Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

San Francisco

Golden Gate Park Picnic Wedding with a Homemade Pink Ombre Wedding Gown: Adriene & Shannon

Kat

Sonya Yruel

January 16, 2014

Adriene and Shannon wanted an informal wedding so they held their ceremony at Aids Memorial Grove in the Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. It was followed by a picnic reception in the park. One of the most unique and awesome parts of their wedding was the bride's ombre wedding dress, which she made herself by upcycling two second-hand dresses and making them into one!
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Edgy and Elegant Phoenix Hotel Wedding: Evan & Catherine

Kat

Encarnacion

December 9, 2013

Evan and Catherine were married at the iconic Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco and their reception was at the super cool Chambers Eat + Drink. They wanted a wedding that was edgy yet elegant - just like them! The venues they chose really helped to set that mood. "After a long search for wedding venues, we were feeling uninspired", Catherine began. "Pricey and cookie cutter was the theme for most of the spaces we looked at. We needed to find a place that inspired not only us but our guests."
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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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Kristin & Brian’s Black & White & 1940’s Themed Wedding

Kat

June 28, 2011

"We got engaged in prison. Well...that's what my Mom likes to say - we got engaged on Alcatraz!" newlywed Kristin told me. "We both have a fascination with prison documentaries and we ADORE San Francisco. So, Brian took me to Alcatraz and surprised me with a ring. If you walk to the back of the prison by the water, you get the MOST gorgeous view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. This is where he asked me to marry him." Kristin & Brian's unconventional but beautiful engagement was perfectly reflected in their glamorous wedding on Friday 13th May. "Our inspiration was a combination of vintage, old Hollywood glam, and a bit of Rock n Roll! I wanted to be in black and white," continued the bride. An all-white dress was never an option for me."
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Holly & Michael’s Heart of San Francisco, Fashionista Wedding

Kat

January 24, 2011

It was The Great American Music Hall that played host to Holly & Michael's wedding. It was the couple's love of a good party, Rock n Roll and quirky fashion that inspired their day. "The team behind Union Square’s uber chic Shotwell Boutique, Holly Kricher and Michael Weaver are style savants who’ve worked their way into the hearts and minds of San Francisco’s fashionistas in a very short period of time," explained photographer Christina about the couple, "So, it makes sense that their wedding thoroughly reflected their fashion-forward sensibility."
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Take me to City Hall

Kat

August 11, 2010

I have a lot of love for cute, intimate and quirky wedding stories right now and Kristen & Alex's super stylish affair is no different. The pair had ceremony, just the two of them, at San Francisco City Hall followed by a small reception at Orson Restaurant, where they decided to have another small dedication ceremony in front of their gathered friends and family. "My favorite moments were the separation of the ceremonies" Kristen told me. "We had stressed for months on how to please both ourselves and our families (we wanted to elope, they didn't want us to) The idea of 2 ceremonies was the perfect solution. My favorite tradition was the fact that we were so non-traditional. It took me a while while planning to realize that we had the freedom to do things the way we wanted, there was no rule that we had to do things in a certain way."
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THIS is What it’s All About – Forget the Details & the ‘Blog-Worthy Wedding’ Obsession

Kat

July 30, 2010

There is always a lot of chatter around blog land about details details details. Photographers are obsessed with getting couples with detail-heavy weddings so that the blogs and magazine will want to feature them. While this is true (after all wedding blogs and mags are primarily read by brides-to-be who want to see weddings with ideas they can steal for their own big day) do you ever think that this obsession to have a 'blog-worthy' detail heavy wedding might be a little excessive? I'm not one to slag aaaanybody's wedding off but I do see some weddings circulating around blog land that just seem so...well...contrived. Like a circus almost. Like a made-for-blogs-wedding-circus. The results are pretty much always gorgeous and inspiring but do you ever look at weddings like that and feel depressed or inadequate about your own wedding?
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“You and Me are Awesome” – A Kick Ass Independent Elopement

Kat

June 14, 2010

I loved Matt & Brandy as soon as I read their email to me last week. "We are f***ingrock n' roll because we had the balls to call off a wedding. We originally got engaged in April 2009 and shortly thereafter set the date for April2010. We wanted a simple affair which of course spiraled out of control. It became about every one else. We lost sight of what the day meant to us as a couple. The guest list kept getting longer...which meant more money...and more problems. In November it hit us...wtf are we doing???? We ended up calling off the wedding...and calling off our engagement. We became a bit disenchanted by the whole wedding planning and wondered if it was something we ever
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Incredible Victorian Steampunk, Corset Heavy & Generally Awesome Diy Wedding Day…with Masks!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the Australian wedding together on time to take us over to Oz for our final wedding of the day today (I want to make sur that when I put it up it will be perfect and have all the info you might want on the event so pweease forgive me!??)...however I have managed to secure a pretty damn shaaaweeet Steampunk wedding which took place in San Francisco to round today off nicely. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this babyin fact I am so in love with this wedding that I appear to have titled this post will the longest, most over-excited, rambling header ever! Violet & Eric are certainly going to being some much needed spice to Rock n Roll Bride today. I had an amazing chat with the super creative bride (who also makes her own Steampunk inspired jewellery - you can see some of her designs here) where she told me all about their wedding.
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Bollywood Bride

Kat

April 10, 2010

Gorgeous Indian brides and weddings certainly don't get enough coverage in Blogland - which is crazy because the colours, the fun and the unique traditions are certainly things that blogs usually swoon over. I have a couple of Indian friends - one that is already married and one that has been to a lot of her family's weddings and I'm always intrigued to hear about them. My favourite story was that one of my friends had to walk around the ceremony carrying a pineapple on her head and when she asked her Mum why she had to do it or what it was about she replied "that's just what we do" Ha!To this day she still doesn't know the significance of the pineapple that messed up her hair!
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Geek Chic

Kat

March 30, 2010

I have been dying to feature a photo shoot by Flory Photo in ages, and I think Curtis & Vali's shoot has given me the perfect opportunity. Photographer and friend Joel Flory actually shot their wedding back in 2002 - his first - and being such great friends with this pair, this shoot was extra special to them all. Is anyone else as crazy about those geek-chic glasses as I am!? So. Much. Fun! His suit was Express for Men and her dress was an 8yr old Jessica McClintock that she wore on their wedding day.
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Snowed In

Kat

December 19, 2009

So I'm sharing some of Kelty's work twice in two days but you'll forgive my repetition after you see these I'm sure. You have to understand, I couldn't hold off posting these until next week or something because England is currently covered in a blanket of snow so sharing these images right now is more than a little bit apt. You know Hannah & Alex. Their wedding rocked your socks off when I posted it in all it's glory back in September. So their anniversary shoot (as in anniversary of when they met up again after not seeing each other for 10 years aww!) covered in snow is just way to perfect not to post. There were strolls in the park, chased first kisses, prosciutto snacks, dog walks, a drive to the desert, and their first of many snowy Christmases in Portland together. The beginning of something wonderful, really. So they've donned their wedding gear and hit the slopes to celebrate their past, present, and future. Happy Anniversary, my loves! Thanks to Kelty, Hannah & Alex for rocking so damn hard. Credit: Steep Street
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Cures What Ails Me

Kat

December 18, 2009

Some call it madness, many call it obsession but when I see images like these I just have to blog them right away! Can I tell you, last night I went out with the girls for sushi and cocktails and I woke up fresh as a daisy at 8am ridiculously excited about sharing Steph & Ryan's wedding, sent to me by the ever darling Kelty of Steep Street. Yep. I is crazy indeed. Having never been to Fresno before, I was surprised by the riches the town would have to offer. Namely, the fortunate acquaintance of two of the funnest people I've met and roughly 250 of their closest friends and family. I loved Steph and Ryan's no frills style and their guests were all friendly and hilarious, trying to drag me on the dance floor and sneak me drinks. Ryan even got up on stage to perform with his friend-- how cool is that?? Enjoy a small sampling of the fun below! Thanks Kelty for curing my hangover!
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Kind of A Big Deal

Kat

October 16, 2009

So I may have written a massive article about how fab Erica Berger is just a two days ago, but when she showed me these photographs and told me the couple found her through Rock n Roll Bride...well I wasn't going to say no to sharing these little beauties was I!? Leigh & Corbett are kind of a big deal (was that a line from Anchorman?hehe). He is the co-creature of the "Saw" franchise and she is an actress and was in The Young & The Restless - I have famous readers don't ya know?! Apparently they love me and went nuts when they saw Erica's work on my blog. I'm a little bit over-excited about that. Woooooo. Oh. And their wedding absolutely rocked. Thanks Erica, Leigh & Corbett...love you too!
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