A Quintessentially English Country Garden Wedding: Liz & Blake

Kat

September 26, 2011

Liz moved to America from the UK where she met Blake while he was singing in a bar. After dating for a while he proposed while on holiday in Rome. Although well-traveled, Liz wanted to have her wedding in her hometown of Brize Norton, in her parent's back garden. She had to rely on her parents, sister and bridesmaids a lot for help during the planning, "I arrived in the UK 3 days before the wedding and immediately had to go and meet our vicar, after that we had to fight the jet lag to start decorating the marquee," Liz told me. "I didn’t realise how much stuff I had collected over the year and when I saw it all piled up in my parent's dining room I felt really overwhelmed by it all. Luckily my sister and bridesmaid were on hand to keep everything on track we knuckled down and started hanging and arranging."

Lip Tattoos, Graffiti & Ice Cream: An Anti-Wedding Bridal Shoot

Kat

September 26, 2011

"The inspiration for this shoot really came from a morning cuppa with me and Hayley from Vintage Scoops, who owns a vintage ice cream van," photographer Shaneen Rosewarne Cox writes. "We became friends via Twitter and discovered that we live very close by. I couldn't resist a look at her fab ice cream van 'Betty' so we met up a few times. One morning over tea and lemon drizzle cake we decided to put together a shoot. 'Betty' is such a soft, pretty and summery ice cream van so we wanted to create a shoot that contradicted everything wedding-y."

A South African Winter Wedding at A Private Game Reserve: Jaimi & Adrian

Kat

September 23, 2011

Jaimi & Adrian are wedding photographers themselves so when it came to planning their own big day the photography was obviously a very important part for them. "Adrian and I met through a photographic project he did back in 2008 and we fell in love," Jaimi told me. "He asked me to marry him on a misty morning in October 2009 in the Drakensburg Kzn. We got married on January 10th, 2010 and had a small ceremony at Tala. We renewed our love for each other and had our wedding celebration on June the 24th this year at our special love place ... Tala Private Game Reserve." "As Adrian has been in the wedding industry for over 12 years now as a wedding photographer. We really wanted our day to be 'us' and a bit more rocker than the weddings we shoot every weekend of the year. We took all the 'stuff' we loved and piled it onto one day - from the clothes we love, to the passion we have to the fun we wanted for our family. It turned out awesome, it was personal, full of love, non stressful and just super rocking."

A Day of the Dead Art Gallery Wedding: Angie & Adam

Kat

September 23, 2011

Angie & Adam were married at Manchester Art Gallery, a fitting venue as the bride went to Manchester Metropolitan University to study art where she met her future husband. Angie wore a bespoke purple dress made for her by a friend who works in a theatre wardrobe department (currently with We Will Rock You!) They designed it together so Angie got just what she wanted. The couple chose not to have bridesmaids or groomsmen. They entered their ceremony together. "We wanted to start as we mean to go on - together," they explained. "We walked down the aisle holding hands and remained holding hands through the service. Also Angie's a bit of a feminist and didn't want to be given away."

A Darkly Dramatic Gothic Wedding: Alix & Zach

Kat

September 22, 2011

Some of you may remember Alix & Zach from their gothic tea party engagement shoot. Well I'm thrilled to be able to share their wedding with you today - and guess what, the smoke came with them! After getting ready at The Rookery Hotel (somewhere which I've actually stayed - its a beautiful hotel!) the couple were married at Lauderdale House in Highgate. The reception was held at somewhere that's fast becoming one of my favourite London venues, The Metal Works in Islington.

An Effortlessly Elegant Backyard Wedding: Rebecca & Ben

Kat

September 22, 2011

After a beautifully simple Brooklyn engagement shoot, I would have expected nothing less of Rebecca & Ben than the effortlessly elegant backyard wedding that they had. Married in Ben's parents Rhode Island back garden, the wedding was a DIY affair. "I made bouquets with my friends from flowers that grew down the street at Young's family farm," Rebecca told me. "I made the flower garlands that hung up around the pink boxer bar. I made all the napkins from Amy Butler fabric. I collected vases and jars at garage sales and streetwise junkyard shops near brooksville Maine."

A Wedding in the Woods & A Bride Wearing Antlers: Ian & Jo

Kat

September 21, 2011

OK so it isn't much surprise that I pretty much died when I first saw Ian & Jo's wedding. The woods! The campfire! The bride wearing freakin' antlers! Oh my lord I'm so thrilled to be blogging this baby. "Our wedding was had a subtle vintage 1920's summer fete theme," Jo wrote, "We love art, creativity and community. The things that make us human. The wedding was never about me & Ian exclusively, marriage to us means the joining of many, a coming together. It was our opportunity to share our love for each other, and extend it to our loved ones. That day was for all of us. I think that vibe came across."

A Humanist, DIY Wedding in London: Emi & Adam

Kat

September 21, 2011

I'm officially dying over this wedding. Overly dramatic maybe but oh Lordy how beautiful is everything? Emi sure has that ethereal look down. Her Baby Ceylon gown (found on eBay) and vintage veil combo is just perfect...and don't even get me started on her short evening dress by Jones + Jones and Jeffrey Campbell American Flag boots. Seriously... The DIY wedding was held at Blo Norton Hall in London (its hard to believe this place is in the city!) The humanist ceremony took place 5 years to they day that the couple met. After the touching ceremony, the speeches were held outside in the beautiful grounds. The informal wedding breakfast was also held outside.

A Brooklyn Party & Parade: Kristy & Patrick

Kat

September 21, 2011

Kristy & Patrick were married at Scottadito, a traditional Tuscan restaurant in Brooklyn. After lunch together, the whole wedding party paraded down the street to their reception venue, The Rock Shop, where they partied into the night. They planned their wedding in just two months and were adamant that they would have their day their way.

A Vintage Themed South African Wedding ‘With a Twist’: Zigi & Warren

Kat

September 19, 2011

Oh South Africa you do have some beautiful light...and how lucky are Zigi & Warren to have had Shanna Jones Photography to capture it so magically? "We wanted a different wedding that represented our style," Zigi told me. "Something that was unique to us as a couple. Warren is into Cars/Bikes & Fashion. I am into Food/Art/design…and unfortunately cars too. We decided to do a Road trip to our destination (this is something we do often & is actually part of our lives). The plan was to do it over 4 days & 3 nights to ensure we really don’t miss anything, but also get the time to spend with the various groups of people. The plan was that the entire group would get to know each other by being in the same town for 3 nights. This would mean on the wedding night we can just hang!! Quite a few of our friends are muscle car collectors – so about 10 cars drove up (where others brought their off-road bikes to go into the mountains)."

A Backyard Handfasting & Rock Festival Wedding: Becca & Gary

Kat

September 19, 2011

Bex & Gary’s wedding looks like it was a lot of fun, dispite the rain! The first part of the day was a handfasting ceremony and morning reception in the bride’s Gran’s back garden. Afterwards the couple went to the registry office for the ‘legal bit’ and the day was rounded off by them going to Nozstock Festival and staying in their very own honeymoon suite – a tipi! "We knew straight away that we didn't want a traditional wedding and we both loved the idea of running away together to get married in secret but at the same time we wanted all our friends there too," the bride told me."We'd both been to weddings that felt impersonal and where we'd both felt nervous and out of place so our mission was to try and make the day as chilled out and as comfortable for everyone as possible. Gary came up with idea of going to a festival instead of a wedding reception and it all sort of fell into place."

A Heavy Metal, Karaoke Party: Julia & Steve

Kat

September 16, 2011

Julia & Steve found their photographer Hannah Millard after seeing a feature on her on Rock n Roll Bride. It's always so extra special to me to share weddings that my blog has 'helped' in some way and I'm really excited that this gorgeous couple were able to get such great wedding photographs because of Rock n Roll Bride. Happy face! Hannah clearly agrees. "Woahhh," she writes. "This wedding was just... wow. I mean. Just... OK, I'm having trouble putting it into words, it was just pure Rock n Roll. Julia & Steve are an awesome couple and they definitely know how to party. There was vodka and tattoo artists and rock band karaoke and Julia's brother DOVE INTO A CAKE. It was amazing."

An Upstate New York Wedding with a Bun in the Oven: Faith & Chris

Kat

September 15, 2011

Faith & Chris were married at Camp Brockway in Pratt's Falls, NY. The theme of the day revolved around birds, but more than that it revolved around the love and the fact that the two of them were committing their lives to each other. After a touching outdoor ceremony, the couple enjoyed some time having their photos taken by Love Me Do Photography.

An Upcycled, Recycled & Indie Wedding: Mel & Carl

Kat

September 15, 2011

The bride's love of all things indie, unusual, hand made, recycled and upcycled was the catalyst to the theme of this creative wedding. After a hand-tying ceremony, where their friends and family all added a strip of fabric to their hands, Mel & Carl invited their friends & family to a laid back and family-central wedding reception.

A Reclaimed, Relaxed & Fun London Wedding: Caroline & Lewis

Kat

September 14, 2011

Caroline & Lewis wanted a relaxed and fun London wedding which would reflect their loves and inspirations - reclaimed items, Caroline's love of fashion and vintage and quirky DIY elements all played a massive part in their wedding. "The whole day felt so perfect, not in the sense that everything went to plan, but it felt good that all our hard work was finally coming to fruition," Caroline told me. "Amazingly we didn’t feel nervous at all, we just felt excited. It gave me a huge sense of achievement knowing that I made my own wedding dress, made the bouquets, the cake, the invitations and all the decorations. I’m not saying that I did a better job than the professionals, but it was fun to have a go and it keeps costs down. You don’t need a massive budget to have a London wedding. There are lots of pubs, bars and restaurants that would jump at the chance to host a wedding and don’t charge a hire fee."

An Unconventional Japanese Beach Wedding: Chaco & John

Kat

September 14, 2011

A 1950’s Rock n Roll Wedding: Laura & Neil

Kat

September 14, 2011

Laura & Neil 1950's Rock n Roll wedding was inspired by the thing that brought them together - music. They explain, "Music was the thing that brought us together - Neil's Dad played the Cavern in the early 60's - and we've both always had an interest in classic Rock n Roll. We definitely enjoyed searching - Laura liked sourcing her own dress on the internet and having the bespoke accessories made to personalise the look. We didn't want to look like anyone else and we didn't want the wedding to be traditional. We choose Sassy of Assassynation as our photographer because of her unusual and unique style."

Back to School – A Madmen & Book Themed Wedding: April & Zdenko

Kat

September 13, 2011

As a high school teacher, getting married at the school she taught at seemed like the perfect idea to April. The venue also gave them a really great starting block for a totally unique and awesome wedding - Back to School! "I'd say our wedding was a mix of Madmen style with a book theme," April explained. "I am a high school English teacher and my husband is a graduate student at University of Chicago with plans to be a professor. A book theme just seemed natural. I immediately knew I wanted books as our centerpieces and since our names are April and Zdenko, A to Z bookends were perfect. Then I thought of personalized pencils and it all started to come together."

A Lithuanian Theme Park Wedding: Alma & Aleksandras

Kat

September 12, 2011

I don't think I've ever featured a wedding from Lithuania on the blog before, but I'm pleased to say that's all about to change...and if there are more Lithuanian weddings as awesome as this one I want to share them as well please! Alma & Aleksandras' wedding was sent to me by their planner Laura Vagonė. "I met these two six months ago, both of them are photographers so wanted to have wedding in some special and at an interesting place. I‘ve offered them an old carousel park and they loved the idea. The ceremony was held at 8am and officiated by the the father of the groom. We had amazing party and the guests were invited to try carousel. They were happy as kids, trust me. We also had a live band playing the whole time. Everything was so great that I‘d like to share that colourful joy with you!"

A Californian Bohemian Bridal Shoot

Kat

September 12, 2011

This beautiful bohemian bridal shoot was sent over to me by Paris based photographer Juliane Berry. "I've been living in Paris for a while now and mostly shooting in the city," she told me. "Wanting to tap into my earthy California roots, I set up this bohemian bridal inspiration shoot while I was in California in June."