Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Kat

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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Retro Art Deco Kitsch

Kat

July 13, 2010

I LOVE a bit of retro kitsch and Caroline & Jim couldn't be more perfect at pulling this off if they tried. The shoot took place in their own Art Deco apartment in Brighton (just check out the exterior shots!) which has been decorated with an eclectic mix of bits and bobs collected from all over and ranging in era from the 1920's right through to the 1970's. I adore everything from the authentic mirror, clocks and Princess Anne collectible mugs to the incredible wallpaper and all the retro furniture. Jim is 'Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer' , a brilliant musician playing all over the country at gigs, weddings, parties and festivals. Caroline has a complete passion for fashion as she works in the fashion industry in London. The pair both embrace everything retro and nostalgic in fashion and styling, so their style was spot on for this style of shoot. The couple both wore all their own clothes to give a completely genuine portrayal of themselves and who they are as a couple.
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Under the Spotlight – The Sage, Gateshead

Kat

July 12, 2010

When planning our wedding I found organising the venue the most stressful. As soon as we got engaged I wanted to get the venue sorted as, really, the whole day - the theme, the style and the ambiance - anchors around the setting. For the modern, urban bride, The Sage, Gateshead could well be the answer. Set just outside of Newcastle, The Sage offers a modern and affordable way to get married in style. The venue offers 3 rooms available for wedding hire.
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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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Best of Blogs – Issue 10 ~ Rosie Parsons & The Photography Parlour

Kat

July 11, 2010

OK confession/apology time again. I'm forgoing this week's Sunday Kind of Love post. Eeek...don't be mad. Thing is, wedding season is nuts and I have so much awesomeness to blog that I only flippin' forgot to blog this month's Photo Pro Magazine article. Deary me. Bad Kat. So I'm sacrificing today SKOL (heheh) to share this with you instead. It ain't that the love has ended - far from that. In fact I've got so much love for so many of you at the moment that I couldn't narrow it down to one person ANYWAY...so win win. There, I now feel justified in my decision!
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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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Lydia & Zonte. Cool as F***

Kat

July 10, 2010

Wow, hello beautiful people! Lydia & Zonte may well be one of the coolest couples I've seen in ages. Lydia is South Korean (and must be a model I swear!) and Zonte is a dancer. They live in Kansas City, Missouri but are getting married in South Korea on August 7th. I seriously can't wait to see this wedding - if these engagement shots are anything to go by it's going to be one cool ass wedding! Do I have the coolest readers or WHAT!?!?! (be sure to also check out Zonte dancing in the awesome/cute/funny little video after the 'jump'.)
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Under the Sea – An Aquarium Wedding

Kat

July 10, 2010

I may not have seen anything so gloroius in a long time. This venue is STUNNING. What a unusual and spectacular place for a wedding. Jen & Lou chose Adventure Aquarium to play host to their wedding reception. With the sea life swimming all around them all evening, teamed with their subtle beach theme, the scene was most certainly set for a very different wedding. Jen also chose a very floaty/flowing gown by Kleinfeld Bridal whcih almost looked like crashing waves around her. A-mazing!
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Vintage, Eclectic & Fun – Your Style, Your Way

Kat

July 9, 2010

I love a good promotional photo shoot (we all know that don't we!) I think they are not only really good fun, but really amazing tools to showcase what you really can do - and therefore hopefully get the clients that you want. Ohio photographer Nikita Gross decided to set up this shoot to show the world what she loves to shoot - kick ass, alternative couples of course! The 'bride' Ashley, who owns Pinnokios Salon in Northside, did her own hair and makeup. . She and her 'groom' Jeremy raided their own closets for these vintage and one-off pieces and the results are just so fun and eclectic. Jeremy's American Apparel boots and vintage jacket are particularly sexy! I love.
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A Las Vegas Zombie Party!

Kat

July 9, 2010

I'd love to go to a wedding like Patrick & Carla's - a small, personal and seriously fun wedding in Las Vegas. They basically had a really fun holiday with all their best friends and got married at the same time! Carla told me all about their wedding story and I can't wait to share it all with you. Methinks you will likey... "We decided to go to Las Vegas for several reasons. (We are a Denver, CO area couple.) When we first started planning our shindig it was going to be a small affair, about 30 people or so. But even an event that small seems to be a lot of work, and take a lot of cash. We found ourselves talking about the wedding and always saying, "Everyone will love that." or "what do you think people will think?" And we discovered that we were starting to plan our wedding for everyone else. So we decided to rethink our wedding and make it completely and totally us and all about us. One problem we had was money. Neither of us makes a ton of it, so we had to think what we can do to have fun, that won't cost a fortune and still have a honeymoon. Patrick came up with Vegas. We decided to cut the guest list way down too. Patrick’s father is elderly, and wouldn't be able to make the trip, so to be fair I talked to my parents and asked if they minded not going. They actually didn't freak out."
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We ♥ Miami

Kat

July 9, 2010

Amanda & Marcel's Florida engagement session was a gift from their friend Mireya at Axiom Photo Studio. "From the moment Marcel and I got engaged, Mireya called us up and said...'I have a vision' " Amanda told me. "She told us where and when to meet and she would take care of the rest. I decided to hit up a few Goodwill stores the night before and ended up getting my entire wardrobe for under $20. She knew she wanted to capture "us" and "Miami" and she really did. She took us to some kick-ass graffiti walls in Wynwood and then we traveled back to Little Havana for some cafecito. The whole shoot took about four hours and we all had a blast (including our 2 chihuahuas)."
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1950’s Diner-Style Charm

Kat

July 8, 2010

Holy 1950s wedding awesome Batman! I love it when a couple really get into a theme and do it so well - so well in fact that their photographer Al Overdrive even dressed up as a 1950's style reporter (photo below) Michelle & Craig got married in style at Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Everything screams 1950s retro rockabilly charm - from the pink Cadillac and the diner style grub (giant hotdogs, create your own burgers, fries, waffles, pancakes, ice cream sundaes, Oreo cheesecake!) to the Vivienne Westwood shoes (of which I will never tire) and Michelle's custom 'Beverlywood' Dolly Couture dress.
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Stevie Wonder played at our Reception!

Kat

July 8, 2010

I don't often post weddings that aren't shot by a professional wedding photographer as I am so passionate about everyone having amazing wedding photography, however there are definitely some instances when I'm happy to make an exception. I am proud to make the 'wedding' of Stacey & Dave one of these exceptions. The pair were at Glastonbury music festival last weekend (actually I think it was the week before, man I am behind with my blog posts!) and got engaged, hurrah! Their friends suggested they get married then and there as Glastonbury is famous for people rocking up and getting married in wellies, surrounded by mud and music! This year however it was 30 degrees and although the 'wedding' isn't a legally binding one (silly UK wedding laws) this is certainly going to be an awesome memory for the couple.
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A Mountain Top Ceremony for a Modern Art Wedding

Kat

July 8, 2010

Sara & Andy's mountain top wedding took place at Sapphire Point in Breckenridge, Colorado. They kept it intimate with only 50 guests to the wedding and reception, which was held at the Museum of Contemporary art in Denver. As well as keeping their wedding small and personal, the skipped a lot of the traditional fluff - for example instead of a cake they opted for ice cream sandwiches with sprinkles! They also didn't want (or need) to add any extra decor to their ceremony location or their reception venue as the surrounding countryside and the museums art work spoke for itself and complemented their unfussy theme perfectly. "We utilized the beauty of the spaces from the natural mountain top to the contrast of the modern space of the contemporary art museum to make the couples wedding photographs uniquely theirs" photographer Anna told me. "It was nice working with the two seemingly contrasting spaces to create wedding photographs that were cohesive and representative of the couples day, personalities and love for each other." Finally, Sara & Andy chose not to have any bridesmaids or groomsmen.
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