Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Vintage

A Rustic French Countryside Wedding: Natalie & Oliver

Kat

July 26, 2012

Natalie & Oliver were married in France, at Oliver's parents home in L’Isle En Dodon. The British couple live in The States but made the trip to France to marry surrounded by their friends and family. "The French countryside and beautiful barn were our main inspiration and did a lot of the hard work for us!" explained the pair. "The family setting and DIY approach gave the wedding a really personal touch, which we would never have been able to achieve in a more traditional venue, and gave the wedding an incredibly unique feel. So many people contributed to making the wedding as amazing as it was – it really was a family affair and those invites, certainly a labour of love!"
Read more...

A Great Gatsby & Peacock Themed Wedding at Nonsuch Mansion: Chloe & Michael

Kat

July 25, 2012

The first thing Chloe & Michael decided upon for their wedding was the venue. They picked Nonsuch Mansion, in the heart of Nonsuch Park, as it held great sentimental meaning to them. They'd spent a lot of time there thoughout their relationship and so having the wedding there made total sense. "The mansion is built on the site of Henry VIII’s long gone Nonsuch Palace and is located in the middle of a huge park that we live within a few minutes walk of," Chloe explained. "The park is very important to us and we spend lots of time in there, running, walking, picking berries, lazing in the sun with a beer etc when the seasons are right! In fact, it was lazing in the shade of a tree just by the mansion on a sunny afternoon when we first said 'I love you' - so it’s a pretty special place. Choosing the venue really was a no-brainer for us!"
Read more...

A Bohemian Wedding with a Travel Theme: Ariane & Jonathan

Kat

July 16, 2012

Filipino born Ariane & Jonathan now live in New Zealand, which is where they chose to have their May wedding. The 3pm ceremony was held at in the vineyard of the Ascension Wine Estate in Matakana. "We wanted to showcase how New Zealand is part paradise and part home with our wedding, Ariane told me. "Marrying in a vineyard in the dead of autumn, what could be more gorgeous than that? Ascension Wine Estate was the perfect backdrop for us. The theme was a mish-mash of our passion for travel, photography, literature and the French countryside. We didn't really set something in stone, but in the end, the travel-bohemian theme dominated, with hints of shabby chic and vintage."
Read more...

A Shoreditch Shindig: Mike & Louise

Kat

July 13, 2012

Located in East London's trendy Shoreditch, Mike & Louise went for an urban vintage vibe for their wedding. "We met in 2009 in Sydney where Louise had just relocated to and where she was working for a charity with an old college friend of mine who set us up", Mike wrote. "It didn't take long to realise we had a similar outlook on life and after 1.5 years we decided to get married. Being from opposite sides of the world we faced the tough decision of where to get married as either location would see some of our family and friends unable to attend. In the end we opted to marry officially in London as Louise really wanted her Nan, a huge inspiration in her life, to be there on her special day." "We had travelled to London for one of Lou's friends weddings in September 2010 and had spent some time in Shoreditch. We felt quite strongly that we really wanted a non-traditional wedding for just our closest family and friends. We also knew from our time there previously that we would love to incorporate the local graffiti which so characterises the area."
Read more...

A Quirky & Vintage Manchester Pub Wedding: Mike & Geraldine

Kat

July 12, 2012

Retro board games on the tables, a laid back pub location, a gorgeous heirloom vintage dress & yellow Vivienne Westwood shoes. What's not to love about Mike & Geraldine's Manchester wedding? Answer: Nothing. The wedding was held at Manchester town hall and Odder Bar. The couple picked the pub location for it's quirky decor, laid back vibe and the ability to do anything they wanted with the space. "I am one of those kind of girls that most people, especially organised list-making people, want to give a good shake to," Geraldine began with a giggle. "So just to bug people more I went and fell madly in love with Mr Practically Horizontal himself... Not being a planner means I jump out of bed, sling a few things together and then give people a mystified kind of look of gratitude when they compliment the finished look… And this is exactly what happened with our wedding as well."
Read more...

A Simple Napa Valley Wedding: Ronnie & Richard

Kat

July 11, 2012

Ronnie & Richard were married at Calistoga Ranch, California. Originally from Taiwan, the couple's families knew each other and had often joked about setting the two of them up, but they'd never met. It was only when they both moved to America (her to New York and him to Austin, Texas) that they started emailing and arranged to meet. The bride readily admits that she's not a very crafty person so DIY was out of the question for their April wedding. She did however fall in love with etsy and used it to source as much as possible for the wedding. "We didn’t have anything handmade ourselves except for the 'here comes the bride' flag which Richard made", she told me. "I am not crafty, but I like the unique touch that comes from handmade products which is why I used etsy so much. I am also very into vintage style clothing and décor. I spent a lot of time researching on the site, searching for vintage wedding dress, bridal accessories, wedding favors and paper goods. At the end, I feel really fortunate to have found things I loved with affordable prices."
Read more...

A Laid Back Camden Wedding: Gemma & Liam

Kat

July 9, 2012

Recently I've been getting so many weddings in my inbox where the couple describe their wedding theme as 'laidback'. This makes me very happy indeed. I think a lot of couples stress so much about having the perfect magazine or blog worthy wedding that they forget about actually enjoying the whole process! Well not my readers... you guys know where it's at! Gemma & Liam's Camden wedding couldn't have been more gorgeous. The relaxed vibe of the venues they chose, and their quirky and fun fashion choices made this wedding stand out from the crowd. "The whole wedding was a very laidback affair, from organisation through to the actual day," Gemma told me. "I didn’t even write a to do list until 2 weeks before the big day and I’m not sure if I even used it!"
Read more...

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."
Read more...

A Homemade Festival Wedding: Anna & Jonny

Kat

July 6, 2012

"Although there were some traditional elements to our wedding, we wanted to keep the day as informal as possible," began newlywed Anna. "We wanted a traditional wedding ceremony, but for the reception we just wanted to create a space for our friends and family to enjoy themselves. We had music all day, put out games and a fancy dress box, and left a jar of moustaches on the bar. The fancy dress box was well-used and our wedding became the chaotic festival-party we always wanted!"
Read more...

A Maryland Farm Wedding: Jamie & McKenzie

Kat

July 6, 2012

Too gorgeous for words...like literally. I just stared and stared at these amazing photos for (what seemed like) hours before I found the words to start writing this article. There really is something utterly breathtaking about this wedding and Lydia Jane's images that captured it. I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you today so please forgive my gushing... Jamie & McKenzie were married at home. They love their lifestyle on their farm, living alongside the sheep and chickens, so a homespun wedding was really the only option. The couple have a hugely supportive family who all helped out to make the wedding what it was.
Read more...

A Pretty Pastel Cinema Wedding: Lynn & Nick

Kat

July 5, 2012

I need weddings like this is my life right now. Yes need. I hate to jump on the 'British summer, what summer?' bandwagon but jeez Louise where is the sunshine Blighty?! I do not approve. What I do approve of however is little rays of joy like Lynn & Nick's wedding crash landing into my inbox. Sunshine! Rainbows! Pastel pretty things! This baby has them all... The wedding was held at an old movie theatre in San Diego. When the couple couldn't find a wedding venue they loved, Nick suggested this place. It really allowed them to let their creativity run wild and include things that were special to them.
Read more...

A Laid Back DIY Wedding at The Tin Tabernacle: Jen & Michael

Kat

July 4, 2012

The East Sussex wedding of Jen & Michael had a gorgeous laid back vibe. The day started with a moving ceremony at Lewes Register Office, and ended with a rockin' reception at The Tin Tabernacle, an amazing teal green building on the outskirts of Barcombe Village. The space is a large area with high ceilings, wooden floors and white washed walls. The building was originally built as a chapel and it proved to be the perfect backdrop for this couple's quirky wedding. "Our venue was so amazing!" Jen began. "They were kind of vague and just left us to it, which was exactly what we wanted. I never wanted some stylish affair that we’d handed over to professionals – in fact the only professional we hired was our photographer Lee, who was amazing. He’s wonderfully warm and kind and fun, and his photos are absolutely stunning. I knew as soon as I’d met him that we had to have him there. At his insistence we even photographed the 50 or so handmade sock puppets in a variety of artistic poses. We had to try not to wet ourselves laughing."
Read more...

A Nature-Loving Palm Springs Wedding: Kelly & Ken

Kat

July 2, 2012

Ahh Palm Springs... one day I will be in you. But for now, I'll have to make do with lusting over Kelly & Ken's incredible wedding. Is everyone in Palm Springs as effortlessly cool as these two? The wedding was held on the Bob Melk Estate, a privately owned home. "Ken and I met and bonded because of music", Kelly told me. "We fell in love through creating music together, so it’s a huge part of our whole story. One of our favorite songs 'Albatross' by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. It has followed us through our courtship and became our processional song."
Read more...

A Spaghetti Western, Day of the Dead & Frida Kahlo Inspired Wedding: Jess & Martin

Kat

June 28, 2012

Jess & Martin's quirky wedding fills my heart with glee. It seems that these days, it's not the wedding details I'm falling in love with (although seeing the pretty/cute/alternative/awesome ideas that people come up with is ace) but the people behind them. How can you not fall in love with these two? "We wanted a relaxed, quirky and easy going wedding that was easy for most people to get to, so set it close to where we lived in Stoke Newington", Jess told me. "We love the funky yet friendly atmosphere of this area and are passionate about where we live."
Read more...

A Quirky New South Wales Wedding: Nat & Michael

Kat

June 27, 2012

The New South Wales wedding of Nat & Michael was full of quirky touches - starting with the bride's awesome pink & blue locks and 1930s wedding dress of course! "We really wanted to keep our wedding cool, calm and casual without missing out of a bit of glam and class!" the bride told me. "We stuck with the motto 'Our day, our way' and tried to make sure that it was just a bunch of fun for everyone. I was the boss of planning, but that didn't mean that Michael wasn't represented- I've been to plenty of weddings where it feels like the groom didn't get his say and we talked everything over and came to a consensus. Really the whole planning process was a breeze because I stayed really calm about everything and just let things happen naturally. There was only one 'freak out' moment in the whole year and a half we were engaged and that was about the boy's suits, they very nearly ended up without any because we had a hard time finding something that suited everyone. Everything just fell in to place, and I think it was because we didn't get our heart too set on anything and just went with the flow."
Read more...

A Handmade Countryside Wedding: Elaine & Drew

Kat

June 26, 2012

The cute countryside retreat of The Barn at Timberlake Farms was the perfect venue for laid back Elaine & Drew. They started their day with a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony and ended with a dance contest! "We wanted to be comfortable, and we wanted our guest to be comfortable too", wrote Elaine. "We tried to do that while still honoring the importance of the day, and the formal nature of the ceremony being performed in the Greek Church. Our aim was to create a picnic-feel, but with tables and chairs. And we weren't afraid to cut the traditional wedding elements like tossing the bouquet or renting a limo. Instead, we held a very serious dance contest complete with engraved trophies. And, we got a free car wash on the way to the reception!"
Read more...

A Hackney Vintage Mash Up: Aimee & Lee

Kat

June 20, 2012

Aimee & Lee were married in April at the Hackney Council Chambers. The wedding had an effortlessly cool, East London vibe with vintage elements throughout. "We both really love Hackney and wanted to get married in the borough as we brought our first home here and its where we first met", the bride told me. "We picked the council chamber because of its art deco features and also it is a circular room so it felt really intimate and we loved the idea of being surrounded in a circle by all our family and friends."
Read more...

A Boho & Rock n Roll Fusion Wedding: Ioan & Anona

Kat

June 18, 2012

The Welsh wedding of Ioan & Anona was planned with everyone in mind - themselves, their friends and their families. It was important to them that their wedding would be an enjoyable day for everyone in attendance. "On one hand we wanted quite a traditional wedding that would keep the parents happy but also one that both our friends and ourselves would feel bore our own individual stamp," the groom told me. "I play guitar in a hardcore punk / rock band and am obsessed with old 70s riff heavy rock and classic album art so I was really keen to ramp up those kind of aesthetics. Anona’s mother was quite keen on a 'spring flower' theme and whilst initially I worried those two influences would clash spectacularly I think in the end it all came together and balanced each other nicely."
Read more...