British Brides

Jonathan & Zoe’s Wedding Festival

Kat

June 3, 2011

For their 'Wedstival' (wedding festival!), Jonathan & Zoe threw traditions completely out of the window and planned the wedding that they wanted. As the bride told me, "Having been together for a (very!) long time we really wanted to steer away from a traditional wedding and do something that completely reflected us as a couple – we love the outdoor life, our Airedale terriers, our family and music festivals. Thus we came up with the idea of our “Wedstival” – a weekend that saw pretty much all 150 guests camping at the farm (in a mix of tents, VW campers, caravans and even a 36 foot luxury RV!!). We took massive inspiration from our amazing venue, York Maze. It meant we could literally have everyone and their dog there! The kids enjoyed two adventure playgrounds, an animal farm, a jumping pillow and go kart track. All eleven dogs had their own special dog park and to top it all off we had a three table casino and the most amazing live band!"

Laura & Rob’s Bowling Alley Wedding

Kat

June 2, 2011

Laura & Rob were married at The Bloomsbury Hotel, London and had their reception in The Kingpin Suite at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, London. The wedding was unintentionally a day of two halves, and the bride even wore two dresses for each event. She explains, "As soon as we started planning the wedding, I had already set an agenda - no white, no normal wedding dress. It just so happened that the dress that made me cry like a baby was in Berketex Brides and was ivory! Even though I didn't want to wear a 'normal' dress, I still bought wedding magazines and hoped that I would find something super in there. Out of about 15 magazines, I had dogeared the page of only one dress, but forgot about it. After trying on about 6 dresses, the lady said what about this one - I put it on and couldn't stop crying - it was the one from the magazine."

Barbara & Mark’s MC Motors Wedding

Kat

May 31, 2011

Barbara & Mark were married in one of the coolest venues I've seen in a long time - MC Motors in Castle Gibson, East London. The couple were keen to make their wedding all about them and what they love, and so they spent money on the things they valued (namely the awesome venue, The Wedding Smashers (DJ's) and Barbara's Candy Anthony dress) and ignored the things they didn't.

Laura & Rich’s Eco-Friendly & DIY Two-Day Wedding Celebration

Kat

May 31, 2011

Laura & Rich's classic English themed wedding had some super quirky and personal touches. The couple werelegally married at Merton Register Office, London and a few days later had an outdoor blessing ceremony and their reception at Tilford Institute, Surrey. "People were confused as to why we had two days, but why not?" Laura told me. "I wore my dress twice. I was driven in a posh car twice. The first day with my dad, nervous; the second with my new husband, brimming with excitement at seeing my friends! I'd recommend spreading out the love to anyone."

Charlotte & Kevin’s Atmospheric Edinburgh Wedding

Kat

May 27, 2011

Charlotte & Kevin were married at The Caves in Edinburgh - a challenging venue for any photographer (it's very dark!) but photographer Bryony Claire certainly rocked this one and the couple ended up with some fantastic images of their special day. Charlotte explained, "Kev & I have been together for 8 years now. We went to The Caves for a night out and when quite by chance we heard it was a wedding venue so we booked for 8 months later before he even got a chance to propose! The Caves is a truly magical place and it felt so right to have our whole wedding there. We had a Humanist wedding ceremony that was filled with love and laughter and believe that the whole atmosphere and venue suited us and out relationship. I think quite a few people were shocked at my choice of dress, but hey, if you’re getting married, do it your own way! I've always been a bit of the beaten track, I'm sure a few of my friends and family would have been disappointed had I turned up in a traditional white gown!"

Aimee & Ben’s Heavily Tattooed, Handfasting Vow Renewal

Kat

May 26, 2011

Bride Aimee and photographer Naomi Kenton connected through Rock n Roll Bride. They both got talking via facebook about some weddings they'd both seen and liked on the blog and so after getting to know each other well in this informal way, Naomi shot her vow renewal to Ben. Can we also just please stop for one minute and share some love for Aimee & Ben's ink?! Seriously...wow. "Tattoos are a big part of both our lives as Ben is a tattooist," explained Aimee, "and we are both really into all things rockabilly, hot rods and VW lovers so that's what we wanted for the day. We are just ourselves and we do things the way we want and are happy as a result."

Fleur & Alexander’s Unitarian Brighton Wedding

Kat

May 26, 2011

Fleur & Alexander's Brighton wedding took place on the 29th April, although Fleur was keen to tell me that the royals had nothing to do with their choice of wedding date! "Al proposed to me on a beach in Pollensa, Majorca at midnight on July 8th last year and we booked the date in September, long before the Royals!"

Alix & Zack’s Gothic Tea Party Engagement Shoot

Kat

May 25, 2011

Alix & Zack...ahh what's not to love? I'm secretly still a bit of a closet goth at heart so anything gothic inspired really gets me excited...and cupcakes, cupcakes always make things 100 time better don't they? Alix wrote to me to tell me all about their engagement shoot with Rock n Roll Bride favourite Lisa Devlin. "So what do you say when the fabulous Lisa Devlin asks whether you'd like to shoot your forthcoming engagement shoot at, none other than, the Hasselblad Studio in Hoxton? How about "Hell Yeah!!!"

Katie & Tim’s Rustic English Garden Wedding

Kat

May 23, 2011

Katie & Tim were married in August 2010, after being together for nearly 12 years! "We got married in Batcombe Old School Hall, a tiny listed building nestled within the rolling countryside of Somerset," Katie told me. "I was getting overwhelmed by the size and price tag of large stately homes. The Old School was £120, at this price we were able to hire it for the day before to decorate it too!" For their reception they took over an old manor house in Wiltshire (which is no longer doing weddings unfortunately) for 4 whole days with all their friends. A few people even camped in the grounds. "We loved it because it had a barn attached so we didn’t need to spend extra on a marquee plus our guests paid us to stay there which bought the cost down considerably," the bride explained.

Rachel & Nicky’s Punk Luxe Andaz Wedding

Kat

May 19, 2011

Rachel & Nicky were married at the super swanky Andaz Hotel in London. The bride read Rock n Roll Bride throughout her planning and I'm oh-so-excited to see some of my favourite touches throughout this wedding (that cake? effing awesome!) "Nic and I have been immersed in music since we were young, we have both grown up listening to punk and hardcore and a massive spattering of Bruce Springsteen!" the bride told me. "We wanted to make sure that our day really represented this. From invitations that featured Springteen lyrics, tables named after Springsteen songs from Born to Run to Badlands. I wanted to make sure that the day was a total celebration and that everyone was smiling all the way through. I walked down the aisle to 'Bring Me Sunshine' sung by Morecambe and Wise, just stopping short of doing the walk/dance that goes with it, which raised a laugh out of everyone attending and we left the ceremony to Springsteens 'Two Hearts'."

Isobel & Dave’s Vintage-Inspired Budget Wedding

Kat

May 18, 2011

Isobel & Dave's incredible vintage-inspired budget wedding gives me butterflies! I am so excited about sharing all the beautiful personal touches that they put into their day. The whole wedding is a testament to the fact that you don't need to spend a fortune to have your perfect wedding. "The two things we had in our heads from the start were; that we didn't have a very big budget and that we wanted our wedding to reflect us," Isobel told me. "We started by approaching it as a really big party where we’d just happen to get married. The important things for us were that our favourite people were there, our favourite music was playing, and everyone would have fun! We aren’t particularly conventional and there was never any question of following rules or doing things because we ‘should’. I didn't buy a single bridal magazine or visit any bridal shops during the whole process! Rock n Roll Bride and DIY Bride were my only ‘go to’ blogs for inspiration and ideas! We just did things because we wanted to (if we could afford it)! With the little touches – the badges, the teapots as vases, teacups full of sweets, the birdcage for cards and messages, the photo booth (definitely a Rock n Roll Bride idea-steal!), and the bunting – I think we created a wedding that was fun, unique, and best of all, exactly what we’d imagined."

Jenni & Neil’s Eclectic DIY Wedding

Kat

May 17, 2011

"I read something on a wedding blog during my planning, which I clinged onto for my own sanity," bride Jenni wrote, "It said not to worry about decorations etc matching, if you like what you have, in the end it will all go together. This was my mantra for our wedding and it worked. We didn’t have a theme and I didn’t really have a plan or a colour scheme. I operated like a magpie, picking up inspiration where I found it and with the help of my husband and our friends it worked for us!"

Sarah & James’ Deep Purple, One Mayfair Wedding

Kat

May 11, 2011

I was actually really excited about Sarah & James' wedding before it even happened. My friend Alicia Barron, events manager of One Mayfair, told me about this fabulous wedding she had coming up at her venue - a bride in a purple dress, loads of dramatic lighting...ie right up my street! I told her to try and find out who the photographer was so I could beg them to let me feature it afterwards. But low and behold, would you believe that the lucky photographer was actually my friend Annamarie Stepney! I saw these images pop up on her blog last week, but before I could even email her with my request, she'd already sent them over...and told me that the bride had read Rock n Roll Bride throughout her planning too. Woo! Happy faces all roun

Stephanie & Kevin’s Rockin’ Party Wedding

Kat

May 11, 2011

Stephanie & Kevin were married at Alveston Manor, Stratford upon Avon. The day started with an intimate ceremony and reception for just 20 guests. The couple then had a massive evening party with 200 people. "Only having 20 guests in the day we wanted it to be relaxed and just about the family and us the way we wanted to do it, then 200 guests in the evening to really party," the bride told me. "We did it our way and had great fun."

Hannah & Tom’s Shabby Chic, English Charm Wedding

Kat

May 5, 2011

Hannah & Tom's shabby chic, English country garden wedding had so many adorable details that I simply couldn't turn down the opportunity to feature it. I love how the term 'Rock n Roll' can be applied to so many different styles of weddings don't you? 'Rock n Roll' is an all encompassing love of expressing yourself and your individual quirks though your wedding (well, and real life too!) Anyway, mini-morning lecture over, let's get on with sharing all these beautiful touches shall we?

That 70’s Show – A Retro Flower-Child Bridal Shoot

Kat

May 4, 2011

The 1970's are well and truly BACK. I don't know about you but I'm seeing the styling of this decade everywhere at the moment - from the rails of the high street to the lookbooks of the high end. Even kitsch 70's décor is back in vogue (apparently...not sure about the whole avocado bathroom thing making a comeback ...) So needless to say, I didn't expect it to be long until someone brought this iconic styling into a bridal shoot. Photographer Catherine of Lily & Frank Photography and florist Steph from Fairy Nuff Flowers worked together to bring this concept together. They set out their goals from the outset as they were keen to make this shoot stand out from the crowd. They wanted the flowers to take centre stage to the styling, to echo the 'flower-child' movement of the 70's I'd suppose, so they make a conscious decision not to use any jewellery or hair accessories on the models. They were also very keen to make it a retro style, rather than the oh-s0-popular vintage styling of the moment - therefore bold pops of colour and strong statement pieces moved to the forefront. Finally, an obvious British feel was imperative as was a vibe of laid-back, fun and alternative-ness.

A Modern Retro, Bowling Alley Shoot

Kat

May 3, 2011

Today's shoot is one that celebrates all thing British-ness but without a blatant 'jumping on the royal wedding bandwagon.' Thank goodness for these guys and their original take on what it means to be British. "With the royal wedding drawing so much attention around the world to good Ol’ Blighty, I wanted to showcase a quirkier side of England!" stylist and wedding planner Mary of Forever & Ever Events told me. "So I teamed up photographer, Aneta Mak, who specializes in shooting on film, designer Delphine Manivet, milliner Edwina Ibbotson and Bloomsbury Lanes Bowing Alley for an inspirational shoot that celebrated what I consider truly British: high-end meets retro."

Charlotte & Chris’ Bush Hall, Gig Wedding

Kat

May 2, 2011

Charlotte is the genius and super lovely lady behind Restoration Cake - my favourite cake maker - FACT. She is also someone I consider to be a friend so when she told me she was marrying Chris in March I was so excited. Unfortunately I was unable to attend as it fell on the same day as Emma Case's wedding, but luckily for me (and you!) Charlotte was still really excited to let me share her day with on my blog...and before you ask, yes she did make her own cake! The couple threw themselves wholeheartedly into planning their big day and groom Chris was particularly enthusiastic. Charlotte made me laugh when she would tell me that throughout their planning Chris would constantly email her links to things he liked on Rock n Roll Bride! Charlotte & Chris were never going to have a traditional wedding. Both really into music, a gig wedding at the iconic Bush Hall in London was the perfect idea for them! "We had known for ages that we wanted to get married but could never quite figure out how to do it in a way that was right for us," Charlotte told me."We knew that we did not want the whole traditional nine yards but could not reconcile the idea of a Vegas elopement leaving behind all of our family and friends. In the Summer of 2010, we went to a gig at Bush Hall and fell in love with the venue. We decided that our Wedding would be a gig, with our friends’ bands playing, and a massive party. We booked the venue before we told anyone that we had decided to get married!"

A Black & White Checked Couture Gown

Kat

April 29, 2011

There were two things that I loved as soon as I saw this shoot - the model's gorgeous red hair and that dress! Very Vivienne Westwood inspired on both counts...and we all know how much I adore a bit of Vivienne. The shoot was set up to promote dress designer Nicki Hill's new range of bridal gowns. Based in Southampton UK, Nicki is famed her stunning couture gowns. Dresses like this one are made to order and created in her own studio.

A Super Cool Britanna Shoot

Kat

April 28, 2011

So the big day is tomorrow. As I've said previously, I'm not doing a huge homage to the royal wedding on the blog (there's enough royal wedding fever elsewhere thank you very much!) however this shoot, inspired by the event, really caught my eye this week. I love it for it's slight sex pistols/1970's punk edge.Cool Britannia indeed! The shoot took place in Regent's Park, London last week. Bride Noelle hand made her vintage-inspired floaty dress. "We decided to do this cherish the dress shoot with a Great British theme, just in time to celebrate the royal wedding," photographer Rebecca told me. "We also tied in a fairytale them as the royal wedding is set to be a true British fairytale. Noelle also brought along her pet Pug percy for the shoot, who was just adorable and loved rolling around on the British flag."

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