British Brides

A 50s Wedding Inspired by Back to the Future: Laura & Chris

Kat

October 2, 2012

"We've never really been a 'weddingy' kind of couple so after the initial haze of getting engaged and buying all sorts of wedding magazines and stuff, we realised there wasn't a whole lot out there that was really very 'us'," began Laura, who married Chris in August this year. "At one point I'd even considered getting a traditional wedding dress and being a lady for a day but luckily all was saved when we went to see Back to the Future when it was re-released at the cinema. As soon as I saw the dresses at the enchantment under the sea dance, I realised that I knew what I wanted for our wedding."

A Thespian Wedding with a Focus on the Ceremony: Theresa & William

Kat

October 1, 2012

Theresa & William were married at Preston Court, Kent, in April. Both being actors they had a subtle thespian theme and lots of entertainment! "We met while working for outdoor theatre company," began the bride. "Last year, at the end of a performance of Pirates of Penzance, and on stage in front of 350 people, Willie proposed! It came as quite a surprise to everyone apart from our MD Ben Wiles, who had been instructed to play the Dr Zhivago theme as he went down on one knee! Ben also played at the wedding as I walked down the aisle."

A Quirky Alice in Wonderland Wedding: Nic & Ed

Kat

September 28, 2012

Nic & Ed chose Gaynes Park in Epping as the perfect spot for their June wedding. "It is the most amazing venue ever and their food is the highlight", explained the bride, "In fact people are still raving about it now, it was better than any restaurant I've ever been to! It's also a beautiful space, which didn't need a lot doing to it which was perfect for us. I just put a few bits here and there to make it 'ours'." "My inspiration came from my love of cakes and Alice in Wonderland. Ed was very happy to let me go off and try and put as much of 'me' into the wedding as I could. My aim was for people to know if was our wedding."

A Colourful Country Garden Fete Wedding: Tom & Jenny

Kat

September 27, 2012

The DIY wedding of Tom & Jenny took place in Kent in July. After a church ceremony, their low key reception was held in Tom's parent's back garden. The bride wore a short wedding dress from Yours Truly Bridal Shop in Maidstone which cost her just £180 with a gorgeous headpiece was by a Rock n Roll Bride favourite, Crown & Glory. Alongside her lucky bridesmaids, she wore Vivienne Westwood/Melissa Lady Dragon shoes and instead of bouquets they all carried a single giant faux flower stem, bought from Hobbycraft costing just £2 each!

A DIY Village Hall Wedding & A Bride Who Designed her own Dress: Laura & Mike

Kat

September 25, 2012

A village hall reception venue, a bride who designed her own dress and a groom who found his entire outfit in charity shops - oh I am so excited about Laura & Mike's amazing wedding! Is it just me or are the low key, budget friendly and full of love weddings winning over the high-maintenance, super detail heavy weddings right now? "I am a huge geek and one of the things I am most geeky about is design, craft and making things", wrote newlywed Laura. " So when Mike proposed at a picnic in Kensington Gardens just after our 6 year anniversary, the mother of all craft projects was born!

A Marie Antoinette Style Gothic Fairytale: Stan & Lotti

Kat

September 21, 2012

that tap into this theme. But I think Lotti is the best example of a Marie Antoinette bride since... well... me! In fact I think she actually steals my crown. The pantaloons, the white/grey hair, the shoes... her look is just perfect! "I’m an alternative model in my spare time and I've always been creative in my appearance so I was never going to go for something conventional for my wedding!" began the bride. "I’m very into period costume and I love the spectacular dress of the court of Versailles at the time of Marie Antoinette so I thought I would recreate some of the decadence and indulgence of the court for our big day! We chose the blue and white theme as this shade of blue was one of Marie Antoinette’s favourites. The toile de jouy fabric of the bridemaids dresses was also popular in Europe at the time. Kiku Boutique in Manchester dressed us all."

A Scottish Rock n Roll Wedding with Ring-Delivering Owls: Anna & Max

Kat

September 19, 2012

Who would have thought a smiling owl would be so popular!? Well I should have expected it really... you lot may love weddings but you love love love cute fluffy things! I wanted to sneak peek a shot of Anna & Max's wedding on my facebook page so I chose this cutie and low and behold, it's up there with some of the most 'liked' photos ever! You can see why right? CUTE.

Two Ceremonies, Afternoon Tea & A Music Festival: Tam & Rob

Kat

September 18, 2012

"We really wanted a fun wedding which guests would enjoy", began Tam when I asked her about her vintage-inspired festival wedding. "Rob & I decided we would split the day into three, so we had the ceremony, the afternoon tea with games then an evening party. I think having three different venues with lots of entertainment was fun for the guests and us!" In fact after the afternoon tea part of the wedding, the couple had a second ceremony - a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. "My dad is Indian so after the wedding ceremony everyone had a glass of Pimms and then gathered round for a traditional Parsee ceremony called a 'Mado Soro'. The ceremony is a blessing for the couple to wish them good fertility and a fruitful marriage. My dad explained what was going on to all the guests and what the ceremony meant. We were presented with the most amazing fresh flower garlands that my cousins had bought over from Thailand. A fruit tree was planted by my brother while prayers were said by other relatives. An egg was passed round Rob's head three times then thrown to the ground and broken. A coconut was then smashed on the floor. Everyone then threw rice and confetti."

A Wedding on a Budget with Portraits in IKEA: Janet & Dave

Kat

September 17, 2012

I'm rather partial to IKEA... I know it's not the fanciest of home stores, but whenever I persuade Gareth that we need a trip there (I'm sure we're due another one soon) I feel like a proper grown up. I can actually afford the stuff (like who decided £2000 was standard for a table and chairs? pah John Lewis, PAH!) and it makes me feel all educated buying things with Swedish names. Plus their items are always pretty... even if not always functional - "why yes Gareth I do need that cardboard deer head to put on my office wall..." And don't even get me started on the kids department. I just wish the pink chest of drawers came in adult size... So when wedding photographer and all round cool dude Chris Barber sent me Janet & Dave's wedding I was excited. Not just because of Dave's Rock n Roll stylings but because they chose the Coventry Ikea as the location for their wedding day portrait sesh. GENIUS! Oh and they spent just £4000 on their day. I'm IN AWE.

A Backyard Beach Wedding Planned in Three Weeks: Nellie & Matt

Kat

September 13, 2012

Nellie & Matt planned their Whistable wedding in just three short weeks. They wanted something small, something personal and something relaxed. They found the amazing Beacon House, right on the beach, for their ceremony and were able to use the back garden of the bride's brother's holiday cottage for the reception. "Serendipity and our amazingly supportive family and friends brought our wedding together in just 3 weeks," the bride began. "Matt and I had been engaged for 3 years, neither of us are planners but we had a clear idea of the kind of wedding we wanted, a relaxed, seaside celebration centred around our close friends, family, good food and drink. But every option we explored in Cambridge and Brighton, our two home cities, in one way or another tied us into expensive packages, so we put off the wedding and skipped to the baby."

A Homemade Glaswegian Wedding: Eileen & Peter

Kat

September 7, 2012

Eileen & Peter were married at Glasgow University Union. They had a tiny budget, but with the help of wedding blogs sharing affordable and DIY options, they were able to plan the wedding of their dreams. "We really just wanted to have a fun wedding that meant something to us personally rather than just doing things because you are supposed to", explained Eileen. "I was really inspired by blogs like Rock n Roll Bride that showed how you can have a wedding anyway you want. We had to explain our decisions a bit more than most to some people who didn't get it but I knew it would all come together in the end. Things like not having a religious ceremony. This upset our families to begin with but they later realised that they had pestered us for so long to get married that any way we wanted was fine just as long as we did it! So we had a small intimate ceremony filled with songs and poetry we love and lovely romantic things we had said about each other. Then we just wanted to have a big fun party to celebrate with all our extended friends and family. We didn't set out to be 'Rock n Roll' but we definitely ended up that way. Ha ha!"

A Rainbow Wedding inspired by their Living Room: Ruth & Alex

Kat

September 5, 2012

I think green is a totally underrated bridal colour. We see brides in white, red, even black, quite often, but rarely in green - and doesn't Ruth show us how wrong this is? She looks incredible! "I remember looking at photos of my Gran in her wedding dress from 1960 which was blue with a pink petticoat and telling myself that I was going to wear my favourite colour when I got married too", Ruth began, "and so the green dress was born. My something old was my Gran's actual pink underskirt from her wedding dress." "Finding a green dress was hard work though. At first I tried on bridesmaid dresses but I never really felt myself or special enough. I was also being pushed into trying on white dresses by everyone but I didn't recognise myself. I'm a total tomboy at heart and the concept of being feminine for the day felt alien to me. I still don’t understand the concept of feeling like a princess on your wedding day. The most important thing was to feel like me. I found Vivien of Holloway online after looking at the adverts on Rock n Roll Bride. After three trips trying on various Vivien of Holloway dresses, I ended up ordering from a limited run of only 4 (!) plain green circle dresses. I love the fact that I can and will be able to wear my dress again and that I'm only one of 4 people to have bought it!"

A Glamorous Wedding with a Gothic Twist: Shep & Sarah

Kat

September 4, 2012

Shep & Sarah were married at Ettington Park Hotel, an elegant 4-star venue just outside Stratford Upon Avon. With its tranquil location and beautiful architecture it proved to be the perfect place for their glamorous wedding. The exterior of the hotel was actually used as the setting for the 1963 film The Haunting.

A Movie Themed Wedding: Amy & Phil

Kat

September 3, 2012

After knowing each other for 16 years the couple were keen to walk down the aisle as soon as Phil proposed! So after just a 6 month engagement, the couple were wed in a movie themed wedding in July. The bride wore a custom made dress and yes... her bridesmaids wore dresses made of Star Wars fabric!!

A Farm Wedding with Fancy Dress, Fun & Frolics: Lauren & Matt

Kat

August 31, 2012

Lauren & Matt's started their wedding planning knowing exactly what they wanted: something relaxed, stress-free and fun. They were lucky enough to have a friend whose parents own a farm, so everything else really stemmed from that. Lauren told me all about it. "As soon as we got engaged we knew how we wanted our wedding to be, we just didn't know how to do it! The first and most important thing was to find a photographer. Being a enthusiastic photographer myself, I spent weeks searching for one that she liked, we finally came across Sassy of Assassynation and sent an excited email straight away. She immediately told us to phone her for a chat as we hadn't set a date yet, but when she told us she only had 2 Saturdays free in the 3 months that we were looking at we booked her there and then! Everything else was then planned around her."

An Art Deco Plaza Cinema Wedding: John & Aggie

Kat

August 30, 2012

Doesn't John & Aggie's wedding looks like it's stepped right out of the 1920s? I don't think I've ever seen an era executed quite so well in a real wedding of late. I am in awe! The wedding was held at the The Plaza Super Cinema & Variety Theatre in Stockport. The original art deco architecture and features remain which made it the perfect venue for their day. "Our venue was excellent value as the entire cinema including tea rooms can be hired for only £700", explained the bride. "Their three course meal started at only £15 per head too. Plus it was great to support such a wonderful art deco gem that has been lovingly restored!"

An After Show Party Themed Rock n Roll Wedding: Brett & Vicky

Kat

August 29, 2012

Brett & Vicky planned their Rock n Roll wedding for just £3,000. Yes, this pair crafted and saved their way to the perfect alternative music themed day for less than some brides spend on their dress! The couple were married in July in Darlington. "To look at our wedding you might say it was very obviously 'Rock n Roll', what with the rock music themed stuff everywhere, but to us our wedding was just us", explained Vicky. "It was the easiest and best party we have pulled off as we have some fabulous parties for any occasions! Our day was awesome, very laid back... it just went so fast! Brett was fabulous in front of the camera and Jade, our wedding photographer, made him feel so at ease. I love him so much for doing the photos, and love Jade for capturing my heart in the shots!"

An East London Wedding with an Industrial Vibe: Bianca & Paul

Kat

August 28, 2012

I often daydream about what our wedding would be like if we were to do it now (embarrassing admission alert!) and I think I've hit the daydream wedding jackpot with Bianca & Paul. The industrial vibe of their Shoreditch venue is just perfect perfect perrrfect. The space in question is Village Underground, an "evolving project building an international platform for creativity and culture" as the website describes it. SWOON.

A Trailer Trash Bridal Shoot with a Vintage Airstream

Kat

August 25, 2012

"Ever since I spent time travelling from Nashville to San Francisco last Autumn, I've benn obsessed with wanting to recreate vintage Americana!" wrote stylist Lynsey Le Keux. "This summer I had the pleasure of making it happen. I got together with some serious wedding industry talent including Sassy of Assassynation and Jo of The Couture Company. Our theme was 'trailer trash chic' which basically meant coney neck beers, dust-caked American cars, sweat smudged make up and broad blue skies. The aim was to portray unique bridal beauty against a backdrop of pure gritty trash... We wanted to inspire bridal styling outside of tradition and show our customers that they don't have to follow convention to rock a wedding - bridal beauty is subjective and one thing all the collaborators agreed on was how much we loved customers who did things their way."

A Colourful Festival Wedding at Ridge Farm: Layla & Dan

Kat

August 24, 2012

Layla & Daniel were married in Rusper, Sussex in St Mary Magdalene's Church, followed by a festival style wedding at Ridge Farm. I've featured weddings at this iconic wedding venue before - why so iconic you ask? Well the farm has a recording studio where Oasis, Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody was written here!) Roxy Music, Thin Lizzie, Black Sabbath and many many others have recorded albums! AHHHMAZING. "The wedding was all personalised by me & Dan", wrote Layla, "including the wine glasses, the moustaches & lips, the heart decor, the table plan & numbers, the 'LOVE' sign and the bunting. We had a two-day wedding. From the start we knew we didn’t want everything to be over with in just one day! Ridge Farm was the PERFECT venue as we were able to hire it exclusively from Friday to Monday which meant our parents, brothers & sisters, bridesmaids and best men could share the whole time with us. We also had some friends of ours camping on the grounds. Friday was set-up day, with everyone mucking in; Saturday was the wedding; and on Sunday we had about 100 of our guests returning for a Hog Roast, DJ’s and dancing till the wee hours!"

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