Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Vintage

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."
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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!"
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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."
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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!"
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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."
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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."
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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."
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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!"
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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."
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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."
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A DIY Vineyard Wedding: Christopher & Kerrie

Kat

June 16, 2012

For their vineyard wedding, Christopher & Kerrie wanted something kitsch, warm and welcoming but without being restricted by a particular theme. "We put in all the elements that were 'us' that blended well and looked good together", the bride told me. "I would say our wedding theme, if anything, was 'uniquely us'. We are young romantics, whimsical, mismatched and a bit scruffy, we are lazy Sunday afternoon tea on a patchwork quilt in the sun and piece of cake to take home with you."
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Pastel Colours for a 1950s Inspired Wedding: Emily & James

Kat

June 14, 2012

As soon as I laid eyes on Emily's incredible silver embellished 1950s inspired wedding dress I was smitten. What an utterly gorgeous bride and a completely beautiful wedding. I couldn't wait to get it on these digital pages of mine! The couple were married at Edes House, Chichester and had their reception at the groom's father's house in Bosham. "We wanted our wedding day to completely reflect James and I", Emily told me. "This was something we kept in mind during the whole process, as I think it is easy to lose sight of what and who weddings are for, when you are surrounded by so many people in the wedding industry telling you that you absolutely need this and definitely need that. 
We both adore the 1950s and the pastel shades, and I really feel like these things were very present in the whole day. We also chose from the beginning which things would be the most important to us - these ended up being the food/drink for James and the flowers for me. We chose a catering company who were very local and produced the most delicious food. We hand picked each of the types of alcohol we chose, with Arundel Ales coming from Sussex and the cider coming from Appledram which is just around the corner from the reception."
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A Quintessentially British Wedding on the Queen’s Birthday: Jess & Dan

Kat

June 14, 2012

Jess & Dan's wedding was quintessentially British with the theme carrying through from the attire to the cake to the DIY reception decor. Why the theme you ask? Well the wedding was held on the weekend of the Queen's birthday! The couple were married at Edes House, Sussex and had two reception venues, both of which were within the grounds of Chichester Cathedral. Their afternoon wedding breakfast was held at Vicars Hall and the evening party was at George Bell House.
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A 3-day Wedding at a Rockstar’s Retreat: Holly & Karen

Kat

June 6, 2012

Ridge Farm, a working farm and ex-recording studio in Surrey, proved to be the perfect location for Holly & Karen's May wedding. "What made our wedding Rock n Roll? Definitely the venue!" Holly told me. "Aside from being a beautiful farm that we fell in love with instantly, Ridge Farm is also a recording studio where so many of our musical heroes have recorded albums and stayed - so our wedding guests were partying in the very same place that Queen, Whitesnake, Muse, Roxy, Rush and many more have partied! We hired the farm for the entire long weekend - Karen is Irish and it's Irish tradition to hold 3 day long weddings so we had a big meal on the Friday for family and friends then the wedding on the Saturday, followed by a pool party with live music and a hog roast for everyone on the Sunday. The farm sleeps 24 plus there is a camping field so all our hungover guests could just crawl out of bed on Sunday morning and stumble over to rejoin the party. By Sunday evening everyone was in the jacuzzi swigging prosecco from the bottle, even Karen's mum!"
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