Kennon & Bob’s “Double Rainbow” DIY Wedding

Kat

January 24, 2011

Kennon & Bob's "double rainbow" wedding is a perfect example of why less than perfect weather doesn't have to spell a disaster for your wedding or your wedding photographs! The wedding was held at South Shore Cultural Center, Chicago - the same venue that The Obama's held their wedding reception! The couple also loved the venue because all their rental fees are given to support arts and cultural programming in the area. "If you asked our family and friends, they'd say that we're Rock n Roll because we have tattoos and piercings, aren't traditional or religious, go a lot of concerts and love to throw parties," the bride told me. "Ok, we agree. We just didn't want a cookie-cutter wedding. We wanted nothing to do with dowries, religious figures or treating women as possessions. We wanted to share our beliefs in marriage -- love, respect, equality, friendship -- and to throw one hell of a party!"

A Groovy Kinda Love – The 1960’s are BACK!

Kat

January 21, 2011

"The idea for a 60's inspired shoot came about after I noticed we’re seeing lots and lots of vintage 1950's style about and I figured it was about time the 1960's gave it a run for its money," explained photographer Shelly. "I had a vision of a pink bowler hat and from there, everything else fell into place." Shelly invited planner Kelly (of Boho Weddings) and Asher to model for her. "I knew I wanted mini dresses in a Mary Quant style and Debbie over at Danielle Lara Couture created these two especially for the shoot. When I went to collect them, I ended up picking up a couple of others at the same time – I just couldn’t help myself!"

Sally & Vyv’s Stylish London Wedding

Kat

January 18, 2011

Sally & Vyv's stylish London wedding took place in November. The ceremony at Islington Town Hall was followed by a party at 06 St Chad's, Kings Cross. Sally told me all about their day, "My dress was from a vintage fair at Chelsea Town Hall, I don't know the designer/era but I was talking to a fab lady who runs a vintage shop in Camden Passage and she thought it might be late 50s. I didn't plan yellow but wanted a bright colour and when I saw it I knew it was what I was looking for. I got it altered by The Lady That Does who is as much fun as she is talented, I spent a good few evenings laughing over cups of tea at her house with her partner - they are both very into their vintage and run swing nights in Walthamstow, but that's another story... oh yes and he runs dance classes! I almost forgot that I was there to get the dress pinned they were so much fun! Shoes were unimaginatively from Topshop."

Esma & Emre’s Rock n Roll Boat Party Wedding

Kat

January 18, 2011

Esma & Emre were married in March in Istanbul. Their registry office ceremony was followed by a rockin' boat party! Esma wore a custom made dress to suit her exact requirements. The only jewellery she wore was her antique wedding ring, something that had been in Emre's family for 60 years.

Help Me Find The Perfect Rockabilly Dress For My Vegas Wedding!

Kat

January 15, 2011

The Editor of WEDDING Magazine’s Very Own Rock n Roll Wedding

Kat

January 13, 2011

I am totally thrilled, excited, over the moon, honoured that my editor at WEDDING Magazine asked if I wanted to feature her Rock n Roll wedding. As the editor of a national wedding magazine, you might expect her wedding to be the super traditional kind but not this chick! By working in the industry for so long, Catherine knew exactly what she did (and didn't!) want for her big day and the result was a fabulous and eclectic one.

Tasha & Noah’s Americana Backyard BBQ Wedding

Kat

January 11, 2011

Tasha & Noah's beautiful backyard wedding is pure inspirational gold! I am super excited to share it with you today. I just know you're all going to love it just as much as I do. The ceremony & reception took place in the couple's back garden and they asked all their friends & family to help out where they could to make the day a really personal one. "Noah and I wanted to have a small, chilled wedding that involved our families and close friends," Tasha told me. "Choosing red, white and blue for our Americana backyard BBQ wedding theme made finding coordinating fabric and accessories super easy. Nearly everything was DIY- Noah made our Save the Date''s and invitations, Noah's mom made all the desserts, Noah's mom, grandma and aunt made the bouquets and bouts from a few bouquets from Pike Place Market. My mom's friend made 200 feet of pennant flags from fabric I picked out at the fabric store down the street from my house. My sister and her boyfriend cut up all the fruit for our drinks. My aunt stamped all the BBQ bibs with a custom stamp that Noah designed. My aunts put together the centerpices the day before. On the day of the wedding, my mom and I set up all the tables, chairs, tablecloths, and centerpieces in an half an hour."

Chris & Jenn’s Rockabilly Car-Inspired Wedding

Kat

January 5, 2011

"The style and ambiance of our wedding had more to do with who we are as people than outside inspiration," newlywed's Chris & Jenn explained. "We find culture and appeal in a simpler moment in history. The 1950's are, after all, the birth of subculture; car culture was at the heart of this movement. We live, breathe, and bleed this car culture so it followed suit to incorporate our life into our wedding." So it was themselves and their own personal style and outlook on life that inspired their rockabilly wedding. The Californian couple made the wedding their own and wouldn't have changed a thing. Jenn's dress by Allure Bridals wasn't perfect for her until she cut it short herself to show off her awesome saddle shoes. Aren't those gorgeous?

Nicola & Steve’s Intimate New York City Wedding

Kat

January 3, 2011

Happy New Year! I'm starting 2011 with a bang, and the wedding of loyal Rock n Roll Bride reader Nicola to Steve. The couple, from Northern Ireland, were married in New York and Nicola spent a lot of her planning time on Rock n Roll Bride - in fact when she emailed me her wedding submission, I actually recognised her name from all the comments she'd left along the way. It was almost like we were old friends, so of course I I said yes to featuring her gorgeous Rock n Roll New York wedding on these pages.

Marzaan & Joe’s Beautiful South African Wedding

Kat

December 22, 2010

I was sent Marzaan & Joe's wedding quite a while ago now by their fabulous photographer's We Love Pictures and I couldn't hold off posting any longer! Joe is a South African rugby player, so understandably the couple are quite busy so I unfortunately don't have much info on this wedding for you. However I'm sure you'll agree that seeing the photos on their own, even without all the wedding info, is totally worth it.

Peppermint Pretty’s Retro & Quirky Wedding Dresses

Kat

December 20, 2010

These images were sent in by Rock n Roll Bride sponsor, Peppermint Pretty, to show off some of her latest designs. I love the quirky nature of these dresses, like nothing you would have seen before. The first 18 images in the gallery below are Katlyn's bridal shoot, she is wearing her wedding and reception dress. Aren't they both fab? I totally love that bow design. The photographs were taken by Kristin Allen of Bold & Kreative Photography, friend of dress designer Erin. The rest of the images show my favourites from the Peppermint Pretty collection. Each retro inspired dress is custom made to suit the individual bride. J'adore!

Melinda & Stu’s Rock n Roll Princess, Castle Wedding

Kat

December 15, 2010

have a certain affinity with this bride...can anyone work out why?! Cryptic huh? In fact you lot know me so well that I was sent links to this wedding by no less than five readers telling me I had to feature it as they all wanted to know more about this gorgeous wedding. Well, you asked...and I delivered. I'm so chuffed! Melinda & Stu were married in September at Thornewood Castle, Tacoma, WA. "My husband had always envisioned getting married in a European Castle," began the bride. "Unfortunately, I knew if we did that we'd have a very lonely wedding with just us and our parents, so we had to set our sights closer to... well, this continent. I didn't think it would be possible to find what Stu was envisioning in the Pacific Northwest, until I stumbled across Thornewood Castle. The Tudor manor house was originally build in England in the 1500's, but in 1910 it was moved brick by brick and reassembled on it's current site on American Lake in Tacoma, WA. We had the ceremony in the sunken rose garden, and the reception in the great hall, dining room, and loggia."

Troyene & Michael’s Multi-Coloured Marvel

Kat

December 14, 2010

I was sent Troyene & Michael's wedding and day after sesh by their photographer Lara and I have to be honest I was instantly smitten with her dress! As a lady who loves a bit of multi-coloured action myself, I couldn't wait to feature both sets of images together. The is one hell of a bumper post full of rainbow joy (check out the cake and umbrella too!) The dress is question was created for the bride by a friend and she wore it with Vivienne Westwood shoes. Oh how I love this girl's style.

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!

Leslie & Ben’s Rowing Club Wedding

Kat

December 8, 2010

Leslie & Ben's rowing club wedding shows perfectly why I adore my readers! Such utter gorgeousness without conforming to anybody else's idea of what makes a wedding...plus the whole thing was DIY. I approve! "We called in a lot of favours to make the day; partially because we had a limited budget, but also because by using friends the day would be more special. Luckily we have a lot of talented friends who include a graphic designer (who did our invitations), a chef (catering), a musician (band), ex-florist and so forth. The favours, peanut butter fudge, I made myself 4 days before. It was all gone before the main course at the sit down dinner, so I'm guessing no one minded it was made by the bride!"

Carolyn & Julian’s Multi-Coloured, RayBan Registration of Marriage

Kat

December 8, 2010

"My husband and I met on New Year's day in 2007 after a persistent friend-turned-matchmaker insisted that we meet," began Carolyn, the bride, when I asked her to tell me the story of how she met Julian. "It wasn't love at first sight at all, in fact I thought he looked like an obnoxious guy! It wasn't until we started chatting online and finally meeting up a couple more times, and when he asked "Have you heard of Explosions In The Sky?" (our space-out-heart-tugging fave musicians). It was a done deal. We became inseparable ever since."

Laura & Andy’s Classy, Rockabilly, Back to the Future Inspired, DIY Wedding

Kat

December 7, 2010

Laura & Andy's rockabilly wedding is pure class. Shot by the wonderful Chloe Browne of Caught the Light, the day exudes 1950's elegance and styling...with a big fat Rock n Roll twist! "We did things differently by really letting our personalities and our interests shine through our wedding preparations," began the bride. "Both ourselves and our friends are immersed in the music dancing and lifestyle of the 40s and 50s Swing and Rockabilly scene. It was inherent that I would wear a 50s style dress rather than a traditional wedding dress, that the details of our wedding would be centered around our love of vintage music, pin-up fashion, jive and jitterbug dancing, traditional tattoos, classic Chevy pickups!"

Adrienne & Christian’s Budget-Friendly, Central Park Wedding

Kat

December 3, 2010

Adrienne & Christian were married in Central Park in a simple but perfect ceremony, "Central Park allows the rental of any place (except for the Conservatory Gardens) for just $25," explained the bride. "The challenge is that they do not allow you to bring in anything, including chairs, so we all had to stand. It worked out perfectly, though, since we were in a beautiful location that did not need decoration, and we had two friends organize everyone upon their arrival into neat rows with an aisle. Another friend handed out whistles and ribbon wands on the path leading to the ceremony location, so everyone could arrive while making their own music with a smile. Our assortment of slide whistles, kazoos, and siren whistles were from Century Novelty."

Hannah & Jack’s Rockabilly Party Wedding

Kat

November 30, 2010

"When I was little, I dreamed of having my very own big, white wedding," began Hannah. "However, when Jack and I decided to get married and started to make plans, it became apparent that even if we’d been able to afford it, we’d both feel out of place at a huge, formal gathering. What we really wanted was to have a great party with our families and mates, a party that just happened to include a wedding ceremony. So we threw ourselves into the planning and tried to make it ours." And that's exactly what this Rock n Roll couple did! The entire day reflected them and the things they love.

Kevin & Shawna’s Budget Balimore Elopement

Kat

November 26, 2010

“We had two requirements for our wedding day: that it be in our favourite season of autumn and that it be just the two of us,” explained newlyweds Kevin & Shawna. “We’re both a little uncomfortable with a ton of people showering us with attention, and we knew we would not be happy with a traditional wedding. It was important that we be able to focus on us and only us...to have that intimacy. Our families were not initially thrilled, and we considered many possibilities of changing our plans because honestly, we were feeling guilty of depriving them of witnessing our wedding day. Yet every time we thought about planning a traditional ceremony and a reception, we quickly lost sight of what we were doing and why. It became more about making everyone else happy, and we were becoming more and more miserable and stressed out, and that’s NOT how we wanted to start our lives as husband and wife. So, we stuck to our guns and did what we wanted! We’re also so freakin’ Rock n Roll that we shot down an after-honeymoon reception idea. We admit we’re being selfish, but we have a lot of stuff going on in our lives, and we want to focus on us and building a solid foundation to our marriage. In lieu of a reception, we’re thinking of throwing a one year anniversary party because what better way to celebrate a marriage than by actually getting through that first year together!?”