Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

DIY

A Pink & Leopard Print Themed DIY Wedding: Ele & Raph

Kat

July 23, 2012

As soon as I saw the sneak peek of Ele & Raph's wedding on their wedding photographer's facebook page, I knew I wanted to feature them... it's not really that difficult to see why is it? Could these guys be any more Rock n Roll if they tried?! The couple booked Rock n Roll Bride favourite Assassynation to capture their amazing day. "What a great pleasure it was to have Sassy do the photography on our special day! I felt at ease as soon as I met her", began the bride. "Upon speaking to my (camera shy!) husband afterwards, he said exactly the same about Sassy, that she jumped at every opportunity to get that perfect shot and with simple instructions made him feel comfortable and contented. Ecstatic with the sneak peeks that Sassy had uploaded within less than 24 hours (wow!) onto her Facebook page, we both knew that Sassy is one Rock n Roll photographer and it would not have been the same without her!"
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A Seaside Themed Wedding in St Ives: Suzy & Christian

Kat

July 20, 2012

When the deputy editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine gets married, you just know it's going to be awesome right? Well Suzy & her fiance Christian didn't disappoint when planning their summer wedding. Choosing St Ives, Cornwall as the location, what could be more apt than a seaside themed wedding?! "We met at journalism school in London in 1999 and were friends for five years before we eventually got together," began Suzy. "Even though we live in London (and I'm from Oxford), we never discussed getting married anywhere but St Ives. It's the place my dad's been to on holiday ever year since he was a baby - so the place I've been to on holiday every year too. It's the most beautiful seaside town with gorgeous cobbled streets and the most spectacular beaches. It feels magical and we wanted to share it with all our friends."
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A Technicoloured Wedding: Ren & Tim

Kat

July 19, 2012

Ren & Tim pulled off their amazing colourful and alternative wedding with a £9000 budget. They spent on the things they felt were important and saved by DIYing the elements they knew they could do themselves (reception decor, stationery, cake). Although these things didn't always go to plan, in the end it all turned out alright and the things that didn't work really didn't matter on the day! I particularly love this wedding because it took place in Reading (where I live!). In fact the bride moved to this little town of ours from London to be with her boy. Awww!
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A DIY ‘Glamping’ Wedding & a Bride with Pink Hair: Josie & Nick

Kat

July 18, 2012

I ain't gonna lie... I harbor a certain level favoritism for pink haired brides... hum, I wonder why!? So when I saw Josie & Nick's camping themed wedding I was very excited indeed. The couple didn't spend a bomb on the day, utlising things they already owned (hello, look at Jodie's awesome Antaina boots!), by having the reception in Nick's parent's back garden and by making as much of it as they could themselves. "We DIY’ed everything", Jodie told me. "It can be really easy to bite off more than you can chew though so my advice would be to decide on a cohesive theme early on. Select projects you know you can complete both skill wise and in the time you have. And start early! Anything you can do well in advance is great."
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A Bohemian Wedding with a Travel Theme: Ariane & Jonathan

Kat

July 16, 2012

Filipino born Ariane & Jonathan now live in New Zealand, which is where they chose to have their May wedding. The 3pm ceremony was held at in the vineyard of the Ascension Wine Estate in Matakana. "We wanted to showcase how New Zealand is part paradise and part home with our wedding, Ariane told me. "Marrying in a vineyard in the dead of autumn, what could be more gorgeous than that? Ascension Wine Estate was the perfect backdrop for us. The theme was a mish-mash of our passion for travel, photography, literature and the French countryside. We didn't really set something in stone, but in the end, the travel-bohemian theme dominated, with hints of shabby chic and vintage."
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A Red & Black Rock n Roll Wedding: Theron & Erin

Kat

July 16, 2012

Happy Monday everyone! I thought I'd start this week with a bang, some much needed sunshine and the gorgeous May wedding of Theron & Erin. The couple were married at Vizcaya Pavilion and Mansion in Sacremento and had a red & black themed celebration. "Our advice to future brides & grooms would be to stay organized and delegate tasks in order to stay sane", Erin told me. "Don't change anything in order to make other people happy... stay true to who you are and what you like. We knew that people were going to want to rock out and mingle, so we didn't force anyone to a sit down dinner... it was all about the open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres!"
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A London Mod Wedding: Maddy & Victor

Kat

July 13, 2012

I seem to be featuring a lot of weddings with pub receptions at the moment but I love the idea and the fact that they are a cost effective venue option. However the thing I love about the particular pub weddings that I share is my readers. Even with similar venues the weddings couldn't be more different from each other! Take Mandy & Victor's mod-esque wedding for example... "Our reception was at Clissold Arms in North London", Mandy began. "The ceremony was at St Michael's Church in Highgate and Victor wanted a good exit from the church and journey to the pub. Whilst we discussed leaving in a Delorium and re-enacting a scene from Back to the Future, there just wasn't the budget! But Victor is a huge fan of scooters, and had the idea of leaving with an entourage of vespas following us was born. So we gave the local scooter club, New Originals North London Scooter Club, a call and they were more than happy to help!"
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A Village Hall, DIY & A Beautiful Bride with Dreadlocks: Gavin & Hollie

Kat

July 10, 2012

I don't see enough brides with dreadlocks. Where are you hiding my dreadlock wielding readers?! My sister and her boyfriend have them (his are down past his waist!) and I find them very intriguing and totally beautiful... So you can imagine my exuberance when Gavin & Hollie's wedding landed on my lap. "My good friends Gav and Hol got married in April", wrote wedding photographer Anna Clarke. "They are a beautiful and too-cool-for-school couple who had a yellow and green wedding. They did everything themselves including all the printed stuff, going to the flower market to get the flowers, decorating the village hall etc etc. I just love all the colours and Hollie's dreads piled into a big beehive. Her shoes are amaze-balls too..."
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A Laid Back Camden Wedding: Gemma & Liam

Kat

July 9, 2012

Recently I've been getting so many weddings in my inbox where the couple describe their wedding theme as 'laidback'. This makes me very happy indeed. I think a lot of couples stress so much about having the perfect magazine or blog worthy wedding that they forget about actually enjoying the whole process! Well not my readers... you guys know where it's at! Gemma & Liam's Camden wedding couldn't have been more gorgeous. The relaxed vibe of the venues they chose, and their quirky and fun fashion choices made this wedding stand out from the crowd. "The whole wedding was a very laidback affair, from organisation through to the actual day," Gemma told me. "I didn’t even write a to do list until 2 weeks before the big day and I’m not sure if I even used it!"
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A Long Weekend Wedding at Cliff Barns: Nic & Will

Kat

July 9, 2012

Nic & Will hired the gorgeous Cliff Barns in Norfolk for the entire weekend (and then some!) for their wedding. The venue sleeps 20 and with family coming from far and wide they decided having the space from the Thursday to the Tuesday would make for a nice mini break for everybody with a wedding thrown in to boot! "We decided to make a long weekend of it, and invited our family (from NZ, NYC, Canada) over to stay in the house with us for 4 days", Nic told me. "It gave everyone a chance to get to know each other and meant that we didn’t feel like we had to squeeze all our 'hellos' into one day."
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A Homemade Festival Wedding: Anna & Jonny

Kat

July 6, 2012

"Although there were some traditional elements to our wedding, we wanted to keep the day as informal as possible," began newlywed Anna. "We wanted a traditional wedding ceremony, but for the reception we just wanted to create a space for our friends and family to enjoy themselves. We had music all day, put out games and a fancy dress box, and left a jar of moustaches on the bar. The fancy dress box was well-used and our wedding became the chaotic festival-party we always wanted!"
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A Maryland Farm Wedding: Jamie & McKenzie

Kat

July 6, 2012

Too gorgeous for words...like literally. I just stared and stared at these amazing photos for (what seemed like) hours before I found the words to start writing this article. There really is something utterly breathtaking about this wedding and Lydia Jane's images that captured it. I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you today so please forgive my gushing... Jamie & McKenzie were married at home. They love their lifestyle on their farm, living alongside the sheep and chickens, so a homespun wedding was really the only option. The couple have a hugely supportive family who all helped out to make the wedding what it was.
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A Pretty Pastel Cinema Wedding: Lynn & Nick

Kat

July 5, 2012

I need weddings like this is my life right now. Yes need. I hate to jump on the 'British summer, what summer?' bandwagon but jeez Louise where is the sunshine Blighty?! I do not approve. What I do approve of however is little rays of joy like Lynn & Nick's wedding crash landing into my inbox. Sunshine! Rainbows! Pastel pretty things! This baby has them all... The wedding was held at an old movie theatre in San Diego. When the couple couldn't find a wedding venue they loved, Nick suggested this place. It really allowed them to let their creativity run wild and include things that were special to them.
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Star Wars, Video Games & A Geek Chic Themed Wedding: Jane & Neil

Kat

July 5, 2012

Facebook loves these guys. How do I know? Well because I sneak peeked a photo of them (with the focus on Jane's epic Terry Fox wedding dress) and people went crazy for it. Cue the most 'liked' wedding photograph on my facebook page ever. 430 (and counting) likes to be precisie. Mind. Blown. So needless to say, I'm assuming there's a lot of Rock n Roll Bride's out there eagerly awaiting seeing the rest of this wedding... and just when you thought it couldn't get any better I have 3 words for you. Star. Wars. Theme. And yes.. they we're married on May 4th. Contained yourself? Then I'll begin...
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A Laid Back DIY Wedding at The Tin Tabernacle: Jen & Michael

Kat

July 4, 2012

The East Sussex wedding of Jen & Michael had a gorgeous laid back vibe. The day started with a moving ceremony at Lewes Register Office, and ended with a rockin' reception at The Tin Tabernacle, an amazing teal green building on the outskirts of Barcombe Village. The space is a large area with high ceilings, wooden floors and white washed walls. The building was originally built as a chapel and it proved to be the perfect backdrop for this couple's quirky wedding. "Our venue was so amazing!" Jen began. "They were kind of vague and just left us to it, which was exactly what we wanted. I never wanted some stylish affair that we’d handed over to professionals – in fact the only professional we hired was our photographer Lee, who was amazing. He’s wonderfully warm and kind and fun, and his photos are absolutely stunning. I knew as soon as I’d met him that we had to have him there. At his insistence we even photographed the 50 or so handmade sock puppets in a variety of artistic poses. We had to try not to wet ourselves laughing."
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A White on White & Paper Themed Filipino Wedding: Nino & Marie

Kat

July 3, 2012

I'm often blown away by the creativity and genius of my readers' weddings... but there are really only very few that stop me in my tracks. The fact that my blog attracts so many international readers blows my mind at the best of times, but when they're there, in my inbox, saying to me "You featuring my wedding would make my day! And my week! and my month! Haha!" Yeah... you really have to stop and think, "whoa, this is kinda a big deal."
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A Nature-Loving Palm Springs Wedding: Kelly & Ken

Kat

July 2, 2012

Ahh Palm Springs... one day I will be in you. But for now, I'll have to make do with lusting over Kelly & Ken's incredible wedding. Is everyone in Palm Springs as effortlessly cool as these two? The wedding was held on the Bob Melk Estate, a privately owned home. "Ken and I met and bonded because of music", Kelly told me. "We fell in love through creating music together, so it’s a huge part of our whole story. One of our favorite songs 'Albatross' by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. It has followed us through our courtship and became our processional song."
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