Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

New York

Angie & Jordy’s Musical, Heavily Tattooed, Central Park Wedding

Kat

September 8, 2010

Central Park played host to Angie and Jordy's wedding. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, the couple chose New York to get married in because it was the first place they travelled to together, "It just seemed like the ideal location for us" Angie told me. "We wanted to see more Broadway shows and catch a Yankee's game. No to mention many of our guests had never been and who doesn't want to visit New York?"
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Nathan & Marianna’s DIY-Fabulous New York Wedding

Kat

August 30, 2010

Oooh I am so excited about Nathan & Marianna's diy-fabulous New York wedding (although this is doing nothing to quench my desire to sign 2 weeks off and jet off to NYC!) The couple got married at St. Luke's Church and then had their reception at Sea Cliff Yacht Club. "Both are in the small one square mile town (22 miles from NYC) where I grew up in Long Island, NY" Marianna told me. The couple only splurged on the things that really mattered to them - one of them being the band that played their reception "This was probably the best splurge (and only) of the wedding. I highly recommend getting a live band, we had a great fun dancing ALL night long" the bride explained. "I thought we were just going to go the ipod shuffle route, but was convinced that the band makes the party and to have one. It was great advice, and is probably (most definitely) true."
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City Hall & The Seaport

Kat

June 17, 2010

Courtney & Jon got married at New York's City Hall in February with just their baby with them. Afterwards they headed to The Red Lion in Greenwich Village for a few drinks and some photographs. However this month they decided to have a big reception at Bridgewaters by the South Street Seaport to celebrate with all their friends and family. Courtney looks incredible in her modern ruffled dress - in fact so much so that someone stopped them in the street and asked if they were models or if they were actually getting married! The reception looks like it was a lot of fun - fake glasses, moustaches and lips never get tired!
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Jumping for Joy

Kat

June 14, 2010

Marquina & Dan's New York engagement session is the perfect reflection of them. I knee as soon as I read the discription by photography Casey that I would love them. "Marquina is very much the 'rock n roll' bride - she is a dancer and model but more importantly, she competes in air guitar competitions! Dan is the stable center (straight laced architect) that Marquina is in constant motion around. For their engagement session they wanted to go to some of the places that meant a lot to them."
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Outdoorsy Autumn Diy Wedding

Kat

April 9, 2010

Summer & Frank got married exactly a year after their first date. The wedding had an Autumn theme and was held at a local park. Their reception was at one of their favourite hang outs - Fatty's in Astoria. "I started looking for parks in our area where we could also hold the reception." Summer told me. "We're both very casual and outdoorsy, so we didn't want anything formal--we wanted the focus to be more on the happiness of the day. The cost for renting local parks is a shocking fraction of more formal venues, too, and you can bring in your own catering, which gives you more options for food. I'm a vegetarian, so that was important."
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Uptown meets Downtown

Kat

April 5, 2010

I have no words... OK so that's a lie, I always have words. Lots of them. But this aaamazing 'Uptown meets Downtown' shoot which was put together by Adrienne Colosimo of Bespoke Affairs (I featured her own wedding nearly exactly a year ago!) and photographer Danny Weiss. I'm sorry but this shoot makes me want to live in New York even more...and I want to wear that Annlum Red / Anna Zhu couture wedding gown with biker boots and a leather jacket literally every day I'm there
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Beautiful Brides

Kat

February 22, 2010

Not only have I been lucky enough to be sent a whole lot of amazing same sex weddings recently, but I've received emails from readers who have been loving the posts, so it is with great pleasure that I present Erin & Lauren's beautiful wedding today. I really love the simple, clean lines of their dresses and all the emotion behind these images. Be sure to also check out their slideshow after the 'jump'. Thanks to Daniel for sharing these today Credit: Daniel Krieger Photography
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Under the Spotlight – Jeremy Harris

Kat

February 9, 2010

Not only am I loving sharing some truly fabulous photographers and vendors in this Under the Spotlight series, but I actually feel honoured that so many ass-kicking professionals want to share their work with me (and you!) Today's interviewee is Jeremy Harris, a authentically rad and totally rock n roll photographer based in New York. With a passion for music, tattoos and yoga (!) he is most certainly the perfect candidate for a spotlight feature on Rock n Roll Bride and I hope you love reading about him as much as I did interviewing him. Who are you and what do you do? Jeremy Harris. What do I do……hmmm, that's not an easy question to answer. I'm a photographer by trade, if that's what you mean, but I also an avid bicyclist, yoga enthusiast, artist. I enjoy cooking, a good bourbon, tattoos, live rock show in small clubs Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to for work in? I am based in New York and am available to shoot anywhere. I have a valid passport and love to travel Who/what are your biggest influences? Whose work do you really admire? Anton Corbijn, Diane Arbus, Tom Waits, Mark E. Smith, Hunter S. Thompson, William Burroughs. I really admire the work of all the people who have tattooed me over the years. Now THAT's a real talent! How would you describe your style of photography? An edgy mix of editorial portraiture, fashion, photojournalism and lifestyle. I lean towards a classic and sometimes vintage look with a variety of b/w and color. I like appeal to a wide variety of clients, from the wacky tattooed couples to the couples who might be a little more conservative and traditional. Do you have an ethos to which you stand by in regards to your photography? Create the best images possible no matter what the conditions, or amount of money involved. Have as much fun as I can in the process. When I'm having fun, my clients have fun. What or who made you get into photography? How did you get into photographing weddings? I discovered a love for making photos in High School. It was a medium of expression that just felt right for me. At the time I was really inspired by the images I saw on the albums I was listening to. Anton Corbijn's images of Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, and U2 had a profound effect on me and where a big inspiration. At the time I was living in DC and going to lots of shows: Fugazi, Jane's Addiction, Flat Duo Jets. I always had my camera with me. My love of rock photography expanded when I moved to San Francisco and emerged myself in the rock scene there. So many good bands! The Mummies, Zen Guerilla, The Holy Kiss, etc. I started making friends and became fairly well known in town for my work. I got into shooting weddings though friends and friends of friends. Before I knew it I had a strong body of work and was getting more and more requests. When I moved to NY last year I decided to expand my wedding business. You have a real passion for music and rock n roll. How, if at all, do you bring this into your wedding photography? Yes, I do. Shooting a wedding for me is like shooting a rock concert and band portrait session. Fast paced, exciting, and often spontaneous. I have to rely on my instinct, personality, and ability to direct to get the shots I want. As well as the willingness of my clients to try something fun. Who or what are your perfect clients? Well, I have yet to work with anyone who I didn't really like personally. I try to build relationships with my clients that either become friendships or continue on a business level. I guess the perfect clients are the ones who are super cool and easy to work with. They love to be photographed and take little if no direction to make the fun creative photos. What do you love about weddings? Well I gotta admit I'm a bit of a romantic sap. Hanging out with people who are in love and happy on such a special occasion is amazing. Also who doesn't love a party? Though I am working first and foremost, I do have a great deal of fun at weddings. What do you hate about weddings? Nothing, really. What do you think makes a great rock n roll wedding? A creative, fun couple, with a cool look, who wants do something unique with their big day. Tell me a little about your favourite wedding ever and why? Well so far it has to be Carrie and Brady's wedding at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco. They are friends of mine, so that was great, but the wedding itself was exactly how I would want MY wedding to be (which hasn't happened yet, btw). In a classic 1940's swing club, dressed to the nine's, surrounded by all my best friends and family. They had a great DJ that played a variety of garage rock, soul, r&b, and new wave, as well as a live band (also friends of theirs) who put on a amazing performance. Brady is musician himself (Black Cat Music) and is heavily tattooed. So there were lots of tattooists, and musicians there, which made for great photos. What would you say your greatest achievement has been to date? Staying alive and working as a freelance photographer If you could photograph anybody’s wedding whose would it be and why? I think shooting a REAL rock star wedding would be cool. What advice would you have for couple’s on the wedding photographer hunt? What is a sign of a good/bad wedding photographer? Rule one, find someone with EXPERIENCE. Everyone these days has a digital SLR and calls themselves a professional. Shooting weddings is not easy, and to get really great shots takes knowing what will happen in advance and being ready for it. It also takes a keen eye for light, and how to create good light if it's not available. Rule two, find someone who you really like as a person. If you can have a good time with the photographer over drinks at a bar, then you'll have a good time with them during the shoot. What role (if at all) have wedding blogs played in promoting you and your work so far? I find that blogs are the most cost effective way of reaching the type of people who I would like to work with. So many people use the internet these days and it's cool that there are so many different wedding blogs that cater to so many different types of people. Do you have any advice for budding photographers out there who want to get into weddings? Second shoot for a photographer who's work you admire. Build up some experience and hopefully a portfolio (I always let my seconds use their own photos) without having all the responsibility. What can we expect from you in 2010? Lot's of good stuff! I'm consistently shooting bands for Kerrang! Magazine in London, have a cover/feature in Bicycling Magazine coming out in April, and have a bunch of weddings booked for Spring and Summer. What are your goals and aspirations when it comes to your photography? My goals are to make a decent living doing what I enjoy for as long as I can, and to create work for myself that has nothing to do with my commercial aspirations. Thanks to Jeremy for taking the time to share his Rock n Roll photography with us. For more information about Jeremy Harris head over to his website. You can contact Jeremy by phone on 415-786-2027 or by email to jeremy@jeremyharris.com If you are a photographer or wedding vendor and are interested in being featured in a future ‘Under the Spotlight’ post then drop me an email for all the info.
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Carnival Crazy

Kat

February 7, 2010

Dina & Gary's 1920's vaudeville carnival themed wedding makes me wanna squeal. I wish wish wish we'd done something as fabulous as this when we got hitched. The wedding took place at Asbury Park, New Jersey and the pair really went to town with their theme - from popcorn and candy for the guests, a sideshow performance, goldfish in bowls... in fact everything you might expect to find at a carnival! Dina wore a custom dress (made by a friend) and wore jewellery and carried a candy bouquet made by another friend Melissa Heid. Just. Wow. Thanks to Brandi for sharing this awesome day with us. Woooo!
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Amy & Jay and Their Way too Awesome New York Wedding Day

Kat

February 4, 2010

I may well be stating the obvious here, but Amy & Jay's wedding is freakin' awesome. Hell to the yeah...I love to blog this stuff! We were married on 01/02/10 in Brooklyn, NY. We really love our neighborhood and wanted to keep it local, allowing our guests to fully experience the day in Williamsburg Brooklyn. We had our ceremony and three course vegan meal at a place called Monkey Town. As a wedding gift, one of our best friends/dancer/aerialist/choreographer, Sarah Wollschlager, did an aerial performance to Etta James' "At Last," which contributed to the uniqueness and beauty of our ceremony. Our officiant, from the Brooklyn Society of Ethical Culture, Tasha Paley, also made the ceremony even more personal- she brought laughter to our guests and made several of us shed a tear while reading an excerpt from "The Little Prince." We then had the reception at Trophy Bar, which included an open bar, dancing, vegan cupcakes, and a photobooth. For the photobooth, two of our best friends created a caution tape backdrop and set up a wireless remote, allowing the guests to get ready and pose! As far as vegan cupcakes in NYC go, Babycakes is the absolute best...we were so relieved that all of the non-vegan guests really loved them! They also made us a 6" cake, where we put our super cute monster cake toppers, created by Leslie Levins. It was absolutely an incredible day and it wouldn't have been what it was without our amazing friends! Amy had two dresses - the ceremony dress was found on Ebay and was a similar design to Maggie Sottero's Rasharna dress, which she loved but when she saw the less-fussy Ebay version she was sold! Her reception dress was from Betsey Johnson's Spring 2008 collection. She carried a felt bouquet by Jennifer Rae of Ribbons n Bows Boutique (who she discovered through Rock n Roll Bride!) Wanna see more? Check out their slideshow! Oh...and their wedding invitation video is too damn cool for words (check it out after the jump...)
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2009 – The Year That Was {Part One}

Kat

December 30, 2009

As is customary at this time of year, I wanted to take some time to look back over the last 12 months and share with you some of my most favourite weddings, photo shoots and features. I think you'll be hard pushed to not find something that makes you go 'ooooh' amongstthis lot. Enjoy a-reminiscing! I'll be back tomorrow with part 2 (there's too much to narrow it down to just one post!) I'm also taking this slow blog-time (I like to refer to it as 'Crimbo Limbo' (!) to ponder my ideas and plans for Rock n Roll Bride in 2010. I'll try and share my musings for the year ahead with you soon and would love for you to let me know what you think. It's all about you dear reader after all...
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Rockin’ Kicks & Fashion to Love

Kat

December 29, 2009

Paul & Jess' wedding was a stylish affair of rockin' proportions. They both looked every bit the Rock n Roll couple...with a little help from their friends & families! Jess explains: When we decided to keep our anniversary as our official wedding date we were just about mid-stride in working on the party at the Breakers. I have to admit that planning for the first ceremony was pretty far from my mind. Paul and I chose our wardrobe based basically on matching each other like we do all the time. I bought a really beautiful black/tan dress, red shoes from shoes.com and Paul picked up a tie to match his black & tan Nike SBs from Richmond Hood. We figured we had the whole thing in the bag. On the eighth, before heading over to Nana’s house to kick the party off, I went to the salon to have Khrystyne and Lisa get me, my mom, and my sister ready for the picture frenzy. I kept getting told by my mother that there was a ‘really great’ surprise at Nana’s and that she hoped I would like it. Nerve-racking words if spoken by absolutely anyone but my mother. I knew that if she and my sister had something to do with the surprise that I would certainly like it. Khrystyne finished up my hair and Erica proceeded to do my makeup in the back of the salon. In snuck my mother just about at the final touches of my makeup. She said that she had another surprise and was quite concerned that I wouldn’t like it. Not exactly what the bride wants to hear with only minutes before leaving for the ceremony. I asked her to show me this surprise of hers. Turns out, not only did I ‘like’ it… I absolutely loved it! Mom and Erica had spent all morning running back and forth to the Monmouth Mall. When Mommy’s friend Joanne had set Nana’s house up for our ceremony (the original surprise), it looked so much like a chapel that my mom decided a black dress would look very out of place in pictures. I could not have been happier that they took control of the situation without my help. They picked an absolutely splendid wedding dress. I couldn’t believe how well it fit and how incredibly wonderful it felt to wear white after all. Thanks go to Mom, Erica, and Jessica McClintock! Thanks to Brad, Paul & Jess for sharing their day with us.
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Glamorous DIY

Kat

December 22, 2009

Lauren & Chris had their gorgeous, heavily DIY wedding at The Maritime Hotel in NYC's meatpacking district. The neighborhood was perfect for the edgy and non-traditional wedding and photographs that they wanted. The bride's Mother made all the table decorations to fit their theme which encompased all the cities Chris & Lauren and traveled to together. All the flowers (including the bride's bouquet) were purchased at the Union Square farmers market the day of and assembled on site by friends before the ceremony. The cake was from Sugar Sweet Sunshine and the cake toppers were cute salt and pepper shakers which were a gift that Chris gave to Lauren a few months earlier. Thanks to Angie for sharing this funky NYC wedding with us today
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