Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

British Brides

Bunting, Cupcakes & Chickens – An English Village Fete Wedding

Kat

June 24, 2010

OK so I feature a lot of weddings photographed by Emma Case...but the thing is, all her weddings and all her couples are so RAD that as soon as I see the photographs I'm like "Emma Emma Emma send these to meeeee!" You get me right? The event I got so excited about this week was Kelly & John's wedding. Their inspiration came from the traditional English village fete, "where Nan brings an apple pie and auntie Brenda brings the coleslaw" Kelly explained. I love that!! The couple wanted a laid back, casual, relaxed and informal wedding which they pulled off on a budget. "We had two things in mind when we planned our wedding" Kelly told me. "We would not spend silly money and we would do it our way. We wanted a relaxed, informal ‘village fete’ wedding with no formalities and in general, a big knees up! Practically everything was done on a budget but I think it makes you more creative anyway! I think having a wedding with a difference in England is hard work – finding the right people to work with and in particular, sticking to your guns, but it really is soooo worth it. Our wedding couldn’t have been ‘more us’ and it went beyond both our expectations – and the comments we’ve had about the day have been very touching. I just wish we could do it all again!"
Read more...

Fabulous 50’s & Multi-Coloured Tulle

Kat

June 22, 2010

As soon as a saw Catherine & Kev's fabulous 50's style wedding, my attention was drawn to one thing - that amazing Stephanie James Couture dress! I have been a superfan of the designer ever since I found and fell in love with this amazing multi-coloured tulle creation and OMG Catherine's had a similar underskirt. She too fell in love with this dress when I featured in a while ago. "My maid of honour, Kirree, found a dress on Rock n Roll Bride made by Stephanie James Couture" Catherine explained. "It was the 'Lustful' or 'Tame Fifi' dress you featured a while back, as soon as she sent me a link to the pictures I knew that was the dress I needed to get married in! I quickly got in touch with Stephanie and asked if she could make me a similar version and she said yes!"
Read more...

A Non-Vanilla, Love-Filled, 1950’s Delight

Kat

June 21, 2010

An excitable email from a newly married reader always brightens my day and LeeAnn's may have been one of the most excitable I've received in a while! I just had to share the story behind her and husband David's gorgeous 1950's influenced wedding with you today. "After gorging my eyes on a ga-jillion bridal mags and internet images, I felt I was living a white-out groundhog day" LeeAnn began. "I quickly became downhearted about organising my own BIG DAY, the no-fun casting my eye over "traditional" gowns (this one? no, that one? no, repeat), the vanilla-ness of invites, pink-and-white themes to the power of 42,000! Where did the love go?"
Read more...

Quirky English Summer Festival Wedding

Kat

June 19, 2010

This quirky, laid back British wedding with a cool festival vibe was sent over to be last week and you guessed it, I couldn't wait to feature it. Rachel & Dan really did it their own way and I love the idea of a chilled out party in a tent to celebrate a wedding. The couple were officially married at a registry office but has an 'unoffical' church blessing at St Peter's Church, Weston, Suffolk. They didn't make a big deal about the registry office part as they didn't want this to feel like their actual wedding - in fact Rachel was still at work half an hour before their appointment! The reception was held at Marsh Farm which was just a holiday property when they found it. However since the couple got married there and Rachel published an article in The Guardian newspaper about the wedding, the owner decided to change it to a wedding venue.
Read more...

A Laid Back Brighton Beach Wedding

Kat

June 15, 2010

Becky & Jon wanted to have a laid back wedding with all their closest friends and family at one of their favourite posh restaurants in Brighton, The Ginger Pig. Originally Becky didn't even want to wear a wedding dress but after falling in love with this gorgeous David Fielden number, she soon changed her mind. It even disguised her baby bump pretty well! She paired this with some vintage shoes that had belonged to her Mother. The ceremony was held at Brighton Town Hall which was followed by some quick portraits on the beach - complete with the iconic Brighton beach huts and champagne in plastic glasses!
Read more...

Tamanna & Tanveer’s Muslim Wedding Celebration

Kat

June 15, 2010

You don't see enough Asian weddings in blog land which surprises me really as they are so colourful and full of love that one would think they were perfect blogging material. Luckily for me, photographer Tapas Maiti, who specialises in these weddings, send me this gorgeous Muslim wedding last week. I have a couple of Indian friends and I am always intrigued to hear about their epic wedding celebrations and how different they are to the western wedding. They are all about colour, family and fun!
Read more...

1950s Housewife Engagement – Tea, Cakes & Scrabble!

Kat

June 11, 2010

Alex & Claire's retro, 50's housewife engagement is aces! Not only because it was shot by one of my bestest wedding buddies, Emma Case but because it has tea, cakes and scrabble! "Alex and Claire are getting married in August and Alex is my best friend's boyfriend's brother so I know them both pretty well and am ridiculously excited about their wedding as I know what our nights out are like when we all go out together!" Emma began to yell me excitedly. "A special treat is Claire's wonderful rendition of "Oh, wouldn't it be lovely" in a cockney accent...she's actually very Northern (that's usually nearer the end of the night)."
Read more...

Laundrette Lovers

Kat

June 10, 2010

I've always loved laundrette photo sessions so when Brighton photographer Joanna Brown sent me this set I couldn't wait to share it... "I have been living in quirky Kemptown in Brighton for some time and have always had my eye on the Laundrette round the corner thinking it would be perfect location for a shoot" Joanna told me. "I have always thought that there is something quite lovely and romantic about laundrettes; the sound of the machines quietly whirling that combined with complete strangers just hanging out sharing a really mundane chore. So I have been patiently waiting for my opportunity to arrive and hey presto a lovely couple got in touch and I could not quite believe it. Laura and Rikki met whilst studying at Bath University and had seen each other around the campus; at the bar, in the library and also spied each other at the local laundrette; after sometime Rikki finally asked Laura out and the rest is history. They are simply an adorable couple who have a great sense of humour, Rikki even took Laura on one of their first dates to a Laundrette (how romantic). We had a hoot at the Laundrette (I think some of the regulars thought we were balmy) especially when Laura lay on the floor for one of the shots; hey it is Brighton though anything goes!"
Read more...

A Bout De Souffle – A Cinematic Engagement

Kat

June 3, 2010

Shalma & Leo were lucky enough to find their photographer David through a feature on Rock n Roll Bride so as soon as the excited bride emailed me to tell me that they'd chosen David I was already looking forward to seeing what he would come up with for their engagement session. Over the past few years David has truly become the one to watch when it comes to his pre-wedding shoots. He's always pushing the boundaries and never fails to impress with his unique eye for detail. Shalma & Leo wanted to go for a film noir, classic film and super stylised shoot and in an unusual departure from his usual hyper colourful style, David decided process this entire shoot into black & white to fit in perfectly with this theme. "This couple are into their photography big time" David said "but they’re also in their classic films and wanted to have a pre-wedding shoot that referenced one of their favourites, A Bout De Souffle. This was a french film where the characters mostly smoke and drink coffee a lot - so we tried to recreate the streets of Paris in Richmond!"
Read more...

Pure (Feather) Love

Kat

June 2, 2010

Emma Case is my home-girl. I love her. She is a massive (and I mean crazy massive, like totally obsessed) fan of Featherlove Photography so when she found out that Noa was over in London in April, she jumped at the chance to do an engagement shoot with her fiance Pete. As soon as Emma told me of her plans I immediately 'bagsied' the images for featuring as I knew, even without seeing a single frame or knowing the premise of the shoot that they would be awesome...and boy how right I was! I asked Emma this morning if there was anything she wanted me to add to this post and she simply replied "The only thing I would like to add is a big fat thank you to Pete. I cannot begin to explain how supportive he has been over the past six months. I love him with all my heart and he's so friggin' hot in these pictures it's unreal!!" So much cuteness. Now hurry up and get married you guys. I'm waiting for my invite in the post damnit!
Read more...

Sue & Shonagh Whimsical & Wonderful Wedding – A Touching Tribute

Kat

June 1, 2010

Sue & Shonagh actually got married in May 2008, however following the sad passing of Sue's Mum Hilary to Cancer just recently, with the full co-operation of the couple, both myself and photographer Caroline thought it would be a fitting tribute to share their whimsical and wonderful wedding with you today. Sue (in the tartan dress) and Shonagh (in the blue dress) were neighbours of Caroline and as soon as she heard the couple we getting married she jumped at the chance to photograph it. Another friend, who also lived in the same building, Vonny Mullock, made both the brides' dresses. Sue got ready in their flat and Shonagh got married in Vonny's flat. The couple met on the landing between when they were both ready and headed out together to get married.
Read more...

Rustic Retro with a Diy Charm

Kat

May 25, 2010

Fanni & Ben got married in April at Cripps Barn in Gloucestershire. Bored by the usual wedding stuff they found in magazines and at wedding shows, the pair turned to the internet for inspiration and luckily for them stumbled upon not only Rock n Roll Bride but a plethora of amazing ideas via some awesome American wedding blogs. "Back at the drawing board, I found myself scanning an array of American wedding blogs. All of which featured jaw-droppingly gorgeous weddings that looked amazing but had little or no information about weddings in the UK, and then I stumbled across your site!" Fanni told me "From that day on, Rock n Roll Bride truly was a breath of fresh air for me from everything else I had seen out there previously. Your site was reassuring that we didn't have to be confined to the norm or do things a certain way because it was tradition. Our wedding was our day, our way. We wanted our guests to have the best time and not be left thinking that they were just at....'another textbook wedding.' So, with much planning and evenings spent beavering away we managed to pull it all together."
Read more...

City Chic Fashionista Wedding

Kat

May 19, 2010

Lee & Rose got married in Liverpool in a super duper stylish way. Rose's outfit is literally off-the-hook! Have you ever seen a bride look so damn funky? Plus (and you're going to love this) it is all from the British high street! Be sure to check out the full list of where each item was found after the photographic goodness. I am just mad about those tights... "There was no real theme as such, but the sort of couple we are means that we wanted something relaxed, informal and fun" Lee , the groom, told me "We wanted a simple wedding, we wanted to wear the outfits we wanted, we wanted to pay for everything ourselves, and more importantly, we wanted our friends and family to come and have a good time, not feel like they had to behave in a manner they normally wouldn't, i.e. no strict seating arrangements, not worrying about which knife to use to cut the bread roll, etc. We're not show-offs, and we're not millionaires, and we have our own sense of style, so we couldn't see the point in all this so-called 'traditional' excess that means the marriage starts off with £30,000 worth of debt! It just wouldn't be us.”
Read more...

Night of the Living Wed

Kat

May 17, 2010

This ghoulish, retro horror themed wedding may not be everybodys cup of tea but I can't help but be a little over-excited about it. So. Much. Originality! Photographer Al, who has just been shortlisted for 'Tattoo Photographer of the Year' was keen to tell me all about Ash and Michelle Ghoulmore's (oh yes!) friday the 13th wedding. The couple run retro rebels store and the horror-themed clothing company Kreepsville 666 so their wedding was always going to be a spooky special. 'Ghoulmore' actually is Ash's surname and they pretty much live Halloween everyday, so it was fitting to pick a horror / b-movie inspired Wedding theme. "This meant I had to light the formals in a slightly different way to ensure I got that punchy highly saturated contrasty feel that fits with the mood" photographer Al told me. "This was the first time I've seen a smoke machine used during the ceremony! The archway was decorated with skulls and light like a stage. As you can see form the photos the cake was a skull and all the attendees got to take home a set of cast-silver effect fangs to say 'fangs for coming' [groan]. Zombina and the Skeletones provided the live music for the reception, again fitting the horror-rockabilly theme."
Read more...