Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Kat

Enviable Vintage-Cool

Kat

January 31, 2010

A cute couple, both us glasses and fabulous fashion with that enviable vintage-cool vibe (the green dress was Amanda's grandmother's) rocking it with records and just generally hanging out...I just ...yeah, you know I love it. Amanda & David hopped around different locations throughout the East Side of Milwaukee for their engagement shoot. All of the places they visited had significance to their first date, the first stop being a record store. On their first date, David bought a record "for himself," which a few months later he gave to Amanda as a gift. She holds it in one of the photos. They also stopped at Comet Cafe, which was where they had lunch together for the first time. They even brought their own favourite coffee cups for the shoot. Thanks to Miranda & Adam of Capturing Your Day for sharing this shoot Credit: Capturing Your Day
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Winter Warmers & DIY to Die For

Kat

January 30, 2010

This brand spanking new wedding was sent to me by the fabulous Andana Lima. I fell in love with bride's beehive, her faux fur coat and all the DIY projects involved in making their day elegant and personal. The DIY projects behind this wedding included the bouquet made out of black and white fabric, the boutonnieres for the groomsman and mother of the bride, the monograms, the wishbook and all the centerpieces and table decorations. Courtney also added her own beads to underneath her shoes. Thanks to the ever delightful Andana for sharing this weith us. I'm sure you'll agree that it's fabulous indeed Credit: Andana Lima Photography
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Under the Spotlight – CandySnaps Weddings

Kat

January 29, 2010

Who are you and what do you do? I’m Caroline Weiss, the photographer behind CandySnaps Weddings. I’m originally from Germany but have been living in the UK for the last 12 years I am a reportage wedding photographer, which means that I blend in unobtrusively and record a couples special day rather than direct it. I will take care of the mainly always required group shots too, but I won’t take my couples away for 2h for a photo session. I believe that there is no need for set up images and that the best pictures are always of the bride and groom enjoying themselves with their friends and family. It also means that they will look back at their photos and remember their special day how it really happened. I’m one of the few Scottish photographers who have been selected as member of the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to for work in? I am based in Glasgow Scotland but am happy to travel anywhere in the UK and Europe, or in fact anywhere you will take me. Who/what are your biggest influences? Who do you really admire? Oh my…. There are sooooooooooo many wonderful photographers out there. One of my favourites has to be Robert Frank. I just love photographers who ‘play’ with photography. Black and White images always excite me – they just have such an amazing atmosphere about them and I always think that everyone looks like a film star in b/w. What or who made you get into photography? Photography and the idea that you can capture those precious moments has fascinated me for a long time. I think moving to London when I was 19 really inspired me to become a photographer. It’s such an amazing colourful and vivid place with so many different people… I worked as an assistant with a lovely photographer called Simon Denton who really inspired me to go and study photography and take my passion for photography further. What do you love about weddings? I love being part of a couple’s happiest day of their life… I LOVE a good party and I get really excited when you can just feel the love between two people and it’s my honour to capture this with my photography ( I always get a wee tear in my eye at every wedding ceremony and am the one who laughs the loudest at a good Best man speech)… It’s great meeting couples, who stick to fingers up to wedding traditions and just do their thing and have a really individual wedding not following any rules. I love the excitement on their faces when I show them their wedding photos, when I get a hug and tears of joy because they love my work so much. That is the thing I love most about my job making my clients happy! What do you hate about weddings? I wouldn’t say I hate anything about weddings, but I’m not particularly thrilled by very traditional weddings. Thankfully, I am not photographing many of them. Tell me a little about your favourite wedding ever and why? (include pix if you want) ARGH, I can’t decide,…. I think there might be 2 wedding so far that really stood out for me. One was a very small intimate affaire. The couple got married at the registry office and then went on to a wonderful restaurant. They are both really into their cycling so instead of having a wedding car, they cycled with a tandem from the registry office to the restaurant. Oh what fun. And it was a complete surprise. Their friends organized the tandem for them and decorated it with a cute ‘just married’ sign. The looks on their faces when they saw the tandem was just brilliant. The other wedding was much bigger and set in a family garden. It was a super hot day in May and the couple were just sooooo much fun to work with. Super relaxed. They held their speeches outside in the garden and it was just an amazing party with lots of wonderful people. The bride wore bright red heels and bounced on the trampoline with about 10 kids in her £3000 wedding gown. Very cool! What advice would you have for couple’s on the wedding photographer hunt? What is a sign of a good/bad wedding photographer? First thing to think about is what you want from your wedding photography, as there are many different styles available. Ask your venue if there is someone they would recommend or your friends who are already married might be raving about their photographer. If wedding photography is really important to you, make sure you book your photographer as far in advance as possible. The popular photographers get booked out a year or more in advance! When a company has more than one photographer make sure you meet and see the work of the person who will take your photos. I personally think that it is important that you like the person who photographs your wedding so you feel relaxed in front of their camera. A good photographer will show you samples of full day weddings they have shot so you get a feel what your photos will be like. I would also recommend that you don’t book your favourite photographer because they are over your budget. Your wedding photos will be what is left after the wedding. The photos will be your memories and that is priceless. And last but not least, trust your instincts! I always compare choosing your wedding photographer with choosing your new house - you often know as soon as you walk through the door that this is the one. What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer so far? Having my work published in leading Scottish Bridal Magazines. Being selected as member of the prestigious WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) and collaborating with Scotland’s finest hair and make-up artists Leigh Ferguson and Ainslie Currie to offer my clients a complete hair, make-up and photography package for their special day. What role (if at all) have wedding blogs played in promoting you and your work so far? This is the first time that I’m promoting myself on a blog and I’m really excited about it as rocknroll bride is fantastic and being features will be a great way to make myself known to the kind of clients I like to attract. I’ve been looking everywhere for a blog like this in the UK and am thrilled that Kat likes my photography and is happy to have me on board! So all you lovely brides get in touch – I’d love to hear about your wedding plans. Do you have any advice for budding photographers out there who want to get into weddings? I would say to them that wedding photography is very different to studio based work. In the studio you are in control of everything. The lighting, the background etc. With wedding photography you get rain, bright sunshine, dark venues… You just have to adapt to whatever is thrown at you. But if you find the idea of that exciting rather than nervewrecking, give it a go. I am just utterly in love with photographing weddings and can only highly recommend it. Anything else you’d like to add or info about yourself that you’d like me to include? And other questions you would like to include? One thing I would like to mention are my beautifully handmade wedding albums. I don’t use storybook albums but am working with a Japanese bookbinder who lives in Munich who makes these to my clients specifications. There are lots of different colours (bookcloths) and patterns (Japanese paper) available and they are just so different to what other photographers offer. I will attach a few photos for you to choose from. I don’t really like the story book albums because I think they are a fashion trend and in 10 years time they look outdated and will fall apart. I wanted to give my clients something no one else has. A totally unique album for every totally unique wedding, that will last forever and can be handed down to their children and grandchildren. The albums also contain ‘real’ photographic prints, so the photos aren’t printed onto the page like they are in the story books. Please include a number of your favourite images that I can use in the post. There is no set amount and I will choose which ones I think will suit the post the most. Thanks for taking part! If you could also please include a photograph of yourself for use in the post that would be fantastic!
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All Shook Up

Kat

January 29, 2010

Jessica & Ronnie's kitsch Elvis themed wedding was just too damn Rock n Roll to ignore. Stand by for all the juice... First and foremost I would like to just say Kat your blog was definitely a huge source of inspiration through all of my wedding planning! Your excitement for all things wedding is so fantastic to read that even after our big day, I still take a looksey to check out all of the great wedding photography you find! Thanks for doing what you do! It was pretty wild when Tom asked us if he could send you some of our photos, I said "of course I know Rock n Roll Bride, that sounds great!" I totally thought wanting to get married in red was going to have to make me spend a bazillion dollars that we didn't have on getting one made, but I randomly found it at David's Bridal. It was a bridesmaids dress for only $160!! I just had them take off the spaghetti straps that it came with because I thought it gave a more vintage feel to it. My husby's outfit cost more than mine with his special Wingtip Shoes costing almost as much as my dress but it was so worth it because man did he look hot in them! Our wedding consisted of a weekend gathering in San Luis Obispo at The Madonna Inn, which is filled with everything gold and gaudy, its such an amazing place with every room holding a different theme, I really recommend it to all for at least a one night stay! We started the weekend off Friday night bowling with friends and family at Pismo Bowl just right down the road. We wanted our wedding to be for us to spend as much time as we could with everyone and just party, so we had an early afternoon wedding in "The Gay 90's Room" upon the stage, while making our separate entrances, my fiancee's song was "I'm Your Man" by Leonard Cohen, and mine to "You Can Never Hold Back Spring" by Tom Waits, then we had our officiant "50's Young Elvis" (no disrespect intended to older Vegas Elvis, but we just love classic Elvis) who made his entrance by singing "I Got Stung" up the aisle as all of our guests just laughed and clapped along. It was truly a great moment seeing everyone have so much fun with him! Elvis officiated the wedding with fun and singing but also such sincerity about love and how to make it last. Our I do's went something like, "Do you promise to never step on his Blue Suede Shoes?" and "Do you promise to never leave her All Shook Up at the Heartbreak Hotel and Love her Tender?" After the ceremony Elvis handed us the infamous Vegas Elvis Glasses and sang us out to "Burning Love". We of course had to have Elvis' "Fame & Fortune" as our First Dance, hopefully by now your seeing that we're not creepy just HUGE Elvis fans. At the reception each table centerpiece was a different record sleeve from our collection of singers that we love like Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson, Roy Orbison, B.B King, David Bowie, Elton John and many others, then for the placement cards we had "Mr & Mrs So & So are partying at Elton John's table" and so on. It was such a cheap money saving way to do centerpieces! I totally recommend it! To continue with the theme we had little record napkins that had "Rock & Roll" on them from Party City for next to nothing. For party favors we had our immediate family members and bridal party dedicate songs to us that reminded them of us, and the two of us dedicated songs to each other too, which we made into a CD for all to take home. Everyone came up with such great songs that it made a great compilation that we listen to all the time! We finished off the reception and despite the sprinkles of rain outside, we all headed up to the pool & spa and partied in our bathing suits till the pool closed! Such an awesome day to finally start a new chapter with my best friend in such a fun way and to share it with all of our loved ones that came near and far for a little mini vacation! I definitely recommend all couples to just try and have as much fun with the planning as possible, and don't worry about having to stick to the norm of late afternoon weddings with dinner & dancing, do whatever your heart desires and have an all day long of festivities to enjoy it even longer, because it goes by so fast! Thanks to Tom and of course Jessica & Ronnie for sharing their top tappin' wedding with us
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On the Southbank

Kat

January 29, 2010

I was lucky enough to feature photographer Jodie Chapman in my Under the Spotlight series this week...and now I'm lucky enough to be the blog that she selected to showcase her newest engagement shoot which took place on the Southbank of the River Thames in London. Jodie knew this shoot would be perfect for Rock n Roll Bride and that I'd go crazy for the old books, the London Underground map, the old telephone boxes (does anyone use telephone boxes anymore?!) and the London buses, as well as the various quintessentially London locations such as The Tate Modern (which, even though it's a horrific 1970's building, she still made look awesome!) Thanks to Jodie for sharing these with us Credit: Jodie Chapman Photographer
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Thursday Treats – 28th Jan 2010

Kat

January 28, 2010

First of all I have to start by saying O.M.G how awesome is this image sent to me by Kirsty Mitchell (and yes the bow was really that big) If you haven't seen her work before then go check out her Flickr - amazing doesn't even cover it! The make up was done by Elbie Van Eeden and I just loooove it. So what else has been going on? Well I've been frantically trying to get on top of all this bloggy goodness plus writing magazine articles (not that I'm complaining!) plus looking forward to the designer wedding show. On that note, thanks to everyone who entered the contest to win 2 free tickets. The winner are (dum dum duuuuuum)
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Tasteful, Elegant & Edgy Boudoir

Kat

January 28, 2010

Prompted by my own soiree into the art as well as the fiery debate on the issue on Eastside Bride, I've been thinking about boudoir shoots a lot recently. So, it was almost certainly meant to be that I laid eyes on these perfect examples of tasteful boudoir on Kiss the Groom. Elegant, classy, edgy, ethereal and sexy all at the same time. Yes, I am definitely pro-boudoir...just as long as it's done right. Thanks to Elizabeth for allowing me to share these with you Credit: Elizabeth Messina Photography / Kiss the Groom
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Vintage Wedding Heaven

Kat

January 28, 2010

I have quite literally died and gone to vintage wedding heaven. This is one of those shoots, that as soon as I saw just one little sneak peak, I emailed the photographer right. that. second to demand to be able to feature them! The ever lovely Lisa of Ophelia Photography was of course more than willing to allow me to have my way with these, and boy am I excited to share. All you lovers of vintage fare are going to go just gaga. Perched on top of stone angel in a Vintage Wedding Gown and a crown of baby pink flowers, Corrie is slipping, almost falling. But that doesn’t compromise her poise; she tries a funny face (very Audrey Hepburn)surprise and a cool couture profile as she lengthens her leg just so. I hold my breath and click my camera following her lead, she is pure magic. When I purchased a Vintage Wedding Gown from GT Antiquesin Port Alberni BC, a few months ago I was instantly overwhelmed with visions of ethereal, romantic, and beautiful images. I conceptualized a beautiful young women who belonged in another world, from a distant time. I knew that the gown would fit perfectly on one of my favourite muses Miss Corrie Flint. Corrie is the type of model that truly evokes a character, and she is not afraid to “go there” and take risks. It is always such an amazing experience to photograph her. Thanks to Lisa for sharing these with us....oooh oooh oooooh don't you just LOVE them!?
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Under the Spotlight – Royal Steamline

Kat

January 27, 2010

Something a little different in Under the Spotlight today. I'd like to introduce you to Aerin & Jeremy of Royal Steamline. They specialise in wedding invites with a gothic/steampunk/retro/vintage vibe and I think you're going to totally dig what they do! I can't wait to get going... Who are you and what do you do? Royal Steamline is Aerin and Jeremy -- a husband-and-wife design team based in Portland, Oregon, USA. We create wedding invitations that have a dark, clockwork or otherwise retro/vintage flavor. Through a subtle and sometimes anachronistic combination of shadows, textures and vintage illustrations, we aim to convey a sense of eras strange and forgotten. Sea monsters mingle next to robotic ravens, and gentlemen scientists have tea with rockabilly rebels. Simply stated, we offer unconventional invitations for unconventional people. Who/what are your biggest influences? Who do you really admire? We primarily create designs that aim to capture a theme or mood. Our influences vary wildly -- from vintage fashion & science journals to odd finds at antique stores. Now, if you mean visual artists that we follow and appreciate, here are a few names off the top of our heads: EMEK, Alex Gross, George Tooker, Gregory Crewdson, Joe Coleman, Irving Norman, Guy Burwell, Wayne Douglas Barlowe, Michael Michael Motorcycle, Toni Frissell, Chris Ware, Guy Colwell, R. Kenton Nelson, and Jeremy could stare at Todd Schorr's "The Spectre of Monster Appeal" for hours. What is the ethos and idea behind your business? We want weddings to be cool. We want to change the way people think about weddings and offer alternatives that speak to their personal tastes. About seven years ago, a number of friends who were getting married began coming to us to design custom invitations since they couldn't find anything that epitomized their rockabilly, goth or other non-traditional wedding themes. So, we started to make invitations that were outside of the normal, plain, anemic styles that we were (and still are) seeing everywhere. More and more couples are insisting that their weddings reflect their personal styles instead of conforming to traditional wedding styles, structures, colors and attitudes. We want to contribute to their big party and help them have the weddings they want. How do you come up with invitation ideas? Often, our designs are sparked from a book or artifact on our shelves like a first edition of H.G. Wells' Star Begotten, an Edwardian glass eye, or Liz McGrath curios. Jeremy's been deep into Victorian pulps and I'm obsessed with mourning buttons and early 20th century advertising and science imagery. We're inspired by the stories of retro technology, old movies, textures of old paper...the look of outdated fonts...some crazy ornate border flourish. The combo of the different worlds usually leads to some interesting aesthetics. What is your most popular design? It seems to change every month, but 10/6 is always up there. I think that's because it's so versatile and has its own interpretation for each couple. Do you offer custom work? Of course! We offer unique "from scratch" custom designs, as well as custom design changes to our readymade invitations. Tell me a little about your favourite invitation you created and why. Hmm…I like Coney Island 1896 because I'm a big fan of old sideshow posters and I've got a soft spot for cephalopods. I think it just looks great printed -- and it really sets an undeniably quirky and fun tone. Jeremy likes Vintage Rock because, well, it's a symbol of vintage rock: Viva Gene Vincent and Wanda Jackson! Do you have any advice for people looking for invitation ideas? Really spend some time and look around for the right invitation for you. Your wedding invitation is a great way for your guests to get a peek at all the fun that's to come. And if you don't see what you're looking for, it never hurts to ask! What has been the highlight of your career so far? Really, just doing this full-time is a blast for us. But if we had to name a single client that we were flattered to work with, it might be Voltaire. We were so honored he chose us to create the invitations for what looked to be an awesome goth wedding. Name a couple of bands/songs that are on your stereo at the moment? Music plays a huge role withregard to who we are and what we do (or, maybe, just how we do it). We actually met when we were both living in San Francisco and our first date was basically one big argument about music (but it was great!). We genuinely enjoy a huge range of music: I grew up loving bands like Bauhaus, Ministry, Joy Division, Clan of Xymox, and The Smiths while J listened to stuff like the Misfits, Neurosis, Hawkwind and Einstürzende Neubauten. These days, we're still all over the place! Recently, shows we've seen include Earth, Stereolab, Marissa Nadler, The Raveonettes, Vagabond Opera, King Khan and BBQ, the Horrors, Thrones, Atlas Sound, the Ghastly Ones…We haven't even mentioned Jeremy's love of early Americana (Harry Smith is a big influence) and my collection of hard bop and sad bastard vinyl. What can we expect from you in 2010? We're always working on new designs and will soon be offering matching programs, table numbers and other wedding accoutrements on our website (currently only available by special request). Also, our New Year's Sale is still going on: we put 5 designs on sales the week of New Year's. To contact Aerin & Jeremy about your wedding invitations, go check out their fabulous and inspirational website and drop them an email to hello@royalsteamline.com If you are a photographer or wedding vendor and are interested in being featured in a future ‘Under the Spotlight’ post then drop me an email for all the info.
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Under the Spotlight – Jodie Chapman

Kat

January 26, 2010

Oh you lucky lucky things, I've got another amazing photographer to share with you again today - and it's yet another one from the UK. I have to say, hasn't the UK being storming it recently!? There us so much talent out there, I just wish I knew about all this lot when I was getting married! I've been lucky enough to feature Jodie Chapman's work on the blog before, and with features in national wedding magazines and all over Blog Land she is certainly one to watch. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Jodie Chapman and I’m a wedding and portrait photographer who strives to create beautiful and timeless imagery that will still look fantastic ten years from now. Where are you based and what cities/countries are
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Deluxe Boudoir

Kat

January 26, 2010

The vintage boudoir style is everywhere right now and it really seems to be sparking people's imaginations! I love how different people perceive things in their own unique way... Obviously my recently shoot was miles away in style to this one sent to me the other day by Courtney Wilson, but the brief was the same - to create some stunning boudoir images with a vintage flair. Courtney told me all about her inspiration behind this shoot: There was an image from Destry Rides Again (1939) where Marlene Deitrich is posed oh-so-sensually in her deluxe boudoir. I saw this image and was completely inspired to theme a shoot around it (the black and white shot was my interpretation of the actual image). The model is my sister, Eva, and she was a very willing subject on a rainy day at my home. After ransacking the whole house, we pulled together our favorite vintage accessories and went to town! Eva wore all her own clothes and I styled the shoot myself. her amazing shoes were from Shoegasm in Manhattan. Thanks to Courtney for sharing her vision with us
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Speakeasy Swing Wedding

Kat

January 26, 2010

I've got a feeling you're going to love this detail-heavy dance-fest. The moody light, the swing band, the bride in her stunning yellow gown, the cupcakes, the portraits...yep this is one pretty damn cool wedding. Andrew & Aye got married atThe Thaxton in Louis, MO. They converted the indie venue into their speakeasy and swing-dance themed wedding. Both the bride & groom wore custom made outfits - the dress was made by Toni Whitaker and his suit was by Duchess Clothier. The fabulousKim Massie band provided the entertainment. Thanks to Aaron for sharing these with us Credit: Hawes Photography & Design
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So Punk Rock it HURTS! {Part 1}

Kat

January 25, 2010

Oh Lord I must contain my excitement. This is just the type of wedding that Rock n Roll Bride was created for and just the type of wedding that sends me weak at the knees. You'll see why, believe me! I was actually lucky enough to be able to share a little sneaky peak of Matt & Danielle's wedding by way of their photo booth pictures back in november and we all knew from then that this was gonna be a goodie. A photo booth fit to bursting with that many tattooed bodies can never be a bad thing! You can see their full 'n fabulous slideshow right here! But if even that isn't enough for ya, check out Our Labor of Love's blog for part one,The Flashdance blog (who provided their music/entertainment) for part deux and Matt's own blog (he's a kick ass photographer too) for yet even more. Now don't ever say I never give you anything. Squeeeeal! Thanks to Matt & Danielle, Jessie & Whitney for sharing this ridiculous awesomeness with Rock n Roll Bride. I am forever in your blogging debt. Credit: Our Labor of Love
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We Want Kat to Rock Our Wedding ♥ The Winners!

Kat

January 25, 2010

The time has finally come for me to announce the winners of the free wedding photography contest with Kat Braman. As always it was too close to call right up to the last minute, and we had over 2000 votes so thank you so much. I am excited to reveal that the winner are... Neil & Jamie! Congratulations guys! You have won your wedding photography PLUS and engagement or day after shoot! How awesome is that!? But wait, that's not all. Kat loved all out finalists so much that she would like to offer Ashley & Keith and Rachel & John $1000 off her usual package if they still wanted to book her! Please email Kat for all the info on this amazing offer. ps All you UK peeps, don't forget about my quickie contest to win two tickets to the Designer Wedding Show in February. I look forward to seeing you all there!
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