Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Kat

A Multi-Coloured South African Wedding: Mark & Manilla

Kat

March 22, 2012

When Mark & Manilla's colourful wedding landed in my inbox I just about burst with excitement. There's nothing quite like a rainbow wedding in my opinion! The South African wedding was held at The View Boutique Hotel, a glamorous hotel in the heart of Johannesburg. "I felt that the ceremony should be the serious part of the day but I wanted the rest to be a very relaxed and festive carnival style celebration!" the bride told me.
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A Budget-Friendly Wedding Planned in just Four Months: Terry & Elle

Kat

March 22, 2012

For Terry & Elle their wedding wasn't about a big show or how much money they could spend. After a health scare in October 2011 they decided they wanted to get married quickly so planned the whole thing in just 4 months. They wanted a wedding that represented them and didn't cost a bomb. As the bride explains, "We held a wedding for 90 guests, including bridal party plus all bridal attire, wedding rings the works for under 15,000 AUD (that's about £10,000) - the average Australian wedding is $36,000 - do it all yourself and be resourceful and you can achieve wonders!"
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A Fun Fair & Carnival Themed Wedding: Julie & Jaques

Kat

March 21, 2012

I've known about Julie & Jaques' wedding for a long time because the bride's sister and maid of honour is one of my best friends, wedding photographer Shell de Mar! I've been hearing all the exciting details of the wedding plans for so long and now I'm thrilled to not only see the results but to share them with you guys too. The wedding took place in Melbourne. The ceremony was held on the rooftop of the Arcadia Hotel and the quirky and cute reception was at Garage Cafe, Carlton.
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The Inspirations: Liene Stevens of The Splendid Collective

Kat

March 21, 2012

You're probably all aware by now, that at the moment I'm loving teaching, learning and exploring the ideas behind running your own wedding business (hence The Green Room, my School of Rock workshops and my work with The Photography Farm!) Very early on in my wedding blogging career I became aware of Liene Stevens and her blog Splendid Communications. I found it invaluable and full of amazing snippets of advice and guidance when I was navigating the murky waters of trying to be my own boss. When I launched The Inspirations, Liene was top of my list of people to interview. I hope you enjoy eavesdropping on our chat...
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Modern Miss Havisham at The Photography Farm

Kat

March 21, 2012

Last week saw the third Photography Farm organised and hosted by wedding photographer Lisa Devlin. I was super excited to be invited along again to talk about blogging, to help style the shoot which we asked Roo to model for. Lisa, stylists Hannah and Jayne and myself have been planning this spooky Miss Havisham-esque shoot for a few months now so it was seriously exciting too see it all come together! Hannah and Jayne did an amazing job of creating a indoor/outdoor sets in the woods behind the farm. Roo also had a lot of input into the feel of the shoot as one of the great things about The Farm is that we try to make each theme relevant to the models. It would be a bit ridiculous plonking Roo in a vintage picnic set with cupcakes and balloons for example as that just isn't her!
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The Art of Self-Confidence

Kat

March 20, 2012

I'm not going to embarrass anyone by naming names, but I've had a few people ask me if they could 'borrow some of my confidence' recently. It's a funny old thing really and a notion that I still find very strange. Inside I'm quaking in my boots pretty much daily, but apparently no one can tell - I guess that's a good thing! I really don't see myself as a confident person (seriously, just ask Gareth how annoying and stressy I've been over my School of Rock workshop that's happening tomorrow!) However what I am aware of is how I present myself in order to give the impression of self-belief. My faith in myself has come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years. However I certainly didn't wake up one day feeling top of my game...in fact even as I write these words I'm cringing a little bit inside that you're all going to think I'm a right knobber. My 'knobberness' is something I've just had to come to terms with I guess.
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A Vegas Wedding in the Cosmopolitan Hotel Pop Up Chapel: Ashley & Jeremy

Kat

March 19, 2012

Ashley & Jeremy are wedding photographers so were in Las Vegas at the same time as I was for WPPI. After the Airplanes & Blazers party (which I was also at...!) Jeremy was sitting at a table with Patrick from StillMotion (while Ashley was off in the bathroom) and Jeremy was telling Patrick he would love to propose. Patrick encouraged him, telling him if he proposed and they got married while they were all still in Vegas, Patrick would shoot it! When Ashley returned, Patrick proposed, right there and then by saying "Will you marry me...on Wednesday?!" So just 36 hours later, they were married in the Pop Up Wedding Chapel at the Cosmopolitan Hotel with all of their best wedding photographer friends from WPPI watching.
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Pretty but Rockin’ Pastel Wedding Shoes from Zalando

Kat

March 18, 2012

If you're anything like me you'll be putting a lot of thought into your wedding day footwear, so I thought I'd give you a helping hand by introducing you to the fabulous world of Zalando. Stocking thousands of items including clothes, beauty products and (what seems like) a gazillion pairs of shoes, if you don't find something you love here there's probably no hope for you. Their website currently stocks over 600 brands including Melissa, Iron Fist, Blowfish, Converse, New Rock, T.U.K and Jeffrey Campbell - in fact over 40,000 products in total! I certainly found something I loved...well a number of things actually. I've been obsessing over pretty pastel shades of late (perfect for Spring/Summer, which is just around the corner - hurrah!) so I thought I'd share some of my favourite soft hued shoes from their latest collection. Pastels aren't just for the classic princess bride you know, all of these shoes give pastels a Rock n Roll edge!
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It’s a (Wo)man’s World – On Being a Man in the Wedding Industry: A Guest Post by Adam Crohill

Kat

March 16, 2012

Today I've asked my buddy Adam from a rival wedding blog (I say this in jest, we love each other really!) to write a guest post about being...well...a man. It's something I've thought about a bit recently, what will Gareth taking a lot more of an active role in our business and all - what is it really like being a man in this so heavily female dominated industry? Not only are weddings often perceived to be 'all about the bride' but most of the people that work in the industry are female too! Obviously this isn't a topic I could really discuss myself with any semblance of authority, so here's where my mate Adam comes in! Over to you fella...
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Thursday Treats – 15th March 2012: Down on the Photography Farm

Kat

March 15, 2012

This week I've relocated to the Photography Farm where, alongside my bestie Lisa Devlin I've been styling and teaching up a storm! I can't wait to share the shoot we did on tuesday with Roo modelling (Oh boy is she one gorgeous creature). For now I hope these teeny sneak peek will get you excited! Also a little reminder that I'm on the lookout for DIY tutorial submissions for the blog. I've featured some awesome ideas over the past few months but I'm always on the prowl for more more more! So if you have a crafty nature and would like to see your creations dotted all over these pages, drop me an email with your idea (and ideally a photo of said item) and let's chat!
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An Orchard Elopement: Dustin & Rebecca

Kat

March 15, 2012

Dustin & Rebecca had a tiny wedding on 11.11.11 - four years to the day that they met. Incredibly they also planned their wedding in just two weeks. "Our inspiration came from so many places!" the bride told me. "I think the fact that we had only 2 weeks to plan and a very small budget sort of worked to our favor. We were blessed with so much generosity from our friends, family, and strangers (who are now friends). I knew that I wanted to hand make as much as I could for the big day, make all the details count, and I knew I wanted to marry Dustin in a beautiful outdoor setting."
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A DIY Brazilian Wedding: Marcela & Paulo

Kat

March 15, 2012

Marcela & Paulo's Brazilian wedding was a real DIY labour of love as their wedding photographers Frankie + Marília explained, "This bride is a nurse and very busy but she still somehow managed to find time to do everything for their wedding herself. She worked with a dressmaker that her family has worked with for years to come up with her perfect dress. It seems like everyone that has seen these pictures has fallen absolutely in love with it too!"
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The Desert & A Disco Tree: Danielle & Jose

Kat

March 14, 2012

Danielle & Jose are probably about the cutest couple I know. The first time I met them, at a party in LA last August, we spent the whole night huddled in the corner chatting about life, love, the universe and our mutual appreciation of British culture and photo booths! So when Danielle emailed me just before I left for Vegas to tell me they were going to be there are the same time I just about squealed with delight to be able to see my friends again.
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The Inspirations: Ian Stuart

Kat

March 14, 2012

With a penchant for the opulent and dramatic, a style that makes him stand out from the bridal pack, Ian Stuart is a British bridal designer to be reckoned with. His statement style is unapologetic and one that makes people stop and pay attention. And pay attention I did, when an email landed in my inbox from the man himself, asking if I'd like to work with him to design a Rock n Roll Bride/Ian Stuart collaboration wedding dress. I kid you not! More on this soon, but for now...
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