White Album Wedding Chapel

Kat

March 13, 2010

Norma & David's wedding was all about the individual retro touches. In love with the art deco vibe of the 1920s and 30s, the pair used this as their inspiration - choosing to be inspired by and go with the flow of the theme rather than being restricted by it. "We wanted a vintage feel, as I am in love with art deco, 20's and 30's music/style/art/film" Norma told me. "As an artist the visual 'flow' was more important to me than being "matchy matchy", or sicking to a theme. We like an eclectic look and things with character...we were hoping to create an elegant, whimsical, romantic, sensual feel."

Incredible

Kat

Art of Her

March 12, 2010

We had been planning this shoot for months but just needed the right two people to do it" the guys told me. "As you can see, Adam and Mary were perfect for the shoot. We actually had the wedding dress made for Mary by a local seamstress for $100 (including the cost of the fabric). So, we loaded up and headed to Denison, TX. Our plan was to shoot at the Old Dennison Hotel, but when we got there we found some other amazing places to shoot as well. The town is so weird. It seems like it once was a booming little town (like in the early part of the 1900's), but then as it started to crumble, no one ever fixed it or tore down the old buildings; instead they just built all these modern structures around it. It just feels kind of forgotten, but it was really perfect for our shoot. One of the places we shot was this adorable little 50's diner and malt shop complete with old gas pumps, a juke box, and checkered floors! It's called Peggy Sue's 50's Diner and Ice Cream Parlor. As for the Denison hotel... Supposedly, this hotel burned in 1929 and when it did all of the people who were in it were killed in the fire. I have to say, it was a very creepy. Kind of reminded me of The Shining. Some of the rooms have been remodeled, but many of the rooms are still as they were after the fire. The owner was so sweet to let us use one of the rooms to do the shoot. As you can see in the pictures, the walls are black from the fire and what little furniture that was in the room was definitely old. The cat in some of the picture is an old cat with a glass eye who jumped up on the window sill just in time to be in this series of pictures. Mary was amazing. She has never modeled before but she knew how to position her body and we think she perfectly pulled off the vintage look we were going for (especially considering it was 25 degrees all day and she didn't have a whole lot covering her. All of the clothes (including the furry jacket) and jewelry (with the exception of the wedding dress), we brought from my mom's awesome little boutique called funky at heart boutique (which is in side her gift store called Cheerful Heart Gifts). We always use stuff from her store for our concept shoots! It really goes perfectly with our style. Adam actually brought his own clothes for the shoot. In fact, that's how he dresses on a daily basis. It's almost like they were born in the wrong era. They totally rocked this look...I think because it is a pretty good representation of who they are on a daily basis. I just don't think we could have found better people to do this. As for our inspiration for this shoot... I really wanted to do a shoot that I felt best represented who we are as photographers. I had seen a picture in a magazine one time and loved it and wanted to do something like it but with our own twist on it (hence, the amazing balloon picture that resulted). We basically built the whole shoot around this 30's-40's theme (with the added set from the diner which we just had to do when we found the place). I really love the glamorous look of that era and we really wanted to capture that in this shoot.

Faux Fur Retro Chic

Kat

March 12, 2010

Fashion designer Kelly & her fiance, Martin's engagement is a total joy of faux fur, retro chic! Their amazing-sounding Halloween themed wedding will be taking place in October this year and after Kelly told me she's not only making her bridesmaid dresses but her own wedding dress I was literally already chomping at the bit to see the results! In this, their engagement session, Kelly looks amazing in her red tights, vintage faux fur coat (from a Salvation Army store) and headband (a gift from her future Mother in law.) Congratulations guys!

Thursday Treats – 4th March 2010

Kat

March 4, 2010

♥ Snowy vintage wedding style ♥ Doze magazine is full of gorgeous photography - and turn to page 62 - 77 to see the amazing wonderland feature by Kirsty Mitchell ♥ Jane & Warrick's beautiful, personal cliff top ceremony ♥ Vivien of Holloway = swoon ♥ I love tattoo tuesday ♥ Gorgeous blonde ♥ Why is my clutter not so effortlessly chic? ♥ Katherine O'Brien always shoots the most perfect vintage brides ♥ Together we are beautiful ♥ Amazing whimsical, Santa Monica vintage wedding

Belgian Retro Chic

Kat

March 3, 2010

Melody & David are a super cool Rock n Roll couple from Belgium who certainly added that little bit of cool to their engagement shoot. They brought along things that really meant something to them to use as props and the result is a quirky, retro vibe to die for.

Quirky, British Fare

Kat

March 2, 2010

The couple chose The Hop Farm as their venue because, in their own words, "it had a certain britishness to it and being both born and bred in Kent we grew up with the iconic images of the oast houses and it just felt comforting and homely to have them as a back drop to the wedding." They didn't really have one theme per-say but they just came up with/borrowed ideas from many areas that inspired them. In fact the only stipulation they put throughout the whole of the process of planning their wedding was that they wanted to get as many people as they liked together to have a really good party, and the actual ceremony and marriage was just a small part of that.

Bowling Alley Rockabilly Bridal Shoot

Kat

February 26, 2010

This exceptional Rock n Roll style fashion shoot photographed by Jessica Monnich at Highball in Austin Texas hit me right between the eyes. I've fallen in love with the vintage 1950s rockabilly stylings, the gorgeous fashion, the stunning models, the bowling alley setting...well basically how damn cool the whole thing is! I'm so excited to share this shoot and all the people involved with you..you're gonna love it! "We went with a 50's theme. The location was very hip swanky 50's feeling bowling alley on South Lamar in a bowling alley here in Austin Texas called Highball. In keeping with the vintage theme we did a place setting in the color scheme of the shoot using fiestaware which was popular during that time period. We thought Wizard of Oz Pez dispensers would be fun as that was a popular movie during that time. We also had mock cakes made up for the shoot that had a very rockabilly feel to them as well. The "bride" carried a lotus flower surrounded by sweet peas and the "bridesmaids" carried a combination of flowers including pink sweet peas and poppies." Thanks to Jessica and the whole team for sharing these with Rock n Roll Bride Photography Credit: Jessica Monnich Photography Photo assistant: Gerry Hanan of Hanan Exposures

Art Deco Inspired Fashion Shoot

Kat

February 25, 2010

This Art Deco bridal shoot took place at Eltham Palace in London. The fabulous dresses including Valerie' by Sarah Arnett, 'Kristine' by Claire Pettibone and two dresses by Olivia Couture were provided by Blackburn Bridal and were all chosen to reflect the Art Deco nature of the building and the shoot. The flowers were sent by Veevers Carter. Photographer Sarah wanted to tell me all about her vision. "There were a few motivations for the shoot. I wanted to show off the Art Deco design of the Eltham Palace and I felt that our model, Victoria's look really encapsulated the decadent spirit of the 1920's which was perfect. The dresses were also chosen according to the venue with the exception of the the Olivia Couture swirl dress which was shot in an Italian style room adjacent to the iconic circular entrance hall. The soft, vintage styled bouquet worked well with all the dresses and the final shots with the black bobbed wig were an unashamed homage to Louise Brooks, the Art Deco pin up herself!" Thanks to Sarah for sharing these today

Sugabilly Bridal

Kat

February 24, 2010

There's a little bit of a story behind the finding of this fabulous shoot and I thought in sharing it's gorgeousness I could also explain how it came to land in my inbox. As many of you know, my husband Gareth is an IT wizz and works from home. As sad as it may be, we love to watch Working Lunch together when I'm not at 'the day job'. One such afternoon there was a feature on Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation who works with 5-9 ers - ie people who are mad like me, work a full time job and run their own business from home too. So Gareth turns to me and says "You should drop her an email" and so I did. Making this connection has been fabulous for me as not only have I been featured on her site, am being used a case study in her upcoming book (hell to the yeah!) but she sends me regular updates on awesome other 5-9 ers that she thinks I need to know. LeKeux Events was one of these companies. As soon as I landed on their website I knew we'd be a perfect match and after speaking to Lyndsey over email it turned out that she already reads my blog! Aaaaanyway, to cut a very long story short (er) I saw this amazing Sugabily bridal shoot on their site and just had to feature it....you're going to go nuts for it! The dress and petticoat were ebay finds, but Lyndsey tells me she swooned over similar things on Vivienne of Holloway (who I ADORE by the way). Enjoy! Thanks to Emma for putting myself and LeKeux Events together and thanks to Lyndsey for sharing these wonderful shots with us today

1920s Stylee Speakeasy Wedding

Kat

February 17, 2010

I've got a second British post for your today - and this time it's Miriam & Bruce's art deco/speakeasy/1920s-30s inspired wedding. The event took place at The Brickhouse, Brick Lane, London which is in the heart of the city's uber cool East End and was complete with monochromatic colour scheme, gambling tables and cheeky burlesque entertainment. Miriam & Bruce had a humanist ceremony in front of their guests before kicking off a night of unashamed debauchery! Female guests were treated to a black or white feather fan on arrival, and the gents mini bottles of Jack Daniels and chocolate cigars. Miriam wore a dress and ostrich feather shrug from the fabulous Joanna Fleming Design and birdcage veil from Jane Taylor Millinery. Credit: Eye Imagine Wedding Planners: Grant-Riley Weddings

Thursday Treats – 11th Feb 2010

Kat

February 11, 2010

Family Ties

Kat

February 9, 2010

Carnival Crazy

Kat

February 7, 2010

Dina & Gary's 1920's vaudeville carnival themed wedding makes me wanna squeal. I wish wish wish we'd done something as fabulous as this when we got hitched. The wedding took place at Asbury Park, New Jersey and the pair really went to town with their theme - from popcorn and candy for the guests, a sideshow performance, goldfish in bowls... in fact everything you might expect to find at a carnival! Dina wore a custom dress (made by a friend) and wore jewellery and carried a candy bouquet made by another friend Melissa Heid. Just. Wow. Thanks to Brandi for sharing this awesome day with us. Woooo!

Retro Pin Up Valentines Lovelies

Kat

February 6, 2010

With the day of hearts, flowers and lurrrve fast approaching, I have been inundated with Valentine's themed submissions, however this retro/pin up shoot from Jen Will may well be one of my utter favourites. The shoot took place in her own kitchen which was the perfect setting for the baking theme. "This is part of the reason I love my apartment." Jen tells us "It is the coolest apartment ever, and my love for it is part of the reason I have yet to join the adult world of home ownership. It has a bathroom that would probably rent out as a large bedroom in New York City and a classic stove that came straight from the original Be Witched TV show. No matter where I live in the future, I will always love this place. I am so glad I got to document it in such a special way!" I have to agree... and seeing these really makes me want to get my arse in gear and decorate our house! Thanks to Jen for sharing these.

Let’s Get Mad (Men)

Kat

February 6, 2010

Jenn & Gavin won Ambient Studios' 'Engagement Story Your Way' contest with their unique 60's/Mad Men idea which was fueled by their love of the show, and the style of the era. Photographers Larissa & Trevor told me all about it: Both working within the creative industry the idea of a jumping into the character of a 60's Advertising Executive seemed to be a great fit for this couple. They seemed to enjoy every minute of it and we worked to create photos that not only represented the stark, strong personalities represented on Mad Men, but also their affection for each other. (after all, in the end this fabulous couple is getting married!) The Paddock, an amazing little pub in downtown Toronto was our first location and I have to say, these two ROCKED it! The style of the bar, the classic cocktails, the clothes and Jen's fantastic make-up and hair all came together perfectly. We also spent a bit of time in the Financial District to take advantage of the cityscape as a backdrop as well even though it was quite chilly. All in all, I think all elements came together to create a great contemporary twist on a classic look! Thanks to Larissa & Trevor for sharing this fabulous shoot with us Credit: Ambient Studios

Valentine’s Love Letter

Kat

February 1, 2010

This beautiful Valentine's day/love letter themed shoot was sent to me by Alice Huand I'm afriad I couldn't wait until February 14th to share it with you. The shoot was put together for Fantasy Floral Designs. Amanda Heer is the original creator of the vintage brooch bouquet and for this shoot she created another keepsake bouquet called "Love Letter". The 'flowers' were made from vintage diaries and included photographs of loved ones to add another personal touch. The invitations in this shoot were provided by Papeterie Store. Thanks to Alice & Amanda for sending this over. I know people are going to go nuts for this! Credit: Alice Hu Photography

Under the Spotlight – Royal Steamline

Kat

January 27, 2010

Something a little different in Under the Spotlight today. I'd like to introduce you to Aerin & Jeremy of Royal Steamline. They specialise in wedding invites with a gothic/steampunk/retro/vintage vibe and I think you're going to totally dig what they do! I can't wait to get going... Who are you and what do you do? Royal Steamline is Aerin and Jeremy -- a husband-and-wife design team based in Portland, Oregon, USA. We create wedding invitations that have a dark, clockwork or otherwise retro/vintage flavor. Through a subtle and sometimes anachronistic combination of shadows, textures and vintage illustrations, we aim to convey a sense of eras strange and forgotten. Sea monsters mingle next to robotic ravens, and gentlemen scientists have tea with rockabilly rebels. Simply stated, we offer unconventional invitations for unconventional people. Who/what are your biggest influences? Who do you really admire? We primarily create designs that aim to capture a theme or mood. Our influences vary wildly -- from vintage fashion & science journals to odd finds at antique stores. Now, if you mean visual artists that we follow and appreciate, here are a few names off the top of our heads: EMEK, Alex Gross, George Tooker, Gregory Crewdson, Joe Coleman, Irving Norman, Guy Burwell, Wayne Douglas Barlowe, Michael Michael Motorcycle, Toni Frissell, Chris Ware, Guy Colwell, R. Kenton Nelson, and Jeremy could stare at Todd Schorr's "The Spectre of Monster Appeal" for hours. What is the ethos and idea behind your business? We want weddings to be cool. We want to change the way people think about weddings and offer alternatives that speak to their personal tastes. About seven years ago, a number of friends who were getting married began coming to us to design custom invitations since they couldn't find anything that epitomized their rockabilly, goth or other non-traditional wedding themes. So, we started to make invitations that were outside of the normal, plain, anemic styles that we were (and still are) seeing everywhere. More and more couples are insisting that their weddings reflect their personal styles instead of conforming to traditional wedding styles, structures, colors and attitudes. We want to contribute to their big party and help them have the weddings they want. How do you come up with invitation ideas? Often, our designs are sparked from a book or artifact on our shelves like a first edition of H.G. Wells' Star Begotten, an Edwardian glass eye, or Liz McGrath curios. Jeremy's been deep into Victorian pulps and I'm obsessed with mourning buttons and early 20th century advertising and science imagery. We're inspired by the stories of retro technology, old movies, textures of old paper...the look of outdated fonts...some crazy ornate border flourish. The combo of the different worlds usually leads to some interesting aesthetics. What is your most popular design? It seems to change every month, but 10/6 is always up there. I think that's because it's so versatile and has its own interpretation for each couple. Do you offer custom work? Of course! We offer unique "from scratch" custom designs, as well as custom design changes to our readymade invitations. Tell me a little about your favourite invitation you created and why. Hmm…I like Coney Island 1896 because I'm a big fan of old sideshow posters and I've got a soft spot for cephalopods. I think it just looks great printed -- and it really sets an undeniably quirky and fun tone. Jeremy likes Vintage Rock because, well, it's a symbol of vintage rock: Viva Gene Vincent and Wanda Jackson! Do you have any advice for people looking for invitation ideas? Really spend some time and look around for the right invitation for you. Your wedding invitation is a great way for your guests to get a peek at all the fun that's to come. And if you don't see what you're looking for, it never hurts to ask! What has been the highlight of your career so far? Really, just doing this full-time is a blast for us. But if we had to name a single client that we were flattered to work with, it might be Voltaire. We were so honored he chose us to create the invitations for what looked to be an awesome goth wedding. Name a couple of bands/songs that are on your stereo at the moment? Music plays a huge role withregard to who we are and what we do (or, maybe, just how we do it). We actually met when we were both living in San Francisco and our first date was basically one big argument about music (but it was great!). We genuinely enjoy a huge range of music: I grew up loving bands like Bauhaus, Ministry, Joy Division, Clan of Xymox, and The Smiths while J listened to stuff like the Misfits, Neurosis, Hawkwind and Einstürzende Neubauten. These days, we're still all over the place! Recently, shows we've seen include Earth, Stereolab, Marissa Nadler, The Raveonettes, Vagabond Opera, King Khan and BBQ, the Horrors, Thrones, Atlas Sound, the Ghastly Ones…We haven't even mentioned Jeremy's love of early Americana (Harry Smith is a big influence) and my collection of hard bop and sad bastard vinyl. What can we expect from you in 2010? We're always working on new designs and will soon be offering matching programs, table numbers and other wedding accoutrements on our website (currently only available by special request). Also, our New Year's Sale is still going on: we put 5 designs on sales the week of New Year's. To contact Aerin & Jeremy about your wedding invitations, go check out their fabulous and inspirational website and drop them an email to hello@royalsteamline.com If you are a photographer or wedding vendor and are interested in being featured in a future ‘Under the Spotlight’ post then drop me an email for all the info.

Peace & Love

Kat

January 27, 2010

This British boy and his American gal showed off their peace & love vibes in their shoot that took place to celebrate their marriage. The locations used are to die for, expecially the laundromat for with it's kitch retro flavour. Thanks to Brent for sharing these with us

Deluxe Boudoir

Kat

January 26, 2010

The vintage boudoir style is everywhere right now and it really seems to be sparking people's imaginations! I love how different people perceive things in their own unique way... Obviously my recently shoot was miles away in style to this one sent to me the other day by Courtney Wilson, but the brief was the same - to create some stunning boudoir images with a vintage flair. Courtney told me all about her inspiration behind this shoot: There was an image from Destry Rides Again (1939) where Marlene Deitrich is posed oh-so-sensually in her deluxe boudoir. I saw this image and was completely inspired to theme a shoot around it (the black and white shot was my interpretation of the actual image). The model is my sister, Eva, and she was a very willing subject on a rainy day at my home. After ransacking the whole house, we pulled together our favorite vintage accessories and went to town! Eva wore all her own clothes and I styled the shoot myself. her amazing shoes were from Shoegasm in Manhattan. Thanks to Courtney for sharing her vision with us

Monsters in the Morning

Kat

January 25, 2010

Dan is the executive producer for a radio station in Orlando (named Monsters in the Morning no less!) and Andrea is his stunning fiance. They chose Leigh Taylor for their engagement shoot (and upcoming wedding) as they knew she's produce images worthy of their Rock n Roll credentials! Love. These. Thanks to Leigh for sharing these Credit: Leigh Taylor Photography