Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Wedding

THIS is What it’s All About – Forget the Details & the ‘Blog-Worthy Wedding’ Obsession

Kat

July 30, 2010

There is always a lot of chatter around blog land about details details details. Photographers are obsessed with getting couples with detail-heavy weddings so that the blogs and magazine will want to feature them. While this is true (after all wedding blogs and mags are primarily read by brides-to-be who want to see weddings with ideas they can steal for their own big day) do you ever think that this obsession to have a 'blog-worthy' detail heavy wedding might be a little excessive? I'm not one to slag aaaanybody's wedding off but I do see some weddings circulating around blog land that just seem so...well...contrived. Like a circus almost. Like a made-for-blogs-wedding-circus. The results are pretty much always gorgeous and inspiring but do you ever look at weddings like that and feel depressed or inadequate about your own wedding?
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Married On a Texan Mountain at Sunset

Kat

July 30, 2010

Jacklyn & Noah got married at Cibolo Creek, just outside of Marfa, Texas. It was just the two of them and their little boy Ace. They decided they wanted their wedding to be just about them, "under the big sky". Jacklyn wore a vintage Mexican dress from the 70's, a 1930's diamond bracelet that both belonged to her mother and a lace shawl that she had found in Italy at an open air antique market. She carried pink roses and gardenia from their garden for her bouquet which she put with some wildflowers that she collected on the way down. Noah wore a shirt from the 70's which they found the day before they left for Marfa.
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The Colour Purple

Kat

July 30, 2010

Jenni & George are another 'inspired by Rock n Roll Bride' couple who found their photographer Shan after she was featured on the blog. The couple, who got married on the Isle of Man, wanted to incorporate he things they love into their day - the colour purple and all things eclectic, antique and vintage. "I have a love of all things antique and vintage and my favourite colour is purple! So that's where it began. I bought a lot of the antique bottles from places like eBay, Jurby Junk (!!) and our friend Roger Leece, who found a whole stack of bottles and jars buried somewhere up North apparently!" the bride told me.
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London Calling – Lindsey & Alex’s Quadrophenia Wedding

Kat

July 28, 2010

I've branded this the 'Quadrophenia wedding' because of all the fabulous retro British details. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside to be English doesn't it? The couple embarked in a lot of diy to make it all super personal and everything from the pub they held it in being called The Britannia to the pork pie 'cake'; from the Vivienne Westwood shoes (a national treasure in my eyes!) to the red, white a blue throughout were put together to make their theme perfect. The bunting had a union jack vibe, the table plans were quintsentially British themed and the guests were even transported in a open top double decker routemaster red bus.
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Day of the Dead and Lots & Lots of Lovely Balloons

Kat

July 28, 2010

Beatriz & Ricardo got married early this month in Cartagena, a colonial city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Born here, Beatriz knew she wanted to return back to this special place to get married. They had a gorgeous civil service a few days before the wedding. "Weddings tend to be so cookie cutter and sooo traditional, we were sure we didn’t want that" the bride told me. "The first tradition we broke was not getting married in a church, we decided to just have a civil ceremony; but a friend of us told us that civil ceremonies were so plain and that we should do something special, so we decided to go to the notary to get married in Bogotá a few days before the actual wedding in Cartagena and to have a very special ceremony."
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Rules are Made to be Broken

Kat

July 27, 2010

As many of you will already know, I like to pride myself and my blog on individuality and posting some of the best, exclusive and new weddings out there. However rules are made to be broken right?! I actually saw and loved Alicia & Jack's wedding a while back on another wedding blog (I even included it in a Thursday Treats post) but when their videographer Thomas of Vantage Point Films sent me the link to their gorgeous video (which hasn't been seen elsewhere) I couldn't help but as if I could share some of the photographs taken by Carla Ten Eyck Photography too. Sound good?
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Olivia & Mark’s Shabby Chic Detailed, Outdoor Elegant, Rock n Roll Wedding

Kat

July 27, 2010

I was excited when I featured Olivia & Mark's engagement session a few weeks ago (they are another Rock n Roll Bride couple and found their photographer Lisa Devlin on the blog) but when Lisa sent me in their wedding the other day I was even more excited! I really do have the best readers don't I!? "Olivia & Mark are originally from LA and wanted to give their friend's and family a quintessentially English experience for their wedding" Lisa told me. "When we woke up in The Cotswolds to the sound of lashing rain, I thought they were going to get the full glory of a British Summer and it would be wellies all round. Their optimism was infectious and everything was set up for an outdoor ceremony in the grounds of Barnsley House, although some bin bags were left on their paper lanterns until the last moment. This has got to be one of the most gorgeous venues in England and the sun came out as Olivia crossed the lawn with her Dad, causing Mark to well up. I loved that she went for full-on glamour with lashes and deep red lips, it went well with her dramatic dress. Her close friend, Josh was the 'bridesmaid' and did such a stirling job, I'm thinking of hiring him for other weddings."
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Laura & Harry’s Locally Sourced, Eco-Friendly, Midsummer’s Nights Dream, Vintage & Totally Rock n Roll Wedding

Kat

July 26, 2010

Excuse me one second while I scream "EEEEEEEK!" at the top of my lungs, because that's exactly how I felt when I first saw Laura & Harry's eco-friendly, vintage-heavy, Rock n Roll inspired backyard wedding. Oh yes, I really do love to feature true Rock n Roll Bride weddings - ie weddings of those that I was able to help and inspire with my little blog. Laura & Harry actually found their fabulous photographer Rosie Parsons and Laura's gorgeous vintage Fur Coat No Knickers dress after seeing them on the site. Yey!
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A Punk, Rockabilly, Neo-Gothic, Country & Western Wedding

Kat

July 21, 2010

The whole wedding was perfectly put together and customised by the couple to give the day a truly unique feel. Everything from Michelle's dress - which she bought as a 'standard' dress and had red tulle and the red waist panel added to it and veil - which her Mum made; to the centrepieces - which they made themselves with a mix of antique Coke bottles with sand, red water, a gerbera and curled wood; to the placecards and invitations- which they also made themselves, were unique and interesting.
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Nick & Hannah’s Game Playing, Fancy Dress Celebration

Kat

July 20, 2010

Nick & Hannah had a 3 day wedding at Christian retreat and conference centre Lee Abbey. The celebrations started with a day of fun activities for all their guests including archery, mountain boarding and zip wiring through the forest. Not only that, but all their guests were invited to wear fancy dress. That sure made for lots of laughs and some awesome photographs. The couple made an extra special effort, coming as Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Hannah had even worn her Grandmother's own wedding dress in memory of her.
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A Psycho Wedding

Kat

July 19, 2010

Why have I never seen a Psycho themed wedding before? This is so incredibly cool! Robert, a film director, and his bride Suzi, a make up artist, sent out generic invitations for their June 5th Wedding. It included a strict meeting time and hints of being transported to a secret location. This year is 50 years since Psycho terrified audiences all over the world and the film-loving couple thought that the very house that the movie was filmed it would make the perfect location for their wedding. It was the first ever wedding held at the Psycho House. The pair really went all out with their theme which started when and the groom appeared from the House escorted by none other than Norman Bates as Mother. He descended the famous staircase and the bride entered from Janet Leigh's room #1. The recessional ended with Robert carrying Suzi back to the hotel under the watchful eye of Norman Bates.
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“I Can Make That!” – Roni & Dave’s Awesome, Diy, Homespun Cute-Fest Wedding

Kat

July 16, 2010

OK I am EXCITED! Roni & Dave's reception is, like, totally the most awesome diy, homespun cute-fest ever and I've got the full scoop and all the juicy details for you. I featured their wedding day shoot not so long ago and as soon as I saw Roni's adorable and oh-so-awesome homemade vintage brooch bouquet I knew the rest of their wedding was going to be awe-inspiring but I'm telling you, nothing prepared me for this! The couple's reception was held in Roni's parent's house and backyard. For the flowers and centrepieces they bought all the blooms and the watering pots from Cosco and made them all themselves. "I didn't care what kind of flowers we had or where they came from. I just knew I wanted them to look like they were just hand picked out of a field" Roni told me. They ordered the yummy looking cakes from Liberty Market (Gilbert, AZ) and Roni & her Mum added the lace and brooches as well as an adorable home made cake topper.
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The MOST INCREDIBLE Alice in Wonderland Wedding Ever. FACT.

Kat

July 14, 2010

I've seen a lot of Alice in Wonderland shoots and weddings this year but none as fan-bloody-tastic as Jessica & Wade's. The couple said they came up with the Victorian Alice theme on a whim (even before the film came out this year) and decided to run with it. Unbelievably the couple designed and came up with everything for the wedding themselves. This is a wedding I wish I'd be at! I literally don't know where to start when it comes to talking about how awesome this wedding is so I'm just going to make a huge list of all the bits that I love about it.
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Ribbons, Pom Poms & Papel Picado – Roxana & John’s Amazing Fiesta Wedding

Kat

July 13, 2010

Roxana & John's incredible Mexican fiesta wedding was shot by the amazing Katherine O'Brien with a Holga, a Hasselblad and a Polaroid camera. The results are not only magical, but give a really unique and different perspective when looking back. In fact looking at these awesome images is almost like a crazy, exciting acid trip...in a good way of course! The bride, a costume designer, custom-modified her dress with dress with ribbons, rhinestones and a favorite brooch that was her Great Aunt's. Her groom wore a gold western belt buckle with the initial S for a bit of extra personality. The couple added lots of fantastic details to suit their papel-picado theme (a natural fit given their Texan roots) including tissue paper flowers lining the railings and tables, a custom card box in festive colours that looked like a wedding cake and grosgrain ribbons tied to the cedar arbor with fleur de lis topped markers. They also used Mexican loteria cards as escort cards which they clipped to a red ribbon hanging on an old wooden door. They then put matching cards on each table with a cowboy boot filled with wildflowers as the centrepieces. The wedding cake was topped with a Day of the Dead Bride and Groom.
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An Irregular Choice – A Wonderfully Theatrical British Wedding

Kat

July 12, 2010

I woke up this morning to the news that the Rock n Roll Bride Mad Hatter shoot had been blogged by Irregular Choice shoes! Seriously, how glad am I that Vivienne Westwood didn't deliver my shoes on time and Irregular Choice saved the day? I feel like all famous and stuff... I thought then it only appropriate that I blogged this gorgeous Irregular Choice bride that I'd been planning to blog this week. I saw a few pictures of bride Sophie-Jayne in her amazing Ian Stuart dress and Irregular Choice shoes on the Schuh facebook page (they blogged about our shoot too!) and knew I had to find out more about this wedding. Sophie-Jayne & Jason got married at Sophie's old College by a Reverend who used to be one of her teachers. After the very personal ceremony, everybody was transported to Sophie-Jayne's parent house for the reception in her Dad's Old Route Master Bus!
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The Italian Way – A Classic & Stylish Rock n Roll Tuscany Wedding

Kat

July 10, 2010

Mike & Laura's wedding excites me as not only did it take place in Tuscany, Italy but they found their photographer JMCL Photography through Rock n Roll Bride! Yesssss. The couple are originally from Australia and chose the beautiful old town of Lucca in Tuscany to get married. Being abroad, the wedding was a very small, personal and intimate one with only their closest family and friends in attendance. The wedding was also a very laid back one - the couple arrived in the town the night before and did a lot of arranging on the spot. That's the Italian way to do it!
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