Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

DIY

Quirky English Summer Festival Wedding

Kat

June 19, 2010

This quirky, laid back British wedding with a cool festival vibe was sent over to be last week and you guessed it, I couldn't wait to feature it. Rachel & Dan really did it their own way and I love the idea of a chilled out party in a tent to celebrate a wedding. The couple were officially married at a registry office but has an 'unoffical' church blessing at St Peter's Church, Weston, Suffolk. They didn't make a big deal about the registry office part as they didn't want this to feel like their actual wedding - in fact Rachel was still at work half an hour before their appointment! The reception was held at Marsh Farm which was just a holiday property when they found it. However since the couple got married there and Rachel published an article in The Guardian newspaper about the wedding, the owner decided to change it to a wedding venue.
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Music, Poetry, Green Balloons & Love

Kat

June 16, 2010

I always wonder, when a photographer gets married, how the hell do they decide who to shoot their own wedding? Well Laura & Dave of Blissed Photo had just this conundrum when they got married recently, but chose the amazing One Love Photo as they knew Heather & Jon would capture it perfectly. Being surrounded by all things wedding in their day to day lives, the couple had seen loads of brilliant ideas (and knew some to avoid!) in their own planning. However they still knew what was important to them, music and poetry, and wanted to make sure this was brought into their day. "Dave plays sax in a few bands, so a trio of his best friends played during cocktail hour, and we hired an amazing funk band, Emerald City Throwdown, that had everybody dancing" Laura told me. " We also wanted everyone to mingle, so we skipped the seating assignment and also had couches (from Bella Rugosa) to make the vibe more casual and open. I'm not really a poet, but I LOVE spoken word poetry, so I asked my 3 favorite poets if they would read at our reception. Everyone went nuts because these poets are some of the best in the world (truly- they constantly travel and compete internationally). I surprised Dave with a poem I wrote, and then he surprised me by having a good friend of his perform a new Pearl Jam song, Just Breathe, for our first dance. "
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Retro Rockabilly & Heart Shaped Sunglasses

Kat

June 15, 2010

I've got yet another bit of retro rockabilly lovin' for you today, in the form of Nick & Jamie's Santa Barbara wedding. The ceremony and reception took place at The Rockwood Womens Club which proved to be the perfect backdrop to their day. Jamie looked stunning in her Maya dress by Michelle Roth, but it had a bit of a story behind it! ""Ohhhhh the dress....it was almost a nightmare! It was a Michelle Roth "Maya" that I bought used on Oncewed. I took it to a local alterations lady who cut it too short and messed up the top! Luckily I have a dear friend in the fashion industry, Denice Dir who saved the day by not only adding the black tulle underneath, sewing in a petticoat and took 45 minutes to carefully seam rip the top and fix what the other lady had messed up. She even made my dog's collar piece out of my dress trimmings and surprised me on the day of my wedding with the special stitching she did inside!"
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“You and Me are Awesome” – A Kick Ass Independent Elopement

Kat

June 14, 2010

I loved Matt & Brandy as soon as I read their email to me last week. "We are f***ingrock n' roll because we had the balls to call off a wedding. We originally got engaged in April 2009 and shortly thereafter set the date for April2010. We wanted a simple affair which of course spiraled out of control. It became about every one else. We lost sight of what the day meant to us as a couple. The guest list kept getting longer...which meant more money...and more problems. In November it hit us...wtf are we doing???? We ended up calling off the wedding...and calling off our engagement. We became a bit disenchanted by the whole wedding planning and wondered if it was something we ever
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Purple, Green & Everything in Between – Stunning Australian Wedding

Kat

June 8, 2010

OK so this was the Australian wedding that I'd planned on posting yesterday but me being a bit pink (as apposed to blond) I forgot about the crazy time difference between here and Oz so when I was emailing the photographers to get the info I needed, unsurprisingly they weren't replying because it was like 3 in the morning or something. Aaaanyway it matters not because NOW my babies I am able to share this fan-bloody-tastic wedding with you...and I'm so pumped to hear what you think. I literally wet myself with excitement when I saw Madeline's purple and green dress! Madeline & Nic decided very early on that they didn't want a traditional wedding - the bride's two sisters had both done the white wedding thing and although their days were beautiful and perfect for them, it wasn't quite right for this couple. "We are non-traditionalists (hence no white/ no flowers/ no favours/ no wedding cake/ no sit-down dinner) and we wanted a wedding that reflected our personalities and relationship. Bit crazy, lots of fun, different and unique" the pair told me.
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Incredible Victorian Steampunk, Corset Heavy & Generally Awesome Diy Wedding Day…with Masks!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the Australian wedding together on time to take us over to Oz for our final wedding of the day today (I want to make sur that when I put it up it will be perfect and have all the info you might want on the event so pweease forgive me!??)...however I have managed to secure a pretty damn shaaaweeet Steampunk wedding which took place in San Francisco to round today off nicely. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this babyin fact I am so in love with this wedding that I appear to have titled this post will the longest, most over-excited, rambling header ever! Violet & Eric are certainly going to being some much needed spice to Rock n Roll Bride today. I had an amazing chat with the super creative bride (who also makes her own Steampunk inspired jewellery - you can see some of her designs here) where she told me all about their wedding.
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Fabulous Chicago Town, Quirky & Creative Wedding Fest!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Stop number two on our whirlwind tour takes us to the windy city - aka Chicago. I have always been a massive fan of photographer Jeremy Lawson so when I saw this latest wedding, in the same antique/salvage shop that we all fell in love with from his last wedding that I blogged, I couldn't wait to get him on board for another feature! Denise & Mark are both self-confessed quirky and creative types - she is an art director for a music and diy magazine and he runs his very own 'nerd blog' Wolf Gnards - so of course their wedding was going to be a super special one. "When it came to the wedding we wanted to create a fun, unique experience for our friends and family" the couple told me. "Our venue was an architectural salvage / loft space which ended up being the inspiration for the whole event-- everything from my dress to the centerpieces took on that unique, vintage, diy feel...Expect for the cake-- that was straight from the future! But it definitely was a crowd pleaser."
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Victorian Sci Fi & Steampunk Love

Kat

June 1, 2010

Following on from yesterday's Steampunk-esque wedding, I wanted to share another - and this time, an all out authentically styled Victoriana wedding fest! Stacy & Eric got married in April and had one of the most incredible weddings fitting this theme that I have ever seen! The whole wedding was filled with circles - from old type writers, clocks and top hats to that truly incredible (and fully edible!) cake (made by Let Them Eat Cake in California - seriously go check out their website, they have cakes and designs like you've never seen before!) You are going to go nuts for these details - I am loving the typewriter/flower combo. It's like nothing I've ever seen. The centrepieces consisted of flowers, old books books, typewriters, gears, light bulbs, test tubes and had a real authentic Steampunk vibe. Stacey collected all the props throughout their planning and then gave them to florist Debbie Fields who put everything together on the day. The place names, which were made of old-looking train tickets (found at a craft store) had individual keys stuck to them that with significant words on them like 'life' and 'dreams'. The keys and gears on the place cards were found at a local craft store-they come from a scrapbook line by a guy named Tim Holtz.
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Victorian Steampunk & Fancy Dress Fun

Kat

May 31, 2010

Caroline & Connor's wedding had a distinctly Victorian/Steampunk vibe. As well as the bridal party, all the guests really got into the spirit and dressed up for the occasion in vintage dresses and attire which was practically much all put together by the amazing Trish Roush at House of Nines Design. Not only did she help out the guests with their outfits, but she dressed the bride and groom - including making those incredible hats!
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Pink, Bows, Music & Radical Wedding Love

Kat

May 28, 2010

So I was going to blog this next week but I literally can't wait. I saw Annette & Brian's totally gorgeous wedding on my friend Micheal Antonia's (aka the dj extroidinate behind The Flashdance) blog and like the lightning bolt that I am (when I come across something that's as awesome as this) I was straight in there with my request to feature it. So, alongside Micheal, the photographers Our Labor of Love and Annette & Brian themselves, I am more than ecstatic to share this way-too-rad wedding with you today.
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Rustic Retro with a Diy Charm

Kat

May 25, 2010

Fanni & Ben got married in April at Cripps Barn in Gloucestershire. Bored by the usual wedding stuff they found in magazines and at wedding shows, the pair turned to the internet for inspiration and luckily for them stumbled upon not only Rock n Roll Bride but a plethora of amazing ideas via some awesome American wedding blogs. "Back at the drawing board, I found myself scanning an array of American wedding blogs. All of which featured jaw-droppingly gorgeous weddings that looked amazing but had little or no information about weddings in the UK, and then I stumbled across your site!" Fanni told me "From that day on, Rock n Roll Bride truly was a breath of fresh air for me from everything else I had seen out there previously. Your site was reassuring that we didn't have to be confined to the norm or do things a certain way because it was tradition. Our wedding was our day, our way. We wanted our guests to have the best time and not be left thinking that they were just at....'another textbook wedding.' So, with much planning and evenings spent beavering away we managed to pull it all together."
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Retro Movie Themed Kansas City Wedding

Kat

May 15, 2010

You're going to love Erica & Ryan's homespun, diy wedding...and you're certainly going to love their story. I was over the moon to receive these gorgeous images from photographer Katie and even more chuffed when Erica got in touch with all the juicy details. "Ryan and I originally thought we would just have a courthouse wedding, and then have a big party. Of course, our parents were not so thrilled with the idea. We also did not want anyone else planning or making decisions for OUR wedding/party, because we did not want it to be the same old wedding and the same old reception that we've all attended twenty times before. Nothing against traditional weddings, we're just not traditional. We also were looking to keep it cheap simply because we think it's silly to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a few hours. All we really needed was the two of us looking snazzy and an amazing photographer."
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Jessica & John – DIY Vegas Wedding

Kat

May 12, 2010

Stand by for Las Vegas awesome - part deux! Jessica & John's diy fest. of a wedding makes me happieeee indeed. Not only does Jessica look ridiculously haaawt in her Oleg Cassinidress and homemade jacket but the whole affair was so personal and diy fabulous - who said Vegas wedding were tacky? Jessica spent a lot of time getting her diy projects just right. She made everything from the decor to the flowers, from the gift bags to the table runners and photo booth. Here is a run down of the whole shebang..
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What a Beautiful Day!

Kat

May 11, 2010

After featuring Alissa & Rich's crazy-stylish engagement last May, I couldn't wait to see their wedding and they certainly haven't disappointed! Alissa told me all about their 'vintage, rustic, chic' wedding. "After an extensive search for a photographer, we found Laura Grier at Beautiful Day Photography. We fell in love with her laid back photo-journalistic style and her infectious positive energy. Through Laura, we ended up finding our wedding location, Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse in Los Olivos, California, based on the photos from one of the gorgeous weddings she shot there."
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All the Colours of the Rainbow

Kat

May 8, 2010

Jackie & John's massively colour-filled wedding makes my heart sing with joy. Any couple who can't settle on one colour scheme and go for all the colours is awesome in my book. Those bridesmaids - oh yes! The wedding took place at 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky - an art gallery space that is quite minimalist so not to take away from the art on the walls. The couple let the venue do what it does best and didn't worry about adding their own decorations. "Decor was not a big priority to us because I respected the venue's integrity on it's own" Jackie told me. "I'm an art history major so it was great to find a venue that reflected that. Plus, 99% of our guests were from out of town, so it was nice to have everything - the ceremony, reception and after party - all under one roof. Everyone partied until they had to cut the band off and then simply staggered upstairs to bed. More than a few out of town guests thanked us for that. I can not speak highly enough of the staff there. We had taken our party upstairs to a couple of hotel rooms and the hotel was getting a couple noise complaints, but instead of telling us to keep it quiet and kill the party, they opened up a meeting room space down in the basement and let us bring our own food, drinks and iPod speakers in and stay as late as we want. My husband and I finally crawled away to our room at 3:30 am or so but I'm told people were in the meeting room until well past sunrise."
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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.
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Antique Market Dreams

Kat

May 7, 2010

I have much love for Chicago photographer Jeremy Lawson and it's always a pleasure to feature his Rock n Roll weddings - especially when they are as awesome as the one of Mary & Alton. The wedding took place at the uber cool Salvage One, which, with it's awesome signage and rustic, almost derelict, antique market interior provided the perfect backdrop to the event. Mary's vintage look was provided by local Chicago design Jess Audey who custom made her beautiful dress and Antje Kastner at Tigerlilie who did her retro/rockabilly style hair and make up.
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Make Jewellery Magazine – June 2010

Kat

May 7, 2010

For those of you who enjoyed my outing in Sew Magazine two months ago (and I know a bunch of you did - one Rock n Roll Bride in The States even contacted the editor to get a copy shipped over - wow!) should enjoy my next bit of press, this time Make Jewellery Magazine! I was contacted by them soon after the Sew feature came out as they too were running a wedding special and wanted me to help them with ideas, inspiration and to put them in touch with some brides who did it themselves when it came to their wedding day gems. So not only does this magazine feature a little section on yours truly, but it also features past Rock n Roll Bride blogged beauties Rachel, Jennifer, Hannah & Kristi!
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