Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

DIY

Tasha & Noah’s Americana Backyard BBQ Wedding

Kat

January 11, 2011

Tasha & Noah's beautiful backyard wedding is pure inspirational gold! I am super excited to share it with you today. I just know you're all going to love it just as much as I do. The ceremony & reception took place in the couple's back garden and they asked all their friends & family to help out where they could to make the day a really personal one. "Noah and I wanted to have a small, chilled wedding that involved our families and close friends," Tasha told me. "Choosing red, white and blue for our Americana backyard BBQ wedding theme made finding coordinating fabric and accessories super easy. Nearly everything was DIY- Noah made our Save the Date''s and invitations, Noah's mom made all the desserts, Noah's mom, grandma and aunt made the bouquets and bouts from a few bouquets from Pike Place Market. My mom's friend made 200 feet of pennant flags from fabric I picked out at the fabric store down the street from my house. My sister and her boyfriend cut up all the fruit for our drinks. My aunt stamped all the BBQ bibs with a custom stamp that Noah designed. My aunts put together the centerpices the day before. On the day of the wedding, my mom and I set up all the tables, chairs, tablecloths, and centerpieces in an half an hour."
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Kelly & Dani’s Same-Sex, DIY, Fire Dancing Wedding

Kat

January 11, 2011

I am friend's with a lesbian couple who hope to get married one day (you should check out their cool video blog Niche Girls by the way!) so whenever I get sent beautiful same-sex weddings I always send them over to them to inspire them...and to make them cry! Kelly & Dani's beautiful Californian wedding certainly hit the spot on the tears stakes by the way...there were floods I'm telling ya! Anyway I digress. Kelly & Dani were married at Highland Ranch in Philo in a beautiful and intimate ceremony followed by a DIY reception at the same venue. Both brides wore Siri dresses and Fluevog shoes. The venue provided all the food but the cake was made by friends. For décor the couple chose wild flowers. "What makes Kelly & Dani Rock n Roll is that they're both very beautiful ladies who are not afraid to profess their love to each other," explained photographer Caroline. "They included their closest family and their dog, Trout in their celebration. They also had fire lanterns and Kelly's sister fire danced as well as officiated the ceremony! They had a hand fasting ceremony and I personally love their coordinating dresses!"
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Hope & Brian’s Hip, Tattooed, NYC Wedding

Kat

January 10, 2011

I am literally dying of excitement over Hope & Brian's GORGEOUS wedding. These guys certainly blow the lid off boring or traditional weddings. This is the kind of shindig I wish I'd be at. Uber stylish, painfully hip and Rock n Rollin' til the early hours at the after party! The wedding took place on 10/10/10 at The Hyde Park, NYC. Here, the couple were married and the first part of the reception took place. They wanted an intimate wedding and so only invited 85 people. They also wanted a day that reflected heir love for one another as well as their adoration for New York. They did this by employing mostly local vendors - in fact almost every vendor was within a 10 minute walk from their apartment.
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Mr & Mrs Tattooboy’s Heavily Tattooed, Ass Kickin’ Rockabilly Wedding

Kat

January 7, 2011

Do you remember Mr & Mrs Tattooboy? The hot tattooed couple behind one of my favourite ever engagement sessions? Well check it out - they got hitched and I've got the exclusive on their killer wedding. When the couple first met, Kori was a cheerleader and Matt was a rocker and a tattooed artist. They soon fell in love and Kori starting getting just as much ink as her man! "Kori & Matt’s aka Mr. & Mrs. Tattooboy, have this incredible rockabilly style & then some!!!" photographer Christina told me. "When I asked Kori about the details of her wedding she just told me she wanted it to be different from the normal-cheesy-blah type weddings, this made me really happy that she wasn’t giving in to what everyone else in the world was doing! Their unusual story & love for tattoos & rockabilly style was inspiration enough for these two lovers to plan their wedding."
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Debs & Richie’s Budget Friendly, Crafty & Vintage Wedding

Kat

January 6, 2011

When photographer Emma Case emails me with "eeek's!" and "wooohoo's!" when talking about her latest wedding I stand by and prepare myself for greatness. I am SO EXCITED to share Debs & Richie's wedding as not only did I blog their fabulous engagement session just before Christmas, but they used Rock n Roll Bride as inspiration for their awesome vintage wedding. "When Richie & I got engaged we did not have a clue what we wanted our wedding to be like, all we knew was that we wanted it quite small, with only close family and friends, good food, good music, and wanted it to reflect on us as a couple as much as possible. Our budget was small and we began to panic! How are we going to manage to create a wedding on such a small budget, that's when I turned to the Internet and found a number of wedding blogs (Rock n Roll Bride was one of the first) that gave me loads of inspiration on how different weddings can be, and how much of your own personality you can add to your special day! I became obsessed with the blogging world, I had bookmarked hundreds of images made folders upon folders and my inspiration began to expand."
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Crystal & Chip’s Pink & Black, Asian Themed Wedding

Kat

January 6, 2011

Crystal & Chip's pink and white themed wedding gave me actual goosebumps as I looked at the photos. Seriously. The couple were married in October at The Rusty Pelican in Miami and had one of my all time favourite Rock n Roll photographers, Matt Miller for Our Labor Of Love, shooting the wedding. "Being half Filipino I have always loved Asian art and culture, so I wanted it to be part of the wedding" Crystal told me when I asked about their wedding day inspiration. "So it was a pink and black Asian themed wedding. When I was younger, I had a hard time being half Filipino. I grew up in a very small town where kids weren’t always nice about people being different. So over time I learned to embrace and be proud of my culture, and who I am."
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Chris & Jenn’s Rockabilly Car-Inspired Wedding

Kat

January 5, 2011

"The style and ambiance of our wedding had more to do with who we are as people than outside inspiration," newlywed's Chris & Jenn explained. "We find culture and appeal in a simpler moment in history. The 1950's are, after all, the birth of subculture; car culture was at the heart of this movement. We live, breathe, and bleed this car culture so it followed suit to incorporate our life into our wedding." So it was themselves and their own personal style and outlook on life that inspired their rockabilly wedding. The Californian couple made the wedding their own and wouldn't have changed a thing. Jenn's dress by Allure Bridals wasn't perfect for her until she cut it short herself to show off her awesome saddle shoes. Aren't those gorgeous?
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Mark & Fiona’s Snowy Steampunk Kinda Day

Kat

January 4, 2011

Mark & Fiona's Steampunk inspired wedding took place at the Signet Library in Edinburgh in November. "We chose a Steampunk theme after Mark told Fiona her general day to day style was slightly Steampunk when he bought her a watch for Christmas in New York," the couple explained. "Fiona had not heard of it, but looked it up and realised it was exactly what she was in her choice of films, clothes and even her writing (she's an aspiring novelist)."
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Alex & Adam’s Simple, Nerdy & Rocking Shindig

Kat

January 3, 2011

British born Alex met Adam years ago whilst working at Woolworth's. She was studying journalism and he was a checkout boy by day, rock star by night! They went their separate ways for a few forgotten years before realising at a Jet gig that they were better off together. "We are the total yin and yang couple who jigsaw together in a strange and puzzling way which somehow works," they explained. "Fiery Alex and passive Adam! Our wedding was a mashup of our two personalities which resulted in a simple, nerdy, unrefined yet rocking shindig."
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Nicola & Steve’s Intimate New York City Wedding

Kat

January 3, 2011

Happy New Year! I'm starting 2011 with a bang, and the wedding of loyal Rock n Roll Bride reader Nicola to Steve. The couple, from Northern Ireland, were married in New York and Nicola spent a lot of her planning time on Rock n Roll Bride - in fact when she emailed me her wedding submission, I actually recognised her name from all the comments she'd left along the way. It was almost like we were old friends, so of course I I said yes to featuring her gorgeous Rock n Roll New York wedding on these pages.
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Brandi & Chris’ Rustic Western Wedding

Kat

December 20, 2010

Brandi & Chris' DIY wedding has a rustic western theme. The day took place at Temecula Farmhouse in California, a venue that really reflected their theme idea perfectly. The couple and their families worked hard on their DIY elements to create a day that was perfect for them. Chris' Father did all the flowers and centrepieces. I love how they used cowboy boots as vases, what a unique idea to tie the theme together! Brandi's Mother made the cake and her Godfather got ordained so he could officiate the emotional ceremony which took place outside the farmhouse.
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Farley & Niko’s Hippy-tastic Rainbow Wedding

Kat

December 17, 2010

The thing I love about all you Rock n Roll Bride's is the diversity of all your weddings. Every morning my inbox is flooded with so many different wedding visions that it my days are never dull! Farley & Niko's wedding was planned in only 8 weeks. They explained, "We decided to go for it when Farley's Dad was diagnosed with pancreas and liver cancer. We therefore hadn't saved for it and had to cut corners where ever we could. We did have some very generous donations form family members which made it possible. I think we did it all within £4000 (that's 120 guests all fed)."
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Melinda & Stu’s Rock n Roll Princess, Castle Wedding

Kat

December 15, 2010

have a certain affinity with this bride...can anyone work out why?! Cryptic huh? In fact you lot know me so well that I was sent links to this wedding by no less than five readers telling me I had to feature it as they all wanted to know more about this gorgeous wedding. Well, you asked...and I delivered. I'm so chuffed! Melinda & Stu were married in September at Thornewood Castle, Tacoma, WA. "My husband had always envisioned getting married in a European Castle," began the bride. "Unfortunately, I knew if we did that we'd have a very lonely wedding with just us and our parents, so we had to set our sights closer to... well, this continent. I didn't think it would be possible to find what Stu was envisioning in the Pacific Northwest, until I stumbled across Thornewood Castle. The Tudor manor house was originally build in England in the 1500's, but in 1910 it was moved brick by brick and reassembled on it's current site on American Lake in Tacoma, WA. We had the ceremony in the sunken rose garden, and the reception in the great hall, dining room, and loggia."
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Carl & Emilia’s Modern Art, Hipster Wedding

Kat

December 15, 2010

Carl & Emilia's hipster wedding was held at The Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, Sweden, which they chose for it's breathtaking view and because it is one of their most favourite places in the city. "We planned to have the ceremony outdoors in an adjacent garden," explained the couple. "Instead of sunshine however (which really is not asking to much even in Sweden that time of year) we got rain. Then we got even more rain and after that thunderstorms. Thus, we had to make some last minute changes i.e. move the ceremony indoors, but it all worked out perfectly thanks to our wonderful family and friends who gladly moved around all furniture. In the end the ceremony turned out even better than originally planned!"
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Mo & Chris’ 1940’s Styled, State Park Wedding

Kat

December 14, 2010

Mo & Chris wedding insipration came from the 1940's and the fact that Chris is an old Ska kid. The bride explained, "For our clothes we decided we wanted a vintage feel. Chris wanted to stay away from tuxedos and suits and being an old ska kid at heart he wanted to have a vintage swingers kind of style. He gave the groomsmen their flat caps as a gift, they all picked their own colors, and he wore a black fedora with a feather in it. He told them to get grey shirts and black pants. The suspenders were my favorite part."
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Wedding Stationery…to Buy or DIY?

Kat

December 11, 2010

What is it with girls and stationery? Ever since school I remember getting super excited as September drew near...not to be going back to class, but to be allowed to buy new stationery for the year ahead. I'd spend hours wondering around WH Smiths and Paperchase, fingering every little brightly coloured item, searching for the perfect kit that was both practical and exuded my ever-changing sense of style. I think for girls this long-term love affair is why we see wedding stationery as such an integral part of our wedding day. It must be just right, it must be personal and it must look like a lot of thought went into it. In this budget-conscious climate, a lot of brides to be choose to DIY their stationery. Whilst there is certainly nothing wrong with this (hell, I DIY'ed the lot!) I wanted to ask an expert in this field to chat us through the importance of wedding stationery as well as highlighting the pros and cons of DIY vs buying your stationery...without simply writing the usual wedding-supplier-self-promotion-patter of "your stationery will set the tone for your whole wedding day" crap that you read everywhere else. Enter Lucy Ledger of the awesome Lucy Ledger Designs...
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Leslie & Ben’s Rowing Club Wedding

Kat

December 8, 2010

Leslie & Ben's rowing club wedding shows perfectly why I adore my readers! Such utter gorgeousness without conforming to anybody else's idea of what makes a wedding...plus the whole thing was DIY. I approve! "We called in a lot of favours to make the day; partially because we had a limited budget, but also because by using friends the day would be more special. Luckily we have a lot of talented friends who include a graphic designer (who did our invitations), a chef (catering), a musician (band), ex-florist and so forth. The favours, peanut butter fudge, I made myself 4 days before. It was all gone before the main course at the sit down dinner, so I'm guessing no one minded it was made by the bride!"
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Laura & Andy’s Classy, Rockabilly, Back to the Future Inspired, DIY Wedding

Kat

December 7, 2010

Laura & Andy's rockabilly wedding is pure class. Shot by the wonderful Chloe Browne of Caught the Light, the day exudes 1950's elegance and styling...with a big fat Rock n Roll twist! "We did things differently by really letting our personalities and our interests shine through our wedding preparations," began the bride. "Both ourselves and our friends are immersed in the music dancing and lifestyle of the 40s and 50s Swing and Rockabilly scene. It was inherent that I would wear a 50s style dress rather than a traditional wedding dress, that the details of our wedding would be centered around our love of vintage music, pin-up fashion, jive and jitterbug dancing, traditional tattoos, classic Chevy pickups!"
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