Pyucin & Dylan’s Sustainable, Eco-Vintage Wedding

Kat

July 6, 2011

Pyucin & Dylan were married at Shelldance Orchid Gardens, Pacifica, CA. It was important to them to pick a venue that they didn't have to decorate themselves too much, as Pyucin explained, "When picking a venue, our goal was to keep it sustainable. We didn't want to purchase a bunch of decor that would be thrown away the next day, and we wanted to make sure that the site represented who we are. Thus, we went in search of a unique site that was within our budget, and we were so happy when we discovered this little green house. The Shelldance Gardens is a non-profit organization so we were happy to contribute to a good cause, and, on top of that, the site is so beautiful that it barely required any extra decoration. It is so green and earthy - it really reflected our love for nature and the outdoors."

Stacey & John’s 1950’s Cocktail Party Wedding

Kat

July 6, 2011

Stacey & John's 1950's inspired Melbourne wedding was held at The Gables Mansion. Their photographer Kim of Red Telegram told us all about it, "In discussion with Stacey & John they revealed that they wanted their wedding to feel as much like a wedding as a 1940′s/ 50′s style cocktail party, with guests arriving to the beautiful Gables in East Malvern on dusk for a night filled with love, laughter, tears (of joy), gypsy jazz and romance."

Jachen & Monica’s Travel Themed, Whimsical Woodland-Inspired Wedding

Kat

July 5, 2011

Oh where oh where do I begin with telling you about Jachen & Monica's woodland-inspired wedding? The images and video of their wedding are such a visual feast that I almost don't know where to start. The day had a sort of travel/woodland theme which reflected the fact that the couple met in Switzerland. Monica explains, "A year ago I was living in Switzerland as an Au pair when I met my now husband. I was only there for 3 months, but just long enough to have met him the last month I was there. We were both in the right place at the right time, the only time I would have been able to meet him. It is amazing how you can look back on all the events that led up to that moment and how evident it was that I was supposed to be in Switzerland to find him. After I met him we had one more month until I had to return to my home in Seattle. We continued skyping, emailing and a few times he came to me and I went back to beautiful Switzerland to be with him where we became engaged. Sometimes everything just falls into place and we were lucky enough to have that happen to us."

Ryan & Lanie’s Four-Part Cubu Engagement Shoot

Kat

July 5, 2011

I don't share as many engagement shoots as many of the other wedding blogs. It's not that I don't love them (for the record I think every couple should do an engagement shoot - they're a great way to get to know your photographer and practice posing before your wedding day.) However it does take something extra special to make a couple shoot worth sharing on these pages, when you get sent as many awesome weddings as I do, usually these take priority for me. Yet I think Ryan & Lanie's shoot certainly fits that inspiring bill.

A Sunday Kind of Love – Fancy Treehouse

Kat

July 3, 2011

about her blog is her online vintage store. You could get lost for hours in there. This morning she put up her latest selection of dresses, tops & bottoms and my heart skipped a beat when I saw this little beauty

Anne-Marie & Jonny’s Ad Hoc, Budget & Vintage Wedding

Kat

July 1, 2011

Anne-Marie met Jonny at a gig 5 years ago, "I was 35 and old enough to know better. He was 23 and had no excuse," laughed the bride. "Within a year we'd shacked up together and had our first child, with a second one following 19 months later. We got engaged on New Year's Eve 2010 (lots of fireworks!) and married on my 40th birthday and it was better than any present could ever be."

Taxidermy Elephants, Dinosaurs & A Vegan Ethos – Alix & Shawn’s Natural History Museum Wedding

Kat

June 30, 2011

Alix & Shawn were married in the Natural History Museum Los Angeles, and it was this unusual venue choice that really shaped their day. "Our wedding was a combination of historical vintage and handmade, " the bride told me. "The Museum set the stage to transport our guests to a different time and space altogether. They were surrounded by dinosaur bones, wild animal dioramas and a beautiful historic marble building."

Melissa & Jon’s Alice in Wonderland, Camden Wedding

Kat

June 30, 2011

"The theme of our wedding ended up as a sort of mish-mash of Mad Hatters tea party, 1940's/50's and Camden weirdness (Camden is an area of London known for it's alternative culture - great for people watching!), which fitted our personalities perfectly" newlywed Melissa told me. She married Jonathan at Islington Town Hall and afterwards had their reception in a hotel in Camden, where they first met. "My inspiration firstly came from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland," Melissa continued. "Jon and I went to see the film when we were dating and I fell in love with it, I'd always been a fan of the book as a child but the film had me hooked. As soon as Jon proposed I knew I would want a touch of Alice involved somewhere within the wedding, the only difficulty was going to be fitting the theme around our tiny budget."

Under The Spotlight – Dee Dee Bridal

Kat

June 29, 2011

Dee Dee Bridal offer bespoke and ready to wear bridal headdresses. They pride themselves on their carefully hand crafted pieces and use materials such as embroidered lace, beading, feathers and vintage finds to create totally individual pieces. "Each item is lovingly handmade with vintage or vintage inspired materials sourced from all over the world" owner Stacey explains. "Mixing magpie finds with lace and feathers, I create unique accessories for the special day and we are more than happy to work with the bride to create something unique to them."

Anthony & Collette’s Laid Back & Timeless Wedding

Kat

June 29, 2011

Anthony & Collette were married at South Farm in Hertfordshire. They wanted their day to be laid back and timeless, so a matchy-matchy or strong theme really wasn't for them. "We took our inspiration from a few different sources," the bride told me. "We wanted it to be quite understated but not boring. We didn't so obviously want to have a things match or have a recognisable theme. We did, however, want everything to complement each other. Kind of like how my wedding ring and engagement ring contrasted but complemented each other - a traditional white diamond engagement ring with a black diamond 'eternity' wedding ring. One of our favourite photos of the day is of the flower girls. It shows them in their sparkly' trainers - it sums up how we wanted our day... relaxed but quirky."

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."

A Short Black Wedding Dress – Sarah & Adam’s My Chemical Romance

Kat

June 24, 2011

I'll be honest, I've been looking forward to seeing Sarah & Adam's wedding for an absolute age. You see, I saw Sarah's incredible black wedding dress many times before the event, when I popped into see my girls at Fur Coat No Knickers in London. Laura & Emma showed the dress to me and told me I'd love the bride that has bought it - that she was cute and tattooed and wearing a black veil to match...and oh boy we're they right! So without further ado... "I would describe our wedding theme as American vintage," Sarah

Loretta & Andy’s Backyard BBQ Wedding

Kat

June 22, 2011

"I would describe our wedding as a bit country barn ho-down, a bit backyard BBQ and a sprinkling of vintage," newlywed Loretta. "We've always been a bit Rock n Roll. We met over a shared love of music and spent the first three years of our relationship going to gigs together. Our first date after our son was born was going to see Midlake at the Prince of Wales. Andy's other true love is his Martin guitar. Our inspiration came from drives through the country, we always stop when we find a great old ramshackle barn and take photos. Some of our favourite gigs have been in places like Meeniyan at the old Town Hall. It's in places like these that bucket loads of inspiration can be found. You mix pretty fabrics and detailing with rusty old sheds and and fields of grass and hay and it's a match made in heaven."

Oysters, Beach Huts & Paddling in the Sea – Abby & Julian’s Beautiful Whitstable Beach Wedding

Kat

June 21, 2011

Ahh the great British seaside! While we can't rival (what seems like) the rest of the world in the sunshine stakes, our beach resorts certainly do have some beautiful British charm don't they? I've visited Whitstable a number of times (it's where we shot the mad hatter bride shoot!), and I have to say, photographer Joanna Brown's capture of this wonderful town is pretty much perfect. What a lucky couple Abby & Julian are to have had her as their wedding photographer! After Julian proposed on Whitstable beach in September, the seaside town seemed like the perfect place to get married too. The couple were wed at The Beacon House on the seafront. "We both really wanted to get married, but to be honest neither of us were particularly fussed about a fancy wedding, and once I'd had a look at a couple of wedding magazines I started having mini-palpitations at the horror and the cost of it all," Abby told me. " I do love a wedding, but I hate being centre of attention myself and the whole coordinated, packaged nightmare of it was enough to bring me out in a sweat. We did visit a few beautiful venues, but knew they were just not us, and the final straw was visiting a perfectly manicured courtyard garden venue which had installed a permanent marquee 'facility' complete with carpet tiles AND bow back seat covers (my two pet hates), glowing colour change pillars 'to fit your colour scheme' and multi-function twinkling 'star canopy'. They were so proud of it and it just epitomised everything I hate and DID NOT WANT at our wedding. Finding the world of wedding blogs was a revelation and really just gave me the confidence to do what we wanted all along."

Under The Spotlight – The Vintage Wedding Fair at The Old Finsbury Town Hall

Kat

June 20, 2011

Nic & Mike’s Incredible Homemade Backyard Wedding

Kat

June 20, 2011

OK so I am one lucky wedding blogger. My friend and photographer Assassynation sends me the very best weddings to feature! It helps that so many of her brides are readers of Rock n Roll Bride anyway (yeey!) but I just have to say that her work and new video project (with cinematographer Frank) is on FIRE right now. Today's little gem comes in the form of the adorable backyard wedding of Nic & Mike.

A Vintage Hen Do Inspiration Shoot

Kat

June 20, 2011

I wanted to start this week with something not all together bridal, but a shoot that you can certainly take inspiration from. I like to think of these vintage beauties as girls-on-tour...maybe on a hen do, or on their way to a beautiful bridal shower....but a classy, and non trashing one of course!

Elizabeth & Simon’s Homemade Vintage Tea Party Wedding

Kat

June 17, 2011

Elizabeth & Simon's crafty vintage tea party wedding was a DIY effort and the beautiful touches and attention to detail really shows. The couple put a lot of themselves into their day and the bride especially homemade a lot of their wedding details. "Over several months I purchased vintage china and glass wear from various charity shops and Pannier Markets," she told me. "This was used as the crockery for the tea party and because we've managed to collect some really nice pieces and a substantial amount, we’re keen to start a small vintage crockery hire service after our wedding."

Sarah & Aaron’s Rustic Vintage Wedding

Kat

June 16, 2011

Sarah & Aaron were married at the bride's Grandparent's farm in Lake Ariel, PA. "Our wedding could not have been done as well as it was without the selfless help of our family and friends," the bride told me. "People were always volunteering their time to help us out in any way they could. And in that way our wedding day was not just about me and Aaron, but a celebration of our friends and family as well. Our community not only came around us in support of our marriage the day of the wedding, but were also a big part in making it the beautiful day that it was!" Their rustic vintage theme was set by the venue, but continued with the DIY elements the couple put into their day like the fabric garlands and tin can lanterns. "We didn't want one of those cookie cutter weddings that you go to a store to pick out and purchase every little thing. No printed napkins, no machined decorations--we wanted a hand and a heart to create our wedding instead, " Sarah continued.

Claire & Joe’s Beautiful & Funky New Forest Wedding

Kat

June 15, 2011

A Temperley dress, a skull handbag and a groom in Vivienne Westwood? Oh yeah, this is my kind of wedding! Claire & Joe's wedding was held at Rhinefield House Hotel in the New Forest and was beautifully captured by photographer Lisa Devlin. Quite frankly this wedding is made for these pages, and so I'm more than a little bit thrilled to share it with you today. "We knew we didn’t want to look like every other bride and groom and wanted to be ourselves," the bride told me. "We took our inspiration from the 1930’s and although it wasn’t a theme it had a definite feel. One of the most important things for me as a make up artist was how to wear my make up which I did myself on the day. I love a strong rock n roll lip so I went for a dark 30s look using MAC Current lip liner all over with MAC Ruby Woo lipstick on top."