Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Vintage

Briana & George’s Antique Wedding

Kat

March 15, 2011

"I like to question everything, so if something at a wedding doesn't have a specific purpose it was out," began the bride Briana. "We didn't have a guestbook, or a garter toss, or a bouquet, or a cake, or a chicken dance...My husband and I both love vintage stuff. We're both silly, dumpster-diving artist types. We would have just eloped, because the idea of a wedding seemed both superfluous and expensive, but we both love a good party! It was a compromise. If I had more than 4 months to plan it and lived in town, I would have handmade everything myself and incorporated tons of quirky details...but it was perfect just the way it was."
Read more...

Anna Lee & Jeremy’s Vintage-Inspired DIY Wedding

Kat

March 15, 2011

Anna Lee & Jeremy were engaged and married within 3 1/2 months. After Anna Lee moved away to teach in Rwanda, the couple realised they couldn't live without each other and set a wedding date before she'd even come back. Even though they we're technically already engaged, when Anna Lee returned after 10 months, Jeremy proposed properly and did so in the car park of their favourite restaurant because he couldn't wait one second longer! Anna Lee told me all about their vintage-inspired DIY wedding. "I think I would describe our wedding as DIY vintage and it wouldn’t have been possible to put together a wedding on a budget in 3 months without the help of my awesome family and friends. The only "vendors" we hired were the DJ and photographer. I hit up every craft store, thrift shop, and dollar store in the area. My Mom, sister, and I made everything: the invitations and programs, bridesmaid’s bouquets, boutonnieres, and decorations. I created the mothers wrist corsages out of fabric hair pieces from Forever21. The only flowers used were babies breath, purchased from a local grocery store. Instead of large floral arrangements at the reception, I bought manzanita branches online, spray painted them black, and attached tissue paper flowers and moss. A local landscaping nursery let us borrow two small trees we set up inside to soften the reception hall area. We saved a ton of money on flowers this way!"
Read more...

A Vintage Camera-Inspired Shoot

Kat

March 11, 2011

Photographer Tiffany Wayne and wedding blogger Brenda of Brenda's Wedding Blog got together to set up a beautiful vintage camera themed shoot to celebrate their love of all things vintage, photography and weddings! I am honoured that they've chosen Rock n Roll Bride to share their beautiful work! The colour scheme for this shoot was peach, brown, black and cream and featured many DIY projects in order to provide some DIY wedding inspiration. Tiffany and Brenda both got stuck into various DIY projects including the camera chocolate mold dessert favours (such a cute idea!), the floral arrangements - (they picked wild flowers from the side of the road), the cupcake film sleeves(they used real film to create cupcake holders), the candy bar bags that read “A Picture Perfect Ending - Sweet Dreams”, the roll of film for guests to take away (tied with charm “To Love and to Cherish”) and the veil created from tulle and a feather, purchased from a local fabric store.
Read more...

Recapture Designs – Re-Styled Vintage Dresses

Kat

March 1, 2011

This beautiful photo shoot sent over by Deborah Huber Photography was put together to showcase some of the designs sold by Oakland-based Recapture Designs (who do ship internationally!) They say, "Recapture specializes in re-styling vintage gowns for the modern bride. Most gowns are made with precious materials and laces that are difficult to find in today’s market. My goal is to re-create a dress to fit and flatter your figure and your style while preserving the beauty and integrity of the materials. With a wide variety of gowns from Victorian to the 1970′s, a bride is able to choose a design and style that is unique to her personality and her figure."
Read more...

Kirsten & David’s Folk Wedding

Kat

February 28, 2011

Kirsten and David's beautifully folky, Cape Town wedding is the pure essence of why I love my Rock n Roll Brides. Pretty much their whole wedding was crafted from either second-hand or vintage items, and the majority of the details were hand-made. They had home-made pie instead of a wedding cake and they put together all the centrepieces and flowers (bouquets & bridesmaid's headbands) themselves. "We pretty much made all the decor, even the tablecloths and runners," Kirsten told me. "We had so many friends helping us the month before and went a bit overboard with ideas, but it was so much fun! We also made sure (almost completely) that we had finished everything we wanted to do before the last week so that we could spend some good time with all our friends, and made it a big celebration." Kirsten wore a second-hand dress that a friend gave her with leather Oxfords on her feet. All of the jewellery she wore was found at various markets and antique stores. For David's outfit, he went and picked out his own material at a fabric shop with his friends and then they all drove to Mexico (David is from San Diego) and found a cheap tailor to make his suit! "Of course he left this to the week before he moved to South Africa," Kirsten laughed, "so he only got to see if it fit him the week of the wedding! Mexicans can tailor good!"
Read more...

Autumn & Kevin’s Romantic Vintage Valentine’s Wedding

Kat

February 28, 2011

Autumn & Kevin were married the day before Valentine's Day so of course their wedding had to be a full on romantic affair. The bride is a self-confessed Valentine's addict and so the theme was not only perfect for the fact that it was a wedding (aww love!) but because it was themed around the celebration she loves so much. The wedding took place at the bride's Mother's house which was not only the ideal setting for their colour scheme of red and white, but made the day a lot easier for Autumn's Grandmother who also lived in the house with her. It was very important to the couple to have her there. Autumn explained, "I wanted to have the wedding at my Mom's because it would be easiest for my Grandma since she lives there too. Plus my Mom's living room is red and white, with wood floors and a fireplace, which was my ideal setting. I knew from the beginning I wanted to have a vintage Valentine's day wedding. It's my favourite holiday and I already had tons of vintage Valentines. After christmas I transform my white retro christmas tree into a Valentines day tree and I wanted to incorporate that. A lot of the other decor was found at craft stores, or hand made by my Mom. We also incorporated a lot of personal items, like my antique cameras, and Kevin's model airplanes that he had built. We featured a wall of photos with us as kids, and as a couple."
Read more...

The Luxury Wedding Showcase

Kat

February 25, 2011

Everyone loves sweeties right? Well Rock n Roll Bride favourite (and provider of the sweetie table at the Rock n Roll Party in April...eeek!) Hannah of Sweet Dream Events sent over this vintage-inspired shoot she was a part of. The idea for the shoot was to promote a new bridal show she is involved in...and from the look of these images, the show is sure to be a good one. "This is what happens when a group of talented women get together to create a wedding fayre with a difference," Hannah told me. "Hannah (Sweet Dream Events), Carrie (Carrie Bugg Photography) and Natalie (Exquisite Bridal) met when they decided that the personal touch was severely lacking in the wedding industry in their area. And so, The Luxury Wedding Showcase was born. This shoot was to give those wishing to attend an insight into all their talents."
Read more...

The Designer Vintage Bridal Show Feburary 2011 ♥ My Report + Exclusive Photos

Kat

February 23, 2011

In November I received an email from Bran Cook (PR extraordinaire) to ask if I’d be interested in being one of the attractions at a brand new wedding fair she was helping Rachel of Rachel Simpson Shoes and Clare Guest of The Wedding Club (a fabulous bridal boutique in Birmingham) to organise. At first I was a little confused. What would they want me there for? Who would want to come see me at a wedding fair? What would I even put on a wedding fair stand?! However I bit the bullet and said I’d be there with bells on…big pink ones. Over the next few months I received regular updates (both via email and on The Designer Vintage Bridal Fair blog) about all the amazing suppliers that were getting involved with the show and my initial uncertainty and nerves turned to utter excitement! I had basically signed up to hang out at the beautiful Highbury Hall in Birmingham with a load my favourite wedding suppliers for a WHOLE WEEKEND...woohoo road trip! I even booked into a hotel with my girls Lucy of Lucy Ledger Designs and Debbie of DC Bouquets which further transformed the weekend from a ‘business trip’ into a fabulously giggly and gossipy girls weekend (and yes we did lie in bed until 3am chatting and laughing uncontrollably!) And I call this ‘work’ right?!
Read more...

Jemima & Jacko’s Genuine Vintage Wedding

Kat

February 17, 2011

Jemima & Jacko's vintage wedding took place in Australia in January. They wanted to create a wedding that was a true reflection of them as a couple and the vintage theme just fitted! "We started out wanting to have a feel that was uniquely ourselves. We wanted to do things differently but didn’t know how to go about it. In the end, we chose everything by our own taste and the whole vintage/antique theme just fell into place purely by accident," Jemima told me. The bride wore a genuine vintage dress and jewellery which she was gifted by a friend who owns a vintage store after she'd modelled for her. Her reception dress was by Fleur Wood. Jemima's bridesmaid also wore a vintage dress from Ruby Lane and to keep the theme going, the couple made all their invitations using a vintage typewriter on hondmade paper, "Time consuming but really a joy to type up. Also cost effective" Jemima concluded.
Read more...

Sarah & Barrett’s Glamorous Pin Up Inspired Wedding

Kat

February 16, 2011

Sarah's bridal shoot was super kick ass so I'm more than a little excited to be sharing her wedding today too. She married Barrett at Barr Mansion, Austin. She explained, "As for location, as I said several times, I didn't want to be in the middle of a field with a bunch of grass and trees because that just isn't me! I love cities and urban living and wanted my photos to reflect my love for those quirky little places you find around Austin." "I loved the recycling plant idea with those huge piles of twisted metal! My inspiration for my entire wedding look just came from my love for pin up girl looks along with the very intense desire to not look at my wedding photos in 20 years and say "Oh my gosh! What was I thinking wearing that ______ (insert crazy, over trendy item here)!" I truly wanted a look that was me, just prettier!"
Read more...

Katelyn & Scott’s Glamorous Great Gatsby Wedding

Kat

February 16, 2011

"The Great Gatsby was my inspiration (minus the abundance of alcohol and affairs!)" bride Katelyn told me. "Our style for our wedding was very glamorous, but not without that 1920's quirk. I like to think my style is quirky too, so this was perfect for our wedding day. Plus, I love fashion and culture from the past! Now, I could never justify spending as much money on a party as Jay Gatsby, but I still wanted my reception to be as unique and fun. So, I replaced stuffy details like flowers with more lively ideas like bright peacock feathers, and I picked a beautiful venue (that happened to be brimming with vintage touches!) where everyone would feel at home - The Guild House, Bakersfield, CA."
Read more...

Lisa & Theis’ Intimate Malibu Pier Wedding

Kat

February 15, 2011

I am a huge Feather Love Photography fan…HUGE. So when photographer Noa emailed me last week asking if I’d like to feature her newest wedding – I didn’t even have to look at the images to know that I would. Then, when she informed me that this intimate waterside wedding included a bride wearing an incredible vintage hat…complete with birds AND a vintage green veil – well as you can imagine, I practically squealed with excitement.
Read more...

A Most Curious Wedding Fair – April 16th 2011

Kat

February 7, 2011

Rebecca started her business, A Most Curious Party, whilst she planned her 2008 wedding (It was a beauty! I blogged it here.) Her vintage styling company has gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years, however now she's going one step further and planning a bridal show with a difference! She explains, "I was totally disheartened by the barren landscape of boring wedding suppliers on offer to do my husband-to-be and I justice on our big day. Since then things have utterly changed for the better and there are so many great designer, makers, florists, vintage dress companies, photographers, stationers, you name it, on the scene who have changed the face of the wedding industry, not to mention the bloggers like the one only Kat from the one and only Rock n Roll Bride whose influence is immeasurable. Similarly, now, there are vintage wedding fairs popping up around the country and this can also, only be a good thing. But I still feel we can go one further people! The experts putting together vintage wedding fairs are doing a grand job and full respect to them, but maybe, just maybe vintage isn’t enough."
Read more...

Magpie Vintage & The Rose Collection Exclusive Sneak Peeks from this week’s Photo Shoot of AWESOME!

Kat

February 3, 2011

I am mightily excited to share a few sneak peeks from this week's photo shoot. I was asked by the lovely Lisa & Tania of Magpie Vintage if I'd like to come and be their 'celebrity' (ha!) model for their latest (and in my opinion greatest!) promotional photo shoot. The pair are expanding their business from vintage jewellery to fashion! The Rose Collection launches in September 2011 and each piece is a lovingly created one off - reworked from genuine vintage articles - just like their jewellery that they've become so well known for. If you're interested in purchasing any of these stunning pieces then be sure to get in touch with them!
Read more...

Olga & Jo’s Two Day Russian/British Fusion Wedding

Kat

February 2, 2011

Olga & Jo's Rye wedding makes me super happy! I chatted to the bride all about it - their style ideas and how they integrated both their cultures, Russian and English, into their super cute wedding. She explained, "As soon as Jo and I had moved to Brighton, we knew we wanted to mark our wedding day by celebrating it by the beach. It is a Russian tradition to celebrate a wedding over two days so that with family and friends, and their children, there can be one formal and one informal day. With my family being from Russia we wanted to keep to this tradition and felt an English seaside was perfect for catering for both days and the number of people who would be travelling far for the occasion." "Having searched unsuccessfully in Brighton for our perfect location, we stumbled across The Place At The Beach Hotel in Camber Sands which looked just right. Having visited the venue and seen the beach across the road, the accommodation for our families and friends and a spacious garden with a BBQ, we knew it had everything we wanted for our two days."
Read more...

Olga & Jo’s Epic Brighton Engagement Shoot

Kat

February 2, 2011

I've got an epic double bubble of a feature today - Olga & Jo's engagement session in Brighton, followed by their gorgeous Rye wedding later today. The Russian couple wanted their pre-wedding shoot to take place in Brighton as it held special significance to their relationship. The pair moved to the beach resort town in April last year and a week later Jo proposed right on the beach! "My engagement ring was hand made by the family friend jeweller and it is made of platinum with rhodium plating to make it look dark and diamonds," Olga told me. "We had my grandparents came to stay with us so we had a photo session together after having a breakfast at our favorite Bill's cafe and store in Brighton. I was wearing the Eley Kishimoto skirt and top and Jo was wearing Folk cardigan."
Read more...

Rob & Justine’s Beeeautiful Art Retreat South African Wedding

Kat

January 31, 2011

You'll know when I'm really excited about posting a wedding because I'll sneak peek a photo on facebook and twitter as soon as it hits my inbox. It's almost unfair for me to keep it to myself! That's exactly what I did when Rob & Justine send me over their beeeautiful wedding...and actually, beeeautiful is literally the only way I can describe what I saw accurately. Love love love... The couple were married at Hillhouse – a quirky converted Barn that is used as an art retreat, which has the look and feel of a dolls house - in South Africa. "Rob and I met a photography gallery and almost instantly clicked," Justine told me when I asked about the proposal. "I liked that he loved animals and the environment and he loved that I was edgy and confident (his words). We were engaged six months later. Rob proposed in a beautiful vintage Victorian Era locket, I opened it and he had written ‘Will you marry me?’ in it."
Read more...