April 23, 2011
It's been a little while since the last post from guest writer Charley of London Bride, so I thought it was high time to get her back into the fold and sharing her gorgeous finds with us. This week, she shares her obsession with all thing typography...Read more...
April 4, 2011
With less then 12 weeks to go everything is (hopefully!) coming together. Still, there remains a few pieces of my wedding puzzle that need to be organised, and this month I’ve been an absolute bridal machine getting as much sorted out as possible. Wedding flowers always caused me slight concern when allocating a budget to each element of the wedding, because, quite frankly, I had no idea where to begin! I’d never stepped foot in a florist, and found the ones that I walked past in Brighton quite unapproachable and intimidating. So needless to say, organising my wedding flowers was not something I was looking forward to.Read more...
March 12, 2011
Hi Kat, I've followed your blog since I got engaged in October and after a week of commiserating on the subject, I have to reach out for help. I am making my gown and all my bridesmaid's gowns, but we are in a dilemma when it comes to my fiance. The wedding is at a summer camp (very bohemian) and there is to be no hint of tuxedo attire let alone renting anything, and at (skinny) 6', 145lbs, tattooed, long haired, we are really coming up short with finding anything his size, style, and not 'traditional' that he would actually be interested in looking at. Do you know of any unique suit shops or websites (not Urban Outfitters) that could help point us in the right direction? Or should we just start scouring thrift shops? Our wedding is in 8 months. Thank you so much for any help you can give! Rebeka & Alan www.alanandbeka.comRead more...
March 5, 2011
I have adored Twinkie Chan from afar for a long time. Her "Eat your cake... and wear it too!" motto kind of speaks to my sweet tooth-loving self you see! Her colourful and super kawaii blog has brought daily rays of sunshine into my life for quite a while now ad I'm pretty much jumping over rainbows with the excitement of sharing our little collaboration with you all today! For those of you not familiar with Twinkie Chan, she is a crocheting marvel from San Francisco who has risen to fame with her cute and food inspired creations. She has made everything from scarf's, hair accessories and other wearable goodies from wool and her designs literally fly off the shelves as soon as she posts them to her etsy store. In short, she makes crocheting cool again! She's even released a tutorial book of some of her adorable creations, which got me thinking...Read more...
March 1, 2011
This month Rock n Roll Bride intern and columnist, Alice headed out with her fiance Graham for their very first photo shoot together - their engagement session with photographer Sassy of Assassynation. The engagement session can often be a bit of a nervous time for a soon-to-be-wed couple, as for the majority of people it's the first time they've had a processional photo shoot. So, this month I asked Alice to tell us all about her experiences and why, when you've got your perfect photographer on the job, there really is nothing to be afraid of! I am seriously chuffed to share Alice & Graham's engagement session with you today...seeing these is making me super excited to see their wedding photos too! Also...is is weird that I'm a little bit proud of my Alice when I see these? Awww love... ♥ ♥ ♥ A couple of weekends ago Graham and I ventured into the heart of the Cotswolds, for our engagement shoot. We drove to Sassy’s house, where she settled our nerves by cooking us bacon sandwiches with cups of tea! After Graham got to know her a bit (I had met her for the first time the day before at the Designer Wedding Show) we discussed possible ‘venues’ for the days shoot. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, and we decided that outside would be best, so we could make the most of the natural light. Sassy explained that the shoot would last around a couple of hours, and that what we did in that time was pretty much up to us. When she mentioned an abandoned RAF watchtower and runway a few miles from her house I was beyond excited: I am a bit of a War History buff so the thought of being able to include that element in our engagement shoot was amazing! We got in her car and drove to the tower.Read more...
February 19, 2011
I've lost count of the number of times I've read an email or comment from a bride-to-be, stressing that her wedding wouldn't be "blog-worthy enough" and that totally makes me sad. I LOVE to feature all kinds of weddings, detail-heavy or not. I actually back this up on my About page: "There is no ideal Rock n Roll Bride. What I love isn’t necessarily what floats your boat. What makes the weddings (and therefore my site) so fab is YOU! I try to share a diverse variety of weddings, photo shoots and general gorgeousness so I know you’ll find something you love here. The only thing I ask is that each feature is a perfect representation of the couple and their individuality. Think tattooed punk brides next to eco hippy chic weddings and DIY extravaganzas placed side by side with elaborate Alice in Wonderland themed weddings and your half way there."Read more...
February 5, 2011
Hello Kat, Hope you are keeping well!!! I see you have been very busy and it's not even Feb yet!!!!! I have to thank you again for blogging the wedding. We've been married now for 5 months but I still go to your blog religiously everyday! David has also been amazing and used one of my pics for the link to his website which just makes me grin like a cheshire cat!!!!!! (You can she Shalma & Leo's wedding here!)Read more...
January 31, 2011
When I (used) to hear the words ‘wedding stationary’ I automatically thought of either a) plain and overpriced stationery that you can get on the high-street or b) the hand-made versions I used to make whilst kidding myself I was good at art whilst at school. And quite frankly, I don’t know which option is worse! Looking back on the ‘pre-stationary enlightenment’ Alice I just nod my head sadly…if only I knew then what I know now! After getting stuck in head (and heart) first into exploring various wedding stationery options I feel like the ultimate authority on the subject, and this is largely from the lessons I have learnt along the way. So this is what I’m going to share with you today in this little column, so that hopefully at least one person feels less helpless in the sea of wedding stationary options!Read more...
January 15, 2011
January 8, 2011
Hi Kat, I've been pouring over your blog for 6 months gathering lots of gorgeous ideas for my wedding next year. But before that I've got my new sister-in-law's very traditional wedding to attend as a guest in AprilRead more...I've been trawlling the internet for weeks trying to find the perfect outfit/accessories which will mark me out as a bona fide Rock n Roll Bride-to-be, without upstaging the bride - well, not too much anyway! I would love it if you were able to work your Rock n Roll magic and help me find some inspiration. Thank you!!!
December 18, 2010
With Christmas fast approaching I asked wedding blogger & wedding stylist (and Rock n Roll Bride guest writer regular) Charley of London Bride, to come up with some suitably festive treats for you this week. 'Tis the season after all!Read more...
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...Read more...
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...Read more...
December 4, 2010
I heart Elsie. I've been following her awesome crafty blog, A Beautiful Mess, for the past year or so am not afraid to admit that I'm a bit of an super fan. Elsie got engaged to Jeremy in August and so secretly I was hoping she'd share all her wedding planning and DIY ideas on her blog. Last week I received an email from Elise and her sister Emma telling me that not only have they started their own wedding blog, Le Wedding Party, but that Elsie would like to share some of her amazing DIY tutorials on Rock n Roll Bride! Eeek...I am so excited that she even knows my little blog exists, let alone that she wants to share her stuff with us!Read more...
November 27, 2010
Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you won't have failed to notice that a certain Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married next April. Now, whist I have to admit, the whole thing doesn't excite me as much as a lot of wedding -obsessives (will their wedding be Rock n Roll? I think not!) I do love a good royal theme. I love crowns so much I have one tattooed on my arm and I actually own a number of things on this list already! I love ostentatious tiaras and I actually wore the Butler & Wilson skull tiara to my Rock n Roll party. The Evans Litchfield cushions adorn my sofa and the crown ring can regularly be spotted on my finger! I even wore a version of the Irregular Choice shoes for the Mad Hatter photo shoot.Read more...
November 20, 2010
After featuring Josephine & Radney's incredibly gorgeous and eclectic DIY wedding last week I was inundated with emails from you lot about the bride's gorgeous DIY fabric flower bouquet. So I asked the lovely Josephine very nicely if she'd be so kind as to write a little tutorial for you. She was more than thrilled to oblige! I'd love to see some more Rock n Roll Brides rocking down the aisle with one of these babies! Huge thanks to Josephine for working on this feature with me.Read more...
November 13, 2010
Following the popularity of the first The Rock n Roll Bride Venue Guide, written by wedding planner and stylist Mary Herrington of Forever & Ever Events, I was keen to ask her if she'd be willing to do a bit of travelling for us and do some venue guides for the rest of the country. This month, Mary visited Manchester to bring you her reviews of the most kick ass venues for your Rock n Roll wedding! Following the great response to my first venue post on London’s Rock n Roll reception venues, I now take you up north to Manchester, where the city and surrounding areas offer a truly eclectic mix of inspiring venues for a Rock n Roll wedding. As I did in my London venues post, my approach here is to recommend a variety of venues across the spectrum of budgets and aesthetics, from very cool historical architecture to vintage modern interior design to contemporary and modern dance halls. Remember that no matter where you have your wedding, if you put your personal stamp on it, the venue will come alive.Read more...
November 1, 2010
It's time for post number two (well three if you count our impromptu trip to the Designer Wedding Show last month) in the series that is proving to be quite a hit with you lot! This month Alice went on the hunt for the perfect photographer to document her wedding... When I sat down and wrote my wedding wish-list, getting a top-notch wedding photographer was right up there. Think what you will, a good photographer was even higher up on my list of priorities then a wedding dress! I figure a dress lasts a day, but the photographs are the memories that will be shared with friends and family alike, and will last forever. In my eyes a securing the photographer of your dreams is the best wedding investment a bride can make…but where to begin? If you google ‘wedding photographer Brighton’ you are given hundreds of results, but I found this list to be pretty useless as I really didn’t know what I was looking for. What are the merits of negotiating a copy-write-free deal on your images? Reportage or traditional style? Ten minutes in and I was freaking out; finding the photographer for me seemed like an impossible task. Then I came across rocknrollbride.com!Read more...
Julia Boggio
October 23, 2010
This is a subject I have wanted to address on the blog for a while, but I'll be honest, I have been a little afraid of bringing it up. I need to make a few things clear first. ♥ I am a HUGE advocate of helping start up businesses. I often feature the work of brand new and up and coming photographers on the blog ♥ I am a true believer that a fantastic photographer can make even the most budget wedding look kick ass - more than the dress, the decor and the extra details. Seriously, while all these aspects are important it is the photographer that will capture these memories that will last a lifetime ♥ Everyone deserves to have a truly fantastic photographer to capture their day. Whatever your budget, I can't stress enough how much I'd urge you to spend as much money as you are able to in order to get the very best photographer that you can afford I don't want the fact that I have approached the subject of money, business and all that icky stuff to in anyway ostracise any readers of my little blog. However I do think that just how much you're going to spend on photography is something that should be addressed. It's something that all couples will talk about when they plan their weddings and talk about budget but it's a subject that is never spoken about on blogs or in magazines. Why is this? Well, people don't really like to talk about money do they? My reasoning behind this post is not in anyway to try and encourage you to spend more than you can afford or are willing to on your wedding photography, however I do want to make you stop and think if the service you are getting for the price you're paying really is good value. I have lost count of the number of brides I've had email me asking for photographer recommendations for under £500 and I've also lost count of the number friends I've spoken to who have recoiled at the fact that a lot of the photographers I know are charging £2000 + for "one day's work" (seriously? do people still think photographers only work one day a week!?) I know weddings are expensive things and that this sort of money is a lot for most people, but I can't stress enough that I feel photography is really the one thing you should splash out on. If you can only afford £500 for a wedding photographer then great, but just be aware that the results that you get from a photographer who is only charging that much will most certainly be inferior to someone a bit more pricey. Even if the talent is there, someone able to charge more than this, will if anything have a lot more experience than someone still charging around the £500 mark. If you are happy to pay under £500 for a photographer then fantastic - rock it out, but just be aware that for that price you aren't going to get Jose Villa/Jasmine Star/Jonas Peterson/Jeff Ascough... I hate to say it, but in this industry, you really do get what you pay for.Read more...
October 20, 2010
A few weeks ago myself and the lovely Rock n Roll Bride intern, Alice, headed to The Designer Wedding show. I asked her if she'd like to write the report for me as I felt that her opinion on the show (as a bride-to-be) would be much more interesting for you..especially those of you who might be a little afraid of the whole 'bridal show experience. I'm not going to lie, the big shows can be hella scary - but this smaller and more intimate wedding show is actually very pleasant- there are no scary brides with clipboards (give me strength!) or manic and desperate suppliers trying to shove leaflets in your face. Think champagne reception, clean white stalls and super friendly and creative wedding suppliers.Read more...