Urban Grunge & Diy to Die for

Kat

May 7, 2010

Shaun & Jacinta must be every wedding photographer's dream clients! With Jacinta being a fashion designer and Shaun an illustrator, their wedding was always going to be too damn cool for words. Jacinta designed and made her own dress over 3-4 weeks which incorporated a print designed by Shaun (!) The pair worked together to decide on few ideas of what to have in the design to make it perfect for them and to represent both their families. They wanted it to include a Maltese cross to represent Jacinta’s heritage and one of Shaun’s mother’s favourite flowers, Chrysanthemums.

For the Love of Bettie Paige

Kat

April 28, 2010

Toni & Richard had a gothic/burlesque inspired wedding at Prested Hall in Colchester in March of this year. "Our inspiration mainly comes from my admiration of burlesque and my unnerving love of Bettie Page (who I have recently had tattooed on me)" Toni told me. "Not being much of a girly girl and never one who 'dreamt of their big day', I didn't actually know where to start after the proposal. I like wearing jeans, having a Mohawk and being covered in tattoos and wearing too much make up!"

Vampire Boudoir

Kat

April 21, 2010

I've been invited to the Luella's Boudoir bridal event this evening (as a VIP - ha? moi? hilarious!) so what better way to stat the day then will a Rock n Roll boudoir sesh...plus combine that with Annie's awesome Wild Fox 'my boyfriend's a vampire' tee (which, I might add, I've lusted over for a while!) and you've got a match made in Rock n Roll heaven!

Jen & Bijan’s Multicultural, Diy, Totally Personal, Un-traditional Wedding

Kat

April 16, 2010

Can you imagine my excitment when Jen & Bijan amazing wedding landed in my inbox? Jen, the bride began her email "I am an American living in Berlin, and recently married. My husband,Bijan, is German-Irani, and I think our wedding was as multi-cultural and untraditional as we are." I was smitten...and their story just makes it even better. "My background in event planning for President Obama (!) and Vice President Biden came in very handy for a diy wedding" Jen told me. "Bijan and I haven't been to many weddings, nor have we been married before, so we kind of made a lot of stuff up as we went along. The actual ceremony was on Friday, March 26, and the reception was the following day. My best friend, Scout Tufankjian, is a photojournalist and doesn't actually usually do weddings but as her gift to us she agreed to be our wedding photographer. Bijan is born and raised here in Berlin, and we really wanted our photos to reflect our everyday life and the things we love about Berlin. The graffiti pictures are taken along an old section of the Berlin Wall called the "East Side Gallery," and was one of the places Bijan took me on my first day here. With his Persian background, he has always been a fan of shisha (flavored tobacco smoked out of a water pipe)- I also share his love for it, and on our way to the party, we decided to take a break for ourselves and get a smoke at our favorite shisha cafe. We were also starving, so we stopped at our favorite neighborhood schawarma place, Habibi's, for a bite to eat.

London Chic

Kat

April 9, 2010

There is something so endearing and glamorous about a Central London wedding. I fell in love with Lia & Gerard's portraits and soon as I saw them - which just proves how fab photographer Chloe Browne is as the couple only allowed 5 minutes for photographs. They didn't want any family formals either! The whole day was really laid back, relaxed and chilled with a great party atmosphere. "I was so excited to photograph Lia & Gerald at the Haymarket Hotel in London for their wedding in March" Chloe told me. "They were my first couple who weren't keen on spending time on portraits, so I had to persuade them gently to come outside with me for a few minutes. It was still freezing cold, but I managed to convince them to spend 3 minutes with me outside on the street-I really wanted their photos to reflect that they got married in Central London. We then dipped downstairs to the pool room for a couple of photos before I let them get back to the party. Their style was so timeless, I wanted to have a few frames that felt like they were from the Rat Pack era-I hope the black and whites have that kind of feel. They were so cool to photograph-I loved every one of our five minutes!"

Rock n Roll Ink

Kat

April 6, 2010

Oh how I love these!! I mean what's not to love? As photographer Paulus explains "Paula is a sentimental, fashionable, crazy gothic lolita girl and Teddy is an easy going, noodle maniac, graphic master, straight to the point guy. They both came up with this amazing concept. Both of them are tattoo lovers, so they decided to shoot their photos at Rock n Roll Tattoo. They got their vows inked on their arms." Yeah so these guys are pretty much perfecto for Rock n Roll Bride aren't they?

Fiery Wedding at Sloss Furnaces

Kat

April 3, 2010

My last wedding from Bob Miller (for now! - if you missed them here's one and two) is the gorgeous relaxed but energetic wedding of Beverly & Neil. Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham AL (apparently one of the most haunted places in the US!) was suggested to the pair by their friend and eventual wedding coordinator, Sarah Crawford. After visiting Sloss, they both agreed this location would provide the unique, relaxed, and energetic atmosphere they wanted. Working within a very limited budget, they felt that choosing an unconventional location would allow them to bypass some of the traditional wedding etiquette. "The location also said a lot about our interests" the groom told me. " I'm an Architect (student) and Beverly is a Graphic Designer. The soaring smokestacks and steel columns and beams (all decades old) provided an amazing setting. In addition, much of Sloss consists of beautiful greenery sprouting out of the old steel in various spots."

Urban Backdrop to their Love Affair

Kat

April 2, 2010

Colin & Sara Jane 's mutual affection for all things urban made their choice of engagement shoot location a no-brainer. When they asked photographer Bob Miller to photograph them in downtown Birmingham (USA) for their engagement, his goal was to use the city's character and their favorite locations as a backdrop for their new love affair...I'm pretty sure he achieved that one!

Homespun & Locally Sourced

Kat

April 1, 2010

I've discovered one of my new favourite photographers! So much in fact that I emailed him to ask for not one, not two, but THREE of his weddings to feature...so hold onto your hats because over the next few days you're gonna see some serious awesome. First up is Tony & Katie's laid back, funky backyard wedding. Although the pair live in New York they opted to hold their wedding in Kentucky where all their family are based. They knew they didn't want a traditional church wedding and luckily for them Katie's grandparents allowed their home to play host to the celebrations.

Punk Rock Edge

Kat

March 16, 2010

This fun and laid back, spring wedding was just sent over to me by Australian photographer Stephen Henry. I've featured one of his weddings before and I may be seeing a pattern of awesomeness emerging! Sophie & Joe in particular are Rock n Roll, super stylish and of course look like they're having an utter blast with their friends and family. Sophie looks stunning in her floaty, grecian dress and Joe looks super cool with his punk rock edge.

Rockers.

Kat

February 24, 2010

Tiffany & Mitch's rocker wedding was captured by newcomer to the photography scene Jason Grover. The pair love music and I think Jason perfectly captured that in their day! Thanks to Jason for sharing these today

Italian Style – The Punk of Wedding Photography

Kat

February 18, 2010

I was sent a collection of bridal fashion shoots from Italian photographer Joanne Dunn the other day and I have to say I fell in love immediately. She describes her work as “personal fusion photography—the punk of wedding photography", and boy can I see why. These chicks are certainly Rock n Roll baby! The Italians are notoriously painfully stylish and ahead of the game and these shots definitely prove that to me - the black and white palate, the crimped hair, the tiered dress - all scream high fashion bridal style for 2010. Thanks to Joanne for sharing these with me. I look forward to seeing more of you in future!

Under the Spotlight – Dylan McBurney

Kat

February 17, 2010

Who are you and what do you do? I'm Dylan McBurney and I'm a photographer. Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to work in? I live in Carrickfergus just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland with my wife Caroline and daughter Corrina and I photograph weddings across Ireland, France and elsewhere in Europe. You’re the first person I’ve interviewed from Northern Ireland? What is the wedding industry like over there? Northern Ireland is a pretty cool place to get married. The people are renowned for their friendliness. That's what I love most about working here. Do you get to work with a lot of great clients? Fortunately the type of clients we attract are very much into photography and they can understand why my pictures look different to other people’s pictures. A lot of our clients have a relationship with the visual and creative arts - we seem to cover a lot of architects and musician’s weddings. How would you describe your photography? Unobtrusive, journalistic and moment-oriented. I shoot with my emotions - I like to capture the feeling between people and that’s generally not something you can pose or stage. Who/what are your biggest influences? Whose work do you really admire? Henri Cartier-Bresson for his sense of composition and timing. Garry Winogrand for his ability to make pictures out of the chaos of the street. And Joel Meyerowitz, again for his street pictures, but also for his fine art colour work of which I'm a big fan. Do you have an ethos to which you stand by in regards to your photography? I like photographs that tell stories. To do that, you have to be in the background, quietly observing and then reacting to what's happening in front of you. What about formal group photographs? My formals are quick to do and my clients appreciate that. I usually cover about six to seven groups if required - often in a session lasting less than fifteen minutes. Most of my coverage is documentary. At a wedding I'm a reactive soul and I see my role as one of documenting what's going on rather than trying to direct things. How many weddings do you average per year? I shoot about 40 weddings each year. What or who made you get into photography? Seeing Lance Mercer's black and white documentary pictures of the band Pearl Jam in the 1990's inspired me to pick up a camera. Great pictures of a great band! Did you go to school to study photography? Only a part time City and Guilds course at my local college. My tutor was great though - he was a big fan of Cartier-Bresson, Don McCullin and others. I’ve found that that grounding in social documentary photography has served me well. I learned a lot about photographic theory and black and white darkroom work. Apart from photography, what drives you? What are you passionate about? Are you able to bring this into your wedding photography? I'm completely in love with Caroline. We married in her hometown in Brittany, France in September, 2003. Every week when I photograph my client’s weddings I’m reminded of our own wedding that day - all of the friends and family gathered together, all of the emotions, joy and happiness. And I think of all the precious moments that came and went in the blink of an eye. Who or what are your perfect clients? My clients all seem to be really good at living in the moment. Fortunately that's what's important to them and to me also. What do you love about weddings? No two weddings are the same because the dynamics of the relationships are always unique and I just love that. What do you think makes a great Rock n Roll wedding? Didn't John Lennon say the essence of rock and roll was to 'be here now'? I've always thought that that was a great declaration for having a great wedding! What would you say your greatest achievement has been to date? Hands down - meeting Caroline and getting her to marry me. Any real Rock and Roll moments that you can share with us? Going to check out of our hotel room in Rotterdam last year Caroline and I actually bumped into all of the members of Pearl Jam in the corridor (who unknown to us, were also checking out of the very same hotel at the very same time!). We got to chat about their tour, their new album and managed to successfully invite them back to Belfast to play a show later this year - something I’m really looking forward to! How important is an awesome website to your business? It's the single most important part of any photography business. In my opinion it's your shop window. I'm amazed at how many photographers have such poor sites. How important is Photoshop to your final images? It's absolutely essential. Every single image out of the camera goes through Photoshop at some stage, although I don't do anything that I couldn't do in the darkroom.

Tattoo my Love

Kat

February 11, 2010

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

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!

Wild Thing

Kat

January 29, 2010

This latest shoot from boudoir photographer Marin Kristine is so seriously smokin'. I love how she makes all her rock chick clients look so classy, so sexy and so...well...hot! Cianna's rockabilly hair is driving me wild. Wooo! Thanks to the awesome Marin for sharing these with us

Carrie’s Jean Harlow Inspired Bridals

Kat

January 23, 2010

Carrie's wedding day portraits make me so excited I could scream. Isn't she just the most gorgeous Rock n Roll chick ever? "My entire ensemble was inspired by old Hollywood glamor and 1930's black & white films, very Gene Harlow" Carrie told me "My hair and make-up was done by me and I kept it very straight, classic and the make-up reminiscent of the silent era. I grew up watching nothing but silent films, old horror movies and classic film noir. I wanted to appear timeless and not dated, I think I achieved my vision and surpassed even my own expectations." Carrie's gorgeous ruffled dress came from "The Dresser" in downtown Fullerton and was by Pattis, the style was called "Diore". "Originally it was $1850, but I got it on sale for a trunk show promo for 15% off. The dress was made from scratch in Italy. At the time I was shopping for the dress, I had a shaved head. The sales lady then she pulled the dress for me said "The girl with the blonde shaved head and tattoos would look perfect in this dress" the second I tried it on...I knew it was the one." She chose a veil from www.birdcageveils.com which cost her just $59 and her shoes came from "The Dresser" too. The bracelet she wore was an heirloom of her husband's great grandmother and was actually originally a necklace. The gorgeous brooches on the bouquets (supplied by Kari Strand at Lake Elsinore Florist) were from Macy's and old cost about $8 each (reduced from $30!) The bridesmaids also wore dresses from Macy's.

Snow Queen

Kat

January 22, 2010

Shandi's bridals are seriously swoon-worthy! Photography-envy anyone? Her dress was from Belle Bridal in Logan, UT which she rocked up with some red gloves for the shoot (she is going to wear black ones on her wedding day.) I can't wait, can you?!

On a Quirky & Personal Afternoon

Kat

January 17, 2010

Brett & Louise had an quirky and personal afternoon ceremony which was held at the Mt Coo-tha Botanical Gardens in Brisbane, Australia. Their untraditional ceremony featured two rituals, both a ring warming and a hand-fasting ceremony. Photographer Rebecca told me all about this fun and family-oriented day: During the ring warming ceremony the rings were past around the guests who were asked to give their blessings and to make a wish for Louise & Brett’s future together. During the exchange of rings Louise went from tears to laughter which help to create fantastic emotive images of her. After the exchanging of the rings the hand fasting was performed. This ceremony involved Brett and Louise’s mothers winding and tying a piece of ribbon around their hands binding them together in life.