Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

DIY

If Music be the Food of Love…

Kat

Sarah Gormley

February 22, 2013

This shoot, inspired by both vintage and vinyl elements was pulled together by wedding photographer Sarah Gomley. "I wanted to create a wedding shoot that would be relevant for passionate musicians on a tight wedding budget, so this vintage vinyl shoot features an array of DIY touches", she writes. "For a guest book, we used silver sharpie pens on vinyl records, framed to make hangable mementos for the happy couple. We also took small black-rimmed DVDs and printed stickers for their center to make handmade vinyl-themed table number signs. As decoration for the bride and groom, we hung 3x3 black and white photos on an all-black clothesline."
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Medieval Wedding in a Castle: Ben & Victoria

Kat

Melissa Tuck

February 22, 2013

If there's one type of wedding I don't see a lot of, it's one with a medieval theme. So when Ben & Victoria's wedding - set in a castle and featuring owls, hawks and a castle shaped wedding cake - landed in my inbox I was thrilled to be able to feature it. The wedding was held at Castle Ladyhawke in Tuckasegee, North Carolina in November. "Ben proposed on a camping trip to the mountains in North Carolina", began the bride. "He conspired with my bridesmaid and photographer best friend to surprise me by proposing on top of a mountain with her taking photos. He also planned two surprises for me for our wedding that were really special. The castle had a tower with a flag pole on top and with the help of his best man he came up with a coat of arms flag for us as a new family together. He used our wedding colors and an owl sigil, to tie in with the bird that brought us our rings, our love for Harry Potter and the mascot of the university where we both met and graduated. It looked really cool at the castle and is something I'm happy to keep always."
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Low Key Youth Hotel Wedding: Kit & Caz

Kat

Anna Hardy

February 20, 2013

Wedding bloggers like to throw phrases like 'laid back', 'low key' and 'budget-friendly' around like their going out of fashion. But when it comes to a wedding like Kit & Caz's, which took place in a youth hostel in the Peak District, there really are no other words. Their wedding was beautiful, utterly personal and a true reflection of the way they celebrate their love. No mess, no fuss, no pomp and circumstance and no pointless traditions. Oh no, this wedding was unpretentiousness personified. I love it.
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1930s Jazz Club Wedding: Rebecca & Scott

Kat

Amanda VanVels

February 19, 2013

With a lifelong appreciation for classic vintage styling, a beautifully restored 1935 jazz club was clearly the perfect setting for Rebecca & Scott's Detroit wedding. "When we found Cliff Bells we knew we had to get married there", wrote the bride. "When choosing decor items, we were also careful careful to choose things that complimented the vintage vibe of the venue. We didn't want the décor to be too loud or overwhelming. My original design inspiration was the redesigned F. Scott Fitzgerald book covers by Coralie Bickford-Smith."
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DIY Wedding in Victoria Baths: Fiona & Jonny

Kat

Emma Case

February 19, 2013

Unique wedding venues can be hard to come across in the UK, but Fiona & Jonny weren't going to take that lying down. They knew they wanted a memorable space for their union and so selected Victoria Baths in Manchester. "Victoria Baths is an Edwardian swimming baths (which is no longer used as baths, now a restoration project and arts/community venue)", wrote Fiona. "It was originally three big pools. Two of them remain and are empty – we got married in the deep end of the biggest one and had our reception on top of the other! It was boarded over with a sprung dance floor in the fifties (my granddad used to teach ballroom dancing in that room). The remaining smaller pool and the rest of building, which is pretty vast, was left for people to wander around and explore."
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Rainbow Day of the Dead Wedding: James & Ashley

Kat

Peach Plum Pear Photo

February 18, 2013

High school sweethearts James & Ashley were married at Crane Arts in Philadelphia in October. Despite the Autumnal time of year, the couple didn't want an obvious colour scheme - they wanted a rainbow! "Our wedding was very DIY", wrote the bride. "My husband and I can be crafty when we want to be and this wedding really let our creative juices flow. I hand painted all of the sugar skulls and signs while Jim was busy building the dance floor and the entranceway. We also got some old doors from my grandmother, painted them and used them for the ceremony backdrop. One thing I am particularly proud of is the beer bottle cap heart that we screwed to a pallet. We of course drank all of the beer ourselves! I also found some amazing Day of the Dead fabric that we used to make the photo booth, Jim's bow-tie, and I also wrapped the flower bouquets in it."
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Colour Pop Glaswegian Wedding: Claire & Tom

Kat

Mirrorbox

February 18, 2013

Marrying her sweetheart in August of last year, newlywed Claire told me all about their Glaswegian wedding. "Whilst on paper our wedding wasn't overtly Rock n Roll, our journey to get down the aisle definitely offers a slightly offbeat tale. Namely because in the two years leading up to our nuptials we collectively lost ten stone between us - the equivalent of 20ish new-born babies, a Saint Bernard dog, or Britney Spears. The toughest journey of my life, losing 70% of our collective weight drop, I lived, breathed and blogged the whole shebang, and whilst I still have a few more pounds to shift, that I made it down the aisle in the most beautiful dress I've ever seen, no longer morbidly obese, is the proudest moment of my life so far."
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Game of Thrones Engagement Shoot: Karlee & Justin

Kat

Nordica

February 17, 2013

Confession time: I've never seen Game of Thrones. I know, I know, my geek credentials should be thrown out of the window and I should hang my head in shame... But needless to say I know a good thing when I see it, and Karlee & Justin's engagement shoot certainly fits that bill. Vancouver Island in British Columbia was the perfect spot for this DIY shoot - oh yes, I said DIY - the pair made their outfits themselves from scratch!
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Low Key Portland Elopement: Tyler & Revonna

Kat

In Essence

February 15, 2013

An intimate park ceremony, a trip to a cupcakery and a wedding that's an unpretentious as they get. With just $4000, Tyler & Revonna were wed at Council Crest Park in Portland, OR with just their two best friends in attendance. Their low key 'reception' was at Jake’s Grill, a local restaurant which they both love. The bride even made her own wedding dress, headpiece and the dress that her bridesmaid wore.
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Glamorous Gothic Wedding: Lauren & Justin

Kat

The Markows

February 8, 2013

The New Jersey wedding of Lauren & Justin took place in October and had a vintage gothic theme. Red, black and white were the colours of choice and everything, although mostly handmade by the bride and her mother, had a really elegant twist. "My mother and I planned this entire wedding ourselves" wrote Lauren. "We had help here and there from my father, husband and even my mother in law. I think I should also mention I work six days a week so all planning was crammed into my only day off.. Sundays... and the little bit of time after work if I had energy!"
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Simple & Cozy London Knees Up: Lee & Lauren

Kat

Emma Case

February 6, 2013

Red flowing locks, a faux fur coat, deep red flowers in her hair... as soon as I spied the beautiful Lauren on photographer Emma Case's blog I knew she was definitely a Rock n Roll bride. And then I saw the entire wedding and I literally couldn't wait to get it up on these pages - as soon as possible! Lee & Lauren were married in November at Stoke Newington Town Hall. They has their reception at The Artisan of Clerkenwell, a pub/restaurant in North East London. They did things their own way. They picked a non-traditional venue, they homemade as much as possible and only invited people that they really wanted to be there. This wedding was every bit the modern fairytale.
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Reclaimed & Revisited DIY Wedding: Josh & Scott

Kat

Adam Lowe

February 5, 2013

Before I even saw these photographs I knew I wanted to blog this wedding. Wedding photographer, Adam Lowe, described the event to me as 'a mega super awesome gay punk dude wedding' and I instantly knew it would be amazing... and oh boy how right I was! Josh & Scott were married in October at 400 West Rich, a 100,000 sq foot warehouse in Columbus, Ohio. They did pretty much everything themselves and spent just $3000 making their wedding perfect. "We met through a gay social networking and just got to talking", they began. "About three months later we were taking turns visiting each other and three months after that Josh moved to Columbus. Josh is a huge Disney fan and we planned a trip to Disney and Scotty ordered an engagement ring. He proposed to Josh in front of Cinderella's Castle."
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DIY Irish Wedding with an Outdoor Woodland Ceremony: Noel & Dee

Kat

Rubistyle

January 30, 2013

Noel & Dee's Cork wedding had a laid back, bohemian vibe and was held at Ballyvolane House. The ceremony was held outside in the woods. "The owners of Ballyvolane House, Justin & Jenny Green and their wedding coordinator Breffne McKenna organised our ceremony and reception flawlessly", began the bride. "We didn't have to worry or think about anything on the day as everything went so smoothly. Even when our celebrant didn't show up, there was no issue as Justin stood in to conduct our ceremony in the woods. This made it even more special. Our guests didn't know any different, and just assumed Justin was the celebrant until he came around during the reception with a tray of champagne. Some of the guests commented that we were really getting our money's worth out of him! We can't thank them enough for going above and beyond in every way."
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