A Red & Blue Themed South African Beach Wedding: Rupert & Liana

Kat

December 5, 2011

Anyone fancy a South African beach wedding on a chilly Monday morning? All I know is Rupert & Liana's wedding certainly warmed my cockles when it landed in my inbox recently. Their October wedding was inspired by the things they love. Liana loves red and Rupert blue so they wanted this combination to be their wedding theme. They're also both love the beach so of course they had to have their ceremony on the San Lameer Beach, SA.

A Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus: Nicola & David

Kat

December 1, 2011

Nicola & David were married on Halloween weekend in The Hospitium in York (England's most haunted city apparently!) The venue is in the middle of the Museum Gardens and in the shadow of the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey. The unusual setting was the perfect backdrop for their Rolling Stone Circus wedding. Nicola explained, "We’re both massive Rolling Stones fans so we wanted to have the same type of feel as The Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus. Slightly carnival like with a serious nod to music. We drew the line at stilt walkers, jugglers and such, though I did very much want a peacock and an elephant. Surprisingly there are no ‘hire a peacock’ websites. Even less chance with the elephant."

A Pretty Vintage Islington Wedding: Cecilia & Robert

Kat

December 1, 2011

Cecilia & Robert's pretty London wedding took place at Union Chapel and Union Hall, Islington. "At first we had to decide where to have our wedding as I'm from Italy and Robert London," Cecilia wrote to me. "We soon realised that London was the perfect place, as it’s where we've chosen to live and where we definitely wanted to start our life as a family. We started looking at a few venues, but they all looked a bit impersonal and soulless to us, we definitely wanted somewhere that would have a meaning for us and our relationship. And so that’s how we “stumbled” upon the Union Chapel. Rob had been there several times to see gigs, and we had been together to see a very special acoustic performance by Editors. Many people think it’s not an actual church, but it actually is – and it made perfect sense to us to get married there!" "We were also delighted to find out that – apart from the main auditorium - they have several spaces for hire that can be used for all sorts of events. The Upper Hall fitted the bill perfectly, as it’s a completely blank canvas that we would be able to personalize according to our own taste."

A Simple DIY Wedding: Tara & Oleg

Kat

November 30, 2011

Tara & Oleg were married at Wentworth Falls School of Arts, NSW, Australia. The bride wore a beautiful 1950's debutante gown made of white taffeta with black flocked trim which she found on eBay! "They met at Acting College in Sydney and have been together for the last 6 years," their wedding photographer Jemima Richards told me. "The easiest way to describe these two as madly in love. Their wedding was a really beautiful reflection of that. The entire wedding had a distinct DIY theme, but with all of their personality in every single element. Oleg is from Croatia, so his family members made the special journey over, with his two sisters travelling from opposite ends of the planet just to be there. As a wedding gift, Tara also flew in Oleg's very best friend from London as a surprise!"

A DIY 1940’s Carnival Wedding: Marcie & Rich

Kat

November 29, 2011

Marcie & Rich's Nerdy DIY wedding was inspired by the things they love. The couple love to hang out at home with cat and dog playing video or board games and reading so the wedding theme kind of stemmed from these ideas. "I think our inspiration for doing things the way we did was that we didn't want the same old same old", Marcie told me. "We've both been to tons of weddings where the details were essentially the same but for a few differences. People tend to do the long church ceremony with the long gown that you would never want to wear again and make a bunch of stuff for the guests that they will never use or even want just because you saw that tiny beer stein in a craft store and thought it was perfect cause you like beer. We wanted people to have fun all the way through, including ourselves! We would much rather have a swinging party and get married in the middle of it than the other way around."

An Undead Steampunk Wedding: Renee & Ian

Kat

November 28, 2011

So where do I begin trying to explain the awesomeness of Renee & Ian's undead steampunk wedding? I think maybe the title gives away just how amazing this wedding is going to be doesn't it? The couple were married at Catalyst, a private live/work artist community in Chicago. "We actually had to 'audition' for the space," Renee told me. "The members have a delicate relationship with the community and can't risk any trouble. We had to prove to them over several months that we talented and responsible enough to be able to use their space. We had to foster a personal relationship with them before they would even consider us. It was tedious, but worth it in the end. We gained some more wonderful friends for our already stellar collection, and the space allowed us freedom that traditional venues could not (like staying until 6am and coming back later in the week to help clean up)."

A New England Fall Wedding: Joe & Carrie

Kat

November 24, 2011

Beautiful Autumn touches were the theme for Joe & Carrie's New England wedding. Although it rained on the day, there were no damp spirits, with the couple embracing the location in every way they could.

A Ceremony With Elvis at The Rhinestone Wedding Chapel: Colin & Sage

Kat

November 23, 2011

A Gothic Masked Ball: Debs & Sean

Kat

November 22, 2011

Sean & Deb's masked ball wedding took place at the beginning on November at Brownsover Hall Hotel, Brownsover, Rugby. "We stumbled on the venue by accident after previously reserving two other venues", the bride told me. "We were on our way up to my parents for christmas and made a detour to see the hall - it was amazing! Gothic, yet romantic. We fell in love with it as soon as we saw the giant Elk's skull in the entrance hall!" The venue fitted their wedding theme perfectly - slightly gothic and masqueradey (I'm pretty sure I just made up that word) with a 1920's/30's vibe.

A Homemade Back Garden Wedding: Philip & Katie-Jane

Kat

November 22, 2011

Philip & Katie-Jane had a handmade wedding in the bride's parent's back garden. They hired a tipi and decorated the whole garden with the things they love - creating a really magical looking space. They even converted the shed into 'The Poppy Red Shed' (Poppy Red is a bar in Birmingham which the bride and groom first met) which they stocked with local ales, spirits and liquours.

A Black Wedding Dress, A Traditional Church Wedding & A Burlesque Themed Reception: Scarlet & Craig

Kat

November 21, 2011

Scarlet & Craig's wedding wowed me as soon as I spied that dress. I was so excited to be able to share this incredible Goth extravaganza and luckily for you lot, so were the newlyweds. In fact Craig's reply when I emailed him back saying 'Yes yes, hell yes (ps your wife is hot)' was something along the lines of 'OMG so excited that you're going to feature us!!! Squeeee'. "I'd never really thought about my wedding day growing up, so when Craig proposed on a trip to Amsterdam (with a tattoo that simply said 'Marry Me' on his wrists!) I was thrown into a bit of a panic!" Scarlet explained. "But as soon as we started planning we knew we wanted to do things our own way. Luckily we found Rock n Roll Bride, which made us realise there really are no 'rules' for a wedding, and then we just went all out! We didn't start out with one, but as we went along we developed a kind of pink and black gothic fairytale theme, pink being my favourite colour, and black being Craig's!

Messing About on the River: Emma & Tony

Kat

November 17, 2011

Emma & Tony had an intimate wedding of just 40 guests in Henley on Thames. Coincidentally this is where I went to college and I have a lot of fond memories of chilling out by the river, most probably while I was supposed to be in lectures - which maybe one of the reasons I love this wedding so much! Anyway, I digress... The wedding was held at The River & Rowing Museum, a modern wedding venue situated right on the river Thames. A friend of Emma's is a registrar and it was really special to have her marry them. "The museum was exactly what we were looking for," Emma told me. "The staff at the museum were fabulous, nothing was too much trouble. Laura, the events planner for the museum, coordinated the wedding and it was great having her their on the day to make sure everything ran to plan so I didn’t have to think about a thing and just enjoy the day. Jeff from Digby Trout Catering with his team delivered the most delicious food that wowed even the London foodies. The seating plan was titled ‘Eat, drink & Be Merry’ and we all certainly were thanks to Jeff and his team – what a gem."

A Beautiful Handmade French Wedding: Sophie & Julien

Kat

November 16, 2011

Sophie & Julien's family-central wedding was held in the Cote d’Or region of Burgandy, France, in a house build by Sophie's Grandfather. The ceremony took place at the local town hall and the reception at the family home

A Halloween, Day of the Dead & Bonfire Night Themed Wedding: Jennifer & Ian

Kat

November 16, 2011

Jennifer & Ian were married on Halloween so their day had a distinct theme to fit the time of year. "We wanted the wedding to have all the components of a 'normal' wedding but be personal to us," the bride told me. "We both love Halloween, Day of the Dead and bonfire night and so decided to incorporate all three into a super-theme!"

A Summer-Fun Wedding: Katie & Chris

Kat

November 16, 2011

Katie & Chris' cute Summer-themed wedding had a really 'fun for all' vibe - kids and big kids alike! I love their giant cupcake cake (made by a friend), the space hoppers (that I'm sure the adults spent more time on than the children...) and the pops of colour they injected throughout.

A DIY Cornish Wedding: Angie & Jack

Kat

November 15, 2011

Angie & Jack's Cornish Wedding was a wedding of three parts - with the ceremony at Devoran Parish Church, drinks and afternoon snacks at Devoran Village Quay and finally the main reception, with dinner and dancing, at Devoran Village Hall. "We didn't stick to the standard 'wedding rules' and just wanted our wedding to be fun and to show our personalities," the bride told me. "We wanted everything to be as unique and as personal without spending a fortune."

A Village Fete Meets Tattoo Parlour Wedding: Jess & David

Kat

November 14, 2011

Jess & David were married in All Saints Church in Kirby and they had their reception in the bride's parent's back garden. Jess wore a Candy Anthony Dress, Upper Street shoes (which she designed herself) and Vivienne Westwood jewellery. The lucky couple had Shell De Mar there to capture their day. "We met at school and had been together 12 years when David proposed at sunrise on the beach in Mexico," Jess told me. "Initially I’d been reluctant to get out of bed so early but something told me it might be worth it...and it was!"

An Autumnal Lakeside Wedding: Meredith & Nic

Kat

November 14, 2011

Meredith & Nic's wedding couldn't be any more perfect for a changeable autumnal day like today. The warm orange accents with the lakeside location are all kinds of wonderful.... The wedding took place in September at the family cottage on Bob's Lake, Ontario, Canada.

A Restoration Wedding: Neil & Becky

Kat

November 14, 2011

I really love reading wedding stories from the groom's point of view. Most of the submissions I get are written by the bride, but there's something so utterly adorable about hearing about a wedding from the boy's point of view...

60’s Girl Bands & 50’s Rock n Roll – A Vintage North London Wedding: Laura & Daniel

Kat

November 10, 2011

Meeting through a love of 60's girl bands and 50's Rock n Roll, it was inevitable that the wedding of Laura & Daniel would be made for this little blog of mine. Combine this with a penchant for vintage clothing and you've just about created the perfect Rock n Roll Bride wedding. "It seemed natural for us to reflect the way we met in our wedding," Laura told me. "I'm an artist, designer and one half of 50's Rock n Roll DJ duo The Truckin' Laura's, and Daniel is guitarist in The Special Needs, so music was a big part of the wedding. I walked down the aisle to a piano version of 'Sea of Love' by Phil Phillips played by our friend Galia. Our friend Anna and her all singing all dancing Ronettes played a beautiful ukelele version of Phil Spector classic 'Be my Baby' at the end of our ceremony which set the tone for the day perfectly. Another really special moment was Daniel singing The Tempations 'My Girl' after his speech and all our guests joining in with the chorus. After our first dance to The Ramones 'Baby I Love You' our DJ friends took turns on the decks and kept the guests dancing all night!"