The Vintage & Alternative Wedding Fair

Kat

Kerrie Mitchell

August 28, 2013

Vintage has become a bit of a dirty word in the wedding world. It's been overdone more than any trend' I've ever known... and in many cases pretty badly. But vintage weddings as a concept are beautiful and some of the most creative and beautiful weddings that I've featured have fallen under that 'vintage' banner. In fact vintage weddings are not limited to pearls, lace and mismatched crockery - they can be so much more than that, the only limit is your imagination.can be so much more than that, the only limit is your imagination.

It’s Not a Wedding Fair it’s an Eclectic Wedding Extravaganza!

Kat

March 6, 2013

Dear internet, there are a lot of wedding fairs in 2013. A LOT. There's also a rather disproportionate amount of them claiming to be of the 'alternative' persuasion. In fact I don't think I've ever heard a word over-used so much to describe something wedding-related since the dreaded 'vintage' invasion of 2011. Whether this is a good or bad thing is still very much up for debate, but here on this little alternative wedding blog (ahem) I pride myself in only showcasing the very best and most exciting wedding fairs in all the land.

Bridal Fashion That Doesn’t Suck from the bridalNEXT! 2012 Winners

Kat

Gem Harris

February 15, 2013

Last October I was honoured to be asked to act as a judge for the bridalNEXT! awards which were taking place as part of A Most Curious Wedding Fair. Alongside fellow judges Peta Hunt, fashion editor of You & Your Wedding Magazine, Rachel Atwell, owner of swanky London wedding boutique Luella’s Boudoir, and Hazel Holtham of vintage store & blog Rag and Bow we selected Veronica Dearly as our overall winner, and the one to watch for 2013. As part of the prize Veronica and the three runners up were invited to take part in an editorial fashion shoot. Now I don't know about you, but if this is the caliber of bridal talent coming out in 2013, it's going to be a very exciting year indeed.

Having a Festival Wedding? Check out FabulousWedFest!

Kat

My Fabulous Life

February 9, 2013

Are you having a festival themed wedding? 2012 was certainly the year that this idea exploded into weddings, but it would appear it isn't going anywhere during 2013 either! This festival-inspired wedding shoot was pulled together by wedding photographer Becky Joiner and Muddifords Court in order to promote their latest venture, the FabulousWedFest wedding show which is taking place on 16th March. Shot in and around the venue itself, and using suppliers that will actually be exhibiting at the fair, this shoot shows that festival weddings are far from over. It's clearly a theme that we're going to see gaining popularity in 2013 and beyond. Wellies at the ready guys!

A Bridal Show with a Difference? Thank Goodness for A Most Curious Wedding Fair

Kat

Joanna Millington

January 29, 2013

Let's be honest, there are A LOT of wedding fairs to choose from these days. In fact British brides & grooms have never had so much choice. Which is clearly awesome, but let's be honest, it can be quite confusing. How on earth are you supposed to know which ones are the best and which ones to actually go to? Aren't they all the same anyway?

Zoe Lem’s Vintage Wedding Fair, London

Kat

October 16, 2012

With 15 years experience as a fashion stylist, Zoe Lem, who pioneered the concept of dressing to suit your shape, has now turned her hand to wedding fashion and design. Zoe was controversially revealed by The Daily Mail in 2006 as the brains behind Trinny and Susannah’s ground breaking show ‘What Not to Wear’ so as you can imagine, she knows her stuff! Zoe's passion for style and weddings (she used to run the iconic My Sugarland wedding boutique in London) has converged to create the brand, Zoe Lem – Vintage Shape Mistress and to launch Zoe Lem’s Vintage Wedding Fair.

Go Wild with A Most Curious Party

Kat

August 11, 2012

I'm obsessed with this shoot, set up by Becky Hoh-Hale to promote her new breed of vintage wedding fair, A Most Curious Party. If you've been reading Rock n Roll Bride for a while you might recognise that name - I've been lucky enough to feature two of their shoots to promote previous events (as well as Rebecca's own gorgeous wedding). Alongside the amazing Joanna Millington Photography and some of the other suppliers exhibiting at the shows, Becky wanted to showcase a unique twist on the vintage wedding trend - it's not all tea length 50s dresses and mismatched crockery here! "We had big plans for this shoot", explained Becky. "Originally we wanted to shoot in the Norfolk Woods, where much of the flat landscape looks like the set of Spike Jones’s 'Where the Wild Things Are' but on the day we were strewn with drizzle, which eventually turned into full blown rain, which eventually turned into hail. So onto plan B!"

Something Borrowed, Something Blue: The Vintage Wedding Fair, Harrogate

Kat

February 16, 2012

How to Get the Best Out of Exhibiting at a Wedding Fair

Kat

January 20, 2012

I'm just gonna come out and say it...as a general rule, I'm not a huge fan of the wedding fair. A little controversial I know. My reason for this is not because I find them boring or a waste of time but because the people exhibiting aren't making me want to love it. Often they simply sit at their stands with a 'take it or leave it attitude' or they'll just thrust leaflets and samples at me like they're going out of fashion. This is both annoying as hell and a little bit terriflying. I don't think the wedding fair is dead just yet. There are hundreds of thousands of brides (and poor poor grooms)-to-be that attend these shows during their engagement. So, this week, I thought a little discussion and a few tips on how you can make wedding fairs work for you should be in order. Thank you to Heidi from The Alternative Wedding Fair, which is taking place in London this Sunday (I'll be wondering around with Roo - please don't throw things at us) for putting together this article.

A Vintage Inspired Shoot for A Most Curious Wedding Fair – 2012 Dates Announced

Kat

January 6, 2012

A Most Curious Wedding Fair is going into it's second year with events being held at St Andrew's Hall in Norwich on the 11th February and in York Hall, London on the 31st March. To celebrate, organiser Becky got together with the amazing Joanna Millington Photography and some of the other suppliers exhibiting at the shows to put together this beautiful, vintage inspired wedding shoot.

The Alternative Wedding Fair – St. Ives Corn Exchange, 23rd October 2011

Kat

October 3, 2011

If you're anything like me you'll be a little bit bored of the usual crop of wedding fairs. I'll be honest, I do go to a lot of them as part of my job but it is very rare that I really love love love what I see. It takes a lot to impress me I tells you. I am a self-confessed wedding snob I'm afraid! However because of this, I am genuinely really really excited to be backing a small number of wedding fairs that I do believe offer you something different.

Unique & Alternative Bridesmaid Fashion Ideas – in Association with The NOT Wedding

Kat

August 9, 2011

Are you loving the mismatched bridesmaid trend but are a little unsure about how to pull it off with your own girls? Avoid them looking uncoordinated or simply like the rest of your guests with a few of my simple tips on how to tie them together in easy and subtle ways. With effortless attentions to detail your bridesmaids really will look as faaaabulous as the girls pictured here. I promise! This article is illustrated with images of the 'bridesmaids' at Atlanta's NOT Wedding which took place in July.

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

Kat

June 20, 2011

A Sunday Kind of Love – The NOT Wedding 2011

Kat

May 22, 2011

I have been a fan of The NOT Wedding ethos for the past couple of years. I love the concept of a wedding fair that thinks outside the box and shows off the best local Atlanta vendors by actually putting on a fake wedding! This years event is going to be bigger and better. They explain, "This time we're mailing wedding invitations in lieu of purchased tickets, we're having a full sit-down dinner catered by the amazing Sun In My Belly, and we are throwing in some pretty fun surprises to keep guests on their toes."

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?!

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."