Latex, Tattoos, Piercings & Fancy Dress Make a FABULOUS UK Wedding!

Kat

February 2, 2010

I've got a funny feeling you're going to go just as crazy about these as I did. Words can not even describe really can they? Danny & Louise's amazing alternative, British (oh yes this couple is English woooo) wedding was all about the style. Louise's stunning latex dress was made by Jane Doe Latex. This part certainly didn't care about what was 'expected' of their wedding, not only are the pair clearly ones to play by the rules (Louise is a piercer and micro-dermal specialist and Danny is a tattooist. They are both heavily modded, both having split tongues, facial tattoos and multiple piercings) but the wedding meal after the ceremony was a trip to MacDonald's eaten at their house! Their evening reception and buffet was held at at our local rock bar, Sanctuary and was fancy dress, hence the grooms rather fetching nurses outfit! Seriously guys, put your eyes back in their sockets right now and enjoy! Thanks to Donna for sharing this AMAZING wedding with us

Under the Spotlight – CandySnaps Weddings

Kat

January 29, 2010

Who are you and what do you do? I’m Caroline Weiss, the photographer behind CandySnaps Weddings. I’m originally from Germany but have been living in the UK for the last 12 years I am a reportage wedding photographer, which means that I blend in unobtrusively and record a couples special day rather than direct it. I will take care of the mainly always required group shots too, but I won’t take my couples away for 2h for a photo session. I believe that there is no need for set up images and that the best pictures are always of the bride and groom enjoying themselves with their friends and family. It also means that they will look back at their photos and remember their special day how it really happened. I’m one of the few Scottish photographers who have been selected as member of the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to for work in? I am based in Glasgow Scotland but am happy to travel anywhere in the UK and Europe, or in fact anywhere you will take me. Who/what are your biggest influences? Who do you really admire? Oh my…. There are sooooooooooo many wonderful photographers out there. One of my favourites has to be Robert Frank. I just love photographers who ‘play’ with photography. Black and White images always excite me – they just have such an amazing atmosphere about them and I always think that everyone looks like a film star in b/w. What or who made you get into photography? Photography and the idea that you can capture those precious moments has fascinated me for a long time. I think moving to London when I was 19 really inspired me to become a photographer. It’s such an amazing colourful and vivid place with so many different people… I worked as an assistant with a lovely photographer called Simon Denton who really inspired me to go and study photography and take my passion for photography further. What do you love about weddings? I love being part of a couple’s happiest day of their life… I LOVE a good party and I get really excited when you can just feel the love between two people and it’s my honour to capture this with my photography ( I always get a wee tear in my eye at every wedding ceremony and am the one who laughs the loudest at a good Best man speech)… It’s great meeting couples, who stick to fingers up to wedding traditions and just do their thing and have a really individual wedding not following any rules. I love the excitement on their faces when I show them their wedding photos, when I get a hug and tears of joy because they love my work so much. That is the thing I love most about my job making my clients happy! What do you hate about weddings? I wouldn’t say I hate anything about weddings, but I’m not particularly thrilled by very traditional weddings. Thankfully, I am not photographing many of them. Tell me a little about your favourite wedding ever and why? (include pix if you want) ARGH, I can’t decide,…. I think there might be 2 wedding so far that really stood out for me. One was a very small intimate affaire. The couple got married at the registry office and then went on to a wonderful restaurant. They are both really into their cycling so instead of having a wedding car, they cycled with a tandem from the registry office to the restaurant. Oh what fun. And it was a complete surprise. Their friends organized the tandem for them and decorated it with a cute ‘just married’ sign. The looks on their faces when they saw the tandem was just brilliant. The other wedding was much bigger and set in a family garden. It was a super hot day in May and the couple were just sooooo much fun to work with. Super relaxed. They held their speeches outside in the garden and it was just an amazing party with lots of wonderful people. The bride wore bright red heels and bounced on the trampoline with about 10 kids in her £3000 wedding gown. Very cool! What advice would you have for couple’s on the wedding photographer hunt? What is a sign of a good/bad wedding photographer? First thing to think about is what you want from your wedding photography, as there are many different styles available. Ask your venue if there is someone they would recommend or your friends who are already married might be raving about their photographer. If wedding photography is really important to you, make sure you book your photographer as far in advance as possible. The popular photographers get booked out a year or more in advance! When a company has more than one photographer make sure you meet and see the work of the person who will take your photos. I personally think that it is important that you like the person who photographs your wedding so you feel relaxed in front of their camera. A good photographer will show you samples of full day weddings they have shot so you get a feel what your photos will be like. I would also recommend that you don’t book your favourite photographer because they are over your budget. Your wedding photos will be what is left after the wedding. The photos will be your memories and that is priceless. And last but not least, trust your instincts! I always compare choosing your wedding photographer with choosing your new house - you often know as soon as you walk through the door that this is the one. What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer so far? Having my work published in leading Scottish Bridal Magazines. Being selected as member of the prestigious WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) and collaborating with Scotland’s finest hair and make-up artists Leigh Ferguson and Ainslie Currie to offer my clients a complete hair, make-up and photography package for their special day. What role (if at all) have wedding blogs played in promoting you and your work so far? This is the first time that I’m promoting myself on a blog and I’m really excited about it as rocknroll bride is fantastic and being features will be a great way to make myself known to the kind of clients I like to attract. I’ve been looking everywhere for a blog like this in the UK and am thrilled that Kat likes my photography and is happy to have me on board! So all you lovely brides get in touch – I’d love to hear about your wedding plans. Do you have any advice for budding photographers out there who want to get into weddings? I would say to them that wedding photography is very different to studio based work. In the studio you are in control of everything. The lighting, the background etc. With wedding photography you get rain, bright sunshine, dark venues… You just have to adapt to whatever is thrown at you. But if you find the idea of that exciting rather than nervewrecking, give it a go. I am just utterly in love with photographing weddings and can only highly recommend it. Anything else you’d like to add or info about yourself that you’d like me to include? And other questions you would like to include? One thing I would like to mention are my beautifully handmade wedding albums. I don’t use storybook albums but am working with a Japanese bookbinder who lives in Munich who makes these to my clients specifications. There are lots of different colours (bookcloths) and patterns (Japanese paper) available and they are just so different to what other photographers offer. I will attach a few photos for you to choose from. I don’t really like the story book albums because I think they are a fashion trend and in 10 years time they look outdated and will fall apart. I wanted to give my clients something no one else has. A totally unique album for every totally unique wedding, that will last forever and can be handed down to their children and grandchildren. The albums also contain ‘real’ photographic prints, so the photos aren’t printed onto the page like they are in the story books. Please include a number of your favourite images that I can use in the post. There is no set amount and I will choose which ones I think will suit the post the most. Thanks for taking part! If you could also please include a photograph of yourself for use in the post that would be fantastic!

On the Southbank

Kat

January 29, 2010

I was lucky enough to feature photographer Jodie Chapman in my Under the Spotlight series this week...and now I'm lucky enough to be the blog that she selected to showcase her newest engagement shoot which took place on the Southbank of the River Thames in London. Jodie knew this shoot would be perfect for Rock n Roll Bride and that I'd go crazy for the old books, the London Underground map, the old telephone boxes (does anyone use telephone boxes anymore?!) and the London buses, as well as the various quintessentially London locations such as The Tate Modern (which, even though it's a horrific 1970's building, she still made look awesome!) Thanks to Jodie for sharing these with us Credit: Jodie Chapman Photographer

Under the Spotlight – Jodie Chapman

Kat

January 26, 2010

Oh you lucky lucky things, I've got another amazing photographer to share with you again today - and it's yet another one from the UK. I have to say, hasn't the UK being storming it recently!? There us so much talent out there, I just wish I knew about all this lot when I was getting married! I've been lucky enough to feature Jodie Chapman's work on the blog before, and with features in national wedding magazines and all over Blog Land she is certainly one to watch. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Jodie Chapman and I’m a wedding and portrait photographer who strives to create beautiful and timeless imagery that will still look fantastic ten years from now. Where are you based and what cities/countries are

WIN ♥ Tickets to the Designer Wedding Show!

Kat

January 24, 2010

I know I say this, like, a lot...but I really do have the best weddingy-friends! The very lovely Abbey of House of Sugalily has kindly donated two free tickets for the Designer Wedding Show in Battersea, London on Feb 12th, 13th or 14th. The show is set to be a good one with exhibitors including Utterly Sexy Cafe, Magpie Vintage, House of Sugalily, Emmy, Temperley London, Amanda Wakeley, Candy Anthony, Hello! Lucky, Nikole Ramsay and many many more! For the full list of exhibitors clicky here . Plus it'll be the first year I've been able to go (I'm going on Friday 12th) so if you're there on the Friday and you spot a pink haired beacon walking around come and say hi! To enter simply comment below before Wednesday 27th January and I'll pick a winner and annouce it in my Thursday Treats on Thursday 28th January. I look forward to seeing you there.

European Chic

Kat

January 24, 2010

Damien & Nadia live in London (although Damien is originally from France) so they chose to have their engagement session in the UK's capital. Haven't this pair got that european chic feel? Fabulous fashion indeed. Thanks to Eliza for sharing these with us

A Little Help From My Friends

Kat

January 23, 2010

I was already brimming over with excitment to feature this wedding by one of my newest Scottish photographic discoveries Mirrorbox Photography, but then I found out that this blue dress bride was actually one half of the talented team. A true Rock n Roll photographer if ever I've seen one - she only even went and had her own Rock n Roll wedding! "Being a wedding photographer myself I knew how important the photos were going to be at my wedding. I am one half of Mirrorbox Photography. I worried about asking my business partner Sequoia to take the photos as she was also going to be a guest at the wedding but I really didn’t want anyone else to shoot it. She was the only wedding photographer I knew would take the amazing photos I wanted and thankfully she happily agreed. Asking friends to get involved became a bit of a theme to our wedding. In fact when we put together our guest list each person had a skill we could utilise next to their name. This was not only a way to cut costs dramatically but it was also a great way to get people involved. We knew that we wanted our wedding day to be very personal to us and to all our closest friends and family that would be there. My husband and I with the help of our creative friends designed and made everything from rings to invites to flowers, we even made our own champagne! I designed my own dress, which I then had made at Che Camille in Glasgow; an independent design studio featuring local artist’s work. The bridesmaids also designed their own dresses. I didn’t want Sequoia to be working all night so I utilised a small room off the main hall to our venue and turned it into a self portrait photo booth, setting up lights and a camera with a trigger release. This proved to be great fun on the night and even more fun looking through the results after. This was also another great way to get people involved."

Under the Spotlight – Shan’s Photography

Kat

January 22, 2010

Who are you and what do you do? I am Shan Fisher, a photographer. I specialise in wedding photography - I’m really passionate about photography and I absolutely love my job! I founded Shan's Photography in June 2007. Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to work in? The beautiful Isle of Man is my base, central to the UK. Although I am a pretty new photographer, I have already had great experiences shooting a wedding in Germany and various parts of the UK. I'm happy to travel all over the country and abroad for photography work.

All that Jazz

Kat

January 22, 2010

This fabulous 1920s Vogue-stylee fashion shoot was sent over to me by Donna & Mark of Archibald Photography and I actually couldn't wait to share them with you! The shoot was commissioned to to photograph the new collection of 20s inspired wedding dresses from Lindsay Fleming called 'All That Jazz'. Lindsay Fleming Couture are award winning bridal designers based in Scotland. Aren't these beautiful!? Thanks to Donna & Mark for sharing these with us today

Under the Spotlight – Jordan McLachlan

Kat

January 20, 2010

I've got a true Rock n Roll photographer to share with you today! Jordan McLachlan's music business background certainly gives him the credentials worthy of shooting your Rock n Roll wedding. "I’ve worked in the music industry for more than 10 years as magazine writer/editor and photographer," he told me "Plus I've run a PR/marketing agency looking after music clients. So over the years I’ve written for most of the big specialist titles like Guitarist, Total Guitar and Rhythm magazines (I still do odd bits for Rhythm - the most recent interview is a cover with Dominic Howard from Muse that hits the shelves next month)." With the gorgeous texture, tone and subtle hues throughout his documentary styled images, there's certainly a lot more than guitar riffs behind Jordan McLachlan. Let's get on with learning more about the man behind the music shall we?

Music Festival Vibe

Kat

January 15, 2010

Jo & Matt's relaxed summer wedding took place at South Farmin Cambridgeshire, UK. The couple tied the knot in the venue's summer house whilst the stunning venue allowed guests to chill out outside, listen to the live music (including the groom's band!) and then camp overnight. The whole day have a hippy chic, music festival, vibe to it. Jo wore a vintage dress and Christian Louboutin shoes and looked every bit the perfect Rock n Roll Bride. Thanks to Emily for sending me this beautiful wedding. I am honoured to be the one to feature it for you!

Under the Spotlight – Rosie Parsons

Kat

January 11, 2010

I love sharing the work of photographers and wedding vendors that not only really really rock, but who I definitely think you need to use for your own wedding! Rosie Parsons not only fits into this category but is someone I consider one of the best friends I've made since starting Rock n Roll Bride! Not only is she kicking some serious ass in the UK wedding world at the moment (she was featured in the same issue of Cosmopolitan Bride as me this month - with two of her weddings being used and with her taking part in a feature about how to love the camera) but she was also the genius eye behind one of my favourite ever photo shoots (so much so I use one of the images as my profile picture everywhere!)

Brighton Belles

Kat

January 8, 2010

Ooh two fabulous UK weddings in one day - I love it when that happens. Photographer Julia Boggio told me all about the super stylish and super fun wedding of Andrew & Lisa Andrew and Lisa got married in Brighton in October on a very sunny day at the Hotel Du Vin. The hotel held special significance for the bride because, when it was a pub many years ago, her grandparents used to leave her father as a boy sitting outside with a Coke and some chips to keep him busy while they had a pint with their mates. Thus the picture of her dad with the chips and the Coke! Good photography was extremely important to Andrew and Lisa, who is a graphic designer. Having seen some of my previous work, they had some ideas about stuff they'd like to do; for example, with one of my previous couples, I got them to stand in a shop window. Lisa and Andrew liked this so much that they asked a nearby shop if they could do the same thing. The image of them sitting in the bathtub in the Fired Earth window was the result. Also, for the group shot, they brought loads of props along so we could head down to the beach for some fun. His father cagily told us he would meet us down on the beach and disappeared for a bit. He found us fifteen minutes later, having changed into typical British beach-going wear, complete with hanky tied over his head. Everything about this wedding was great fun!

Alluring.

Kat

January 8, 2010

Dena & Mark's day after shoot is the optimisation of glamour! Their outfits and the London locations are spot on and the photography by the awesome Segerius Bruce really reflects and oozes alluring feel. The couple had a Jewish wedding which always tend to be held late on Sundays, so what with the wedding taking place in November, once the ceremony was done there was not much light for a portrait shoot. Doing a shoot a few weeks later worked out perfectly for everyone. Thanks to Chanelle for sending these over Credit: Segerius Bruce Photography

Thursday Treats – 24th Dec 2009

Kat

December 24, 2009

Credit: The Rockstar Diaries With Christmas literally hours away (eeek) you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd be winding down for the year and blog land would slowly have become a lonely little place. Naaahh my darlings! I have found a bumper number of awesomeness to share with you, to round off your pre-Crimbo week with a BANG. This may actually be the biggest Thursday Treat ever. I'll be talking a few days off for Christmas but will be back early next week as usual. The posts may come a bit for sparsely but I will certainly be here. I hope you enjoy perusing these little gems and I'll see you on the other side. Happiieee Chrrrismas... ♥ I might have to start this Thursday Treats with a bit of a brag. Over the last 7 days I have had not one, not two but three aaamazing write ups on blogs I love, admire and regularly lust over. Go check out Underneath the Petticoat, Clarabow's Blog and (squeeeel) Gala Darling's iCiNG blog. I friggin' love blog land! ♥ Jane Taylor Millinery creates bespoke vintage style head wear in South West London. Her head wear has been features in Cosmopolitan Bride, You & Your Wedding, Harpers Bazaar, Tatler, Glamour, Asiana Magazine, Vogue and many many more! Check out these beautiful pieces and you'll see why....

Snowy Skateboarding

Kat

December 23, 2009

Our second set of boarders come from London and had a snowy/boardy shoot with Andy Thornhill. The UK has been blanketed in snow this week so it was the perfect opportunity to mix it up. Man...I'm stranded at home right now and wishing I had a photographer friend next door who wanted to come take photographs! Thanks to Andy for sharing the snow

Camden Rocks

Kat

December 21, 2009

Camden Market in North London is where all the cool kids hang out. The streets are littered with funky bars, awesome boutiques and stores that can only be described as treasure troves. With thrift and charity shops filled to the rafters with gems a-plenty, gothic stores fit to bursting with corsets, black lace and fishnet tights and a tattoo parlour on every corner, it's easy to see why the location is a seemingly perfect one for a Rock n Roll engagement shoot. Thanks to Chanelle for sending these over. Rock on baby!

Anglophile

Kat

December 18, 2009

One word...Eeeeeeek! I am so excited about this wedding. Not only because it's photographed by one of my favourite photographers, Ben Blood; not only because the couple, Diane & Adam are super cool, lovely and stylish; but because even though the couple are both American and the wedding took place at Lairmont Manor in Bellingham, WA, they expressed their love of all things British with a fabulous English themed wedding. Diana told me all about their retro, funky, British punk rock day: My dress was from Les Habitudes on Robertson Boulevard in L.A.They specialize in getting a lot of their dresses from European designers that they bring in under their label, so most of their dresses are one of a kind. My shoes were Alexander McQueen and the hair comb I wore was a Victorian antique. The necklaces are by Pyrrha, in Vancouver B.C. Their bronze pendants are made from 19th century wax seal molds. The ones I chose say "My life is a prayer," "While I breathe I hope", and" Love conquers all." The blue seal ring on my finger was one I had from Anthropologie. The jacket I wore to leave the wedding is from All Saints in the UK. My bridesmaids are wearing runway dresses from BCBG. Our hair was all done by Shawn Wright, the owner of Ryan Chanel Hair in Anacortes WA. She researched runway shows of Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen for days before and we also channeled a bit of Helena Bonham-Carter's impeccable style. My husband Adam wore a custom grey suit we had made at Nordstrom and grey patent leather Italian loafers. His groomsmen were all wearing tweed vests and hats from J. Crew with "The Who" edition converse all stars because Adam had always wanted Chucks in his wedding. All our music was all British. I walked down to the theme song from "Love Actually," we danced out to Queen's "Don't Stop me Now," and Adam sang Coldplay's "Fix You" in the ceremony. Our band for the reception was Garage Voice from Seattle. We went with our overt Anglophile theme because I'm in love with London and theatre, so Adam flew me there for a weekend in March and proposed in front of Big Ben. We went back in June and collected tube station signs in Notting Hill for the tables, as well as teacups and pots from all over the world. Most of the hanging flags were from WWII. We're planning on moving to London someday soon.

Thursday Treats – 17th Dec 2009

Kat

December 17, 2009

This Wedding Rocks

Kat

December 16, 2009

Emily looked ridiculously stylish in her Ian Stuart dress...actually called 'Rock n Roll' no less (!) and her custom made shrug to match by Holly Stalder. I am also loving the faux fur coat she rocked when walking to the ceremony from Debenhams. Continuing their perfect Rock n Roll day, acoustic versions of Metallica songs played as the guests entered their reception at The Great Barn. Now head over to Rock my Wedding for the rest of the story! Thanks to Marianne and Emily for sharing their wonderful photographs and wedding gossip and to the Rock my Wedding girlies, Charlotte & Rebecca for working with me on this joint venture.