Bursts of colour, inventive touches and a rock n’ roll spirit defined Lauren and Jake’s Blackpool wedding. The day featured unique elements like a General Lee wedding car and a ukulele band, who they found when they saw them playing at a shopping mall over Christmas!

The couple were super inspired by Rock n Roll Bride when planning, which Lauren credits for helping her believe they could create something amazing on a budget. “We had a small budget but I wanted to make the wedding as ‘us’ as possible,” she shared. “Rock n Roll Bride magazine and website helped me so much with believing we can make something affordable look amazing.”

Their wedding day started with a ceremony at the local registry office on Blackpool promenade, a picturesque location right in front of the iconic Blackpool Tower. “Being in front of the tower, on Blackpool front, in the wedding chapel with my short dress and boots gave the ceremony a real Vegas vibe,” Lauren said. She walked down the aisle to Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths, and the newlyweds exited to Give Me Back My Man by The B52s.

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a ride on an open-top heritage bus, which took them on a scenic tour of the promenade. “The open top bus tour after the ceremony was a highlight,” Lauren continued. “We had cans for everyone on the bus, and it took us on a tour down the prom to the pleasure beach and back round before dropping us at the Winter Gardens for the reception.”

At the reception, guests were greeted by the ukulele band. “The ukulele band was a highlight, it was so heartwarming seeing guests (especially grandparents) dancing,” Lauren remembered. “They played Chapel of Love followed by These Boots Are Made for Walkin’. The band were an amazing price and they ended up being the easiest and most lovely suppliers to deal with, too.”

Lauren’s outfit was a nod to her love for the 60s style – a short dress with a ruffle-edged long veil and hot pink boots. “I love the 60s style so I knew I wanted a short dress,” she explained. “The rest of the outfit went from there, and the look ended up quite 60s on the day. We both like that kind of retro, alternative style and we are both very similar with our tastes so it just kind of worked and we trusted each other to pick things that worked together.”

The food was entirely vegetarian and vegan. As vegetarians they didn’t like the idea of serving meat, so they didn’t! They also opted for a playlist instead of a live band for the evening, allowing them to dance to their favourite songs with their loved ones. It also saved them money.

Lauren admits that their biggest challenge was the pressure of staying within their budget and dealing with other people’s opinions. “Other people’s opinions can be hard to take,” she admitted. “Quite early on we shared a few small things and some people didn’t have the response we hoped for and it made us doubt some of our choices. After that, we decided to keep a lot of stuff very private, which helped us make decisions that we were confident in without other people being involved.”

“We also felt a little judgement from the wedding industry because we had a small budget. On paper, a wedding at a local registry office in Blackpool and the bridal party getting ready at a small hotel down the road doesn’t sound great, and I felt that was judged a little by some companies along the way. Also, a lot of suppliers are still catered towards that traditional wedding style, so if you want your day a little different it can feel like an impossible task at times.”

Despite the stress and challenges, Lauren and Jake’s wedding day was everything they had hoped for and more. “Honestly, there’s nothing we’d change about our day”, she concluded. “It was better than we both could have imagined. You can make something affordable look amazing. Believe in your vision and make it as ‘you’ as possible.”