Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

UK

Nathaniel & Eve’s Quickie Wedding

Kat

January 26, 2011

When photographer Eliza Claire tweeted me to tell me the bride she had just met was wearing a Vivienne Westwood dress for her wedding I immediately got excited. So excited in fact that I 'bagged' featuring the event before I'd even seen one photograph! Eve's dress was not an actual 'wedding dress' at all, but one from Vivienne's Anglomania range that she had fallen in love with. "I'd been non stop dress shopping for two weeks and so far had six wedding dresses hanging in my wardrobe - all cream or ivory, all perfectly lovely, but none quite hitting the spot," Eve told me. "The fact was that I wanted a Vivienne Westwood dress - I just love that VW look, the corset style waist, emphasis on the bust, full skirt... But I'd been to her shop and couldn't find anything, I think at that point I was still set on a white wedding you see. Then, the week before the wedding, in one last ditch attempt to find THE dress, I was racing through Selfridges when I passed the Anglomania concession - and there it was. I fell in love with it straight away. It helps that grey and navy are my favourite colours."
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Under the Spotlight – For Your Eyes Only

Kat

January 25, 2011

The trend for brides to organise a pre-wedding boudoir shoot to commemorate their pre-wedding self, as well as provide their husband's to be with a sexy memento of just how lucky they are (!) is one that has gained momentum over the past few years. Not many of you will know this, but Iactually did a similar shoot before I got married! Needless to say it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be (it was the first professional photo shoot I'd ever done!) and Gareth erm...LOVED the results! One of the poineers in boudoir photography are For Your Eyes Only. The studio based company is run by women for women! They company was set up in 2002 by Alexandra Burns - her idea being to create stunning images of gorgeous women of all shapes and sizes.
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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!"
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Our Wedding Featured in Wedding Ideas Magazine (Again!)

Kat

January 20, 2011

Back in the Summer I was asked by Wedding Ideas Magazine, who originally featured Gareth & my wedding waaay back in 2008, if we would like to take part in a Real Life Weddings Revisited feature. Being a huge poser, I of course jumped at the chance (and Gareth came along for the ride - again - too!) I also thought it would be a nice opportunity to share our wedding with all the new readers of the blog who probably won't have seen it before. What a difference 3 years can make huh? As you can see, our wedding certainly wasn't the most Rock n Roll out there. The wedding industry in the UK was a very different place in 2008, and my disillusion with most of the choices that were offered to us at that time was actually the catalyst for starting this blog and campaigning for alternative weddings everywhere!
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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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A Quirky, British, Cupcakey Kinda Day

Kat

January 17, 2011

Oh I do love a pretty & retro photo shoot to brighten up a Monday morning and this fabulous one, sent over my Bethan of Haywood Jones Photography, fits the bill perfecto! "The main aim of this shoot was to achieve a real vintage glamour look and feel," began photographer Bethan. "We wanted a big slice of silver screen elegance with a large portion of delicious cupcakes on the side! My Pretty Little Things specialise in making veils and fascinators which hark through the eras of the 20's right through to the 50's and approached me to organise a vintage themed session. When organising the shoot, I contacted Queenies Cupcakes who have a shop in Ironbridge right around the corner to me, to see if we could use them as a location for part of the day. They were absolutely brilliant and we all had a good nibble on the cupcakes while we were there, work is so hard sometimes!"
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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.
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Abbie & Steven’s Snow-Capped, Twitter Inspired Wedding

Kat

January 12, 2011

Abbie & Steven found a lot of their wedding day inspiration online, including Rock n Roll Bride, which makes their wedding a very special one indeed. I've followed the bride on Twitter for the last few months in fact so I do feel a little bit like I've been along for the ride of their wedding planning! "I don’t think we ever set out to be different just be ourselves. We never liked the ideas of themes as it can often just become gimmicky and lose sight that it’s actually a wedding and not some theme party," Abbie told me. " Ensuring it felt like a wedding was really important to us but we didn’t believe that meant keeping it traditional. This is not an easy balance to strike, it’s not about rebelling for the sake of it but picking and choosing the things that mean something to you."
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Debs & Richie’s Budget Friendly, Crafty & Vintage Wedding

Kat

January 6, 2011

When photographer Emma Case emails me with "eeek's!" and "wooohoo's!" when talking about her latest wedding I stand by and prepare myself for greatness. I am SO EXCITED to share Debs & Richie's wedding as not only did I blog their fabulous engagement session just before Christmas, but they used Rock n Roll Bride as inspiration for their awesome vintage wedding. "When Richie & I got engaged we did not have a clue what we wanted our wedding to be like, all we knew was that we wanted it quite small, with only close family and friends, good food, good music, and wanted it to reflect on us as a couple as much as possible. Our budget was small and we began to panic! How are we going to manage to create a wedding on such a small budget, that's when I turned to the Internet and found a number of wedding blogs (Rock n Roll Bride was one of the first) that gave me loads of inspiration on how different weddings can be, and how much of your own personality you can add to your special day! I became obsessed with the blogging world, I had bookmarked hundreds of images made folders upon folders and my inspiration began to expand."
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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.
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A Bonus Thursday Treat – Anna and the Ring’s Snowy Wedding

Kat

December 30, 2010

Thursday treats may officially be finished for 2010, but I couldn't let this year conclude without sharing the fact that my gorgeous friend - blogger and regular Rock n Roll Bride guest poster, Anna and the Ring got married! Anna's snowy wedding to David took place in November and was perfectly captured by the epic Emma Case. For the full set of glorious image and all the juicy details be sure to pop by Emma Case's blog, and Love My Dress.
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Farley & Niko’s Hippy-tastic Rainbow Wedding

Kat

December 17, 2010

The thing I love about all you Rock n Roll Bride's is the diversity of all your weddings. Every morning my inbox is flooded with so many different wedding visions that it my days are never dull! Farley & Niko's wedding was planned in only 8 weeks. They explained, "We decided to go for it when Farley's Dad was diagnosed with pancreas and liver cancer. We therefore hadn't saved for it and had to cut corners where ever we could. We did have some very generous donations form family members which made it possible. I think we did it all within £4000 (that's 120 guests all fed)."
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Wedding Stationery…to Buy or DIY?

Kat

December 11, 2010

What is it with girls and stationery? Ever since school I remember getting super excited as September drew near...not to be going back to class, but to be allowed to buy new stationery for the year ahead. I'd spend hours wondering around WH Smiths and Paperchase, fingering every little brightly coloured item, searching for the perfect kit that was both practical and exuded my ever-changing sense of style. I think for girls this long-term love affair is why we see wedding stationery as such an integral part of our wedding day. It must be just right, it must be personal and it must look like a lot of thought went into it. In this budget-conscious climate, a lot of brides to be choose to DIY their stationery. Whilst there is certainly nothing wrong with this (hell, I DIY'ed the lot!) I wanted to ask an expert in this field to chat us through the importance of wedding stationery as well as highlighting the pros and cons of DIY vs buying your stationery...without simply writing the usual wedding-supplier-self-promotion-patter of "your stationery will set the tone for your whole wedding day" crap that you read everywhere else. Enter Lucy Ledger of the awesome Lucy Ledger Designs...
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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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Under the Spotlight – Zankyou

Kat

December 8, 2010

The traditional gift list may be a thing of the past for a lot of Rock n Roll couples. With more people than ever living together before they marry and with many of us being shopaholics (OK I'm talking about myself here!) it's pretty easy to fill your love nest with everyday pretties reasonably sharpish. Also, what if your taste is less John Lewis and more Marc Jacobs? Maybe you'd rather spend hours browsing etsy for cute, handmade things than the aisles of a soulless department store staring at dinner services and throws that your Granny would like. Or maybe travel is more your thing? How would you like your guests to be able to donate towards your honeymoon instead? Or even pay for a fancy meal out somewhere?
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Alice in Weddingland – The Perfect Punk Rock Princess Dress

Kat

December 6, 2010

For most brides-to-be the dress is the number one most important thing they'll choose for their weddings. In fact in the mind's of many girls it's the most important dress they'll ever wear so getting it just right is key. This month, our resident intern Alice talks about her hunt for the perfect punk rock princess wedding dress...and one that wouldn't break the bank! (and I'm pretty chuffed that I was able to help her out with that one) Enjoy, and as always, show some love in your comments...
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Photography Friday (Monday!) – Snow Day

Kat

December 6, 2010

Yeah..this is kinda late but I'm not going to apologise for wanting to stay in and keep warm last week! Minus 2 is not my idea of a fun time. However I did want to share a few snowy pictures with you so this weekend I put on my faux fur coat and trusty Superdry boots (my current daily uniform of choice) and bravely wondered outside into the deep freeze. Our sprinkling of snow certainly isn't as deep as many places in the UK right now, but the slightly frosted scenes did make for some super pretty pictures. Oh and how cute is freezy cold Gareth?!
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Faux Fur in Leopard Print – Gorgeous Glaswegian Vintage Engagement

Kat

December 1, 2010

It's the 1st of Decemeber, and what better way to start of this freezing month than a chilly but beautiful British engagement session? Everyone knows I am Emma Case's biggest fan, and engagement sessions like Debs & Richie's are the reason why. Quite apart from the trademark Emma Case gorgeousness, this couple are just too cool for words. Faux fur in leopard print, denim turn ups and helium balloons all make me smile.
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