Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

UK

A Mythical Gothic Anniversary Shoot: Emma & Owen

Kat

May 23, 2012

After their wedding Emma & Owen decided they wanted to do a shoot that really showed off their personalities and personal style. They hadn't had any portraits taken at their wedding eight years ago, and so they contacted photographer Jess Petrie to ask if she'd like to shoot them. Owen told us all about their relationship and why they wanted to do this shoot. "I met Emma when I was fifteen and we’ve been together ever since. It really was love at first sight – that’s probably the only way it could have worked as I was too shy to speak to her at the time! As a teenager with a paper round, I had to save up for an engagement ring; I picked a ring at a jewellers and went there every week to add to the down-payment on a tiny gold ring with two small diamonds holding a larger third in the middle. I’d literally go there some weeks with 82 pence in copper coins to add to the pot, but I paid it off eventually and took it home! We went to sixth form and then University together, Emma to study Fine Art Painting and me to study Film & Video Production. Nowadays, Emma is a successful portrait painter and I run a film production company and am about to direct my first feature film."
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Fish n Chips in London’s East End: Claire & Martin

Kat

May 21, 2012

What could be more British than fish n chips? It's one of my favourite things and an absolute must when visiting a seaside town or hanging around London's east end! Claire & Martin's shoot took place at Poppies of Spitalfields. "The idea behind this shoot was a vintage, very structured and posed shoot," photographer Georgina told me. "I wanted them to resemble the old commercials that were made in the 40s & 50s, which would feature a nuclear family or a young happy couple enjoying the product advertised."
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A Secret Garden Shoot for Henry Nicholls Antiques

Kat

May 17, 2012

With Summer just around the corner, what could be a better shoot to share with you than this gorgeous secret garden shoot? Using antique and vintage piece from Henry Nicholls Antiques in Worthing, the styling had a timeless but quirky feel. Photographer Jayne Sacco told me all about their inspiration, "Anna owns Henry Nicholls Antiques alongside her husband Henry, and her style is all about being individual. She sources a mixture of vintage and retro goods for the store, as well as carefully selected costume jewellery like the Ritzy Crystal jewellery featured in the shoot. Henry has appeared in a number of Antique TV shows from Trash to Cash, Secret Dealers and is a regular antique dealer on ITV Dickson's Real Deal."
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A Carousel Wedding: Lucy & Mini

Kat

May 16, 2012

When you set your wedding around a vintage carousel it's pretty much guaranteed to be a fun-filled and awesome day right? That's exactly what Lucy & Mini had when they found Preston Court in Kent, and even the rain couldn't stop them having the time of their lives! "Lucy & Mini chose an outdoor wedding and were married under a pretty little gazebo on Juliana's Island which their guests sat across a little stream to watch," wedding photographer Jennifer West told me. "All was well until there was a huge downpour which soaked all the guests. Luckily everyone saw the funny side. Lucy & Mini walked down the aisle (well, the path) as husband and wife to 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'. The torrential rain lasted most of the day until the end when the sun came out and lots of fun photos were taken on the carousel while the sun was setting."
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The Rainbow Wedding to End all Rainbow Weddings: Jen & Ben

Kat

April 26, 2012

I think most of you will be aware by now that I love love love a rainbow wedding...why pick one or two colours when you can pick twenty seven!? So as you can imagine I squealed like a small child on Christmas morning when Jen & Ben's wedding landed in my inbox. If I was less of a chatterbox I'd say that 'I had no words' when I saw these images...but in actual fact I had all the words in the world flying around my head as I made my selections for this blog post...
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A 1950s-Inspired Shoot with a Brightly Coloured Modern Twist

Kat

April 25, 2012

1950s wedding inspiration isn't going anywhere, but these days I'm loving seeing shoots that have taken from this era but added a modern twist to it. Whether that be with bright pops of colour, modern accessories or quirky details (aren't the bouquets in the shoot the coolest?!) This shoot organised by The Sugared Saffron Cake Company and certainly landed smack bang in the middle of this new-wave of modern vintage styling. I'm thrilled to share it with you today.
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Find Your Wedding Photographer with Specialens

Kat

April 24, 2012

Struggling to find a wedding photographer? After something very specific that you haven't been able to find? Well give Specialens, a website that specalises in sharing wedding photographers, a try? "We are solely focused on helping brides-to-be find their special wedding photographer in as fun and easy a way as possible." they say. "When we first had the idea of Specialens, the main thing we had in mind was to create a unique approach. We tried to incorporate all the questions and criteria a newlywed couple could possible ask when searching for their wedding photographer."
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A Colour Pop Bridal Shoot

Kat

April 24, 2012

"Waking up to a dark sky and torrential rain, the day started with two long suffering, bare foot models scampering through puddles and sheltering under crochet blankets", photographer Becky Mitchell wrote. Luckily for all involved the shoot was to be held indoors, in an old school building. The inspiration for this shoot came from wanting to create something simple but delicate, pretty and soft - pastels juxtaposed with a bold and bright and neon edge.
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A Picnic Wedding: Alex & Denise

Kat

April 23, 2012

The inspiration for Alex & Denise's Brighton wedding was for it to be "just like a big picnic". They used local suppliers (including the caterers who used local produce and supplied locally produced champagne) where possible and DIY'ed the rest! "Our inspiration was for it to be like a big picnic - although without having to sit on the floor!" Denise told me. "I found mini picnic baskets that were used as the centrepiece on each table. These were filled with chutney, pickles and breadsticks. We wanted the wedding to be really relaxed – I've always disliked formal situations. I also wanted there to be lots of colour. For the meal we had a blanket set up on the floor for any children that got bored of the adults. We also did a play area with a wigwam, dress up box and colouring books. Although on the day they mainly opted for running around the field like lunatics."
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A Vintage-Inspired Walled Garden Wedding: Carina & Chris

Kat

April 18, 2012

Carina & Chris chose The Walled Garden at Cowdray, West Sussex as the venue to host their March wedding. "It was a fantastic venue where we were really able to personalise for our day," the bride told me. "They were very relaxed and the venue's informal spaces were perfect for us and our guests." "We spent the last year since getting engaged planning all of the details of the day", she continued. "We spent our weekends rummaging in charity shops collecting china and glassware. We spent a long time making all of the bunting, menus, paper flags and lots of other items ourselves and needed someone to make it all look pretty on the day so that I could relax and enjoy getting ready! For this we worked with Lucy at Love Lane Vintage. We met her at the venue and she worked closely with our plans and our items, as well as my many sketches to style the venue! We also hired her vintage china teacups and cake stands to style the table and serve our mini afternoon tea – in place of canapés – for the drinks reception! The macaroons and mini scones looked stunning, as did the piles of teacups and teapots for guests to use!"
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An Eclectic London Wedding: Kate & Jon

Kat

April 17, 2012

Kate & Jon were married in March in London. After a ceremony in Battersea Arts Centre they headed to Balham Bowls Club for their eclectically decorated reception. "The most important thing for us when planning the wedding was that it should consist of things that we normally like to do - reception in the sort of pub we would normally drink in, the style of dresses both I and the bridesmaids would normally wear (although a bit nicer of course!), the sort of food we would normally eat," Kate told me. "This was also reflected in the ceremony, with a reading from Captain Corellis Mandolin (one of my favourite books) and everyone singing along to 'Sunshine of my life' by Stevie Wonder rather than a more traditional song. Also, our first dance was 'You never can tell' from Pulp Fiction - a favourite film of Jon's. It was important to us that it was in London, which is where we and the vast majority of our friends and family live. Like most of the couples on Rock n Roll Bride, we didn't concern ourselves with what was expected of us traditionally and instead thought of it more like we were just planning a big party!"
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A Day of the Dead Shoot for Madeleine Bride

Kat

April 12, 2012

I have a feeling this is another one of those bridal shoots that you're going to either love or hate. Me? Well I love it! Pushing the boundaries of bridal fashion and taking influences from things that inspire you outside of the wedding world excites me greatly. It's shoots like this, set up by millinery & headpiece designer Madeleine of Madeleine Bride, that reinvigorate my love of the alternative and remind me that yes, it's not for everyone, but oh boy is it exciting to see something different!
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A DIY Church Hall Wedding: Zoe & Richard

Kat

April 11, 2012

Sometimes I see a wedding and I literally can't wait to learn more about it and (hopefully if the photographer and couple agree) write it up to share it with you lot too. Luckily for me, in this instance both parties were more than thrilled to share this wedding with us today, particularly because newlyweds Zoe & Richard found wedding photographer Joanna Millington on this very wedding blog. Hurrah! Their DIY, family-central wedding was held at Christ Church in St Albans. "When we were first engaged I asked Richard if he knew where he wanted to get married," Zoe explained. "He said he didn’t want to get married anywhere but Christ Church St Albans. It was my childhood church on the estate where I grew up and where Richard and I went to school. We knew it wasn’t exactly the idyllic wedding venue – a flat-roofed, slightly tired and drab looking carpeted church with very green curtains – but it was home. We had our reception in the same place. Luckily they had just built a shiny new hall attached to the old church building, which was very handy. No one (apart from us) had to venture out into the rain!"
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The Secret Glamour of Hollywood: A Styled Shoot for Alexandra King’s 2012 Bridal Collection

Kat

April 11, 2012

Secret Hollywood glamour was the inspiration for this shoot, set up to promote the new range of wedding dresses from British designer Alexandra King. "The shoot was originally based on the morning after the Oscars, a hazy, sun kissed feel with the soft prettiness of the dresses against the cold concrete and run down beach," Alexandra told me. "As if an Oscar/wedding party traveled down to the beach in Lost Boys and here was the morning after. The shoot then developed to two more locations. To shoot the look book, we found a village hall which had the perfect school play feel to it with a velvet curtained stage and lighting that gave the models the appearance of being a puppet show.The abandoned 1960s caravan images gave a trashy contrast against the dresses again and I love the way some of the images have a romantic gypsy feel to them."
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WIN One of Five Free Trash the Dress Bridal Shoots with Photographic Blonde

Kat

Photographic Blonde

April 10, 2012

Don't worry you don't literally have to trash your dress (well unless you want to!) to enter this contest with wedding photographer Photographic Blonde! Photographer Emily would like the opportunity to shoot some kick ass Rock n Roll Brides and what could be a better way to do that then to ask you lot if you'd like to model for her? Not only will you have a great day but you'll have some really fun and unique photographs to keep forever.
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