Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Wedding

The Vintage Bride

Kat

January 17, 2010

I wanted to share a few images if Caitlin on her wedding day as I think she looked every bit the simple vintage beauty. We had an intimate wedding with the whole family bringing it together from the dress, the caterer and all the details in the house for the reception. I chose the vintage look because it not only totally works with my own personal style, it is a classic look that will never grow old. I didn't want to look back 20 years from now and say "What was I thinking?!" Even now if you look at pictures from the '40's and '50's, you can only say how beautiful and glamorous everyone and everything looked. My dress was something we found in a boutique wedding dress shop in Los Gatos. Actually it turned out to be a better pick for me then the $6500 designer dresses that I originally had wanted! (Mine was only $500!!) Thanks to Caitlin and Jessica for sharing these words and images with us Credit: Jess Epstein Photography
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On a Quirky & Personal Afternoon

Kat

January 17, 2010

Brett & Louise had an quirky and personal afternoon ceremony which was held at the Mt Coo-tha Botanical Gardens in Brisbane, Australia. Their untraditional ceremony featured two rituals, both a ring warming and a hand-fasting ceremony. Photographer Rebecca told me all about this fun and family-oriented day: During the ring warming ceremony the rings were past around the guests who were asked to give their blessings and to make a wish for Louise & Brett’s future together. During the exchange of rings Louise went from tears to laughter which help to create fantastic emotive images of her. After the exchanging of the rings the hand fasting was performed. This ceremony involved Brett and Louise’s mothers winding and tying a piece of ribbon around their hands binding them together in life.
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Music Festival Vibe

Kat

January 15, 2010

Jo & Matt's relaxed summer wedding took place at South Farmin Cambridgeshire, UK. The couple tied the knot in the venue's summer house whilst the stunning venue allowed guests to chill out outside, listen to the live music (including the groom's band!) and then camp overnight. The whole day have a hippy chic, music festival, vibe to it. Jo wore a vintage dress and Christian Louboutin shoes and looked every bit the perfect Rock n Roll Bride. Thanks to Emily for sending me this beautiful wedding. I am honoured to be the one to feature it for you!
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A Most Curious Party

Kat

January 13, 2010

Rebecca & John's summer wedding was so eclectic, so English and just so fabulously unique that I couldn't wait to share it with you. Rebecca told me all about their ideas and inspiration behind their amazing day, so I'm just going to hand over to her for this one! John didn’t want to get married in a church, as he is not religious so I had my heart set on getting married outside, because we felt there was a more powerful spirituality in the earth and nature that would bring us together with more meaning than just a civil ceremony. Almost a pagan idea I guess… The marriage scene at the end of Robin Hood Prince of thieves was a major inspiration! We got married at Hedingham Castle, an 11th century fort in Essex, England. The castle were quite strict in what we could do so we put most of our effort into making the reception at Belchamp St Paul Community Hall, Suffolk, our own. We had said the ‘theme’ of the wedding would be ‘vintage inspired –from the 20s to the 50s’ on the invitation, mainly because I love the fashions, music, style and glamour of those eras – but I suppose starting the proceedings in a Medieval castle fit in with ‘vintage as well.’ We felt it was really important that throughout the day everything should reflect who we were, rather than conforming to any idea of how weddings should be, Our whole wedding ethos was that it showed our personalities, as it was day about us after all! and you don’t get a chance to do that again… many traditions stand the test of time because they are lovely traditions such as the cake, the rings and getting dressed up etc, but we didn’t want it to be a generic cookie cutter wedding – and many people said that it showed, it couldn’t have been anyone else’s wedding!
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Gothic Glam – The Wedding

Kat

January 12, 2010

So you loved Omar & Junela's gothic engagements right? Well you are going to go doolally over their wedding. Words can not describe the work, passion and love that must have gone into planning this day. The details are spectacular and the bride's dress, designed and made by Filipino designer Joel Escober...well it literally made my heart skip a beat. Thanks again to the amazing Jomel Gregorio for sending these to me. I am so over the moon to be able to share them Credit: Jomel Gregorio Photography
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A Crystal-Encrusted-High-Octane-Glitterati Seriously Rocking Wedding Day

Kat

January 10, 2010

Follow up posts are always fun, I always think when I see an engagement session 'ooh I wonder what their wedding will be like?' So it's great to find out the answer! Nik & Nicole's Desperate Housewife session gave me high expectations for their big day, and boy am I not disappointed. I am loving Nicole's crystal encrusted shoes, cuffs and hairpiece and her phenomenal fishtail dress (check out the back!) which the bottom detached from for the dancing in the evening. Her bridesmaids too look every bit SATC chic in their daring black dresses and fishnet tights...and the boys in all black - hummanahummana... Thanks to Ryan for sharing these and bringing some much needed glamour to the site today Credit: RCJones Photography
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Backyard Beautiful

Kat

January 9, 2010

Lauren & Alexander got married last summer in their own back garden, surrounded by 35 of their closest friends and family. The who day was a DIY affair and a perfect reflection of who they are as a couple. Lauren looks amazing in her simple Betsey Johnson dress and Moschino Chic & Cheap shoes, while Alexander bucked all the trends by wearing a casual T-shirt and Jeans from Nordstrom and by spending the whole day barefoot! The wedding had a very comfortable, home-grown, relaxed party feel. The details weren't really that important to this couple, ignored in favour of what really mattered to them - family, friends, home and love. Thanks to Kristi for sharing this, her first ever wedding, with us today. I am in love with this couple and their laid back, chilled attitude
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Vintage Zoo Wedding

Kat

January 8, 2010

Courtney & Michael's wedding is one of those that you wish you could see a fresh everyday. I got so excited when photographer Jacquelyn sent me this wedding to look at! They had a small ceremony officiated by an friend of the bride which took place at Birmingham Zoo Lodge. Pretty much everything about this wedding was DIY. The groom felted the cake topper (two birds sharing an ipod) and all of the bouquets. The brides birdcage veil and headpiece were made by her friend/hairdresser. They printed up tickets to throw instead of bird feed or bubbles. There was a small cake and punch reception afterwards where the guests were greeted by a llama and a parrot. After the reception, the bridal party met at a local restaurant - Rojo - for some eats and then on to the after party! The after party was held at a bar/antique shop called The Garage where there was much laughter shared and alcoholic beverages consumed. Courtney looks amazing in her dress by Unique Vintage and her adorable floral shoes by Not Rated. Credit: Jacquelyn Jackson Photography
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Brighton Belles

Kat

January 8, 2010

Ooh two fabulous UK weddings in one day - I love it when that happens. Photographer Julia Boggio told me all about the super stylish and super fun wedding of Andrew & Lisa Andrew and Lisa got married in Brighton in October on a very sunny day at the Hotel Du Vin. The hotel held special significance for the bride because, when it was a pub many years ago, her grandparents used to leave her father as a boy sitting outside with a Coke and some chips to keep him busy while they had a pint with their mates. Thus the picture of her dad with the chips and the Coke! Good photography was extremely important to Andrew and Lisa, who is a graphic designer. Having seen some of my previous work, they had some ideas about stuff they'd like to do; for example, with one of my previous couples, I got them to stand in a shop window. Lisa and Andrew liked this so much that they asked a nearby shop if they could do the same thing. The image of them sitting in the bathtub in the Fired Earth window was the result. Also, for the group shot, they brought loads of props along so we could head down to the beach for some fun. His father cagily told us he would meet us down on the beach and disappeared for a bit. He found us fifteen minutes later, having changed into typical British beach-going wear, complete with hanky tied over his head. Everything about this wedding was great fun!
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Red Rockers

Kat

January 6, 2010

After running a free photography contest on her blog (hint: enter mine!) photographer Laura Ryan was lucky enough to find Rebeca & Martin - two rockers from Boston who wanted her to shoot their red-themed wedding. Rebeca’s dress and Martin’s coat were handmade by her friend who created it for her from a 1950’s pattern and Rebeca even made her own hairpiece. The whole wedding had a old English teatime theme so everyone wore stylish hats, ate finger foods and drank tea to their heart's content in the beautiful historic building of Boston College Club, complete with cascading staircases and baroque style wall paper. Thanks to Laura (a real life rocker who actually has even visited my home town of Reading for the world famous Reading Festival) for sharing this wonderful wedding with us
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Beautiful Birds

Kat

January 2, 2010

Laura & Gena whimsical & elegant wedding took place at the historic Moody Mansion in Galveston. They added delicious personal and fun touches which fitted in with the bird theme such as lots of vintage bird details to put around the ceremony and reception, including flowers in antique bird cages. They had formal elements like flocked damask programs, Chivari chairs, a string trio and two topiary junipers which were contrasted with ideas such as little stuffed birds on the cocktail tables and an owl on the sign in table. Both brides wore dresses by Nicole Miller. Thanks to Suzi for sharing this beeeautiful wedding with us
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Skin Graft, L.A.M.B & Dreadlocks

Kat

December 31, 2009

Kati & Hilal's wedding made me squeal with delight. It may have primarily been her custom made Skin Graft gown, her L.A.M.B shoes and her dreads that made me so excited, but alongside this inital visual feast, the whole laid back ambiance, feel and ethos of the day really makes me happy. Kati explained her choice of dress: Basically, it came about like this: I had seen and bought a few individual pieces of Skin Graft attire during the past few years, and then I noticed that they had a few weddings (within their "gallery".) I started an email conversation with them about a year before the wedding. (Skin Graft consists of 3 core designers and at least one wedding/custom gown assistant. I envisioned the outfit with Cassidey (one of the core 3) and then he passed me off to Amanda (wedding attire assistant) who finished the project off. We discussed different types of dresses they had already made, and different things I liked/didn't like. They sent photos of previous work, and drawings of my potential gown back and forth via email. I was measured in San Antonio, and sent the measurements to LA. When I received the dress I had to have it altered a little, but Skin Graft reimbursed me for the alteration fees.
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Rockin’ Kicks & Fashion to Love

Kat

December 29, 2009

Paul & Jess' wedding was a stylish affair of rockin' proportions. They both looked every bit the Rock n Roll couple...with a little help from their friends & families! Jess explains: When we decided to keep our anniversary as our official wedding date we were just about mid-stride in working on the party at the Breakers. I have to admit that planning for the first ceremony was pretty far from my mind. Paul and I chose our wardrobe based basically on matching each other like we do all the time. I bought a really beautiful black/tan dress, red shoes from shoes.com and Paul picked up a tie to match his black & tan Nike SBs from Richmond Hood. We figured we had the whole thing in the bag. On the eighth, before heading over to Nana’s house to kick the party off, I went to the salon to have Khrystyne and Lisa get me, my mom, and my sister ready for the picture frenzy. I kept getting told by my mother that there was a ‘really great’ surprise at Nana’s and that she hoped I would like it. Nerve-racking words if spoken by absolutely anyone but my mother. I knew that if she and my sister had something to do with the surprise that I would certainly like it. Khrystyne finished up my hair and Erica proceeded to do my makeup in the back of the salon. In snuck my mother just about at the final touches of my makeup. She said that she had another surprise and was quite concerned that I wouldn’t like it. Not exactly what the bride wants to hear with only minutes before leaving for the ceremony. I asked her to show me this surprise of hers. Turns out, not only did I ‘like’ it… I absolutely loved it! Mom and Erica had spent all morning running back and forth to the Monmouth Mall. When Mommy’s friend Joanne had set Nana’s house up for our ceremony (the original surprise), it looked so much like a chapel that my mom decided a black dress would look very out of place in pictures. I could not have been happier that they took control of the situation without my help. They picked an absolutely splendid wedding dress. I couldn’t believe how well it fit and how incredibly wonderful it felt to wear white after all. Thanks go to Mom, Erica, and Jessica McClintock! Thanks to Brad, Paul & Jess for sharing their day with us.
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All the Luck of the Irish

Kat

December 23, 2009

You might remember Maggie & Sean from their rockabilly engagements in an Irish pub. Well photographer Karen Lisa just sent me their wedding, which rocks just as hard! The wedding ceremony was held at a small park across from the couple's apartment in downtown Boca Raton and the reception was at the Spanish River Library outside on the terrace. For wedding favors, Maggie & Sean had custom labels made for their favorite Irish Cider, Magners, and they created a replica of their favorite pub to serve as the bar. At one point the couple even got behind the bar to tend and serve drinks themselves. The guests had a blast! The music was played by a rockabilly band, Slip & the Spin Outs. Aaron's Catering of The Palm Beaches provided a unique menu of 50's diner style food made elegant - mini slider burgers, lobster rolls, grilled cheese sticks in a mini martini glass, and delicious desserts. The cake was designed by a friend of the family and featured the bride and groom enjoying their Magner's Irish Cider - complete with tiny bottles and labels. It was one of the most unique and personal cake toppers I've ever seen! Thanks to Karen for sharing this fabulous wedding with us today
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Glamorous DIY

Kat

December 22, 2009

Lauren & Chris had their gorgeous, heavily DIY wedding at The Maritime Hotel in NYC's meatpacking district. The neighborhood was perfect for the edgy and non-traditional wedding and photographs that they wanted. The bride's Mother made all the table decorations to fit their theme which encompased all the cities Chris & Lauren and traveled to together. All the flowers (including the bride's bouquet) were purchased at the Union Square farmers market the day of and assembled on site by friends before the ceremony. The cake was from Sugar Sweet Sunshine and the cake toppers were cute salt and pepper shakers which were a gift that Chris gave to Lauren a few months earlier. Thanks to Angie for sharing this funky NYC wedding with us today
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A Halloween-esque Steam Train of Epicness

Kat

December 21, 2009

Kim & Alex's wedding hit me like a steam train of epicness when I laid eyes on it. I'm pretty sure my insessent ramblings can't bring it justice so I think it's only fair I hand over to Kim with all the fantastic details. As usual, I'll be back with the eye candy. "Originally our theme was “Halloween Town” from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, but as time went on, our theme evolved beyond Tim Burton to include other geeky things we love as a couple such as zombies, toys, film and... well... Halloween! We were mostly inspired by films (predominantly Tim Burton and Zombie flicks) and our own Halloween experiences. We just looked at the little things we loved most and used that to make our wedding our own. I’m in love with Burlesque-wear and wanted to incorporate that whimsical, glam-yet-sexy look to my outfit. Instead of bridal magazines, my fashion designer friend and I looked through many burlesque photos and lingerie books to gather inspiration for my dress. For my shoes, I found the most awesome bright green zombie shoes designed by Iron Fist. They were out of stock in Toronto, so Alex and I sent out all our online Twitter friends on a mad hunt for them. We ended up getting them shipped from Ohio. A few months later, a friend of mine from Chicago found the flat versions of the same zombie shoes, which I was really thankful for. I cannot walk in heels! The groom’s suit was inspired by Jack Skellington. He didn’t want to take the blatant replica route by getting a pin stripe suit. Instead, his plain black suit had black skeleton appliques all throughout. He even had a hoodie that had the skull on the hood! Since he almost always only exclusively wear Chuck Taylors, he wore black on black Chucks to the wedding. To add a sense of “badass” to his outfit, as well as his groomsmen/groomsgirl, our good friend, We Kill You made us custom pimp sticks for them to walk around with. We were really lenient with our wedding party when it came to what to wear
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Tattooed Lovelies Trailer Park Love Fest

Kat

December 20, 2009

I've got yet another wedding I've been waiting with baited breath to share with you as a matter of urgency. Lori & Jason's funky, punky, trailer part love affair wedding makes me squeal with excitement (especially when I saw the images of the couple getting inked together - hello, so awesome!)A vintage trailer park called the Shady Dell, a custom pink crinoline peeking out of the wedding gown, and tattoos on the spot are only a few of the awesome details of this wedding in Bisbee, Arizona. Shooting Lori and Jason at the Shady Dell was a blast. Lori looked fabulous in her Stephanie James Couture; it complemented her stunning body art. And the venue only added to mystique of the day; vintage Airstreams were the perfect backdrop for this hip couple who love all things vintage! And don’t forget the BBQ and potato salad on pick plastic plates! Thanks to Erin for sharing this fabulousa wedding with us today
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