A Lot Can Happen in 3 Years…

Kat

October 30, 2010

I started Rock n Roll Bride in October 2007 and a lot has happened since then. For one thing I'm busy, really busy. My life is actually pretty mental...but I have ideas and I get to run with them and I like it that way. I work 5 days a week on the blog, writing and publishing around 20 articles of unique content every week. At the weekends I still work at a shopping channel and produce 4 hours of live TV every night. I get home at 3.30am. I sleep. I get up. I neck approximately a litre of coffee.

Sophie & Barney’s Silly & Fun, Vintage & Rock n Roll North London Wedding

Kat

October 29, 2010

I sneak peeked Sophie & Barney's wedding on Twitter and Facebook as soon as their photographer Lisa Devlin emailed me to ask if I wanted to blog them - hello!? Look at these two...Like she even had to ask!! The best bit though? Sophie & Barney found Lisa via Rock n Roll Bride - I love love love featuring the weddings of bona fide Rock n Roll Bride readers! Oh I can hardly contain my excitement over this one... "We did everything we wanted do and didn't care if anyone else thought it was right," the couple explained. "We put together all of our loves and didn't worry about a colour scheme or any thing particularly weddingy, we love autumn and Halloween and London and glamour and silliness and fur and penguinbooks and skulls so we chucked them all in. Is that Rock n Roll??!" Simple answer - yes! Sophie looked every bit the Rock n Roll princess in a genuine vintage dress which she bought from My Sugarland in North London. "It was the first and only dress I tried on," said Sophie "and its beyond special having been a museum piece and nearly 100 years old! It was covered in mould and little rips, I owe Zoe at My Sugarland a massive thank you because she helped my Dad see beyond the grubbiness of it and talked him into buying it for me! She also passed me on to the wonderfully stern but kind Jacqueline Byrne who used to be a seamstress for the Queen no less (!) who tidied the dress up perfectly, even recovering all the buttons on the sleeves." With her perfect dress, Sophie wore a custom made headdress from Lilly Lewis which she customized with a brooch belonging to her Mother. She also also wore her Mother's silver fox fur jacket which was a gift from her Dad on the day she was born!

A Hippy Chic Family Affair

Kat

October 29, 2010

Rissy & Mike's wedding was a real hippy and family affair. They involved everyone that was important to them in order to make it totally perfect. First off, Rissy carried their son, Casey down the aisle with her. "I was wearing Casey in a sakura bloom sling," Rissy explained. "Wearing him down the aisle and during the ceremony was very important to us because we wanted him to be with us as we all became an even closer family. We also practice attachment parenting which puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of baby wearing." With having a young baby, it was hard for the couple to go out and buy everything they could for the wedding, therefore about 99% of their wedding supplies were bought online. "Clothes and decorations pretty much everything else as far as decorations I bought at Anthropologie and World Market," Rissy continued. "I didn't want to hire a wedding planner as we didn't want to pay for one and I really wanted the event to be "us". I felt like I could do it best. The few things that were really important for us to have was an outside wedding on the water or in the woods and a dress that buttoned down the front so I could breast feed in my dress."

A Fairytale Wedding for a Tattooed Princess

Kat

October 29, 2010

"My husband Dewald and I were both engaged to other people a year ago – but when we met it was really a fairytale!" Mona, the bride began. "When they say that opposites attract they are sourly mistaken, my husband and I are soulmates, body, mind and soul! We both have an affinity to all things that are unconventional, covered in tattoos and piercings and we adore all things vintage. After only two months we became engaged and I had his name tattooed on me as a symbol of my lifelong dedication to making the world rock together!"

Thursday Treats – 28th October 2010

Kat

October 28, 2010

Are you ready for your weekly sugar rush? Thursday Treats is ready for you baby!

Sarah & Chris’ Handcrafted Tipi Wedding

Kat

October 28, 2010

Sarah & Chris got married at Croft Castle, Herefordshire followed by a Tipi reception in Sarah's Father's field. I have a serious wedding crush on this 'venue'! The whole wedding was a locally-sourced and handcrafted affair as this was very important to the couple. The tipi was decorated top to toe by Sarah and her Mother (her Mum is the lady wearing the fabulous handmade patchwork coat!) "We wanted our wedding to have a handcrafted feel and it was important that our friends and families were as involved as they could be" Sarah explained. "My inspiration for the feel of the day came from that, from getting those peoples input and spending time with them. My mother made the amazing patchwork coat that you can see her wearing, from thousands of small squares of lovely fabric, and she announced just after we got engaged that she was going to turn it into a quilt for our first baby after the wedding - this pretty much encapsulates the feel I wanted of the wedding. I wanted to make as much as I could myself and took immense pleasure in spending hours stitching and crafting, using old family photos or random things picked up over the years to make everything as unique as it could be - it was so important to me that it all came, well, from the heart. Is that too cheesy? I don't care, it was my wedding day and I loved every second of it."

Vintage Charm – A London Engagement

Kat

October 28, 2010

The inspiration for Caroline & Ian's engagement session was Caroline's gorgeous Vivien of Holloway dress. "'I'd worn it for my brother's wedding in California a couple of weeks before," Caroline explained. "It was such a wonderful outfit to wear that it was the obvious choice when I came to select an outfit for the shoot, and that set the whole style. I also wanted a deliberate contrast to the style of our wedding."

Patti & Frank’s Tattoo-Heavy, DIY-Crazy, Totally Rock n Roll Wedding

Kat

October 27, 2010

Patti & Frank are just the epitome of Rock n Roll Bride! Whenever people ask me what my favourite type of weddings are, weddings like this one are what I describe - tattoos, DIY, short wedding dresses, fabulous bridesmaids and happy, smiling faces! Patti wore an original 1950's vintage dress, awesome shoes by Harajuku Lovers and feathers in hair. "I originally spent $2,000 on a custom made dress which I had designed myself," the bride told me. "Well I had someone who specialized in wedding dresses make it (first problem) and I guess our vision was not the same and I didn't like what she made at all! I went to Cambridge Antique market looking for some vintage brooches to jazz it up and the first thing I saw see when I turned the corner was this dress. I think it had a light shining on it with my name! It was meant to be and just a week before the wedding and it fit like a glove! Oh and the best part? It only cost me $150!"

Brittney & Chris’ State Fair Engagement

Kat

October 27, 2010

Brittney & Chris' state fair engagement session is just to die for! How much do I adore her Betsey Johnson reception dress and sparkly Toms combo too? (answer: a lot!) The couple got married on 10.10.10 with a "funky Cinderella" theme and I can't wait to see the results can you?

Michael & Michelle’s “Up” Inspired Engagement Shoot

Kat

October 27, 2010

Michael & Michelle are huge fans of the Disney movie 'Up' and so wanted to style their engagement session around it. They actually say that they saw a lot of themselves in the main characters of the film, who met when they were children, fell in love and then got married. They handmade all the props themselves including 'My Adventure Book' which they filled with scenes from the film as well as significant photographs from their time together as a couple.

Tamar & Jon’s “Hot Mess” Wedding

Kat

October 26, 2010

"Jon & I met in New York City, live in LA, and had our wedding in Toronto - where he grew up and I went to grad school," Tamah, the bride, began. "Our overall vision for the wedding was that it would be urban, comfortable, fun, and very "us". We love music and vintage stuff, so we definitely had some of that style infused but there are so many other weddings out there that are more "vintage" than ours. We're Rock 'n Roll and unique because instead of trying to unnaturally contort ourselves and our wedding into a neat little category, we accepted the fact that we're "all over the place" and went with it. That meant having some traditional elements - a chuppah, wedding party, sit-down dinner, and bouquet toss - with other details that had special meaning to us regardless on whether or not it conformed to a wedding norm." "If there was one thing I was adamant about, it was taking the subway to the wedding (I'm a transportation planner) and making it easy for our guests to our wedding using transit. So we picked a space right in the city that was only a couple of blocks from a busy subway station; even if it would be the only time in our lives that we "should" take a limo. Both Jon & I wore "flair" on our backpacks throughout high school and college so we designed some of our own for the wedding with the Toronto & NY skylines. There were video monitors throughout the venue, which are usually used for wedding slideshows. Feeling awkward about our faces being broadcast throughout the night, we instead screened Andy Warhol's "Screen Tests", which are beautiful and intriguing."

Cam & Candace’s Homespun Engagement Session

Kat

October 26, 2010

I'm posting less engagement shoots at the moment - not because I don't heart them, but because I literally have wedding submissions coming out of my ears! However I do still let a small number of e-sessions through, especially when they are as cute as Cam & Candace's. The shoot took place around the couple's home, in the neighborhood park and in an old building with a cool looking fire escape.

Jim & Katy’s DIY-Fabulous Whimsical Beach Themed Wedding

Kat

October 25, 2010

I hosted a very special offer from Willow Tree Photography a while ago for free wedding photography to any lucky 2010 couples who maybe hadn't planned to, or couldn't afford a professional photographer. While I got a bit of stick on certain photography forums (apparently I was encouraging newbie photographers to undercut the market...well, anyone who read the post I published on Saturday will know this is certainly not the case!) I am over the moon that through running this very special offer I, and photographer Kathryn, were able to offer some awesome couples without the budget to spend on photography, the chance to have professional wedding photographs.

“Rock n Revolution” – Behind the Scenes Exclusive

Kat

October 25, 2010

I didn't want to make a huge deal of this post because I don't want to bore you with more stuff surrounding my shoot in Paris...however it was incredible so maybe just one more little post about it?! First up, I must say a huge thank you to Love my Dress and The Wedding Chicks for both featuring some images from the shoot on their blogs. Also to every single one of you who commented, tweeted and emailed me to tell me how much you loved the shoot thank you SO MUCH! It really does mean the world to me that you all loved what we did.

A Sunday Kind of Love – Working Together, Rocking Out & Making Love Not War

Kat

October 24, 2010

When you run your own business it's incredibly easy to become fiercely competitive and secular without even knowing it. I've found that especially in the wedding industry there are so many of us trying our hardest to be successful that a lot of the time, it can all get rather bit bitchy and competitive. That sucks. I'm happy to say that although I've had my fair share of niggles with others in the same field as me in the past that I've come out the other side and brought a few of my favourite other bloggers (shock horror - shouldn't they be my competitors!?) along for the Rock n Roll ride. I'm happy and thrilled to call them my friends and colleagues

The Price of Wedding Photography & How Much Should I Expect to Spend?

Kat

Julia Boggio

October 23, 2010

This is a subject I have wanted to address on the blog for a while, but I'll be honest, I have been a little afraid of bringing it up. I need to make a few things clear first. ♥ I am a HUGE advocate of helping start up businesses. I often feature the work of brand new and up and coming photographers on the blog ♥ I am a true believer that a fantastic photographer can make even the most budget wedding look kick ass - more than the dress, the decor and the extra details. Seriously, while all these aspects are important it is the photographer that will capture these memories that will last a lifetime ♥ Everyone deserves to have a truly fantastic photographer to capture their day. Whatever your budget, I can't stress enough how much I'd urge you to spend as much money as you are able to in order to get the very best photographer that you can afford I don't want the fact that I have approached the subject of money, business and all that icky stuff to in anyway ostracise any readers of my little blog. However I do think that just how much you're going to spend on photography is something that should be addressed. It's something that all couples will talk about when they plan their weddings and talk about budget but it's a subject that is never spoken about on blogs or in magazines. Why is this? Well, people don't really like to talk about money do they? My reasoning behind this post is not in anyway to try and encourage you to spend more than you can afford or are willing to on your wedding photography, however I do want to make you stop and think if the service you are getting for the price you're paying really is good value. I have lost count of the number of brides I've had email me asking for photographer recommendations for under £500 and I've also lost count of the number friends I've spoken to who have recoiled at the fact that a lot of the photographers I know are charging £2000 + for "one day's work" (seriously? do people still think photographers only work one day a week!?) I know weddings are expensive things and that this sort of money is a lot for most people, but I can't stress enough that I feel photography is really the one thing you should splash out on. If you can only afford £500 for a wedding photographer then great, but just be aware that the results that you get from a photographer who is only charging that much will most certainly be inferior to someone a bit more pricey. Even if the talent is there, someone able to charge more than this, will if anything have a lot more experience than someone still charging around the £500 mark. If you are happy to pay under £500 for a photographer then fantastic - rock it out, but just be aware that for that price you aren't going to get Jose Villa/Jasmine Star/Jonas Peterson/Jeff Ascough... I hate to say it, but in this industry, you really do get what you pay for.

Rachael & Tony’s Land of Make Believe Wedding

Kat

October 22, 2010

"The theme of our wedding was inspired by us being big kids and my love for make-believe, colour & Alice In Wonderland," Rachael & Tony told me. "The garden (which was right next to the reception - which was held at Brett's Wharf on Kingsford Smith Drive Hamilton, Brisbane) was filled with toadstools, moss and over-sized cartoon style colourful flowers. We had 'floating' windows and a door hanging in the entrance with a 'Welcome' sign on wood tied in a tree."

Sarah & James’ Rockin’ Rockabilly Wedding

Kat

October 22, 2010

Sarah & James 1950's rockabilly wedding was inspired by Sarah's Grandparents who got married on September 12th 1953. "We wanted to get married as close to this date as we possibly could, hence the choice of 11th September 2010," Sarah told me. "My Grandparents celebrated their 57th Wedding anniversary the day after our wedding - the rose tattoo's on my feet (by Sam Ricketts) have their names 'Alice' and 'Mervyn' in recognition of how special they are to me."

Photography Friday – Carly, Cocktails & Cats

Kat

October 22, 2010

This week my bestest friend in the whole wide world came to stay. We are officially rubbish and never see each other enough (busy lives and all that) but I know she stalks my blog (her words not mine) so this should be a nice surprise for her this week! Carly came to stay. We drank lots of these...

Thursday Treats – 21st October 2010 (+Southern Weddings Mag Winner Announced)

Kat

October 21, 2010

I've said this over and over on Twitter, Facebook etc but I literally can't get over how awesome the response has been to our Paris photo shoot. I am so chuffed that you all loved it...and we only did it for you lot. Blown away I am! Also, thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of the V3 issue of the beautiful Southern Weddings Magazine (featuring yours truly!) and I am pleased to announced that the randomly selected winner is....