good times", began Ali, the bride. "The inspiration was simple. For my husband and I, love is about accepting our separate lives as one, and building new memories within us. We wanted to be sure this day was not just about us, but our whole family. My friends had a really tough year - my best friend's dad fell off a roof and we weren't sure he'd make it (he did, and we thank our lucky stars), my other best friend battled cancer (and won!) and other bridesmaid lost her cousin. I myself lost two friendships during the planning process and dealt with a bout of shingles from the stress. It made me realize how important this day was for everyone and a chance to forget about the troubles that so often weigh us down. So I dreamt up the ultimate day, hoping we could all remember what it was like to witness love grow and beauty surround us. I wanted absolute peace and serenity for myself and for the many people we love. Moreover, I planned this day with our friends and family very, very close to my heart. I could not have wished for anything more."

A Technicoloured Wedding: Ren & Tim

Kat

July 19, 2012

Ren & Tim pulled off their amazing colourful and alternative wedding with a £9000 budget. They spent on the things they felt were important and saved by DIYing the elements they knew they could do themselves (reception decor, stationery, cake). Although these things didn't always go to plan, in the end it all turned out alright and the things that didn't work really didn't matter on the day! I particularly love this wedding because it took place in Reading (where I live!). In fact the bride moved to this little town of ours from London to be with her boy. Awww!

Button Moon, Moomins, Rainbow Petticoats and a Wedding in a Cave: Caroline & Johnny

Kat

June 12, 2012

When wedding photographer Sassy of Assassynation told me she'd booked a wedding through a feature on my site last year I was super thrilled. However my excitement was pretty much quadrupled when she them told me the bride was wearing a short dress... with a rainbow petticoat... with glittery turquoise leopard print wedges and ankle socks... oh yes and that they were getting married in a cave. I think died and went to wedding heaven right about then. Caroline & Johnny were married on a Monday, on the 14th May this year. The ceremony was small - just the two of them, the celebrant and Sassy and her husband Ian, who not only photographed the event but acted as witnesses. The ceremony was at Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall. "One fabulously weather proof venue!" the bride laughed. "Subterranean lake, 500 candles and really dangerous steps for the clumsiest bride. What could possibly go wrong?"

‘Rock Steady Reggae’ – A Colourful Outdoor Wedding: Nicole & John

Kat

June 6, 2012

Nicole & John's colourful wedding was held at Church Point Manor Historic Bed & Breakfast on Virginia Beach. They wanted a bright celebration that reflected them and their personalities, and looking at the adorable photographs by Echard Wheeler, I think they certainly achieved that!

The Rainbow Wedding to End all Rainbow Weddings: Jen & Ben

Kat

April 26, 2012

I think most of you will be aware by now that I love love love a rainbow wedding...why pick one or two colours when you can pick twenty seven!? So as you can imagine I squealed like a small child on Christmas morning when Jen & Ben's wedding landed in my inbox. If I was less of a chatterbox I'd say that 'I had no words' when I saw these images...but in actual fact I had all the words in the world flying around my head as I made my selections for this blog post...

A 1950s-Inspired Shoot with a Brightly Coloured Modern Twist

Kat

April 25, 2012

1950s wedding inspiration isn't going anywhere, but these days I'm loving seeing shoots that have taken from this era but added a modern twist to it. Whether that be with bright pops of colour, modern accessories or quirky details (aren't the bouquets in the shoot the coolest?!) This shoot organised by The Sugared Saffron Cake Company and certainly landed smack bang in the middle of this new-wave of modern vintage styling. I'm thrilled to share it with you today.

A Multi-Coloured South African Wedding: Mark & Manilla

Kat

March 22, 2012

When Mark & Manilla's colourful wedding landed in my inbox I just about burst with excitement. There's nothing quite like a rainbow wedding in my opinion! The South African wedding was held at The View Boutique Hotel, a glamorous hotel in the heart of Johannesburg. "I felt that the ceremony should be the serious part of the day but I wanted the rest to be a very relaxed and festive carnival style celebration!" the bride told me.

Recent Press: January 2012

Kat

January 28, 2012

Wow January has been such a blur! In fact it's moved at such a super fast speed and so much has been going on that it feels like May or something already. So much has happened this month (good stuff by the way...) and as always the British press have been nothing but wonderful to me. Thank you to all the feature writers, editors and journalists that are so supportive of Rock n Roll Bride.

A Rainbow Rockabilly Wedding: Jennifer & Jon

Kat

January 25, 2012

If you're a long-time reader of this 'lil wedding blog of mine, you'll be well aware that I'm a huge fan of the rainbow wedding trend. I even modeled in an 'Over the Rainbow' themed shoot last October. So you can imagine my glee when Jennifer & Jon's wedding landed on my desk. The couple wanted a huge party, and with 200 guests and only a $10,000 budget they were determined to not spent a fortune to do so. "We honestly would never have been able to pull of any wedding without our friends and family," Jennifer told me. "It was truly a DIY wedding with everyone helping out days beforehand by shoveling, raking and baking in the hot sun to make my friend's ranch into a kick ass outdoor wedding venue. Caitlin & Michael Burns, owners of Rebar Ranch were gracious enough to make our vision come true (or turn our lack of vision into something amazing!)"

Yoshi, Final Fantasy & A Bride with Green Hair: Esther & Andy

Kat

December 14, 2011

DIY Tutorial: Multi-Layered Tulle Petticoat (Make Your Own Rainbow Petticoat!)

Kat

November 5, 2011

First up, I have to say a huge thank you to everyone that's emailed me with their DIY ideas. I've has a huge response and I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you over these coming weeks. Be sure to keep them coming! I'm starting with this amazing underskirt tutorial by Alexandra King, an independent designer from Somerset. Alexandra produces fabulous vintage-inspired dresses and accessories. So without further ado, over to the lady herself...

‘Rock n Rainbow’: An After the Rainbow Inspiration Shoot at The Photography Farm (+ Behind the Scenes Video)

Kat

October 10, 2011

I'm a huge Wizard of Oz nerd, so when wedding photographer extraordinaire Lisa Devlin asked if I fancied attending her first Photography Farm workshop to model in an 'After the Rainbow' themed styled shoot...well my biggest concern was whether I'd actually get to wear some ruby slippers...and you know what? I did!

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more…

Kat

October 8, 2011

Pop by Monday, 9am to see the full results of what I got up during my stay in Oz*

Somewhere Over the Rainbow at The Photography Farm – Preview

Kat

September 30, 2011

So this week I spent most of my time hanging out with a bunch of amazing wedding photographers at The Photography Farm, hosted by photographer Lisa Devlin. We drank (way to much) wine and (too many) cocktails, some brave souls swam in the pool or hung out in the jacuzzi...oh and we even threw in a bit of learning too!

Lip Tattoos, Graffiti & Ice Cream: An Anti-Wedding Bridal Shoot

Kat

September 26, 2011

"The inspiration for this shoot really came from a morning cuppa with me and Hayley from Vintage Scoops, who owns a vintage ice cream van," photographer Shaneen Rosewarne Cox writes. "We became friends via Twitter and discovered that we live very close by. I couldn't resist a look at her fab ice cream van 'Betty' so we met up a few times. One morning over tea and lemon drizzle cake we decided to put together a shoot. 'Betty' is such a soft, pretty and summery ice cream van so we wanted to create a shoot that contradicted everything wedding-y."