Bohemian Festival Wedding with Entertainment A-Plenty: Chris & Emmy

Kat

Kari Bellamy

September 12, 2014

Chris and Emmy were married early in the day, so they wanted to lay on lots of entertainment for their guests. "We wanted a day that was relaxed, fun and family-friendly", wrote the bride. "We had our humanist hand fasting ceremony at 10:30 in the morning, so we wanted to make sure there was plenty for our guests to do throughout the day. We go to a lot of festivals and run a dance tent with my family called the Griffin Tent, so we used that as a starting point, using the marquee and having a pub quiz and live bands in the afternoon. The river running through Loudwater Farm is the same river we both played in as children (we've known each other since we were 11!), so we had fishing nets and wellies for everyone to paddle. We added archery, circus toys, dreamcatcher making and an art and crafts den, and finished up with a silent disco."

Rainy DIY Festival Wedding in Queensland: Lizzie & Rob

Kat

Todd Hunter McGaw

March 27, 2014

Lizzie and Rob, wedding photographers from Australia, were married in a field, on a friend's property in Upper Brookfield, Queensland. Their wedding had a colourful, festival theme, and even though it rained - a lot - it didn't damped spirits one little bit!

The Festival Wedding to End All Festival Weddings: Charlie & Kane

Kat

Viva Wedding

February 11, 2014

I've seen a lot of festival inspired weddings in my time, but I think it's safe to say that none of them have been as so naturally cool as this one! Not only do Charlie and Kane both ooze awesome, but their dinner set up has to be one of the most beautiful ever. At their reception site, a field behind the bride's parent's house, they had a Bedouin tent and one huge, long table for their 150 guests to eat at. Thank goodness it didn't rain!

Fancy Dress Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Wedding: Rob & Laura

Kat

Anna Pumer

December 30, 2013

When Rob and Laura told me they had a fancy dress Alice in Wonderland/ Mad Hatter's tea Party wedding I thought "Wow that sounds cool, but I bet I've seen it all before..." Oh how wrong I was! Never in my life have I seen a wedding where everyone - the couple, the wedding party and the guests - threw themselves into it so much. These costumes are just off the hook awesome!

Simple and Personal Manchester Museum Wedding: Laura & Matt

Kat

Chloe Anne Charnock

October 21, 2013

Laura and Matt's wedding was simple, personal and perfect for them. When they started planning they were encouraged by their parents to do whatever made them happy - so that's exactly what they did!

Smoke Bombs, Hippy Buses and Incredible Cornish Views: Antonia & Harvey

Kat

Camera Hannah

October 7, 2013

Antonia and Harvey had a three day wedding at Roskilly's Ice Cream Farm in Cornwall. Their wedding was a true labour of love, with the couple and their friends and family working hard to create the wedding of their dreams. The weekend happened to be the hottest of the year which couldn't have been more perfect for their outdoor, ice cream farm celebration!

Tech and Geek Festival Wedding: Ali & Ben

Kat

Alexa Loy

October 4, 2013

Ali and Ben met while they were both working at PlayStation. This mutual love fro all things techy and geeky was a recurring theme throughout their festival inspired wedding. Instead of using lots of paper they sent out digital invitations and had an online gift list, their seating plan was animated and they had pacman references everywhere. Each tier of their homemade wedding cake was a different PlayStation symbol, and they even the meme style table names!

A Rain-Soaked Wedding Festival: Helen & James

Kat

Neil Thomas Douglas

September 30, 2013

Rain on your wedding day is a big worry for a lot of couples, but today I'm here to prove to you that it can actually be pretty amazing! Yes, Helen and James' outdoor festival wedding was a wash-out, but they definitely didn't let it ruin their day. Check out the amazing photographs their photographer Neil Thomas Douglas was able to capture... of course shots like this requires a couple who aren't afraid to get a little wet and muddy, but these guys went all out! They even went out in a boat on the river during the downpour!

Having a Festival Wedding? Check out FabulousWedFest!

Kat

My Fabulous Life

February 9, 2013

Are you having a festival themed wedding? 2012 was certainly the year that this idea exploded into weddings, but it would appear it isn't going anywhere during 2013 either! This festival-inspired wedding shoot was pulled together by wedding photographer Becky Joiner and Muddifords Court in order to promote their latest venture, the FabulousWedFest wedding show which is taking place on 16th March. Shot in and around the venue itself, and using suppliers that will actually be exhibiting at the fair, this shoot shows that festival weddings are far from over. It's clearly a theme that we're going to see gaining popularity in 2013 and beyond. Wellies at the ready guys!

An October Lovefest in The Philippines: Ray & Yan

Kat

November 6, 2012

I love my Filipino readers. This tiny island has been full of Rock n Roll Bride fans pretty much since I began the blog which totally blows my mind. I've never visited, but I'm sure one day I will... I can't wait to meet all those awesome like-minded peeps! I love getting submissions from The Philippines too - not least of all because they always sign off with 'more power to you!' which I love, but also because their weddings are damn cool. Obviously Ray & Yan's submission was no exception - as soon as I saw that dress, which was hand painted by the bride's mother, I melted into a pool of wedding lust heaven.

A Retro Glastonbury Wedding: Beth & Jonny

Kat

October 22, 2012

Oh Anna Hardy you do have a way with that camera of yours. A way that makes everything dreamy and beautiful and cool all at the same time... although to be fair, I think you had it pretty easy with Beth & Jonny, like, how totally smokin' are these two!? And Beth's second dress by the epic Delphine Manivet is AMAZING. I love me that high collared cape thingy! The wedding took place in Yorkshire in June. They had an informal registry office wedding in the morning with just a handful of their nearest and dearest, then got changed and had a big Glastonbury themed ceremony & reception with all their friends and family. As devoted Glastonbury goers, Beth & Jonny chose the weekend that the festival should have been on this year so that all their future anniversaries can be celebrated there! "Originally we wanted to marry in the woods, and have a tipi reception in a field", began the bride. "This turned out to be seriously and surprisingly expensive, and finding a field for rent in the north of England was pretty much impossible. When we went to see the venue at Broughton Hall it was a miserable day to say the least, but even in the rain, the place looked awesome."

A Festival Tipi Wedding on the Family Farm: Amy & Chris

Kat

October 20, 2012

Festival and tipi weddings have been big in 2012... like huge. Like they're the wedding trend that just won't quit. And that not necessarily a bad thing, because hell, who doesn't love a festival and camping and toasting marshmallows over an open fire? When Amy & Chris set to planning their July wedding, they decided that the groom's family home, Laskey Farm in Thelwall, was a more than perfect spot. After a humanist ceremony performed by Kate Gee came a various bands and performances with the evening being rounded off with a silent disco!

A Colourful DIY Festival Wedding: Sarah & Dan

Kat

October 11, 2012

Sarah & Dan wanted a blank canvas space that they could completely transform for their wedding. So after their ceremony at The Guildhall, the oldest building in Leicester, the wedding reception was held in tipis set up in The Cedar Field, Market Bosworth. "The Cedar Field was great venue, basically a blank canvas in a farmers field where you can tailor every aspect of the day", explained Sarah.

A Festival & Picnic Wedding… in the Rain: Charlotte & Josh

Kat

October 8, 2012

Recently I dubbed 2012 the year of the festival wedding. I've been seeing them all over (particularly on my own blog's pages!) and loving it. I used to be a huge festival kid. I live in Reading and we have a pretty famous rock festival every year, so I've always been a bit of a fangirl. I have fond memories of dancing til dawn, getting soaking wet in the rain and not giving a damn and waking up in stranger's tents ...(I'd like to point out this was before Gareth by the way!)

Two Ceremonies, Afternoon Tea & A Music Festival: Tam & Rob

Kat

September 18, 2012

"We really wanted a fun wedding which guests would enjoy", began Tam when I asked her about her vintage-inspired festival wedding. "Rob & I decided we would split the day into three, so we had the ceremony, the afternoon tea with games then an evening party. I think having three different venues with lots of entertainment was fun for the guests and us!" In fact after the afternoon tea part of the wedding, the couple had a second ceremony - a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. "My dad is Indian so after the wedding ceremony everyone had a glass of Pimms and then gathered round for a traditional Parsee ceremony called a 'Mado Soro'. The ceremony is a blessing for the couple to wish them good fertility and a fruitful marriage. My dad explained what was going on to all the guests and what the ceremony meant. We were presented with the most amazing fresh flower garlands that my cousins had bought over from Thailand. A fruit tree was planted by my brother while prayers were said by other relatives. An egg was passed round Rob's head three times then thrown to the ground and broken. A coconut was then smashed on the floor. Everyone then threw rice and confetti."

A Farm Wedding with Fancy Dress, Fun & Frolics: Lauren & Matt

Kat

August 31, 2012

Lauren & Matt's started their wedding planning knowing exactly what they wanted: something relaxed, stress-free and fun. They were lucky enough to have a friend whose parents own a farm, so everything else really stemmed from that. Lauren told me all about it. "As soon as we got engaged we knew how we wanted our wedding to be, we just didn't know how to do it! The first and most important thing was to find a photographer. Being a enthusiastic photographer myself, I spent weeks searching for one that she liked, we finally came across Sassy of Assassynation and sent an excited email straight away. She immediately told us to phone her for a chat as we hadn't set a date yet, but when she told us she only had 2 Saturdays free in the 3 months that we were looking at we booked her there and then! Everything else was then planned around her."

A Colourful Festival Wedding at Ridge Farm: Layla & Dan

Kat

August 24, 2012

Layla & Daniel were married in Rusper, Sussex in St Mary Magdalene's Church, followed by a festival style wedding at Ridge Farm. I've featured weddings at this iconic wedding venue before - why so iconic you ask? Well the farm has a recording studio where Oasis, Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody was written here!) Roxy Music, Thin Lizzie, Black Sabbath and many many others have recorded albums! AHHHMAZING. "The wedding was all personalised by me & Dan", wrote Layla, "including the wine glasses, the moustaches & lips, the heart decor, the table plan & numbers, the 'LOVE' sign and the bunting. We had a two-day wedding. From the start we knew we didn’t want everything to be over with in just one day! Ridge Farm was the PERFECT venue as we were able to hire it exclusively from Friday to Monday which meant our parents, brothers & sisters, bridesmaids and best men could share the whole time with us. We also had some friends of ours camping on the grounds. Friday was set-up day, with everyone mucking in; Saturday was the wedding; and on Sunday we had about 100 of our guests returning for a Hog Roast, DJ’s and dancing till the wee hours!"

“Glastombecci” – A Music Festival Wedding: Becci & Tom

Kat

August 6, 2012

When the Summer rolls round what's the first thing many of us get excited about? Festivals! So it's hardly surprising that so many Rock n Roll Brides (and grooms!) are taking wedding inspiration from their favourite past time. Warm beer, dodgy food, mud & sleeping in a tent... What's not to love!? Haha joking! Becci & Tom favour the UK's biggest rock festival, Glastonbury, and so started here with their ideas including their wedding cake that was inspired by the Ribbon Tower and the song lyric centerpieces. This wedding was pure music festival gold. Tom even proposed to Becci while at a gig in Oxford!

A Fancy Dress Glastonbury Festival Wedding: Alice & Matt

Kat

July 27, 2012

After dating for four and a half years, Matt proposed to Alice on the long drive home from Glastonbury Festival in 2011. So needless to say, the couple decided they wanted a festival themed wedding... or more specifically a homage to their favourite festival. "It had been an amazing weekend of music, love and cider-fuelled reveling," began the bride. "It was pretty much an unspoken agreement from the off that our wedding would be an homage to Glastonbury. The festival has played a massive part in both our lives and running around in the mud, dressed like loons, dancing until dawn is high on our favourite things to do list. As soon as we'd verbalised the words 'festival', 'camping' and 'fancy dress' the thought occurred that it might be worth a punt asking the Eavis family (who own the land Glastonbury Festival is held on) if they would consider letting us use Worthy Farm. The family are great friends of my parents and scrumptious people. Amazingly they were really excited about the idea and more than happy to help (although they have since decided they don't want to host further weddings - we might have put them off for life...eek!! - that's not their bag). Glastonbury was having a year off so we chose to wed on Saturday 23rd June, a date which anyone who knows anything about Glastonbury will know understand to be highly significant!"

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."