Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

DIY

A Weekend-Long Family Festival Wedding: Emily & Stef

Kat

August 4, 2011

If you're a blog addict like me you may have seen some of the following images from Emily & Stef's incredible festival wedding around the interwebs already. Emily is a wedding photographer herself and so a lot of the suppliers they used for their wedding weekend were friends as well as being exceptionally talented wedding industry peeps! After proposing to Stef, Emily set to work planning a unique and quirky wedding to suit them and their family. Being a wedding photographer herself Emily had seen a lot of things she didn't want for her own big day. It was important to them to have a wedding that reflected them, was chilled out and laid-back and fun for all their guests. "We had a bright, colourful, happy wedding that was all tied together with buttons," Emily began. "We have shot weddings together for the past 5 years and wanted to have something that didn't feel like we were at work. We also wanted an environment that was going to work well for our three children and lots of other little ones who would be at the wedding (about 27!). We both love music and festivals, so we wanted a lovely big party where everyone could relax and have fun. Someone described it as a mini summer holiday. That was the vibe."
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A DIY, Lesbian Wedding: Natalie & Sarah

Kat

August 3, 2011

Natalie & Sarah were married at El Rio, a bar in San Francisco. "My friend described our wedding as 'A backyard picnic with 52 pieces of flair'. I wanted it to feel like a big huge queer love fest," newlywed Sarah told me. "Our wedding was Rock n Roll because it was a queer wedding first and foremost. We had so much wiggle room to shape our event to be exactly what we wanted it to be. We were able to incorporate some traditional aspects, like the ring exchange, and do away with others that had no meaning to us like a bouquet toss or smashing a piece of cake in one another’s face. Although Nat and I can’t legally get married in the state of California we’re looking forward to taking a trip to New York to do it soon! I have a full sleeve of tattoos and wanted to feel sexy at my wedding, so I opted for a short dress that showed off my sleeve & some cleavage."
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A Hippy, Eco & Vintage Styled Shoot

Kat

August 3, 2011

This beautiful shoot with an eco hippy vibe tugs at my heart strings. Isn't it just beautiful!? I die over the summery details - the coloured glass, the cute props (owls for the win!), the yummy confectionery and the stunning florals. Photographer Nikita Gross used digital, Holga and Polaroid photography to capture the whimsical and retro vibe of these shoot...and I'd say she's done that perfectly! "We used tons of yellows and greens to keep with the natural vibe," she explains. "All of the decor was found at local thrift stores. Earlier this year myself and Jen Pritchard of Your Wedding by Jen created Cincinnati's first Alternative wedding Expo, Love+Bash. This is one of the table concepts from the show."
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A Recycled Wedding Fashion Shoot at Paramount Ranch

Kat

August 3, 2011

"The concept of this photo shoot was 'eco friendly + recycled wedding fashion for modern brides'," photographer Yuna Leonard writes. " Both of the dresses and the boots in this set were found at American Vintage store on Melrose, Los Angeles. I love that store!! I was in love with the ideas of recycling and reusing wedding fashion from days gone by - maybe from brides who were in your Mother's or Grandmother's generations. The dresses I bought were also very inexpensive { from $70 - $ 100. The boots were $50.} We fused this style with an idea for outdoor / backyard styled reception fashion as well. The mixed style of vintage + bohemian + western totally got me this time! Hope you enjoy it!"
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A Simple Country Vintage Wedding for a Tattooed Bride: Dave & Clare

Kat

August 1, 2011

Dave & Clare were married at East Riddlesden Hall in West Yorkshire. The bride wore a Tara Keely dress and Irregular Choice shoes. "The theme I was going for was simple country vintage," Clare told me. "Throughout the whole wedding process from getting engaged to the honeymoon (which was only 5 months!) we just stayed true to ourselves, we invited who we wanted (no relatives we haven't seen for 10 years) no kids, only the people who mattered."
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A British Beach-Inspired, DIY Wedding: Emma & Matt

Kat

August 1, 2011

I teased a photo of Emma in her amazing short short wedding dress on twitter as soon as photographer David McNeil sent over this wedding to me. Whoaaa, I literally had to share it with someone (well 12,000 someone's) right away! I. Die. "We got married in Bardsea (on the bay of Morecambe)" Emma told me. "It's my parent's village which is just such a gorgeous place near the moors and the beach. Even though we live in Camden and love it - we're both down to earth and love being outdoors and away from the city, so it was a natural choice. We got married at Eden Lodge, on the outskirts of the village, which has recently been converted from a Edwardian home to a small, minimalist hotel in some AMAZING grounds. We got married in the hotel itself and then the reception was in a marquee in the grounds. It was the hotel's first wedding and they were AMAZING. We can't sing their praises enough. The staff were EXCEPTIONAL and really went above and beyond to make our day perfect."
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Alice In Weddingland – A Brighton Seaside-Themed Wedding: Alice & Graham

Kat

July 29, 2011

Now that I’m writing my final ever ‘Alice in Weddingland’ post I really don’t know where to start. I am now happily married and honeymooned, and it is the best feeling in the world. So I shall simply relive that amazing day with you, through this article, and hope that I can convey at least some of the magic that the day held for me. I hope you enjoy this final instalment: Alice in Weddingland got married!
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An Informal Bohemian British Summertime Wedding: Laurence & Gi

Kat

July 28, 2011

Laurence & Gi's low-key and informal wedding had me smitten as soon as I laid eyes on those flower head garlands! To me, they totally sum up what I adore about this wedding - leaving your stresses behind you, having fun and creating something personal and beautiful. They had a very small wedding with only a few guests and the really put their all into creating something wonderful. "I didn't have a focused inspiration in mind to be honest, but I did have a clear vision on how I envisaged the vibe of the wedding, so I wrote down in my notebook 'Young, Easy, Relaxed with a little bit of Attitude!'" explained Gi. "I wasn't quite sure on what I wanted, I was very open-minded with my imaginations. I didn't want a cliche wedding with too many guests and too many formalities, there wouldn't be enough for intimacy."
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An Eclectic Nightclub Wedding: Ant & Lou

Kat

July 27, 2011

Ant & Lou were married in Chianti, Italy but had a massive reception party at The Kazimier nightclub in Liverpool on their return. "We wanted to get married abroad and bring with us all of the people we love dearly," Lou told me. " It was important to both of us to have our friends and family there, but to also have a very personal wedding, something that was exactly us. We found a beautiful castle in Chianti, Italy and started our wedding process from there. Everyone came on different flights at different times on different days and even though there was an ash cloud, an unexploded WW2 bomb found in Pisa airport and severe winds causing planes to be diverted, everyone got there eventually. One group of friends were travelling for 26 hours just to get from Liverpool to Tuscany! but they made it and their positivity was beautiful."
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‘Til Death Do Us Party Wedding Shoot: Angelo & Rin

Kat

July 22, 2011

"Angelo and I were super lucky to have design/photography duo Everywhere We Shoot on board to do our prenup photography," bride-to-be Rin writes. "These guys are friends who frequent the same gigs, art spaces, and thrift shops that we go to. Their philosophy has always been to keep doing and creating, not for money, but just because they love what they do. And knowing that we were on a budget-DIY-wedding, they agreed to do a pro bono engagement shoot for us in a heartbeat. I was also blessed to have a former schoolmate slash band groupie of mine, Kitty Caragay, do my make-up."
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A Crafty & Fish-Themed Wedding on the Banks of Loch Fyne: Claire & Doug

Kat

July 21, 2011

Unlike in England, in Scotland you can legally be married in an outside ceremony. The photos of this part of Claire & Doug's day in particular made me fall in love with this wedding. The celebrations were held at Inver Cottage Restaurant on the banks of Loch Fyne. Claire explains, "We went on our first family holiday to Strachur last year and when we stumbled upon Inver Cottage Restaurant on the banks of Loch Fyne we fell in love with it. We love all things seafood. It was during this holiday with our 9 month old daughter, Maggie, that Doug proposed. Directly across from Inver Cottage at the ruins of the old castle Lauchlan. The only place for our wedding ceremony was at Inver Cottage. We both hated the idea of a formal wedding but wanted to share the day with close family and friends and do it in a personal and well thought out way."
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A 1940’s Military Themed Wedding: Sierra & Jake

Kat

July 21, 2011

Sierra & Jake met while in the music store where Jake worked, "I shopped at the music store he worked at for a long time," laughed the bride. "I had the biggest crush but was way too shy to talk to him much. I always thought, "I want to end up with a guy just like him!" but certainly this one was out of my league. One day I was pretending to be interested in harmonicas, of all things, to get his "assistance" and he told me casually that he was joining the Marine corps. I panicked! I was running out of time to scoop up my dream man so I had to act fast. A few days later I finally got the nerve to ask him out. I decided for sure on that first date that he was the one for me. Two weeks later we started talking about marriage... crazy, I know! But here we are and he's the best thing that ever happened to me."
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A Crafty Vintage Wedding: Heather & Wil

Kat

July 20, 2011

Heather & Wil's crafty wedding was held at a friend's house, which just happened to be an ex-church and was big enough to house all their guests as well as looking quite impressive. They kept things simple, didn't have a bridal party and kept everyone fed and happy with a good old fashioned BBQ! "We did everything just how we wanted it," explained the bride. "We walked down the aisle together, didn't have a bridal party, only invited 35 people and were very happy with the results. The most important thing that happened that day was that I married the man that I have loved for almost 10 years, it wasn't about impressing or out-doing, it was about love and I think finding true love is pretty damn Rock n Roll!"
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Swings, Balloons & A First Dance to Weezer: Joie & Cody

Kat

July 20, 2011

When the recently married Joie emailed me to share her awesome first dance video, I knew instantly I wanted to share it! Anyone that dances to Weezer is bad ass in my book! I was surprised though that Joie didn't send me her full wedding as she said wasn't sure that it wasn't 'Rock n Roll' enough for the blog. Erm...no way lady! As soon as I saw the beautiful Meschantes Couture corset dress and the portraits on the swing I was smitten!
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A Mad Men Inspired Vintage Wedding: Rowan & Neil

Kat

July 18, 2011

Rowan & Neil were married at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, Renfrew followed by a Mad Men inspired reception at 29 Private Members Club in Glasgow. "The wedding ceremony was particularly special to us," Rowan explained. "My Dad is an Episcopal minister and it was a great honour to have him conduct the service in his own church. My Mum walked me up the aisle - it was lovely to have them both involved in the duties of 'giving the bride away'."
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Colour, Confetti, Candy, Cakes & Kilts: Amanda & Colin

Kat

July 14, 2011

"Colin and I have been together for almost 7 years and thought it was about time that we tied the knot," read the email I received from newlywed Amanda last week. "Unlike most women, I don't think I ever really dreamed of what my wedding would be like so I didn't really know where to start when it came to the planning. I'm a complete control freak and knew that I wanted to make and take part in creating as much for the wedding that I could so I started looking for inspiration on various websites and in books." "We knew that we wanted a few things for certain: a great photographer (or 2) to capture every grin, tear and laugh; a sweetie buffet; lots of handmade touches; fairy lights (and lots of them!); cupcakes; photo booth; a black and white wedding with splashes of colour; a hand fastening ceremony; confetti and sparklers." From these simple ideas they created the stunning wedding you see on these pages! "Colin was really eager to have a hand fastening ceremony and we both wanted to involve our family in the ceremony as much as possible," continued the bride. "It was so important to us that we showed our love and appreciation for our family and this was the perfect way to not only add a splash of colour but it was also to show them exactly how much they mean to us."
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